Acting of Solidarity

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the beginning of a then-incomprehensible 17-day strike, now considered the birth of Solidarity, the Gdansk, Poland shipyard trade union that confronted the Marxist lie that denied the authentic human person and, in doing so, pierced one of the last century's great evils and changed the course of human events. Thus today marks the anniversary a of quintessintial example that culture, not economics as Marxism asserted and many Western academics implicitly accepted, is the engine of history. As Acton's Samuel Gregg notes:

The Solidarity movement... did not base its claims upon pragmatism or the usual ideological rationalizations common to all Marxist practitioners. Instead, Solidarity based its claims upon the truth: the full truth about the human person, the truth that is the only foundation for any coherent theory of human rights and duties.

Here, they were clearly inspired by the late Pope John Paul the Great, whose 1979 visit to Poland galvanized thousands to stop living the lie that propped up all Marxist regimes. During one of his 1979 homilies in Poland, he proclaimed: “Remember this: Christ will never agree to man being viewed only as a means of production, or agree to man viewing himself as such. He will not agree that man should be valued, measured, or evaluated only on this basis. Christ will never agree to that!”

It is difficult to imagine a more direct swipe at the philosophical materialism that lay at the heart of Communist systems and which remains so virulent in much of the West. Human beings were, as Solidarity insisted, more than just objects. They were also “subjects”; that is, creative beings endowed with the power of right reason and thus the unique ability to make truly free choices. To treat people solely as objects—as Marxism cannot help but do—is therefore to deny their essence as human beings, to de-humanize them.

The motivation of Gdansk's workers to take this bold position was their own freedom, that of their posterity, and that of their neighbors. Here the movement's name is apt and presents witness to all who love freedom, and in Pope Benedict's words, the new spirit that this movement brought to the events of contemporary Europe.

Despite that today Poland is experiencing some of the highest unemployment and lowest wages of any EU country, this week's events rightly celebrate the freeing of the individuals of half a continent to act for excellence in the name of the whole person.

Adult Stem Cell Firm Receives Calif. Production License

StemCells, Inc. announced that it has received a manufacturing license for its cell processing facility from the State of California Department of Health Services, Food and Drug Branch. This enables the Company to use its proprietary neural cell therapy product, HuCNS-SC, which is made at its licensed facility, in clinical trials. In addition, the company believes this improves its position as a potential recipient of California Proposition 71 funds. StemCells has already filed an application with the US Food and Drug Administration to begin a clinical trial of a human neural stem cell treatment for Batten disease, a rare and fatal neurodegenerative genetic condition affecting infants and children. The trial is on clinical hold pending a complete response acceptable to the FDA.

What It is All About

A Coalition for Darfur Post

Last weekend, the blog Blue Girl, Red State wrote a post about a regular blog commenter who went by the name "Shameless Hussy."

Blue Girl reports that "Shameless Hussy" went to Darfur in June as a humanitarian volunteer and was traumatized by what she saw

What she dealt with daily goes beyond the pale...beyond the nightmares of most people; Children with all four limbs hacked off right above the knee or below the elbow. Twelve year olds who died in childbirth after being gang-raped by the Janjaweed. Women who gave birth to rape-babies who were then cast out by their families for shaming the family name, leaving only one avenue of survival for themselves and their children after the camps: Prostitution.

What is f**ing her up is the desperation, and the fact that she worked herself to death for over a month, and she still didn't really save anyone. Now that she's gone, it's like she was never there. Even the ones she helped keep alive, she didn't save. You try dealing with that reality.

And women are the preponderance of victims. Men do not leave the villages to go to the countryside to gather firewood and other necessary items of sustenance. Women venture out, even though every time they leave their villages, they are at horrific risk of being beaten and raped and disfigured. The reason they go instead of the
men? The women are only attacked, the men are killed.

This post receive a fair amount of attention within the blogosphere (as far as posts about Darfur go) mainly due to the fact that Kevin Drum linked to it. And while getting bloggers to pay attention to Darfur, if only for a minute, is a minor miracle, it is worth asking why it takes a post about traumatized aid workers to generate any interest in genocide.

This situation in Darfur has existed for over two years and, if people were interested, they could find accounts of death, disease, rape and torture occurring there on an almost daily basis. 400,000 people have died and nearly 3 million have been displaced and yet nobody - not politicans, not the media, not bloggers - really seem to care.

To anyone who has been paying attention, the atrocities witnessed by "Shameless Hussy" are, sadly, well-known. If her story generates concern for the people of Darfur, then for that we should be thankful. And if people who were moved by it are really interested in Darfur, then they should start reading the analyses produced by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Eric Reeves and the International Crisis Group, supporting organizations like Doctors Without Borders, Save the Children, Save Darfur and STAND, reading blogs like Passion of
the Present, Sudan Watch, the Coalition for Darfur, and Sleepless in Sudan and demanding that their elected leaders do something about it.

Our thanks goes out to "Shameless Hussy" and all those who sacrifice to help those in need. But we must keep in mind that Darfur is not about them - it is about this

Catholic Carnival XLV is Up at Herb Ely

What's That Over Yonder?

Behold! That distant cloud is not an apparition. It is Mark Shea's triumphant return.

Reciprocity Roundup 5

Happy Catholic: The Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist
Idle Mendacity: Thoughts on World Youth Day
Indefinitions: a slog is a stupid blog
Jelly-Pinched Theatre: In These Dogs Are Tired
Mansfield Fox: High-Tech Hermitage, Day 2

John Paul the Great on the Christian Life #3

Memorial of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist

The Father puts in our hands the task of beginning to build here on earth the "Kingdom of Heaven," which the Son came to announce and which will find its fulfillment at the end of time.

It is our duty then to live in history, side by side with our peers, sharing their worries and hopes, because the Christian is and must be fully a man of his time. He cannot escape into another dimension, ignoring the tragedies of his era, closing his eyes and heart to the anguish that pervades life. On the contrary, it is he who, although not "of" this world, is immersed "in" this world every day, ready to hasten to wherever there is a brother in need of help, a tear to be dried, a request for help to be answered. On this will we be judged.

Message for World Youth Day, 1996

Almost Out of the Woods

Ugh! After getting a project dumped on me at nearly the last minute not quite two weeks ago, I think I can see a clearing ahead. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't had to go cold turkey and suffer through blogdrawal on top of the increased workload. Nothing like devolving to a Flappy Bird to inspire me to break loose from my captors and get a fix. Yes, I know the whole "ecosystem" doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. Nevertheless, I am competitive enough to abhor the idea of regressing.

Catholic Carnival XLIV Has Been Up at Living Catholicism

OK. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa on being woefully late on this.

Genocide and Statistics

Feast of St. Bartholomew
A Coalition for Darfur Post

Last week, International Studies Quarterly published a study by Matthew Krain, an Associate Professor of Political Science at the College of Wooster, examining "the effectiveness of military action on the severity of ongoing instances of genocide and polititcide."

According to the press release

The study reveals that only overt military interventions that explicitly challenge the perpetrator appear to be effective in reducing the severity of the brutal policies. Military support for targets, or in opposition to the perpetrators, alters the almost complete vulnerability of unarmed civilian targets. And these interventions that directly target the perpetrators were not, on the whole, found to make matters worse for those being attacked ... He finds that even military intervention against the perpetrator by a single country or international organization has a measurable effect
in the "typical" case.

When a single international actor challenges the aggressor, the probability that the killings will escalate drops while the probability that the killings will decrease jumps. Each additional intervention by another international actor raises the chance of saving lives.

In the introduction to the study, Krain notes

Policy makers faced with situations like those in Rwanda or Bosnia, Kosovo or Darfur, are forced to rely on past experience with interventions in other types of internal conflicts, often with disastrous results. This study is a step toward a better
understanding of the effectiveness of potential responses by the international community to genocides and politicides.

Krain goes on to examine various intervention methods of dealing with on-going genocides and politicides (the "impartial intervention model," the "witness model," the "bystander model," etc...) and notes that not one of them is capable of reducing the severity of such situations.

After conducting a statistical analysis of the various models, Krain concludes

Policy maker concerns that intervention on the behalf of target populations will escalate the killing appear to be unfounded.

