Pick Your Poison

Links to cave-related trivia games:

Pick Your Poison 1 (Final)
Pick Your Poison 2 (Final)

Pick Your Poison 2 (Final)

Thanks to all of you who played.

The Question:
Sticking with the cave/subterranean theme, there are three potential resting places for a certain artifact where one of the locations is approximately equidistant on the globe from the other two.

A. What is the artifact?
B. What are the three locations?

The Rules:
Like last time. Entries must be submitted by e-mail. You may use UNLIMITED entries. One point will be awarded for a correct answer to A and to each of the correct answers to B, for a total of four points. First one to four points wins. I will respond to each entry (privately) and notify you which parts are correct and which are incorrect. I might even give private clues to those who respond. Therefore, guessing is encouraged. For administrative reasons, general public clues will only be available in the comments section of this post.

The Answers:
A. Artifact - The Ark of the Covenant
B. Locations

1. Jerusalem, room under the Dome of the Rock (not the popular tunnel)
2. A cave by the Dead Sea near Qumran
3. A cave on Mt. Nebo

Land Ho!

According to The Truth Laid Bear Ecosystem, The Troglodyte has evolved from a Crawly Amphibian to a Slithering Reptile. Thank you dear readers and linking fellow bloggers.

Update: It appears there's devolution happening... back to a Crawly Amphibian.

Solidarity's Scale

From yesterday's homily:

We can look at people using Martin Buber's description of the I and it relationship, or with the I and thou. Christ died for us while we were still helpless. He proved His love for us while we were still sinners and showed us how to act on our justifying faith by being fully present to the Samaritan woman, when by every right of the time He could have treated her as an object.

It is still all about connecting individually. Voluntary connections were once the defining characteristics of American life identified by Alexis de Tocqueville, including politics, and they might also be the future according to this excellent piece from Michael Barone (cap tip: RCP).

Economics Following Culture--Again

We're good for a round of the "necessary evil of Wal-Mart" discussion at least once a year. With Wal-Mart being thwarted in NYC, this probably marks the middle of our current cycle. Robert Reich's fairly balanced piece (NYT free reg. req'd) does highlight a point of needed debate, but, frankly, if we want to strike the balance he seeks, then we can't leave it to politics to answer.

A Redemptive Suffering

As we pray for Pope John Paull II's recovery and staying the attack on Terry Schiavo, Newsweek has this on the power of what's happening with the pope. The article, by also including typical opinions of "dissenters," is useful in showing how small their visions really are for anyone willing to look. (cap tip: Oswald Sobrino)

Vikings Agree to Trade Moss to Raiders

To: Randy Moss
From: Viking Fan
Re: "Moon" over Green Bay

Don't let it get hit by the door on your way out.

Hunter S. Thompson, RIP

Many of the obituaries for Hunter S. Thompson call him, whether with good will or ill, "the chronicler of the counter-culture," or as he prefered, "the chronicler of the death of the American dream." Perhaps. (RCP has had a good mushroom harvest on the sidebar for the last few days, including an insightful one from Reason.) I found his work to be a mix of the "colorful," the boring, and both. If nothing else, Mr. Thompson did advance the notion of the limitations of objective fact.

Understanding doesn't come with just the facts; it only comes with the story. Growth of scientific knowledge, for example, comes with adopting a better story. And, fundamentally, understanding is a problem of imagination. This was at the heart of the gonzo journalism he pioneered, albeit often through depraved means that also created a lot of noise and garbage. Facts anchor, but don't necessarily reveal the story. By contrast, many of today's journalistic troubles can be traced to a lack of imagination, think Jayson Blair, Dan Rather, Eason Jordan, et al. For all its faults and practiced shortcomings, there is a bit of a family resemblance revealed with Mr. Thompson's gonzo tactics acting the black sheep uncle to the new media. Granted this may be a case of a blind pig finding an acorn, but, nevertheless, may he rest in peace.

Signs of Spring

Memorial of St. Polycarp

Once Christmas vacation is over and the kids go back to school, the long slog through the Minnesota winter begins in earnest. To keep from going nuts many people have milestones to mark the progress toward spring. My dad had two: 1.) The winter solstice (no matter how bitterly cold it got in January, the days were always getting longer), and 2.) The amount of snow on the south side of the house (spring was here when it was gone).

I have three, and we just passed my first milestone on Sunday:

1. Twins pitchers and catchers report to camp
2. Easter
3. Daylight Savings Time begins

Dare I Say It?

If I look at this map of percent Catholics by county (cap tip: CRM) and the 2004 Charity Index, it is very tempting to conclude that more Catholics equals less generosity. But alas, I can't quite do it. Not yet anyway. I guess I will hold off on applying for Eason Jordan's old job. But still... hmmm...

This Day in History

Feast of the Chair of St. Peter
Washington's Birthday

Today is the 25th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice. I was just flipping around and came across the replay on ESPN Classic. I still clearly remember Dad dialing the game in live on the radio in the kitchen because ABC-TV was only going to have it on tape delay later that evening.

