• Is Batman right-wing?

    This article says that Frank Miller – author of Sin City, but also perhaps better known for rejuvenating the Batman franchise with The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One in the late 80s – is working on a new graphic novel in which Batman takes on al-Qaeda: “Not to put too fine a point…

  • Will on neo-monarchism

    Good George Will column (via Conservative Green) on the domestic spying and how broad assertion of executive power threatens to upset the already quite precarious balance between the three branches of the federal government. Also, it’s nice to see someone writing about something other than VP Cheney’s hunting follies.

  • Trade justice and farm protectionism

    Proponents of “trade justice” as part of a comprehensive approach to fighting global poverty often point to rich countries’ agricultural subsidies as a big part of the problem because they create unfair competition for farmers in the developing world. This article offers six reasons that slashing subsidies and trade barriers would be good for people…

  • Can Protestants pray the Rosary?

    For many Protestants the Rosary encapsulates everything that is wrong with Roman Catholicism – an excessive (and perhaps idolatrous) focus on Mary, rote mechanical prayers, and legalism. But is this a fair characterization? And might the Rosary have something to offer Protestants? The “Praying to Mary” Objection: Since the Rosary consists largely of “Hail Mary”s…

  • What’s in a name?

    Jennifer points to a surprisingly good statement on the trinitarian name, particularly as it’s used in Baptism, from the bishops of the ELCA: The Gospel is at stake in the name of God. “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” is the eternal ground for the Church’s evangelical message. God’s revelation takes place in human history. It…

  • The disappearance of the unhyphenated conservative

    This profile of Sen. Chuck Hagel is notable for the fact that none of the positions ascribed to Hagel (a prudent internationalist in foreign policy, opposed to big government and deficits, opposed to No Child Left Behind, the new Medicare drug benefit, and agricultural subsidies, pro-life, etc.) would have, at least until fairly recently, been…

  • Dems seeking to get to Bush’s right on Iran

    Salon reports on get tough with Iran noises recently made by 2008 presidential contenders Hilary Clinton and Evan Bayh. Are we really willing to go to war to prevent Iran from acquiring nukes? I mean, compared to Iran, Iraq actually would look like a cakewalk! Also, I’m unpersuaded by the claim that the crazy ayatollahs…

  • Theology, natural and otherwise

    Thomas Adams at the blog Without Authority has a couple of good posts on a “modest” natural theology, especially as it interacts with modern science. Natural theology still seems to be largely on the outs in contemporary theology, owing perhaps to the influence Barth still exerts, as well as the recent trend toward seeing theology…

  • Dept. of false dilemmas

    Matthew Yglesias has a good response to this Andrew Sullivan post calling for “hard thinking on the left” in the wake of the Danish cartoon brouhaha: Andrew Sullivan writes, with regard to the cartoon riots: People keep talking about avoiding conflict. They are in denial. The conflict is already here. It is outrageous to be…

  • Abby’s superhero quiz results

    Your results:You are Wonder WomanYou are a beautiful princesswith great strength of character. Wonder Woman 78%Green Lantern 70%Supergirl 68%Superman 65%The Flash 65%Iron Man 65%Robin 62%Catwoman 60%Hulk 50%Spider-Man 45%Batman 40% Click here to take the “Which Superhero are you?” quiz…