The only overt military interventions that appear to be effective in reducing the severity of genocides or politicides are those that explicitly challenge the perpetrator

He then discusses his finding as they relate to Darfur, writing

Intervention against the Sudanese government and the Janjaweed within the first year of the genocide would likely have had a measurable effect on the severity [2003] of state-sponsored mass murder in the following year.

Kraine does not claim that military intervention is the "only" option. In fact, he notes that "policy makers have a range of options available to them in the face of an ongoing genocide or politicide" and that his study "only examines one of those options."

Keeping that in mind, it is hard to argue with Kraine's basic conclusion

If actors wish to slow or stop the killing in an ongoing instance of state-sponsored mass murder, they are more likely to be effective if they oppose the perpetrators of the brutal policy.

Do It Again?

Memorial of St. Rose of Lima

The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time:

- the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;

- all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;

- there must be serious prospects of success;

- the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modem means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.

These are the traditional elements enumerated in what is called the "just war" doctrine.

The evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good.

Cathechism of the Catholic Church, 2309

It has, of course, become de rigeuer to say that the War in Iraq is now illegitimate because 1800 servicemen have given "their last full measure" while there were no weapons of mass destruction. I supported the war at the beginning because I thought it to have met the criteria of a "just war," with only one of about a dozen reasons having to do with WMDs. TM Lutas, in his own re-examination, has captured nearly all of in his list of ten reasons why we should have gone to Iraq.

All things considered, knowing then what we know now, would I support the Iraq invasion? Yeah, I think I would.

Related:

Holy Fool has more.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

With a couple extended family functions and Troglotyke #1 playing in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament in St. Paul and having soccer tryouts for next summer (9 months before the season starts?), the weekend was pretty hectic for the Clan, which means my not following any news (not necessarily a bad thing), missing most of the World Youth Day coverage (not a good thing), and (worst of all) going cold turkey on my blogging habit for a few days. It isn't going to help that this week at work is also going to cramp my ability to get a fix...

On a positive note, I was delighted to see that a long-time friend and poker fish (HA!) has visited this public secret intellectual project and left a comment recently (to which I have responded). I hope that becomes a regular event because he's no ordinary dummy.

CBEs May Be Missing Ethics Link in Stem Cell Research Debate

Memorial of St. John Eudes

American and British researchers have discovered a new type of cell in umbilical cord blood, cord-blood-derived-embryonic-like stem cells (CBEs), that provide some of the flexibility characteristics of embryonic stem cells that are lacking in adult stem cells, but without the ethical dilemna of destroying human life in the name of the hope of providing a greater good. As a demonstration of their versatility, the scientists have successfully turned CBEs into human liver tissue. In addition, they have found a way to mass-produce the new cells, avoiding the ongoing limited supply problem that occurs with embryonic stem cells.

The New Brünnhilde

Memorial of St. Jane Frances de Chantal

Maybe it's just me, but I can't help but hear "The Ride of the Valkyries" as I read Hugh Hewitt's Weekly Standard piece on the continuing information reformation. If the MSM is lucky, maybe it will only be banished to a mountain, surrounded by a ring of fire, and put into a deep sleep...

Return of the Mustard Seed

In my years of study, I have experienced two types of teachers who were effective in conveying their lesson. The first leads you by the hand and fills in the picture one detailed section at a time until the larger picture emerges. The second paints the large picture in broad strokes and then works in to produce the detailed version. John Paul the Great is of the second type. Pope Benedict, I think, is of the first, with each lesson a picture itself. In an address full of gems to the clergy of Aosta, here's one truffle quote that takes us back to a message before his elevation:

I am thinking of the Lord's Parable of the Mustard Seed which was so small and then became a tree so great that the birds of the sky build their nests in it. And I should say that these birds could be the people who are not yet converted but who at least perch on the tree of the Church. I have pondered on this: in the time of the Enlightenment, the time when faith was divided between Catholics and Protestants, people believed it was necessary to preserve the common moral values by giving them a firm foundation. They thought, "We must make the moral values independent of the religious denominations so that they can prevail 'etsi Deus non daretur' [even if there were no God]. "

Today, we are in an opposite situation; the situation has been reversed. There is no longer any proof of moral values. They become evident only if God exists. I have therefore suggested that lay people, the so-called laity, should think about whether the contrary might not be true for them today: We must live "quasi Deus daretur" [as if God exists], and even if we are not strong enough to believe, we must live on this hypothesis, otherwise the world will not function; and this, it seems to me, would be a first step to approaching faith. I also see in so many contacts that, thanks be to God, dialogue with at least part of the secular world is increasing.

The pieces are coming together.

(cap tip: Zenit)

Many Going to College Are Not Ready

Yes, intelligent design is a legitimate development in speciation from practicing the normal science of neo-Darwinism. Yes, origins is a fundamental philosophical subject. Both the questions of "How" and "Why" could be covered reasonably in about one module each in a science and a philosophy middle-to-high school curriculum, respectively. Both could cover complex and nuanced fields of study capable of stretching young minds. And both would be a waste of time, money, and energy.

Following up on my previous post, the college admissions test outfit, ACT, has determined that only about half of this year's high school graduates have the reading skills they need to succeed in college, and even fewer are prepared for college-level science and math courses (NYT FRR). Until and unless this changes, there is no (read: none, zero, nada, nyet, nein) compelling practical, or philosophical, reason to teach either macro-evolution (including intelligent design), or origins. Tell me again why we are debating whether to teach intelligent design when Johnny cannot read. Instead, we should be yanking macro-evolution out of all the public schools' standard science curricula and focusing on the basics.

Clarity on Dobson

There are times when Godwin's law is a useful thing. However, had Dennis Prager followed it, we would not have his sensible piece on James Dobson's comparison of embryonic stem cell research to Nazi medical practice, including this truffle quote:

It should be clear to any honest reader that Dobson was not morally equating embryonic stem cell research to the hideous Nazi medical experiments on human beings (mostly, but not only, Jews). If he did, I would join the chorus of protesters. Only a moral fool would compare what Nazi doctors did -- such as exposing men and women to prolonged radiation of their genitals, slowly freezing naked men and women to death, or putting a person into a decompression chamber to watch his eardrums burst -- to medically experimenting on embryonic cells that have no self-awareness, no feeling, no capacity to suffer, and no loved ones who suffer. As Dobson himself put it to me on my radio show: "In the case of killing embryos there is no suffering, no grieving victims, and so they're not the same, obviously."

Dobson was not comparing actions; he was comparing ideas: namely the idea that because good may result from an immoral action, the action becomes moral.

He is, of course, right. The only question is whether this rule applies to embryonic stem cell research. On this, good people can and do differ. What good people must not do is attribute to James Dobson repugnant views he did not express.

Now, I think that that Mr. Dobson was excoriated by many may actually be a good sign, but not for the reasons you might think. More later.

Plagued by Technicalities

A Coalition for Darfur Post

Last week, David Loyn of the BBC wrote about the crisis in Niger and asked "How many dying babies make a famine?"

Famine is a troublesome word with a very specific meaning to the professional aid community.

It is usually taken to define a situation in which a high proportion of the general population are vulnerable to death by hunger-related disease.

This describes a much more intense situation than the loose way that famine is generally understood - and the pictures of starving babies in Niger certainly look like "famine" to the outside world.

In technical terms Niger's President Mamadou Tandja may be right to say that this is not a famine.

The debate over "famine" is much the same as the debate over "genocide" in Darfur

"For those who are dying from acute malnutrition and related diseases, the debate about whether there have been enough deaths to justify the famine label, and the extent to which this exceeds the normal hungry season mortality rate is not helpful.

"Avoiding the famine label has often been convenient for those seeking to justify slow or failed responses."

Last September, the US declared that genocide was taking place in Darfur, but three months later, the report (PDF file) of the International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur concluded that it was not, though it also stipulated

The conclusion that no genocidal policy has been pursued and implemented in Darfur by the Government authorities, directly or through the militias under their control, should not be taken in any way as detracting from the gravity of the crimes perpetrated in that region. International offences such as the crimes against humanity and war crimes that have been committed in Darfur may be no less serious and heinous than genocide.

