Uncle Abner and Mr. Trump
(originally started as a comment on the article on First
Things).
Yours country used to be found on principles “to the end it may be
a government of laws and not of men”, and now the biggest concern of
everybody is which of the nine unelected guys (or gals) will rule you?
Sad.
Mr. Reno is writing about lack of solidarity and this time (first time)
I have to agree with him; yes, this has been missing from the
conservatives agenda for a long time. But the American tradition was
never only about freedom (or solidarity, for that matter). Let me cite
beloved by me Uncle Abner from the short story “The House of the Dead
Man” by Melville Davisson Post:
“I have read St. Paul’s epistle on charity,” he said, “and, after
long reflection, I am persuaded that there exists a greater thing
than charity—a thing of more value to the human family. Like
charity, it rejoiceth not in iniquity, but it does not bear all
things or believe all things, or endure all things; and, unlike
charity, it seeketh its own … Do you know what thing I mean,
Smallwood? I will tell you. It is Justice.”
I am not talking about the Mirage of Social Justice (to quote Hayek) or
any such nonsense, but the good old cuum quique. Yes, it is true that
the biggest robbery are done by the government men, but these are not
the only robbers running through the land now. Just from my profession,
let me say that it is unjust and horrible and everybody sees it that
there is no defense against Microsoft, Google, Oracle, and IBM when they
decide that small corporation or individual programmer should be robbed
of her work (and even Google is apparently not safe when Oracle runs to
the court). There is no defense against the protection racket of the
current software patents and the mafia of patent trolls.
Or another thing … I believe it is a very conservative to struggle for
the lost Republic as Mr. Lessig calls for it. It seems to me very
important to take power from Lesters of this world. It is just unjust
that Disney Corp. can extended copyright for as long as it wishes. It is
just unjust that those patent trolls (and their friends) can extend
their power over anybody who creates anything in the United States.
It is true that nobody is certain in their rights while the Congress is
in session. I do believe that protection of private property is one of
the cornerstones of any freedom, but there is not only government which
can rob normal person, but also a rich man who can rob the less rich
one. In the country rules by Lesters, there is suddenly no justice for
normal citizens. And they see it, and no wonder they hear the first Pied
Piper who promises them return of justice (even though follows the worst
of man and promises “Law and Justice”).
Tož tu Evropu už máme, teď potřebujeme ještě nějaké Evropany
V tomto okamžiku to vypadá, že absolutně všichni obyvatelé planety Země,
zejména pokud žijí někde v blízkosti Evropy, cítí potřebu se vyslovit
k příčinám, následkům a všemu možnému ohledně vystoupení Spojeného
(zatím :)) Království z Evropské unie. Vzhledem k tomu, že jsem sám
spíše zmaten nežli co jiného z celé situace …
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Beethoven in the Prague Castle
Comment I posted on the First Things blog.
I have just returned from the open air concert of the Czech
Philharmonic in the Prague Castle, which finished with the last movement
of the Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. I would really love this to be played
in some great park in …
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Divorce and sin
(originally started as a comment on the article on First
Things).
A thought: isn’t the one of the root of whole problem, that
Catholics see the problem in “the second marriage”?
I am not sure who started ignoring what seems to me like more
obvious problem, which is the …
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Catholics and credibility
(originally started as a comment on the article on First
Things).
I completely agree with all this article says about the God's
mercy. Unfortunately, it seems to me that you mostly ignored the
path through the natural law, God’s teaching get to people. As
I see it (and yes …
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Government of men and not of laws
And after the yesterday’s comment yet another opportunity to
say what I for long wanted to have here recorded. This one
touches on another article on First Things:
“In the government of this Commonwealth, the legislative
department shall never exercise the executive and judicial
powers, or either of them …
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No one has defeating ISIS as their real priority
I had wished for long to say somewhere publicly the following,
and finally yesterday I had an opportunity which forced me to say
it on the comment on the First Things analysis of the Havana
Declaration of pope Francis I. and the Moscow patriarch Kirill:
You must be new here …
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On “Benedict option”
(originally started as a comment on the article on First
Things, but seriously extended).
If the point of this article is that the Protestant evangelicals
and Catholics should put down their war axes and unite against
the common enemy, that is consumerism, atheism and the culture of
death, I like …
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The Few
On September 15, 2015 we are remembering the seventy-fifth
anniversary of the Battle of Britain Day . George Weigel wrote
for The First Things a lovely remberance article about it, and
I have added this comment:
First, as a Czech, let me thank you for mentioning the
Czechoslovak airmen (not sure …
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In defense of Cardinal Kasper and liberal democracy
(comment on the blogpost on The First Things)
I think problem of yours (and the author of the article, how much I look
up to him otherwise) is that you don't distinguish between the role of
the state and morality. I don’t believe, that purpose of the state and …
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On Practical Ecumenism; the reply to Carl R. Trueman
(reply to a nice article about ecumenism on The First
Things)
Good article! Thank you. It is really good to think not only about
general platitudes and ecumenical Kumbaya but about the real life impact
of our hope for unity.
I think what’s crucial is to disentangle couple of …
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