A few odds and ends on the culture trail: * How many of you read this quote in the New York Times Magazine from Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, or heard any coverage of it: “Frankly, I had thought that at the time Roe v. Wade was decided, there was concern about population growth […]
Archives for August 2009
Sotomayor: It Could Have Been Worse
As I write, the news is that Sonia Sotomayor was finally confirmed by the Senate by a 68-31 vote, with nine Republicans joining all Democrats in confirming. This is a reasonable outcome and I believe that the conduct of the hearings exhibited about the right balance of rigor, respect, and expository aspects of judicial philosophy, […]
McNamara’s Tragedy and Legacy
The recent death of Robert McNamara brought back many memories, mostly of frustration for those of my age who strained to make sense out of the Vietnam War. In many ways he embodied the essential liberal premise–that smart people from the best schools, armed with efficient systems, can apply rationality to deal with organic human […]
Neuhaus and the Public Square
A brief and belated tribute to Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, who died last January and who whose legacy in the journal First Things, which he founded, published, and edited, is one regular publication which I do not miss. Thankfully it is being carried on in similar style by his successors. Of course, his breakthrough to […]
The Health Care Debate
After all that has been written and said about health care reform over the past six months, it is virtually impossible to offer much that is original. Much of the editorial commentary in favor of the various concepts floated by the left reflect such an ignorance of the realities of economics, human nature, incentives, and […]
A Once Per Generation Moment
Watch closely over the next two months, for it will probably be the most critical period for the future of the country in the past sixty years. Not since the power grab of the New Deal have we seen such a well-orchestrated attempt at such a massive power shift and wealth transfer as is represented […]