17 Comments

• 1. phnx  |  May 23rd, 2008 at 8:10 pm

  On this Memorial Day weekend, my prayers go out to the brave men and women and their families who have served this country in peacetime and in war. At this time it is especially important to remeber those who paid the ultimate price for their country. We enjoy our freedoms because of their sacrifice.

• 2. Tom Thumb  |  May 23rd, 2008 at 9:13 pm

  Do you mean the freedom of unlawful searches?
  NSA WIRETAPS

  Do you mean the right of a speedy trial?
  GITMO DETAINEES SIX YEARS WITHOUT CHARGES

  Do you mean the right against cruel and unusual punishment?
  TORTURE AND MURDER IN ABU GRAIB.

  Bush took away all the rights our boys died for.

• 3. neocon  |  May 23rd, 2008 at 9:29 pm

  Darn it. I don’t have any rights because if that eeevil Bush.

  There were women who died for those, not usurped rights also Tom Thumb. Why didn’t you acknowledge them? Are you sexist?

  I suppose you call women reporters “sweetie” too, right? Or do you call only those reporters from the 57th state that?

• 4. congressive  |  May 24th, 2008 at 3:33 am

  Gotta love all this Hagee-Wright et al nonsense. Religion in America is finally being seen as the sheer lunacy that it truly is.

  Long live reason!

• 5. Mark Noonan  |  May 24th, 2008 at 4:26 am

  congressive,

  Indeed, long live reason - in fact, lets have a sample of it:

  A(1) Whether there is anything voluntary in human acts?

  It would seem that there is nothing voluntary in human acts. For that is voluntary “which has its principle within itself.” as Gregory of Nyssa [*Nemesius, De Natura Hom. xxxii.], Damascene (De Fide Orth. ii, 24), and Aristotle (Ethic. iii, 1) declare. But the principle of human acts is not in man himself, but outside him: since man’s appetite is moved to act, by the appetible object which is outside him, and is as a “mover unmoved” (De Anima iii, 10). Therefore there is nothing voluntary in human acts.

  Further, the Philosopher (Phys. viii, 2) proves that in animals no new movement arises that is not preceded by a motion from without. But all human acts are new, since none is eternal.

  Consequently, the principle of all human acts is from without: and therefore there is nothing voluntary in them.

  Further, he that acts voluntarily, can act of himself. But this is not true of man; for it is written ( John 15:5): “Without Me you can do nothing.” Therefore there is nothing voluntary in human acts.

  On the contrary, Damascene says (De Fide Orth. ii) that “the voluntary is an act consisting in a rational operation.” Now such are human acts. Therefore there is something voluntary in human acts.

  I answer that, There must needs be something voluntary in human acts. In order to make this clear, we must take note that the principle of some acts or movements is within the agent, or that which is moved; whereas the principle of some movements or acts is outside. For when a stone is moved upwards, the principle of this movement is outside the stone: whereas when it is moved downwards, the principle of this movement is in the stone. Now of those things that are moved by an intrinsic principle, some move themselves, some not. For since every agent or thing moved, acts or is moved for an end, as stated above; those are perfectly moved by an intrinsic principle, whose intrinsic principle is one not only of movement but of movement for an end. Now in order for a thing to be done for an end, some knowledge of the end is necessary. Therefore, whatever so acts or is moved by an intrinsic principle, that it has some knowledge of the end, has within itself the principle of its act, so that it not only acts, but acts for an end. On the other hand, if a thing has no knowledge of the end, even though it have an intrinsic principle of action or movement, nevertheless the principle of acting or being moved for an end is not in that thing, but in something else, by which the principle of its action towards an end is not in that thing, but in something else, by which the principle of its action towards an end is imprinted on it. Wherefore such like things are not said to move themselves, but to be moved by others. But those things which have a knowledge of the end are said to move themselves because there is in them a principle by which they not only act but also act for an end. And consequently, since both are from an intrinsic principle, to wit, that they act and that they act for an end, the movements of such things are said to be voluntary: for the word “voluntary” implies that their movements and acts are from their own inclination. Hence it is that, according to the definitions of Aristotle, Gregory of Nyssa, and Damascene, the voluntary is defined not only as having “a principle within” the agent, but also as implying “knowledge.” Therefore, since man especially knows the end of his work, and moves himself, in his acts especially is the voluntary to be found. - St. Thomas Aquinas

  See what kind of thing you get when you use human reason to analyze things? Just great, great stuff…too bad far too many people don’t avail themselves of reason…and even more pitiful that those on the left are least likely to resort to reason.