USA 4, USSR 3. The good feeling from that game alone lingered about 15 months for me, and it still comes back every once in awhile; a clear case of sport being more than a game. USA! USA! USA! It was the first time the chant really meant something to me, of course I was only in 7th grade at the time.

Eruzione just scored the game winner at 10:00 of the 3rd period on the rebroadcast. It still gives me goose bumps. USA! USA! USA!

Here's a little lighter version of "Miracles do happen:"

Lucia dos Santos, RIP

It is disappointing, but not surprising, to see so little notice given to Sr. Lucia's passing (cap tip: Michelle Malkin) last week, notably on the 13th. She an eye witness, with thousands of others, of miraculous events at Fatima, living into the 21st century, has been gently ignored by the masses, including many Catholics. Her participation in the the miracles of the First Saturdays Devotion by its propagation is another confirmation that God's pattern for bestowing blessings and working through the world is reflected in the Angelus. God asks, we answer, God delivers. And God calls anyone to holiness, including children. Her lifetime of humble devotion gives us another light on the path. May she rest in peace.

Back on My Feet

So far, so good. No symptoms yet for either the Troglodytrix, or Troglotyke #6. It used to be that after having the flu I could plan on easing back into the swing of things until I could feel my legs under me. Not anymore. I'm now way behind in my blogging and have to get crackin'.

E-mail from Catholic Answers

I submit it in its entirety for your consideration. Miracles do happen.

Subject: A WOMAN IS ABOUT TO BE MURDERED!

A woman is about to be murdered, and you probably already know her name--Terri Schiavo.

Please help us rescue Terri from a horrible death by starvation! The moment her feeding tube is removed, Terri will begin a long, slow, painful death by starvation and dehydration.

We need your help NOW to rescue Terri from her cruel executioners. They've already tried to kill her once before, and she fought to stay alive. But this may be the last chance Terri gets. Will you help save her life?

MEDIA LIES

If you've heard about Terri only through the news media, you've probably been led to believe things like this:

* Terri brain dead.
* She is in a coma.
* She's a vegetable.
* Extraordinary means are being used to keep her alive.
* She wants to die but her parents stubbornly won't let it happen.

None of these things are true!

Terri is NOT brain dead. She is NOT in a coma. She is NOT in a "persistent vegetative state." And she is not on ANY life-support system.


THE FACTS THE MEDIA HIDES FROM YOU

When her parents visit her, Terri laughs, she cries, she moves, and she makes child-like attempts at speech with her mother and father. Sometimes she will say "Mom" or "Dad" or "yeah" when they ask her a question. And when they kiss her hello or goodbye, she looks at them and "puckers up" her lips.

She's able to sit in a chair, she loves to listen to her favorite music, and she recognizes her brother and sister when they come to visit. Board-certified neurologist Dr. Jacob Green of Jacksonville, Florida, who examined Terri, said unequivocally: "She is not in a vegetative
state." When asked if it would be ethical to remove her feeding tube, he said, "I'd call it murder."

Terri receives food and liquid through a feeding tube because she can't swallow. In other words, Terri depends on food and water to stay alive-just like everybody else!

But her husband, Michael, wants to disconnect her only means of food so that she will slowly starve to death.

Medical experts all agree that death by starvation and dehydration is perhaps the most painful, the most tortuous, and the most agonizing way to die.

Yes, Terri's injury left her disabled. But there are tens of thousands of disabled people who depend on gastro feeding tubes every day, and they live otherwise normal lives.


Terri can breathe for herself. She is not on a ventilator. Her vital organs are working fine, which means she is not hooked up to a machine. Furthermore, she is NOT dying or being "kept alive" by artificial means. She does not have a terminal disease, and she will be able to feel pain if she is starved to death.

And that could start to happen in the next few days.


THE IMMEDIATE CRISIS

Time is running out for Terri. Her feeding tube could be removed THIS WEEK!!!

There is one last court procedure that is being tried to save Terri's life, but if it fails her feeding tube could be removed Wednesday.

If that happens then only thing that may save her might be action by Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

Governor Bush has already fought to save Terri's life. The last time her feeding tube was removed he stepped in and snatched her back from the brink of death. The Florida legislature even passed a special law--"Terri's Law"--to give him the authority to keep her alive.

But then the law was struck down by a judge, putting Terri's life on the line once again.

If the courts continue their anti-life crusade against Terri and others like her, the only thing that may save her would be action by Governor Bush.


WHERE YOU COME IN

The attorneys who are fighting for Terri's life have a few more possible ways to prevent Terri's murder. But these are last-ditch efforts that may or may not work. The courts are decidedly on Michael's side--not Terri's.

So that means we have to come to Terri's aid-especially through the amazing power of prayer and sacrifice--but also by sharing this story with everybody you know, and encouraging Governor Jeb Bush to do everything he can to rescue Terri once again.