But the press responded, not with headlines reading "Massive Crimes Against Humanity in Darfur," but rather with headlines such as "U.N. report: Darfur not genocide."

But the point was essentially moot, as one thing quickly became clear: overwhelming evidence of massive crimes against humanity could not get the world to act, nor could a genocide declaration. In fact, it seems that nothing could prod the global community to act to address the situation in Darfur, be it genocide, quasi-genocide, or "merely" crimes against humanity.

As Loyn reports of Niger, warnings of an impending food crisis have been raised since November, but nobody paid attention until it was too late

They did not respond to the requests on paper as they did to pictures of dying babies.

The reverse is now occurring regarding Darfur. It has become, in the words of Eric Reeves, a "genocide by attrition," and the world has stopped paying attention.

Last month, the UN reported that violence in Darfur had diminished over the past year, mainly
because militia have run out of targets after destroying hundreds of villages.

As Reeves has written, the genocide in Darfur is now

[M]ore a matter of engineered disease and malnutrition than violent killing. In other words, disease and malnutrition proceeding directly from the consequences of violent attacks on villages, deliberate displacement, and systematic destruction of the means of agricultural production among the targeted non-Arab or African tribal groups became the major killers.

It is entirely possible that Darfur will not begin to receive sustained coverage again until this
"genocide by attrition" has taken the lives of tens of thousands more and footage of dying babies in Darfur begins to show up on the nightly news.

And then, in lieu of actually addressing that problem, we can have a debate about whether or not this new situation meets the technical definition of "famine."

Aaaaah, Zenit's Back

Coincidental Anti-Catholicism?

The Catholic Report is tracking two incidents in NW Ohio that occurred within hours of each other (here and here).

Catholic Carnival XLIII is up at DeoOmnisGloria

Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary

Turning the Stem Cell Ship

As a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll finds the majority support declining for using taxpayer funds for embryonic stem cell research, two new non-ESCR breakthroughs have been announced.

A method of growing pure neural stem cells could lead to the development of new drugs to treat diseases of the nervous system, according to scientists at the Universities of Edinburgh and Milan who developed the technique. To date, scientists have been unable to sustain the ability of neural stem cells to produce ample copies of themselves for study. With the additional samples provided using this technique, researchers will be able to study the cellular and molecular pathologies of neurological disorders diseases such as Huntington's and Parkinson's, marking this as an important step in developing effective, safe therapies.

A Korean husband-and-wife scientist team has discovered the gene, TAZ, which differentiates parent cells in human bodies. They found that TAZ regulates adult stem cells’ growth into bone cells, while the protein prevents adult stem cells from maturing into fat cells. This opens a path for follow-up research to develop a way to make drugs with the substance that regulates the differentiation of adult stem cells, which could be an effective means of treating patients suffering from obesity, osteoporosis, or other diseases in which the bones become thin and susceptible to fracture.

Pope Extends World Youth Day Invitation

There are a lot places with sources on hand to stay on top of the goings on at WYD 2005, including FoT's The Catholic Spirit, Catholic Report, and Relevant Radio. You can find a special section with their links at the top of the sidebar.

Neither Evolution nor Intelligent Design

In Sunday's Pioneer Press, Todd Flanders, an adjunct scholar for the Acton Institute and headmaster of the metro area's Providence Academy, and Dr. Yvonne Boldt, chair of the science department at Providence, raise serious questions (FRR):

Should students be led to assume that science demands philosophical materialism? Should students be led to assume that science is settled in favor of randomness and dumb accident in the origins of life?

Serious questions that ought not be answered in any standard pre-college science curriculum. I have gone after the mischaracterization of intelligent design with respect to evolution several times, e.g., here, here, here, and here. Flanders and Boldt note that the strength of intelligent design is science, with which I agree to a point. Intelligent design is born of the normal science of neo-Darwinist evolution.

Many make a big deal out of the notion that intelligent design is not science because it does not provide a testable theory. This is nonsense. The ID process of categorizing "irreducible complexity" using "specification" is most certainly science because it is only the attempted accumulation of particularly troublesome anomalies that poses a serious problem for the existing disciplinary matrix of neo-Darwinism. In Kuhn's context, this is a precursor to a scientific crisis, for macro-evolution , or speciation, in this case, but does not represent a revolution in and of itself.

So should it be taught? Well, given its derivative nature, I have to say, "No." But given how little macro-evolution has to do with the practice of normal science, I must conclude the same thing for speciation. There are plenty of other scientific and mathematical topics (Newtonian mechanics, quantum physics, organic chemistry, Mendelian genetics, micro-evolution, calculus, linear algebra, geometry, etc.) to master before having a solid understanding of the most important dominant models and techniques for applying and expanding science.

(Note that proponents will tell you that ID applies to more than biology, with analogs in physics, chemistry, etc. Very well, but it is also only an extension of the normal science for thesediscipliness accordingly.)

Finally, Flanders and Boldt ask:

Why should schools, indeed public schools, not teach this academic dispute? Should educators insist that dominant theories be immune from criticism, much as in an earlier time the Inquisition insisted against Galileo? Surely, in science education first and foremost, the notion that you can't use evidence to criticize is a bad idea.

This is the fundamental question of philosophy of science and as such, studying the evolution/ID controversy belongs in philosophy class. However, you cannot jump into this question in the middle without being grounded in the ideas of quality, validity, truth, evidence, criticism, etc., i.e., the basics of Aristotelian philosophy. To do otherwise is to risk planting seeds of relativism, anathema for an objective science.

Nevertheless, I will make this concession. After high school students have demonstrated competence in all these areas of science, math, and philosophy, then it may be appropriate to teach speciation and the evolution/ID controversy. Perhaps by senior year they will get there at Providence Academy, but in today's society, where there is genuine concern over graduating students who can read, write, and do basic math, it appears that the average public high school ought not to worry about either one any time soon.

Related:

PowerBlog notes that the Pioneer Press piece is relevant given recent discussions at Acton.

John Paul the Great on Mary #4

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

At Cana in Galilee there is shown only one concrete aspect of human need, apparently a small one and of little importance ("They have no wine"). But it has a symbolic value: this coming to the aid of human needs means, at the same time, bringing those needs within the radius of Christ's messianic mission and salvific power. Thus there is a mediation: Mary places herself between her Son and mankind in the reality of their wants, needs and sufferings. She puts herself "in the middle," that is to say she acts as a mediatrix not as an outsider, but in her position as mother. She knows that as such she can point out to her Son the needs of mankind, and in fact, she "has the right" to do so. Her mediation is thus in the nature of intercession: Mary "intercedes" for mankind. And that is not all. As a mother she also wishes the messianic power of her Son to be manifested, that salvific power of His which is meant to help man in his misfortunes, to free him from the evil which in various forms and degrees weighs heavily upon his life...

Another essential element of Mary's maternal task is found in her words to the servants: "Do whatever He tells you." The Mother of Christ presents herself as the spokeswoman of her Son's will, pointing out those things which must be done so that the salvific power of the Messiah may be manifested. At Cana, thanks to the intercession of Mary and the obedience of the servants, Jesus begins "His hour."

Redemptoris Mater

Fashion Senseless

As a member of the board of education for the Troglotykes' Catholic school, I am called upon occasionally to make a "recruiting trip" to parishes that do not have schools affiliated explicitly with them. The recruiting part is standing in the vestibule/narthex/commons/"gathering space" (aaagh!) by a school display before and after Masses and answering questions. Yesterday was one of those occasions.

You only get an inquiry once every couple of minutes, so there is usually plenty of time to observe the parishoners, and from my vantage point at the back of the Church, I was in a good position. Now this particular parish views itself as "progressive" (read heterodox) and, as you'd expect, there is a wide spectrum in the manner of dress. Note, for the record, that these are reasons why the Clan is not registered as members of this particular parish.

At the beginning of Mass, a twentysomething man came in wearing typical "stylish" casual: tight pastel oxford, tight faded blue blue jeans, short white socks, sandals, multiple earrings, nose stud, etc. What I hadn't seen before is that his jeans were rolled up with large cuffs to just below the knee. His outfit was clearly an ensemble, so... whatever.