  Now, you were making some sort of statement about how religion and reason don’t really get along?

• 6. Casper  |  May 24th, 2008 at 9:09 am

  I’m curious as to how the people here feel about McCain denouncing Hagee”s and Parsley’s endorsements. Did he lose any votes?

• 7. extramedium  |  May 24th, 2008 at 9:52 am

  It seems to me that since (1) the presumptive nominee on the Democrat side (Obama) is described here (and elsewhere in the conservative universe) as “ultra-liberal” and (2) the presumptive nominee on the Republican side is described here as a very “moderate” Republican, or even a RINO - I can only presume that the country has made a large shift to the left.

  I’ve also heard lots of folks here contend that America is shifting right. If that’s true, then McCain ought to win by a landslide, right? What do you think - have conservatives taken ten steps back, or do we actually have the right set of circumstances for crushing Republican victory in November?

• 8. neocon  |  May 24th, 2008 at 11:53 am

  When has anyone here made the contention that America is shifting right? We contended all along that America is, and always has been a center-right country. Which is exactly where McCain is and why he will win.

• 9. Pain  |  May 24th, 2008 at 1:00 pm

  Fiddling while New Rome burns.

• 10. neocon  |  May 24th, 2008 at 1:13 pm

  Pain,

  Thank you for reminding me why I stopped watching music videos. Of course to the juvenile, I am sure they seem quite poignant and hip.

  You’ll grow out of it.

• 11. Cavalor Epthith, Esquire, D.S.V.J.  |  May 24th, 2008 at 4:13 pm

  Could we agree that there is only one true science, meaning science in the purest meaning of the word, and that is the Science of Metaphysics? For it is the science of both the Divine and the Profane. The goal of studying Metaphysics is the learning of the science of all things and applying Reason to see the connections between what has been Created and the Creator.
  Yet I must ask how can a man don the rose coloured robes of a Metaphysician who sees the Universal linkage between Theology-Ontology-Cosmology and reckons clearly that they must be mastered in that order to graduate not to receive a degree but to be Enlightened whilst he is barred from knowing the Divine fully and for himself as a prerequisite? To my keen eyes Religion hinders a man from embracing that all men are brothers because the organization and purpose creates in Religion a race for one group to declare itself Divine before another and thus their masters.

• 12. Pain  |  May 24th, 2008 at 4:19 pm

  10. neocon | May 24th, 2008 at 1:13 pm

  Art comes in many forms neocon.

• 13. Some Assembly Required  |  May 24th, 2008 at 5:10 pm

  How about this

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWkWSLEW-Ds

  Even more appropriate considering the current administration.

• 14. phnx  |  May 24th, 2008 at 5:42 pm

  Tommy Dumb…I wasn’t refering to the freedoms that muslim fundementalist terrorist enjoy.

• 15. Pain  |  May 24th, 2008 at 5:43 pm

  13. Some Assembly Required | May 24th, 2008 at 5:10 pm

  Well since you moved toward High Art . . .

• 16. neocon  |  May 24th, 2008 at 6:05 pm

  yawn…..

• 17. Jeremiah  |  May 24th, 2008 at 9:15 pm

  I thank the Lord today for such an awesomely beautiful day….

  We had 16 straight weekends in a row of cold and rainy weather….and today…. panned out to be just one of the most unbelievably beautiful days that you could ever dream for….the sun was so bright and warm!

  Thank you Lord!

  :)