Here's what you can do . . .

1.) First, PRAY for Terri--harder than ever before! Not enough people are praying for Terri right now. And she needs our prayers now more than ever.

2.) Second, FAST along with Terri if and when her feeding tube gets removed--and then offer up your sacrifices for her.

3.) Third, please ENCOURAGE Governor Bush to do everything he can to rescue Terri. Since time is of the essence, we recommend that you send him an e-mail by clicking this link:

mailto:jeb.bush@myflorida.com

Or, if you prefer, you can call his office at the Florida State Capitol at (850) 488-4441.

4.) And finally, please FORWARD this e-mail to everyone on your e-mail list. The more people who know the true story about Terri Schiavo and how she is in imminent danger of being murdered, the greater our chances of achieving a victory in this life-or-death struggle between good and evil.

It's hard to believe, but there are many hard-hearted people out there who believe that, due to Terri's condition, she is "better off dead." Words cannot describe the pain and anger such sentiments cause Terri's family.

This is their daughter, their little girl. And even in her disabled condition, she still has the right to life and the right to be loved and cared for by her family.

Terri doesn't have to die. If you'll carry out the steps above, we can win this battle and save Terri's life.

Please do your part--immediately--because tomorrow may be too late.

Sincerely,

Catholic Answers

I Married Wonder Woman

Memorial of St. Peter Damian

I've been down with that, which means I've had the flu (stomach variety). It started Saturday, but hit full force yesterday, if you know what I mean. It hit Troglotyke #2 fifteen minutes later, and Troglotyke #3 a couple hours after that, and Troglotyke #1 a couple hours after that, and Troglotyke #4 a couple hours after that. Troglotyke #5 went through it a couple of days earlier. That means Troglotyke #6 continues under a boot/diaper blow-out watch. You never really know the depths of a person until you see her dealing with a vomiting duet or trio. She's Wonder Woman, even if she doesn't wear the boots or the bracelets.

Yankee or Dixie?

Just took this quiz (cap tip: Southern Appeal). My score was 55% Dixie, or barely into the Dixie category. It looks like living in Oklahoma for 7 years had a wee bit of an effect.

Open to New Ideas for Simple Step #6

Memorial of the Seven Founders of the Order of Servites

A couple of readers have noted that the list for "Family Night With a Christ-figure Movie" includes some heavy titles for Troglotykes. I grant that. Therefore, I request help in generating a list of Christ-figure Movies that is more directed at 4 to 12 year olds. Note this is not just a list of movies with "good" messages, but a list of good movies (good art, good production values) that happen to include a Christ-figure.

Movies shown to the Clan to date:
Week 1 - The Iron Giant (Priest, Prophet)
Week 2 - Chariots of Fire (Prophet)
Week 3 - Charlotte's Web (Priest, King)
Week 4 - The Great Escape (King)
Week 5 - Shane (Prophet)
Week 6 - Star Wars (Priest, Prophet)
Good Friday - The Passion of the Christ (Priest, Prophet, King)*, Prince of Egypt (Prophet)

*Viewed with Troglotyke #1 only

Debunking the Da Vinci Code

Who'da thunk it (cap tip: Jimmy Akin).

Hey, Hey, Say It Ain't So, Bill

Update 2:

Mr. Cosby will not face charges. This was a bit of a long shot. The real question is whether there's enough to this for a civil suit.

Update:

Greta Van Susteren's words of wisdom are in effect. So far this continues shape up as a long drawn out tale of "he said, she said."

Original (Feb. 9):

First one woman, and now another. I'm not one who generally rushes to judgments, but the stories sound a little too similar, for my taste, not to have some truth to them. I have to say this stings a bit because I have been such a Bill Cosby fan, going all the way back to Fat Albert. I have his audios & videos, and shared them with the Troglotykes. I watched his TV shows. I even went to his movies. May there be justice, reconciliation, and conversion.

NHL Season Cancelled

Yyaaaaaaawwwnn! Ho hum, Gary. Since we moved back to Minnesota I haven't been able to watch the Dallas Stars (the original Minnesota hockey franchise) and my interest in the game has been sliding (and NO the Wild don't cut it). This year, I've discovered, I don't really miss it. If there are many more like me, then this episode of "Millionaires Behaving Foolishly" better end by September--lest it be too late.

Miracles DO Happen

From today's homily:

The stories of Adam and Eve eating fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and Jesus' temptation in the desert both direct us that our object at the beginning of Lent is to focus on God, not sin and not ourselves, not even our repentance. St. Paul tells us that, through Jesus, God delivers on his promises. As Adam and Eve delivered the fall of all mankind, Jesus faced the same temptations to distrust God and, as the Second Adam, delivered the path to redemption for all mankind.

If you want to have a good Lent, where you embrace the cross with Christ on Good Friday, you must be able to satisfy your hunger by your trust of God's word.