OK, near the end of Mass, I spot a fortysomething man leaving wearing a grey t-shirt, dingy white crew socks, loafers, and new baggy blue jeans rolled up with large cuffs to just below the knee.

Now, I usually try to follow that old dandy Tom Jefferson's adage to go with the stream on matters of style by at least being aware of changing fashion trends (while ignoring many of them), but I seemed to have missed this whole "male capris" thing.

In recognition of my newly discovered inability to track the vanguard of style, I have instead decided to embrace my Young Fogeyism (as a Gen X-er I'm too old and my blog is too small for me to be a Neocath) with a new t-shirt design at CaveMart.

John Paul the Great on Progress and the Modern World #2

Men and women are made in the image and likeness of God. So people may never be regarded as mere objects, nor may they be sacrificed for political, economic, or social gain. We must never allow them to be enslaved by ideologies or technology. Their God-given dignity and worth as human beings forbid this

Greeting to UN Staff, 1995

Refuting the Plausible Deniability of the Body's Divine Plan

Phil Blosser (soon to be on the sidebar) MOAPs (Mother of All Posts) a common misundertanding of the Church's teaching on contraception. The question:

In the context that we are in, but not of this world, how do we get this across in less than 3,800 words?

(cap tip: Southern Appeal)

Monks are not Crying in Their Beer

And neither, apparently, is anyone else.

(cap tip: Spirit Daily)

Sen. Frist to Tennesseeans on Stem Cell Research

Memorial of St. Clare

Bill Frist has outlined his reasons for changing his position from supporting the president's policy for his constituents. I will not again go into why he is wrong (included here and here). I will accept that he thinks he is standing on good principle, so I retract and apologize for asserting otherwise. However, using his 10-point framework, we ought to be able to identify the Top 5 agenda for the fall that we should expect him to pursue (and sponsor) before the question of funding ESRC is entertained.

Frist #1. Ban Embryo Creation for Research;
Frist #2. Continue Funding Ban on Derivation [Of Stem Cells];
Frist #3. Ban Human Cloning;
Frist #4. Increase Adult Stem Cell Research Funding;*
Frist #10. Strengthen and Harmonize Fetal Tissue Research Restrictions.

Also, because the Senate's version of the Castle-DeGette bill passed by the House does not include the restrictions of points 6-9, we ought to expect that it will never see the light of day.

*Note that we should expect any ASCR bill to have the following prudent restrictions:

Frist #6. Require a Rigorous Informed Consent Process;
Frist #7. Limit the Number of Stem Cell Lines Available for Public Funding;
Frist #8. Establish a Strong Public Research Oversight System;
Frist #9. Require Ongoing, Independent Scientific and Ethical Review.

Vatican Stops Eminence Domain in Boston

The Boston Globe (may be FRR) is reporting that the Vatican has concluded that the Archdiocese of Boston erred in claiming the financial assets of closing parishes and must now ask pastors to voluntarily turn over millions of dollars in bank accounts and real estate holdings that the archdiocese had planned to take to shore its financial position after numerous settlements in the priest sex abuse scandal.

This comes in the wake of three other dioceses in the western US having filed for bankruptcy and trying to limit the assets that can be claimed by creditors by arguing in court filings that the assets of parishes belong to parishioners and not to the dioceses.

It is not clear whether a desire to help protect the bankrupt dioceses prompted the Vatican to block the Archdiocese's move, or whether this represents a shift in policy given that, in the past, according to archdiocesan officials, the archdiocese has closed parishes and taken their assets without objection.

Aside:

Yeah, OK. Archbishop O'Malley is not yet a cardinal, but "Excellence Domain" doesn't quite work.

Words Mean Things

I have maintained that part of what feuls the controversy and discord in for what passes as public discourse on controversial topics these days is the imprecise and shifting definitions of words, including "argument," "theocracy," "life," and "person." Fr. Edward Oakes illustrated a similar sense late last month in a Zenit interview (scroll down) with respect to "evolution" and "creationism." Now add two more from David Phelps of PowerBlog to the list.

He first demonstrated the shifting definitions of the word "value." Recently he noted the same phenomenon with "poverty." Given the fundamental nature of some of these words, is it any wonder why for public discourse "we get the kind of shrill emotivism that leads self-styled Troglodytes to grumble... as they shuffle back to the cave." Such imprecision is a common relativist tactic. Thus, clarity is the proper response to the fallacies of definition. Yes, clarity, boys. Clarity.

Did It Matter?

A Coalition for Darfur Post

Over a year ago, Eugene, a founder of the Coaltion for Darfur, wrote the post below urging the Bush administration to declare the situation in Darfur a "genocide." Since then, an estimated 400,000 people have died, Doctors Without Borders is warning that millions of lives "hang in the balance," and the International Committee of the Red Cross is warning of "chronic instability."

One year later, we have to ask if the "genocide" declaration made any difference at all.

Say The Word

On January 11, 1994, Lt. General Romeo Dallaire, the UN Force Commander for the United Nation's Assistance Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) sent an ominous fax to UN headquarters in New York. A high level informant within the ruling party informed UNAMIR that he had been training the Interahamwe militia and had been

[O]rdered to register all Tutsi in Kigali. He suspects it is for their extermination. Example he gave was that in 20 minutes his personnel could kill up to 1000 Tutsis.

Dallaire informed New York that he intended to act on the information and seize various illegal arms caches before they could be distributed to the Interahamwe. The UN prohibited him from doing so. And as Dallaire's executive assistant Brent Beardsley explained

We lost the initiative. We lost this fantastic opportunity, an absolutely incredible opportunity to maybe get this thing off the rails, take this train of genocide and knock it off its rails, get the initiative; maybe rally the moderates and be able to prevent what they obviously wanted to do, what [the informant] told us they wanted to do, which was exterminate Tutsis.

The 1994 slaughter of one million Rwandans was not some spontaneous
outpouring of uncoordinated evil. Rather, it was an orchestrated, well-planned and systematic campaign to kill every Tutsi in the country.

It did not come out of the blue, but the various warning signs were routinely ignored and the US and the international community intentionally refused to legally recognize that genocide was taking place. As a result, during a horrific 100 days in 1994, hundreds of thousands of innocent people were slaughtered.

Ten years later, a similar crisis is again unfolding in Africa. Only today, hundreds of thousands of people are threatened with destruction, not via neighbors with machetes or screwdrivers, but rather by famine and disease.

The government of Sudan is currently engaged in a genocidal campaign against black Muslim farmers and villagers in the western section of the country. In Darfur, Arab militias backed by government bombs and troops are systematically wiping out thousands of villages and their inhabitants. Hundreds of thousands have fled into neighboring Chad, while millions more have been internally displaced.

The regime in Khartoum has vehemently resisted Western pressure to reign in the militias and grant access to humanitarian NGO's seeking to alleviate the suffering of some 2 million people who have been forced from the homes.

Just as in Rwanda, the crisis in Darfur did not come out of nowhere. Activists have been warning about the potential humanitarian catastrophe for months, but to no avail. While the looming crisis was more or less ignored as the international community focused its efforts and attention on the peace agreement between Khartoum and rebels in the South, the situation in Darfur deteriorated to the point where U.S. Agency for International Development chief Andrew Natsios warned

We estimate right now if we get relief in, we'll lose a third of a million people, and if we don't, the death rates could be dramatically higher, approaching a million people.

In other words, if NGOs could gain immediate access to those in need, the
best case scenario was that "only" 300,000 people were going to die. And that was three weeks ago - and they didn't get access.

Though the Bush administration claims that the crisis in Darfur is a "matter of highest priority" for the United States, they have been unable to get the UN to take a strong and vocal stand on the issue. Everyone seems to be operating under the assumption that someone else ought to take the lead.

The US and everyone else points the finger at the UN and the UN points the finger right back at them.

As it stands now, hundreds of million of dollars have been allocated for relief efforts, but the supplies are not reaching those in need as the government of Sudan has failed to control the Arab militias and continues to throw up procedural roadblocks in order to prevent access.

For months, the international community has been hoping that it could pressure Khartoum into stopping its genocidal campaign and for months they have resisted. All the while, the situation grows more and more dire. The lives of hundreds of thousands are at risk and every day the rainy season grows nearer. And once the rains begin, even if the humanitarian organizations do manage to get access, tens of thousands will be beyond their reach.

