Kevin Williamson, roving correspondent for National Review, has written an important column on the relationship between the federal government and its citizens. Essentially, he argues, that the NSA’s actions have eroded trust. Essentially, a limited government has a deeper reservoir of trust and should be able to target resources more efficiently into activities like spying […]
Archives
-
Kevin Williamson Nails the NSA Problems
18 Jun 2013
-
Jesus Christ Superhero
17 Jun 2013
We live in the golden age of superhero films. While largely a product of risk-averse Hollywood, which is always seeking another franchise to construct or exploit, these films have proven to be bankable and generally entertaining. While The Dark Knight, for me, remains the pinnacle of the genre, The Man of Steel is a worthy entry […]
-
Rand Paul: Jesus was ‘Anti-War’
13 Jun 2013
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) gave a speech today at the Ronald Reagan Building, a monstrous governmental complex that sits adjacent to the White House. (Put aside, at least for a moment, the great irony of a massive government building named after an apostle for small government.) Paul, an emerging voice in the G.O.P., appears […]
-
Edward Snowden: Hero? Traitor? Both?
11 Jun 2013
Edward Snowden, the man behind the PRISM leak that has turned elite America upside down, discussed his reasons for the leak here. How do we deal with Snowden if we examine him from a biblical perspective? Let’s be clear that my sympathies lie with Snowden. I agree with his basic position regarding the impropriety of […]
-
Freedom vs. Security–the Debate Continues
10 Jun 2013
We are, I hope, at the beginning stages of a thorough and conscious debate about the nature of government intelligence gathering. There is, and there has always been, a tradeoff between our freedoms and the amount of security we demand. Rarely has the discussion been this open, and as events unfold, it is difficult to […]
-
Dingell Enters (Fossil) Record Books
08 Jun 2013
John Dingell (D-Mich) has become the longest-serving member of Congress. The U.S. Rep. has held his position for 57 years, five months, and 26 days, breaking the record held by Robert Byrd (D-WVa). To put it in historic perspective, Dingell cast a vote for the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Even more interestingly, Dingell took the […]
-
Polarization in the U.S. Senate
06 Jun 2013
James Moody and Peter Mucha published a fascinating article recently on the polarization of the United States Senate. Given their findings (published in Network Science, 1:1, 119-121), senators are farther apart, and are more partisan than at any point since the early 1900s. To put it differently, there are more straight, party line votes than at […]
-
Youth & the Republican Party
03 Jun 2013
No one does ritualistic self-immolation like the Republican Party. Still stinging from the 2012 setback, the Grand Old Party remains on the political couch, yearning for therapy and analysis. On Monday, the College Republican National Committee (CRNC) issued a lengthy report on the party and the youth vote. Politico‘s Katie Glueck published a nice summary […]
-
Now You See Me…Now I Want a Refund
01 Jun 2013
Many things make a film ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ We consider the acting, writing, visual imagery, plot, setting, tone, or myriad other factors. Sometimes it is a matter of execution. Sometimes it is the mere idea that never bears fruit. In every mediocre, or worse, Hollywood production, there is often a good film clawing to get […]
-
Right Track/Wrong Track Poll Numbers
28 May 2013
Public opinion experts–I do not consider myself one of them, mind you–use a variety of techniques to tap into how people perceive our nation’s health and welfare. One of the most popular is the right track/wrong track question, which is usually worded like, “do you think America is headed in the right direction or on […]