The story of Sarah Scantlin's regained ability to speak (cap tip: CRM) and her returning memories highlight why my father believed one of the things he did.

My father died five and a half years ago from brain cancer. The time from his diagnosis to his passing was six weeks, or about 98 weeks less than the optimistic side of the predicted range of how much remaining time he had. His decline was so rapid that none of our family's members had the opportunity to have The Conversation, where we verify what his wishes were for the end. Actually, we didn't need it. Dad was consistently adamant that all measures should be taken to keep someone alive. He and I talked about it many times, when I was growing up, during late night philosophical conversations that often lasted to 1 or 2 AM. His reasons sometimes included the fact that we are created in God's image, with the accordant dignity, and so concluding life is a precious gift worth fighting to save. He recognized that someone could legitimately refuse medical treatment, but it was a choice that he could never make.

However, he came back time and again to one particular argument during our conversations. There are some who are purportedly pro-life who nonetheless are seduced by the siren song of forcing someone, perhaps including themselves, to die in the name of "quality of life." My father's retort would have simply been, "But it's a sin." And it wasn't just about violating "Thou shall not kill."

Because he had talked to each of us earlier and often, we were clear and steadfast that despite his accelerating condition we would continue to do what was necessary to keep him alive as long as possible. Even after he slipped into a pre-coma, we continued to have him treated with radiation, against the doctors' objections. And we had a feeding tube installed, against the doctors' vehement objections. (They strongly urged we withhold food and water.) They did not just leave it there, of course. They brought pressure to bear against the family. A couple of my favorite tactics included cornering my mother when she was the only one in the room and threatening that if she couldn't make the "tough" decisions than the doctor would, or when the nursing staff was gossiping about our family in the public area of the floor as the "religious freaks." Temptation, pure and simple. For the record, they did back down a bit when we contacted the hospital chaplain to be our advocate. The thing is, my dad used to say,

You have to give God a chance. You have to work with Him. Miracles do happen.

Miracles do happen. For him, acting otherwise would have been the same as taking another bite of the fruit.

Is Minnesota Still Nice?

This is the headline over a group of articles about immigration in today's StarTribune OpEx section. My gut response is the rhetorical question, "Was it ever?" I then saw that one of the pieces, by editorial writer Steve Berg, makes reference to Minnesota's mythical past. Hmmm. Not legend, not story, not remembrance, but myth. Interesting word choice. Am I not the only one?

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of friendly people here. I simply no longer am of the opinion that neither the style, nor quantity, of friendliness, neighborliness, tolerance, welcoming, etc. are particularly noteworthy. When I mentioned this to my mother, the Troglomatrix, a few years back, she looked at me as if I committed blasphemy. I did not arrive at this point rashly. In fact, I'm not even that hung up on it. I usually roll my eyes and smile bemusedly when I hear about Minnesota Nice, that's all.

I grew up in Minnesota and was fully indoctrinated by the time I left for college. College in small-town Wisconsin. The wall was breached. Sure Detroit isn't flooded by Lake Michigan because Wisconsin sucks, but there were good people here. Even Packers and Bears fans. Well, they are pretty close to Minnesota, it probably just rubbed off on them.

This idea was reinforced when I went to engineering school in upstate NY. There the people were decidedly cooler towards each other, until you got to know them. For example, you never got a hello from someone on the street unless they recognized that you had passed each other within about 8 feet on at least two previous occasions--it was a strange sort of ritual. I don't know that there was anything malicious in this, but rather that nobody knew you existed, or cared to be bothered with the idea. After all, there were only five cities in the US: New York, Boston, DC, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Minneapolis? Isn't that in the Rocky Mountains?

So I returned to Minnesota to begin my career with my preconceived notions essentially intact. One thing that I had observed on the East Coast, and chastised my roommates about incessantly, was that their persistent doubts of my existence were a form of simple arrogance.

In 1991-92 the Twin Cities was in the spotlight as it hosted a bunch of big time sporting events: The US Open golf tournament, the World Series, the Super Bowl, the Stanley Cup Finals, the NCAA Final Four--there might have even been a figure skating championship of some sort in there, too--all successful. There were, of course, the obligatory background pieces from the MSM singing the praises of the local folk. That was fine, until it started happening. Minnesotans started believing their press. You could hear about how Nice we were on the radio, standing in line (Go ahead--No, you go ahead--No, no, you go ahead--Gee, aren't we nice people? Tee hee hee!), during the homily at Mass (Pride alert! Pride alert!) See it on the local news. Read it in the local paper--in the sports section (Patrick Reusse, I love your work, but I mean you). Enter the Paradox: the people of the Twin Cities were becoming arrogant about being Nice. And this spilled over into other areas: We're progressive/cultured/smarter/healthier/better in this or that.