It is widely accepted that Darfur is the world's worst humanitarian crisis. It didn't get that way over night.

Physicians for Human Rights has warned that "a genocidal process is unfolding in Darfur." The United States Holocaust Memorial's Committee on Conscience has issued a "genocide warning." The U.S. war-crimes ambassador, Pierre-Richard Prosper, has testified that "indicators of genocide" exist in Darfur.

How many "indicators of genocide" do there need to be before the genocide is officially recognized and the international community fulfills its legal responsibilities?

Let it not be said that, for want of the courage to utter this one word, hundreds of thousands died in vain.

A Guy with Some Explaining to Do

Indeed.

USCCB Supports Darfur Peace And Accountability Act

Feast of St. Lawrence

Bishop John H. Ricard, S.S.J., Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Policy, expressed USCCB support for the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act in a letter to Rep. Henry J. Hyde, Chairman of the House International Relations Committee and fellow Catholic.

We believe this legislation will give added momentum to the search for a genuine peace in Darfur and relief for its suffering people...

We urge continuing pressure by the international community, including the African Union, on the government in Khartoum and the rebel forces to cease military operations. The restoration of public order is essential so that relief and reconstruction efforts can reach all of the people of Darfur...

We cannot stand idly by while human life is threatened. The United States and the international community can and must do more to end this moral and humanitarian crisis. We hope that passage of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act will reinforce the urgency of a peaceful solution to the situation in Darfur that has so tragically impacted innocent people...

The Icon of Marriage

Much of today's discussion around marriage (and the attack on it as an institution) is limited to its pragmatic, contractural aspects and focuses on "fairness" in only this context. Fresh off another guest spot during Relevant Radio's Morning Air today, Fr. Tharp has posted his notes on the Sacrament of Marriage. I recommend the whole post, but one section strikes a chord. Today's double-click culture has seemingly lost the idea that, among other things, a marriage itself points to something else, and as such is an authentic three-fold icon:

First, the Sacrament of Marriage points to the restoration of the fallen human couple. Christ, by raising marriage from the natural order to the order of Grace, points backward initially to show where it was headed. Therefore, the shame and division represented in the fall, because of Christ, is patched by the two in marriage who become one flesh.

Second, the Sacrament of Marriage points to the mystery of redemption and the union of Christ and His Church. This is what St. Paul is referring to in Ephesians 5. The relationship in marriage is one based in mutual service, not mutual one-upmanship. Just as Christ gives his life for His Spouse, the married couple make a gift of themselves in the service of one another and their children.

Third, the Sacrament of Marriage points to the Holy Trinity. Just as in the Holy Trinity, life begets life. The Father and the Son make such a total gift of themselves one to the other that a third person, the person-bond of love, is breathed forth. In the married union this is the fruitful goal of fertility. The child is not a prize; he is a gift generated first by the mutual love and realized in the conjugal act.

Pope Offers Indulgences with Trip to Land of Luther

Reuters is reporting that Pope Benedict has agreed to allow "special indulgences" in connection with his trip to Cologne for World Youth Day.

Plenary indulgences will be granted to people who are not in a state of sin and participate "attentively and with devotion" to World Day of Youth events in Germany, while those who do not go to Cologne may receive partial indulgences by praying fervently, while the Pope is in Germany, to ask God to help young people strengthen their faith.

(cap tip: Spirit Daily)

Running Diagnostics on the Engine of History

Michael Barone does it again, this time exposing the effects of the cultural bankruptcy before us (cap tip: RCP). Here's a truffle quote:

All cultures are morally equal, except ours, which is worse. But all cultures are not equal in respecting representative government, guaranteed liberties and the rule of law. And those things arose not simultaneously and in all cultures...

Mr. Barone, of course, is contrasting the oft-accepted lie of multiculturalism, but the attack applies to the Culture of Life, as well.

Denver Archbishop Chaput Says Anti-Christian Culture Spreading from Europe to United States

This is not much of a surprise, particularly considering that apparently only about a third of Americans believe absolute moral truth exists. Perhaps it is time to seal the Canadian border, before it is too late.

(double cap tip: Catholic Report)

Michael Schiavo Named Guardian of the Year

By the Florida State Guardianship Association. Really. My initial response, like many others, was to blanch. But then I thought about it, and now think this may not be so outlandish after all. He may rightly have won, albeit for the wrong reasons.

The recipient of the annual award came from a list of people nominated by the group's local chapters, which were instructed to find nominees who represented their wards "with service that improves the wards' quality of life." Now, don't get me wrong, Michael failed miserably in his obligation to Terri. But there is someone who is dependent on a sponsorship of sorts to improve his self-defined quality of life.

(cap tip: Recta Ratio)

Catholic Carnival XLII is Online at A Penitent Blogger

Memorial of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)

The Transformation of Cindy Sheehan

It has been painful to watch Cindy Sheehan make the noisemaker rounds of late. Painful because you have to know that she is going through a heart-wrenching time. Painful because we do not know whether her apparent transformation this year is toward, or away from, the name of the best within her. Painful because we do not know if it is born of grief, or exploitation, or celebrity. And not to mention painful because she is lashing at whom I believe to be a good man in the president.

Out of the respect due anyone having to bury a child who gave his last full measure, I will not join the storm that is now questioning her story. I do not know, and under these circumstances I think it best to tread lightly. I simply pray her sorrow turns to joy.

(cap tip: The Anchoress)

Twins Issue Statement on Passing of Former Manager, Gene Mauch

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL -- The entire Minnesota Twins organization is saddened by the passing of one of the franchise's great contributors -- former manager Gene Mauch.
A brilliant game manager, Gene seemed to always ensure his team was in a position to win during a decorated 26-year big league managerial career with the Philadelphia Phillies (1960-1968), the Montreal Expos (1969-1975), the Minnesota Twins (1976-1980) and the California Angels (1981-1982, 1985-1987). Whether it was his trademark hit-and-run, squeeze play or defensive positioning, Gene was tremendous at maximizing opportunities for his ballclub. Meanwhile, his respect for the game, the fans and his players was a signature element throughout his career.

Gene's ties to Minnesota baseball date back to the late 1950's when he managed Minneapolis of the American Association from 1958-59 and then the Twins from 1976-80. His 378-394 (.490) record as the Twins skipper currently ranks him third all-time amongst Twins' managers in wins behind Tom Kelly (1,140) and Sam Mele (522).

Gene is survived by his wife Jodie and daughter Leeanne. Funeral services are pending.

May he rest in peace.

Each Night I Leave the Ballpark When It's Over, Not Feelin' Any Pain at Closin' Time

With apologies to Merle Haggard, that's gotta be how a lot Twins' season ticket holders are going to feel after chugging $6 beers at the Metrodome to numb the pain of watching the team unravel the last two months of the season.

I was preparing for a swoon when they showed a remarkable ability to struggle against hapless teams like the Brewers and the Royals, an ability surpassed only by their success of failing to put up crooked numbers in the line score. But I have to admit to some irrational hope even after Torii Hunter was injured and GM Terry Ryan still made no moves before the trade deadline; a hope I was hoping (hoping hope? How pathetic isthat?) was justified by the first two games of the Boston series. Alas, it is not to be this year. Even though baseball is my favorite sport, I expect my attention to be on the Vikes by the time rosters expand next month.

Dual Use and the Bright Scarlet Line

Memorial of St. Dominic

It is rare that I find myself disagreeing with both Charles Krauthammer and George Will on an issue, but that is where I am re the consequences of expanding the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

Charles Krauthammer, a member of the President's Council on Bioethics, has long argued for a policy of funding research on stem cells derived from "spare" embryos donated from IVF clinics that would be discarded anyway.

It is a good idea to expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research. It is a bad idea to do that without prohibiting research that uses embryos created specifically to be used in research and destroyed. ...

The expansion -- federal funding for stem cells derived from some of the thousands of embryos that fertility clinics would otherwise discard -- is good because the president's sincere and principled Aug. 9, 2001, attempt to draw a narrower line has failed. It failed politically because his restriction -- funding research only on stem cells from embryos destroyed before the day of that speech -- seems increasingly arbitrary as we move away from that date.

