Schismatics Are Folks, Too

I like this ROCiE video.

Toady's Limelight

There's something foul about the ingratitude of minions. Scott McClellan reminds me of George Stephanopoulos.

How did Shakespeare deal with this topic?

And A Speculator Is...?

Whenever some market goes up or goes down, which happens frequently, the market movement is attributed to speculators. I guess that someone has figured out that there's a difference between speculation and legitimate demand, but I don't get it. Ordinary folks don't get it, either, when they think they're being overcharged for a product or service.

Business involves buying cheap and selling dear, and that sounds speculation, too.

Does that make me anti-business or pro-speculation?

Go Aggies!

Och periodically covers agricultural issues. It'd be nice if outmoded agricultural techniques produced a lot of food for a given amount of labor expense, but they don't. Good riddance.

My Buddy Abelard

Here's an interesting post about hagiography's credibility. It's not really problematic for me, but I appreciated the opportunity to revisit the subject of Peter Abelard. Och never fails to amaze.

Rules Galore In An Ochlophobic Society

Czar Och is plumb crazy for regulations. All because of a single gnat, who, incidentally, provided me with a couple of chortles.

An Abundant Week

Fr. Stephen has joined Och and Gabriel in making this a fecund week of interesting perspectives. I've spoken about Och and Gabriel earlier, and I commented on a couple of subjects that have been fermenting for a while.

Let me emphasize something. As you know, I support political and economic systems that acknowledge human freedom. The fact that aspects of our society are tawdry and downright sinful isn't the fault of human freedom or the systemization of those freedoms, but is the fault of particular individuals who behave in a tawdry and sinful manner, but most especially, of particular officials who lack the courage to coordinate our public morality with Orthodox teachings. Laws don't exist as a meaningless showpiece, but as the assertion of a society's moral truths.

More on this later. Aren't you excited?

I Commend To Your Attention

Two worthwhile posts covering disparate topics.

Micro Issues

The Church will develop confidence in speaking about those secular issues facing society by successfully confronting the secular world in such mundane areas as providing for parishes' material well-being. In America, we don't have a Czar on whom to rely for material sustenance. Yes, the Church will have to roll up her sleeves in utilitarian pursuits, which is what Christ did.

No Heart For Hart

Unlike other Orthodox, I found Hart's Christ or Nothing offensive. With regard to his social commentary, he's an empty suit. On the other hand, his style is golden, especially when he's dumping on his professorial competitors. All God's chillun got wings.

Time To 'Fess Up

I voted for Ron Paul.

His economics is too first-rate.

Patriarch Bartholomew could use a little economics like Paul's.

Finally, A Smoking Gun

Some of you have heard my view about the OCA's financial scandal. My view, until now, has been simple:

(1) My effort to dig through the screeching commentary to find some kind of facts resulted in ambiguous evidence that didn't necessarily point to wrongdoing and

(2) Parishes that withhold money from their Bishops and Church on the basis of screeching commentary and innuendo are disloyal.

Finally, I've received the evidence for which I was looking. A friend sent me the OCA's report that was published briefly online. It's now located here.