This reaction is understandable for an area that had a complex about itself until the Twins won the World series in 1987. Never mind the Mayo Clinic, Charles Lindbergh, Scotch Tape, U of M Gopher hockey, or the Minneapolis Lakers, there was a certain twisted pride in our not finishing first in 1.) Sports: The Twins in '65, the Vikings four times, the North Stars, the NASL Minnesota Kicks, and 2.) Presidential runs: Walter Mondale, Hubert Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy, Harold Stassen. The thing is that it didn't go away after a year, or two years, or five years. For those in my family who still don't understand why we moved to Oklahoma for seven years, a big part of it was the Paradox. The wall was crumbling.

In Oklahoma, besides an introduction to the use of real spices for cooking, we were blessed to know a friendliness and neighborliness at a level and consistency I had never known as an adult. My point isn't that Minnesotans are somehow inferior to Oklahomans. It would be easy to do because my personal experience happens to correlate with the fact that, on average, the charitable giving in Minnesota is decidedly middle of the pack, while Oklahoma's is near the top of the list. But I know that there are people who moved from Minnesota to Oklahoma and didn't have the same experience we did. Also, many of the people we encountered and befriended there originally hailed from somewhere else. What was striking was the general humility we found in Oklahoma, something long on the decline in the Twin Cities. Here's an example. We were out and about one day with several groups of people and there was a current Minnesotan attached to one of the groups. Going into a public place (a mall, maybe), the Minnesotan held a door open for some of the group. When thanked, the reply given, rather than the standard "You're welcome," was "That's Minnesota Nice." The looks of bewilderment that followed would have been simply good for a chuckle if they didn't also carry the message that I would have to explain this later because I was a Minnesota native (it wouldn't have been polite to bring it up there and then). What did happen right there and right then was that the wall came crashing down. The green glasses were off. Sucat, his eyes uncovered (a little Star Trek:TNG lingo).

A couple of summers ago, after it was announced that we would be moving back to Minnesota, I was discussing all this at a family gathering with one of my uncles. One of the things that I mentioned was that I noticed during my many, many business trips to the Twin Cities that the Paradox was steadily becoming more prevalent. His comment to me was that he thought it was just a city thing. As the number of people increased in the area, as the traffic got worse, as people got busier, the less Nice they became. Minnesota Nice was alive and well in out-state Minnesota... and the rest of the less urban Midwest... and the Deep South... and the South... and so on. Thus was born the Metropolitan Paradox (I'm sure somebody else has thought of this, but I am giving it a name anyway), the phenomenon where population growth is driven (at least in part) by a characteristic that then declines when the population increases, or in other words, it's the manifestation of Yogi Berra's comment that a restaurant is so crowded that nobody goes there anymore.

So back to the myth. If it is a myth, then at some point in time there was some truth to Minnesota Nice, which I think also indicates there could be always be a rebirth of it in the Twin Cities, should the culture choose to do so. Mr. Berg would have us believe that, at least regarding immigration, Minnesotans are less welcoming today and it's because of the rightward turn in politics and the rising prominence of evangelical Christians. He and I may be correct about the health of Minnesota Nice, but I disagree with his reasons. Rather than the Metropolitan Paradox (it sounds cool, so I'll keep using it), part of his evidence is based on the work of the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, the reasons for ignoring which are captured by Sarah Janecek in one of the companion pieces.

I am sure there are those who will disagree and say that Minnesota Nice is alive and well in the Twin Cities. It has occurred to me that they might be correct. In preparation for criticism along these lines I cracked a dictionary and looked up the word "nice." There it hit me, an alternate definition. I must now admit there is another possibility that would allow us to believe we are still living in Wobegone days. It embraces both our heritage of bland food and our eclectic brands of politics. My alternate hypothesis is that the legend of Minnesota Nice does not refer to hospitality, rather it could have been less ambiguously named "Minnesota Finicky. "

Ideas for Simple Step #6

Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes

Barbara Nicolosi was on Relevant Radio's Morning Air today discussing good movies for Lent, a list of which she has posted on Church of the Masses. Below's a subset from which the Troglodytrix, the Troglotykes, and I will be selecting for my crack at starting a Lenten tradition this year, "Family Night With a Christ-figure Movie" (I'll see if I can come up with a catchier title).

Movie Title (Office of Christ Depicted) Rated
1. The Iron Giant (Priest) PG
2. The Mission (Priest) PG
3. Babette's Feast (Priest) G
4. Gandhi (Prophet) PG
5. High Noon (King) Not rated
6. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Prophet) Not rated
7. The Bridge on the River Kwai (King) PG
8. One Against the Wind (Prophet) PG
9. Metropolis (Priest) Not rated
10. The Great Escape (King) Not rated
11. Good-bye Mr. Chips (King) G
12. The Miracle Worker (Priest) Not rated

I would have included The Passion of the Christ , except Troglotyke #1 is the only one old enough to watch it.