I think it is premature to characterize the president's policy as a political failure, at least until and unless Congress overrides his promised veto. I will admit that it is a failure of popularity, but the jury is still out as to whether it is a failure of leadership. We also ought to keep in mind that the president's restriction only seems arbitrary to those who fail to recognize that his objective was to put federal funding of ESCR on a path to extinction. Mr. Krauthammer also asserts that president's position is a practical failure.

It failed practically because that cohort of embryos is a diminishing source of cells. Stem cells turn out to be a lot less immortal than we thought. The idea was that once you created a line, it could replicate indefinitely. Therefore you would need only a few lines.

It turns out, however, that as stem cells replicate, they begin to make genetic errors and to degenerate. After several generations some lines become unusable.

In addition, there has been a new advance since 2001. Whereas stem cells in those days had to be grown on mouse feeder cells, today we can grow stem cells on human feeder cells. That makes them far more (potentially) therapeutically usable.

Someone bemoaning federal restrictions of ESCR has to recognize that this policy has resulted in a rush to the research space by a number of states and national private institutions. If I were to accept that ESCR is ethical, because of my federalist bent, I would still conclude there is no practical need for federal support. As it stands, however, the speculative nature of ESCR in contrast to the real results of adult stem cell research and the promise with umbilical cord blood, and now amniotic fluid, suggest marginal federal dollars are better directed to these alternatives.

While I disagree with Mr. Krauthammer's assessment of the political and practical states of affair, it is on the moral front where my differences are the sharpest.

The moral problem for that majority of Americans who, like me, don't believe that a zygote or blastocyst has all the attributes and therefore merits all the rights of person-hood, is this: Does that mean that everything is permissible with a human embryo?

Don't they understand the real threat? It is not so much the destruction of existing human embryos--God knows, more than a million are already destroyed every year in abortions, and thousands are doomed to die in fertility clinics. A handful drawn from fertility clinics where they will be destroyed anyway alters no great moral balance.

Mr. Krauthammer is in error on three counts here. First, he gives the "an egg is not a chicken" argument. I agree that the contents of an egg are not a chicken in the sense that they do not share identical attributes. However, both do represent different stages of development of a Gallus gallus. A zygote, or blastocyst, does not share all the attributes of an adult. Neither does a child, nor an infant, nor a fetus, nor an embryo. Note that that does not mean that they share zero attributes, and it is these shared attributes that are germane to a discussion of rights.

It is meaningless to speak of rights that are incompatible with the attributes of an individual. As such, persons at earlier stages of development do not share all the rights held by an adult, e.g., infants cannot have a right to free speech. Accordingly, because it is a living individual member of the family of man, which is biologically indisputable, a zygote possesses (at least) one (inalienable) right, i.e., the same right to life that an adult has.

Second, Mr. Krauthammer fails to recognize there is a shift in the moral balance between destroying nascent life and destroying nascent life after exploiting it for its parts. In contrast to Mr. Will's famouse description of the well-tamed life on the slippery slope, the proposed situation represents a pushing forward down the road after having made a wrong turn, rather than going back to correct course.

Third, the "handful" of embryos drawn from fertility clinic spares will not remain a handful for long. Consider that there is already a clamor for "fresh" embryos because they make for more robust stem cell lines and there will be increased pressure on the supply should the federal government enter the arena as competition for the states and institutions.

The real threat to our humanity is the creation of new human life willfully for the sole purpose of making it the means to someone else's end -- dissecting it for its parts the way we would dissect something with no more moral standing than a mollusk or paramecium. The real Brave New World looming before us is the rise of the industry of human manufacture, where human embryos are created not to produce children--the purpose of IVF clinics -- but for spare body parts.

Once you declare dual use acceptable, we are corrupted by the fact that "spares" no longer exist. The fact is that most embryos in fertility clinics are not created to be, nor expected to be, developed into a baby, but are created as back-ups in the event the first attempt at pregnancy fails.

The bright scarlet line, as George Will calls it, is crossed when the first clinic decides to fertilize more eggs "just in case," knowing full well that any not used will be directed ESCR. The line will be crossed and rubbed out by the first couple who were unsure whether to persue fertility treatments, but go ahead anyway because if they decide to quit, then they can always donate the embryos. The line will be crossed and washed clean when a treatment is finally discovered, and in response to the millions of embryos needed to make the treatment generally available, federal and state governments and institutions (universities, hospitals) create a revenue opportunity for clinics and couples by not taking donations of embryos, but offering cash for them.

Both Mr. Krauthammer and Mr. Will claim the moral acceptability of ESCR that avoids (bans) creation-for-the-purpose-of-destruction. However, the dual use policy advocated by Messrs. Krauthammer and Will, not to mention Sens. Coleman and Frist, et al., will likely be less successful in preventing creating-for-destruction than "Don't ask, don't tell" is, whether you like it, in preventing active homosexuals from serving in the armed forces. Instead it gives cover and incentive to those who would do just that, paving the way for the very "commodification of life" the new limits would be meant to prevent.

Pitt Scientists Make Stem Cell Breakthrough

University of Pittsburgh scientists have discovered a new cell that appears to have pluripotent behavior like embryonic stem cells, without the ethical quandries. The harvest of amniotic cells requires neither the destruction of human embryos, nor their exploitation.

Related:

Reuters has more (cap tip: Stem Cell Extremist)

Logging for Oil?

University of Idaho graduate student, Juan Andres Soria, believes the answer to the world's crude oil crisis grows on trees. He says he has developed a process that turns wood into bio-oil, a substance similar to crude oil.

I for one have expected that the first move away from petroleum will be something along these lines, rather than the buzz-rich hydrogen economy. If for no other reason than because of the inertia of our culture of convenience. We'll be watching a news report about excited buyers of a hydrogen car, a guy with a Segway in his closet, and a husband will turn to a wife and say, "Honey, I'm on my way to SuperAmerica to gas up. Do we need anything?"

And let's not forget the entertainment value of the environmental snit that we surely would witness with the advent of the Big Oil/Big Lumber industrial complex.

US Sex Scandal Payouts Top $1B

The Diocese of Oakland agreed recently to pay an average of more than $1M each to settle 56 cases of sexual abuse of children by priests from 1962 to 1985. There are approximately 50 cases still open in northern California. In a related story, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has issued an update that notes there are more than 550 cases pending against it.

(cap tip: Catholic Report)

Tulane Receives $9.5M Stem Cell Research Grant

Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome

That would be Adult Stem Cell Research grant. It has been a while since I have run across a pro-ASCR news report. Here's a snip from BizNewOrleans:

The Tulane Center for Gene Therapy today announced a $9.5 million National Institutes of Health grant to study the use of adult stem cells in treating lung diseases.

“It’s not only large, but it underpins the standing of the institutions involved in this grant,” said Paul Whelton, senior vice president of Tulane Health Sciences Center. The grant will fund four projects and will be done in collaboration with Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.

Over five years, researchers will examine the use of adult stem cells to repair damaged tissue from asbestos exposure, emphysema and cystic fibrosis. The study will also try to determine which stem cells are best for treating these diseases, said Dr. Darwin Prockop, who started the Tulane Center for Gene Therapy five years ago.

“We have to see how far we can go with adult stem cells,” Prockop said. He said the use of stem cells to treat other chronic diseases has had positive results.

The work funded by the grant will involve laboratory and animal research. Researchers hope to eventually include clinical trials with people suffering from lung diseases.

Common Sense on China

Since the June 27 "Special Report" from Time magazine, there has been a run on the coming Chinese hegemony. Tom Barnett smartly pulls these pieces from Ben Stein's reality check:

ONE disadvantage of being 60 is that you have to get up in the middle of the night, often more than once. But a big advantage of advancing age is that you get to recognize news media silliness when it happens.

This comes to mind in terms of the economic relationship between the United States and China. Partly because a company affiliated with the Chinese government has made a bid to buy Unocal, a large American oil company, there is a lot of talk in the news media about how powerful China has become and how weak and pitiful the United States has become. There is talk of Chinese dominance over the world economy, and, from what I can gather, a general fear that soon we will be in peonage to the Chinese ...