Senator Mumbles is Not Seeking Re-election

Upside: We won't have Mark Dayton to kick around anymore. Downside: We won't have Mark Dayton to kick around anymore. Hugh Hewitt does a good job of the initial handicapping, but here's my bold prediction: he did not mention as a candidate who the next senator from Minnesota will be.

Dangers of Dismissing Design

Memorial of St. Scholastica

In the last week there's been a big debate in Kansas over changing science standards, noted evolutionist Ernst Mayr died, and the school boards in Dover, PA and Cobb County, GA, among others, have faced resistance to their challenging the exclusivity of evolution in understanding creation. This confluence of events recently has brought us pieces by Rabbi Gerald Zelizer and Dr. Michael Behe (NYT free registration req'd) centered on the renewed alternative theory of intelligent design. Many dismiss this out of hand as a case of religion meddling where it has no business, where a new face has been put on the "disproved" idea of creationism. They are quite mistaken.

Rabbi Zelizer correctly notes that there are commonalities between evolution and intelligent design:

In both, life emanates from the sea. In both, the composition of human beings shares much with the dust of the Earth. In both, the end result is a human species capable of contemplating its own life and death and making moral choices. In both, creation of forms also results from a process and not exclusively from a sudden event.

He then goes on:

Yet, the gaps between the theories of evolution and intelligent design overwhelm any overlap. Evolution makes specific propositions that are testable, provable and disprovable through a measurable and observable process that takes place in nature. That categorizes it as a science.

So far, so good.

Intelligent design, on the other hand, cannot be proved or disproved by natural evidence because its design is supernatural. That categorizes it as religion.

Say what? Granted that the framework of intelligent design appears to beg a question, but as Dr. Behe, one of the primary proponents of design as an explanation for biological systems and author of Darwin's Black Box, notes:

[T]he theory of intelligent design is not a religiously based idea, even though devout people opposed to the teaching of evolution cite it in their arguments... Intelligent design proponents do question whether random mutation and natural selection completely explain the deep structure of life. But they do not doubt that evolution occurred. And intelligent design itself says nothing about the religious concept of a creator.

Here is the crux of the matter. Evolutionists have been nearly uniform in their responses to the concept of design. Their absolute resistance makes initial legitimate sense because of the concern whether design and non-design can be demarcated reliably. In particular, scientists worry that one day they may ascribe something to be of design only to have that assessment overruled sometime later. They cover their concern, however, by attacking intelligent design as being inherently subjective and inaccessible to the scientific method. Well, as described by Dr. William Dembski, author of Uncommon Dissent, they have been called:

There now exists a rigorous criterion--complexity-specification--for distinguishing intelligently caused objects from unintelligently caused ones. Many special sciences already use this criterion, though in a pre-theoretic form (e.g., forensic science, artificial intelligence, cryptography, archeology, and the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence). The great breakthrough in philosophy of science and probability theory of recent years has been to isolate and make precise this criterion.

Explicating the criterion is quite involved and more than I want to get into here. A full account is presented in Dr. Dembski's book, The Design Inference. The general method to detect design includes observing choice among competing possibilities, noting the possibilities that were rejected, and being able to specify the possibility selected. The competing possibilities rejected must be sufficiently numerous, real (live) possibilities to provide complexity so that the possibility chosen cannot be dismissed as nothing more than chance.

Now, hold on. Wait a minute. An objective criterion... that means... A research framework to investigate cosmological and biological origins. Accessible to empiricism and the thought experiment. Repeatable, reproducible hypothesis testing. Hmmmm... Sounds a lot like the Rabbi's definition of science.

So do we throw evolutionary science away? Definitely not. Intelligent design has hardly been developed enough to supplant it as the new paradigm for workaday investigations of origins. But there are areas in which to begin.

There are weaknesses regarding complexity in evolution theory, which relies on undirected, random mutation. Weaknesses that can be addressed by a science of intelligent design. Sure there are explanations offered within the evolutionary framework, but today's invocations of complexity and self-organization theories strike me as eerily similar to the epicycles on epicycles of Ptolemaic orbits. Is intelligent design "correct?" Who knows? I do know that there will be a shift away from Darwinism. Perhaps not in my lifetime, but bank on it. The current establishment's denial will only serve to delay the inevitable, natural selection.

Six Simple Steps

Ash Wednesday

From today's homily:

The ashes recall us to the Creation and send us back to let there be light in the world in how we love God, how we serve God.

Turn away from sin, and be faithful to the Gospel.

Being authentic sometimes suggests we focus on little things. Here are some simple (not simplistic) ways to share the light of cultural renewal. They were gleaned from CRM's sidebar and the Catholic Exchange archives.

1. Encourage one another. Be specific.
2. Use a saint for a mentor.
3. Prudently persevere.
4. Practice vicarious redemptive suffering. Joyfully. OK, cheerfully.
5. Spread the Word with Charity.
6. Patronize good art.