Consider the most optimistic C.I.A. data about China in 2004. It says China has a purchasing power parity G.D.P. of (very) approximately $8 trillion, compared with roughly $12 trillion for the United States. Again, this is for a nation with nearly five times our population. Even when using this most astoundingly optimistic estimate - I would almost say a preposterous estimate - China has a per capita G.D.P. of about $6,000, or about 15 percent of America's and well below that of any nation in Western Europe, or of Japan, Israel, Taiwan and many other countries.

In other words, the United States is vastly richer than China by any measure. This is not to boast, but it's also not to be afraid of imminent world-pauper status ...

It is true that China is industrializing at a fantastic pace ...

But suppose that these trends continued for 25 more years. Chinese per capita G.D.P. would be about $65,000 in 2040, and American per capita G.D.P. would be about $84,000. Again, this assumes that we use the most optimistic possible estimates of current Chinese G.D.P.

If we used the more conservative, non-C.I.A. estimates of where Chinese per capita G.D.P. is now, in 25 years it would be about $17,500- and this assumes the continuation of China's recent sizzling growth rates. That would put China's per capita income in 2030 at roughly one-sixth of our level.

In other words, it will be a long time before Chinese per capita G.D.P. matches ours. And for that to happen, it will take a previously unheard-of growth rate for an unheard-of length of time. This is a big series of ifs, especially for a country with a rapidly aging labor force and an inherent contradiction between dictatorship and free markets.

The fact that our neighbors are worse off does not make us richer, and the fact that they are better off does not make us poorer ...

But we can certainly learn something from China. Individuals and nations become rich by investing in human capital - getting a good education, learning good work habits, saving and investing prudently and living healthy lives ...

The moral here is simple: learning from our friends, the Chinese, means something. Fearing and envying them means nothing.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Fr. Tharp is Hip to the Engine of History

Bono the Evangelist

In an interview published in his new book, Bono in Conversation, Michka Assayas reveals that U2 front man and globetrotting awareness raiser, Bono, has some very strong statements about Christ, grace, and the nature of salvation. As someone who has been uncharitably skeptical of the Irish superstar, I'm as pleasantly surprised as most heterodox priests are with Pope Benedict. Here's one of several truffle quotes:

At the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics-in physical laws-every action is met by an equal or an opposite one.

And yet,along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that. . . . Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.

(cap tip: Catholic Report)

New Video from al-Qaeda

Memorial of St. Clare

Osama Bin Laden's lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahri has warned London will face more attacks. Al-Zawahri also warned the US that Iraq would be worse than Vietnam. (cap tip: Drudge Report)

You know, these guys are giving cave dwellers everywhere a bad name.

Crossroads

Happy Birthday to The Clan!
A Coalition for Darfur Post

Sudanese vice-president and former rebel SPLM leader John Garang died in a helicopter crash in southern Sudan over the weekend. Just three weeks ago, Garang was inaugurated as Vice President under the peace agreement designed to bring an end to the 20 year North/South civil war.

Much of the world's hope for a peaceful solution rested on Garang's ability to reign in the genocidal regime in Khartoum and, with his death, the future of Darfur and the North/South peace accord is now hard to predict.

A mushroom harvest is below. The first is on Garang's death and the violence that followed. The second is a piece by Eric Reeves examining what his death means for Sudan and Darfur. The last is an important report by Doctors Without Borders (one that got a bit overshadowed by Garang's death) reporting that millions of people are still at risk in Darfur and that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the situation is deteriorating, both in terms of humanitarian and security conditions, in many parts of Darfur.

Garang's Death


Reeves


Millions at Risk

Public Works of Faith

PowerBlog rightly notes the dangers of funding faith-based initiatives to the charity itself because the tendency is to become increasingly dependent on the large contributions of any benefactor, in this case the government, and to become correspondingly beholden to the interests of that benefactor. The flip side is that faith-based groups are effective where government is not, e.g., substance abuse, because they are based on embracing the dignity of each human life.

The autonomy question is real, but can be mitigated by using approaches common in other areas of conflict of interest such as a merit-based grant program administered by an independent body. Another possibility would be expanding the tax breaks of small charitable donations to broaden the funding base from individuals and corporations who would be given an incentive to make many small donations to many organizations and diffuse their influence correspondingly.

If government is going to be in the business of providing welfare, which does not appear likely to change soon, then we ought to be driving efficient and effective use of our tax dollars. That is why, despite the potential downside, we ought to move toward funding faith-based initiatives.

Catholic Carnival XLI is Up, Hosted by Herb Ely

Memorial of St. Eusebius of Vercelli
Memorial of Peter Julian Eymard

Welcome, carnival goers!

Bush: Intelligent Design Should Be Taught

Yeah, I'm sure this will lead to a reasoned debate about the shortcomings of neo-Darwinism and how to present that in the classroom.

Is the Ayn Rand Institute Changing Its Stripes?

Stem Cell Extremist rightly notes the absurd argument put forth by ARI to justify ESRC. But what really has me puzzled is this:

It is widely known that embryonic stem cell research has the potential to revolutionize medicine and save millions of lives. Yet many Senators, led by President Bush, are frantically working to defeat a measure that would expand federal financing of this research. Why are they (and so many others) opposing embryonic stem cell research--and doing so under the banner of being "pro-life"? ...

In the name of the actual sanctity of human life and the inviolability of rights, embryonic stem cell research must be allowed to proceed unimpeded...

[emphasis added]

These first and last paragraphs and the context of the article indicate that "to proceed unimpeded" is meant to include "with federal funding." What has happened over at ARI that they have forgotten Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal? If I am not mistaken, their advocating federal funding of anything not related to defense, standards, or intellectual property protection, is a precursor for cataclysmic events, as in:

Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.

Mayor: What do you mean, biblical?

Ray: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor... real Wrath-of-God-type stuff. Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies.

Venkman: Rivers and seas boiling!

Egon: 40 years of darkness, earthquakes, volcanos.

Winston: The dead rising from the grave!

Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats, living together... mass hysteria!

Be it noted that the human sacrifices had already started.

A "Finkle is Einhorn" Moment

Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori

Today I ran across two poll questions. The first was at Musum Pontificalis:

What statement best describes your thoughts on the Sign of Peace?

a) I love it; it is my whole motivation for going to Mass.
b) I find it second only to holding hands during the Our Father.
c) It's nice.
d) It's just there; no opinion
e) It is a little over the top.
f) I find it uncomfortable and/or distracting..
g) I'd rather it not exist
h) It is evidence that the smoke of Satan has entered the Sanctuary.

and the second at The Anchoress:

2) Sign of Peace:

a) I love it and look forward to greeting my neighbors
b) I hate it and wish it would go away or be moved to the start of Mass
c) I don’t love it or hate it.

They sound awfully similar to me, with just a little uncreative editing. Too similar, you might say... Hey, you don't suppose??? After all, how much do we really know about The Anchoress???

BTW, those who don't get the Ace Ventura: Pet Detective reference can listen here.

I am a Stem Cell Extremist

... according to The Extremist's Stem Cell Manifesto. Go figure.

Catholic Poll at the Anchoress

The Anchoress is running a Catholics only poll about different parts of the Mass. If you have not already done so, consider participating.

Here are the questions:

1) A few minutes before Mass begins, are you:
a) praying/reading
b) talking to a neighbor
c) simply sitting quietly

2) Sign of Peace:
a) I love it and look forward to greeting my neighbors
b) I hate it and wish it would go away or be moved to the start of Mass
c) I don’t love it or hate it.

3) Holding Hands during the Our Father
a) I love it - it’s so unifying
b) I hate it, find it intrusive and wish people would stop doing it.
c) I don’t love it or hate it

4) The Ushers at your parish DO or DO NOT greet you and shake your hand as you are exiting your pew for Communion:

If they DO:
a) I like it - it’s friendly.
b) I don’t like it. We’ve finished the sign of peace and I’m preparing for Communion.
c) I don’t like it or hate it

If they DO NOT:
a) I wish they would!
b) Please, God, don’t give them ideas!
c) I don’t really care

For the record, here are my answers:

1.) a -- OK, OK it's d - you mean people actually get there before Mass begins?
2.) c -- it's part of the Mass, always has been, so what's to hate?
3.) c -- I only hold hands with the family
4.) they do not, b -- B! B! B!

This is the second time I've seen a question about the Sign (Kiss) of Peace. And based on the posted comments at The Anchoress, it seems most people could do without it. One notable exception is Minivan Mom. I honestly do not understand the dislike.

St. Paul and Minneapolis Archbishop Harry Flynn has written:

Eucharist extends our participation as baptized Catholics and invites us to discipleship. We are invited to the table to join with the community, to give thanks, to be nourished, to be challenged in our discipleship and then sent forth to be disciples. This discipleship requires that we constantly develop a more profound grasp of our faith, that we be attentive to the direction of the church and that we play a part in providing leadership in the world.

Our part in leadership anticipates that we have oriented ourselves to the Eucharist by first reconciling with God, which we do more than a dozen times during Mass, and with each other, which we do during the Confiteor (all too often skipped these days) and the Sign of Peace. The Mass and its components are directed at the Eucharist, so I don't understand the opposition to one of those components, namely the Sign of Peace. What I do understand and respect are objections to distracting abuses of those components, which could include chatty neighbors, hand holding during the Lord's Prayer, and glad-handing ushers.

Coleman's Stem Cell Division

There is an old saw about compromise that if nobody is happy with it, then it is probably a good compromise. Perhaps. However, that presumes you do not lose something too dear in the process. In the case of funding embryonic stem cell research, Sen. Norm Coleman's proposal to push forward President Bush's moratorium date from August 2001 has something to displease everyone. It also eats away core Republican principles and represents a lost opportunity for the senator to show genuine leadership on a highly charged issue.

The senator asserts that President Bush's stand is not only not pro-science, but is in danger of entrenching the party as anti-science and offering no real hope for patients and their families struggling with debilitating and chronic conditions. Some of the transactionalists of the center-right (the good outweighs the evil types) may not assert this, but the flagellating left would have us believe that to be sure. This is pure rationalization and nonsensical.

While he was running for the Senate in 2002, Mr. Coleman's pro-life stance also included favoring a ban on embryonic stem cell research. Recall during the nationally televised debate between Messrs. Coleman and Mondale when the former Vice President chided his abortion stance as resting on an arbitrary line for when life should be protected, and the now-senator replied with an eloquent and sincere response of his young family's having experienced tragedy and how he has come to know that there is nothing arbitrary about young life. That makes it even more disappointing that this stem cell proposal is nothing if not arbitrary.

For this discussion, let's set aside the ethical questions of whether we ought to abort nascent human life in general and what are the legitimate constraints that society can place on the practice of normal science just because there are certain things we can do, i.e., what ought to be banned. I think that the underlying antagonism with today's debate is really more about the future of abortion and less about science qua science. The current positions on ESCR among "pro-life" senators, including Norm Coleman, Bill Frist, and Orrin "Life doesn't begin in a Petri dish" Hatch, then become all the more distressing. (Note to Sen. Hatch: Life ought not to begin in a dish, but it occurs wherever the conditions exist that God prescribed and can include a Petri dish.)

An idea I have cited before is how Chesterton once noted that an attitude that ought to be opposed is the view that because we have got into a mess we must grow messier to suit it; that because we have taken a wrong turn some time ago we must go forward and not backwards; that because we have lost our way we must lose our map also; and because we have missed our ideal, we must forget it. From a pro-life perspective, the question of ESCR represents an opportunity to address this sense without having to take on directly the particulars of abortion in common practice. However, I recognize that many will still insist on jumping to the inevitable end game, particularly on the left. They recognize what many purported pro-life senators apparently do not: The life question cannot forever be divided to promote ESCR and ban abortion on demand, or ban ESCR and allow abortion, because they both address the same principle.

According to Merriam-Webster, a person is a human individual. The human zygotes whose fate is at question under a regime of ESCR are undeniably human and undeniably individuals. Therefore, the pro-life tenet that they are persons is reasonable using common language. The question, of course, is whether they ought to be protected in law. Herein lies the opportunity because, as persons, the question of their protection properly lies in the police powers of the states. Unlike aborted fetuses, there is no delineated, overriding federal right to privacy of the mother that trumps their natural law right to life.

Also consider that for contentious matters among the states, the federalist structure provided by the Framers provides a mechanism to maintain a détente until there's a tipping point that drives consensus while keeping that choice in the hands of the people through the legislatures and the Congress. Both these points outline the federalist argument that an authentic conservative ought to be making. Like most things in accordance with truth, restricting federal funding of ESCR is supportable with a secular argument. It also needs no twisting of common definitions while deferring the morals discussion likely to be distorted by that "imposition of a theocracy" nonsense to the state level where some of its steam can be let.

Enter "US is falling behind in the development of cures" cries here. They ought to fall on deaf ears. Several states, including California, Connecticut, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Indiana have already taken steps to either fund, or allow explicitly, ESCR. There are probably at least a half-dozen separate states in the Union with the economic and/or medical technology firepower to hold their own independently with every other country in the field of stem cell research, precluding the need for federal action. And then note that when there is a stark choice (and yes, politically, setting the priority has now been reduced to an either/or choice) between a path with clinical results demonstrating dozens of treatments, as with adult stem cell research, and the over-hyped claims of ESCR, which has zero cures or treatments to its credit, being muddied fiscal responsibility is being rejected out of hand for emotional appeal.

If we decide that it is government's proper role to fund science, which ought not be assumed automatically, the responsible position must be to help promulgate demonstrated cures and treatments rather than put the emphasis on a hope of potential cures that, according to the pro-ESCR medical journal, The Lancet, are at least a decade away. At what point do we recognize that the very flexibility that is so celebrated for pluripotent cells also makes them inherently unstable? It is not an accident that treatments derived from ASCs are more abundant. The Republican party has lost its sense of judicious restraint and replaced it with a "kid in the candy store" mentality. Let us not forget that to the working family every little bit helps--every extra bit we do not tax and spend helps interest rate stability, helps take home pay, dumps a little less on our children. And that brings us to the final point. Even from a purely pragmatic view, if we are going to spend the family's money, we ought to be spending those marginal dollars on something that will produce results. And that is ASCR. This is what the senator should be championing.

Sen. Coleman has been a lion on foreign policy. So given his personal and political pro-life record and his ability for clarity, I expected a stem cell policy position derived from and consistent with Republican core principless. The senator has had an opportunity to articulate a reasoned position that is pro-science, pro-growth, pro-family, pro-federalism, pro-patient, and pro-life. That would have brought him to the fore on domestic policy as well. Instead he offers us an arbitrary line for determining valuable life and undermines the party's core principles. The wolf in sheep's clothing that is his proposal leaves it open for continuous renewal and in this way is less honest and more dangerous than even Sen. Frist's recent betrayal. I am praying the senator returns to common sense.

Say It Ain't So, Raffy!

Member of the exclusive 500 HR/3,000 hit club (also includes only Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray), congressional testifier, and friend of W, Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro has been suspended for 10 days for violating Major League Baseball's banned substances policy. He claims he never intentionally took banned substances. I, of course, am not in the know to whether to believe him, but I hope he is telling the truth.

In somwhat of an aside, it seems curious that it is another Latino (5 of 7 natives now) who has been suspended.

Pope Benedict's Prayer Intentions for August

General prayer intention:

That World Youth Day may inspire or re-awaken in young people the desire to meet Christ and find in him the guide of their own lives.

Mission prayer intention:

That the priests, religious men and women, seminarians and laity from Mission countries who are completing their formation, may find their stay in the “Eternal City” a time of spiritual enrichment.

For more info see the Apostleship of Prayer.

Back Home and Feelin' Snarky

Memorial of St. Alphonsus Liguori

We got back into town last night and, after getting the Troglotykes into bed, I decided to check the outrage-o-meter re Sen. Frist's famous flip on Friday. After being ahead of the outrage curve late Thursday night, I see that I am now behind it. I will get my post re Sen. Coleman up later today, but in the meantime, I fired off a less than charitable response to the discussion going on at Catholic Ragemonkey. My Jesus, mercy.