Onward, Christian Soldier

Today's gospel reading is one of my favorites, and it was the one we selected for my father's funeral nearly five years ago. The metaphors of salt and light, of a city on a hill, are earthy guideposts for the Way of life.

"You are the salt of the earth... You are the light of the world."

They are both affirmations and commands for how to evangelize, which makes it all the more fitting that today (coincidentally) Troglotyke #6 was baptized. May her light shine before all.

Marking Reagan's Birthday

Three Assists for NRO

At least three pieces from National Review Online in the past few days point to a clarifying hope and the need for steadfastness as we seek to quiet shrillness and resurrect debate.

Here's the mushroom harvest:

1. As part of his SOTU analysis, Gleaves Whitney gives us an overhead view of why the political fruits of cultural change require some patience before we do history:

Total victory is often denied to those who set historic change in motion. Even Moses did not reach the Promised Land. Likewise, it was not on Abraham Lincoln's watch that a war-torn nation got stitched back together, but on Andrew Johnson's; not on Franklin Roosevelt's watch that the Axis powers surrendered, but on Harry Truman's; not on John F. Kennedy's watch that civil-rights bills were passed, but on Lyndon Johnson's; not on Ronald Reagan's watch that the Berlin Wall came down, but on George H. W. Bush's. Again and again, history counsels humility and patience.

2. TM Lutas describes a pragmatic consequence of Poland's (relatively) recent cultural and economic inclusion from Jay Nordlinger.

3. Oswald Sobrino puts his finger on the reason why the self-appointed hand-wringers of the world will not carry the cultural day from Victor Davis Hanson.

2005 State of the Union Address

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

The state of our union is...(wait for it)... confident and strong! Whew, that's a relief. According to the Feb. 2 edition of The Note, that marks at least the 10th such pronouncement of strength in a row.

As for the speech, my first impressions are:

1.) Like my comments on the inaugural address, it was long on solidarity (a good thing).

2.) With the exception of Social Security, it was a bit short on subsidiarity, however. Traditionally, the president's submittal to Congress of legislation for their consideration, as part of the SOTU, is given as a laundry list of federal intiatives, usually at odds with the idea of subsidiarity. For as good a speech as it was, President Bush could have kicked things up a notch by making a moral case (again, but stronger) for an "ownership society." Subsidiarity and the ownership society go hand in hand. Putting his agenda in these terms would have made it easier to go beyond Congress and take the message to the American people directly. I must admit, however, that it is not clear whether this would make any difference in what will eventually become law. Still, it would have made a good speech even better.

For anybody who doesn't think Iraq has been worth it, here is a rebuttal from tonight. Those Americans who say they didn't get misty-eyed watching that scene are probably lying.

Re the Democrat response, it sounded like Reid and Pelosi swallowed whole the latest report from Carville, et al., at Democracy Corps (cap tip: RCP), including its flaws, something about which I may blog at a later date. Or not.

God bless America.

There's Still Time

Nominations are still open for the 2005 Catholic Blog Awards (cap tip: Fr. Ethan).

Bill Moyers, Doctor of Thinkology?

I was smacked "Good morning!" on Sunday by my visit to the StarTribune's "OpEx" section. The first two paragraphs of the lead piece give us this opening:

One of the biggest changes in politics in my lifetime is that the delusional is no longer marginal. It has come in from the fringe, to sit in the seat of power in the Oval Office and in Congress. For the first time in our history, ideology and theology hold a monopoly of power in Washington.

Theology asserts propositions that cannot be proven true; ideologues hold stoutly to a worldview despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality. When ideology and theology couple, their offspring are not always bad but they are always blind. And there is the danger: voters and politicians alike, oblivious to the facts.

I'm quite sure that I sprained my eyes by how hard I rolled them, but I didn't even have time to stop to ice them because Troglotykes 1-4 and I had gone to Mass the night before and we were going to TwinsFest and needed to get going. With that I successfully avoided dwelling on it until I saw the piece again last night on RCP. Now, after a full day of work, deshamblizing the kitchen, and getting Troglotykes to bed, I was ornery and set myself to fiskin'. But I didn't quite finish it and left it for today.

For better (probably), or worse, I find that Lileks has a rant on it as a part of today's post that basically covers my take, so I will defer to him.

Here's his screed:

Sunday was the day when Americans were watching the Iraqi election, of course. What do you think the Strib’s editorial page had for this weighty day? Well, a lengthy editorial on Ethanol, for those who rise Sunday morn with a healthy appetite for flapjacks, sausages, orange juice and 2000 words on corn subsidies. (“Bold gesture, missed options.” Was ever a more perfect headline for an editorial ever printed?) But the main page had this at the top:

For the first time in our history, ideology and theology hold a monopoly of power. What that means for the environment is frightening.

Well, it depends on your perspective. We all remember how 270,000 people were killed in a day when the environment demonstrated that it had a monopoly of power over plate tectonics.

Below the words, a picture of cracked parched earth, which had once no doubt been green & verdant farmland before the Right Rev. Bush got out his joystick and sent his 900 foot tall Jesus robot to blast the crops with his death-beam laser eyes.

Did I mention that the shadow of a cross falls across the parched land?

You look down the page to see what this might be titled – Meek gesture, seized options? Bold & spicy options, savory gestures? Get this:

THERE IS NO TOMORROW.

We’re on a roll! Ecological catastrophe brought on by “ideology and theology,” with another dull DONG of the catastrophe bell that’s been tolling ever since the Indian cried a famous lone tear over phosphates in the laundry soap. Then comes the cherry on the sundae:

By Bill Moyers.

All rise. The article, if I can sum it up, says that millions of God-bothering fundies think Jesus will be disembarking from Air Force One any day now, so we might as well pollute and chop down trees. The “no tomorrow” turns out to be the fervent wish of the Left Behind readers, who think the end is near - yet, I’m guessing, still save for their retirement. Moyers writes: “The British writer George Monbiot recently did a brilliant dissection of (American fundamentalism,) and I am indebted to him for adding to my own understanding. . . . I’m not making this up. Like Monbiot, I’ve read the literature.”

Perhaps like Monbiot, he had a fishhook in his upper lip to help keep his face in a permanent sneer while he read. If you want to read the entire piece, it’s here. It contains the usual terrors to come, and provides copious succor for those who believe the earth is doomed. (Sometimes I think these people would be annoyed if Jesus did return, because it would play hell with their fundraising. Jesus would have to hold a press conference: yes, the whales are coming to heaven. Most of the primates, too. All dogs. Mice? No. Look, I’m sorry, but no.) On one hand, it’s annoying, because articles like this make id difficult sometimes to have reasonable conversations about the necessary issues of environmental protection, because you don’t know if you’re dealing with someone who secretly thinks everyone who bought a “Left Behind” novel goes to bed chortling over the thought of a turtle strangled by a six-pack ring. On the other hand, it’s just amusing, because if there’s another group in America that’s occasionally blinded by ideology and theology, it’s the people who spike trees in the name of Mother Gaia.

Anyway, Moyer says:

I read the news just this week and learned how the Environmental Protection Agency had planned to spend $9 million -- $2 million of it from the administration's friends at the American Chemistry Council -- to pay poor families to continue to use pesticides in their homes. These pesticides have been linked to neurological damage in children, but instead of ordering an end to their use, the government and the industry were going to offer the families $970 each, as well as a camcorder and children's clothing, to serve as guinea pigs for the study.

That’s pretty damned dastardly, isn’t it? Well, the program is called Children’s Health Environmental Exposure Research study. (CHEER, in other words. Blame some tone-deaf bureaucrat for that.) It’s being carried out in Duval County, FL, which A) uses pesticides year round, B) has the highest pesticide concentrations in the area, C) has previous data that can be compared to the CHEER results, and D) a local health-care system already studying pesticide impact. The EPA study wants to see if pesticides already on the market have any adverse effect. Of course, they could just ban RAID, like that. They could ban all pesticides. In the absence of this, however, a study seems like – well, I don’t know, a good idea. Now: the participation guidelines say nothing about income requirements, so he’s extrapolating that only “poor people” will participate. The “camcorder” is used to record the child’s behavior. The family gets to keep it. “Offer the families . . .children’s clothing” makes it sound as if the poorest of the poor is shivering naked in the Brutal Florida Winter, and have agreed to blow half a can of ant poison up Junior’s nostrils every day in exchange for clothes - but it’s just a frickin’ CHEER-logo T-shirt, for heaven’s sake, part of a package of lovely parting gifts.

My point is this: do you think Moyer’s outrage would have been any different if the government had cancelled a program that evaluated pesticide impact on children?

This is the part I truly love, the final appeal to reason and moderation, the call for good people of all beliefs to find common ground:

And I ask myself: Why? Is it because we don't care? Because we are greedy? Because we have lost our capacity for outrage, our ability to sustain indignation at injustice?

What has happened to our moral imagination?

Mind you, he’s talking about a program to evaluate pesticide impact, not Darfur or Oil for Food or suicide bombings of pizza parlors. Things that do not require moral imagination because their moral horrors are plain enough. He continues:

On the heath Lear asks Gloucester: "How do you see the world?" And Gloucester, who is blind, answers: "I see it feelingly.'"

I see it feelingly.

I couldn’t have put it better.

One more thing: the people who participate in CHEER do not have to change their pesticide usage habits. If they don’t use any, then they don’t have to use any. So the statement “pay poor families to continue to use pesticides in their homes” is not entirely truthful, in the sense that middle-class families will also be paid not to use pesticides. Other than that, you may now commence panicking. And keep your crosses out of the sun; pparently their shadow kills grass on contact. God knows what happens if it falls on a child in Duval county. Strip him down the bone, most likely.