EXCERPT: The great ironic sadness is that Ted, so famous for finding common ground with the likes of Ronald Reagan, Orrin Hatch, and John McCain, could never find common ground on abortion. That failure allowed controversies over the “life issues” (abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research, etc.) to alienate millions of American Catholics from the very “liberal” tradition that made Kennedy’s politics so Catholic, so millions of Catholics are now “swing voters.” Ted’s blind spot on abortion blinded millions to Ted’s Catholicism.
I might argue, in fact, that Ted’s legacy was to sustain his brothers’ social justice agenda, which—until and except for his reaction to Roe v. Wade—made the Kennedys America’s greatest champions of Catholic social doctrine.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
#265: Woodstock at 20—20 Years Later
EXCERPT: If sex and drugs and rock ‘n roll were not the point of Woodstock, then what was the point? Amid all the raging hormones and utopian slogans and the spontaneous attempt at anarchy -- what really happened at Woodstock?
A big part of what happened was what Max Scheler (a favorite philosopher of Pope John Paul II, and a Catholic convert) called "fellow feeling," Protestants call "fellowship," Catholics refer to (rather weakly ) as "community," and early Christians called "Koinonia."
All these words refer to a feeling that comes when the usual tensions and troubles of ordinary human relationships drop away, leaving only bonds of affection, trust, and common hopes and dreams. All it once we feel our oneness.
We all know such feelings from key moments in our lives: the birth of a child, the wedding of a couple, the common loss of a loved one. It can even at special events like Cursillo, or Marriage Encounter, or charismatic prayer groups, or Renew groups. Big sports events and rock concerts can have the same effect. Such moments yield a euphoria which never last, but nevertheless can have a lasting effect. Each time we feel it, we glimpse the garden, we taste paradise.
And once that happens, although we know it cannot last, we may never again accept everyday life as our standard. We yearn for that feeling, and we will pay whatever it costs. As Christians, we know the cost is love and justice.
The kids at Woodstock had that same special experience -- but they shared it with half a million strangers all at once! Surrounded by the injustice of war, racism, and poverty, they found such hints of love, peace, and innocence irresistible.
Was Woodstock’s glimpse of the garden naive? No doubt. Was it transient? Certainly. Could it last? Of course not; but it could -- and for many it did -- have lasting impact.
Didn't most ‘60s youth drop such innocent ideals as adults? Yes, but that doesn't deny the importance of what happened to those who kept those ideals.
A big part of what happened was what Max Scheler (a favorite philosopher of Pope John Paul II, and a Catholic convert) called "fellow feeling," Protestants call "fellowship," Catholics refer to (rather weakly ) as "community," and early Christians called "Koinonia."
All these words refer to a feeling that comes when the usual tensions and troubles of ordinary human relationships drop away, leaving only bonds of affection, trust, and common hopes and dreams. All it once we feel our oneness.
We all know such feelings from key moments in our lives: the birth of a child, the wedding of a couple, the common loss of a loved one. It can even at special events like Cursillo, or Marriage Encounter, or charismatic prayer groups, or Renew groups. Big sports events and rock concerts can have the same effect. Such moments yield a euphoria which never last, but nevertheless can have a lasting effect. Each time we feel it, we glimpse the garden, we taste paradise.
And once that happens, although we know it cannot last, we may never again accept everyday life as our standard. We yearn for that feeling, and we will pay whatever it costs. As Christians, we know the cost is love and justice.
The kids at Woodstock had that same special experience -- but they shared it with half a million strangers all at once! Surrounded by the injustice of war, racism, and poverty, they found such hints of love, peace, and innocence irresistible.
Was Woodstock’s glimpse of the garden naive? No doubt. Was it transient? Certainly. Could it last? Of course not; but it could -- and for many it did -- have lasting impact.
Didn't most ‘60s youth drop such innocent ideals as adults? Yes, but that doesn't deny the importance of what happened to those who kept those ideals.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
#264: What Do the Bible Wavers Want?
EXCERPT:If we ask: how do the U.S. and Europe compare? It’s simple: US healthcare costs us twice as much per person as Europe’s systems, and we get worse care. While France ranks #1 in the world for quality of health care, we rank number #37.
What do Europeans know that we don’t? How can Europe get better care for half the cost, but we're stuck in a stalemate where most of us face dwindling coverage and rising costs, and 46 million of us have no coverage at all? If Europe can get it right, why can't America?
What do Europeans know that we don’t? How can Europe get better care for half the cost, but we're stuck in a stalemate where most of us face dwindling coverage and rising costs, and 46 million of us have no coverage at all? If Europe can get it right, why can't America?
Friday, August 7, 2009
#263: Sir Paul, Saint Paul--or Both?
EXCERPT: Paul McCartney (now Sir Paul) performed at Boston's Fenway Park, playing music of the Beatles, Wings, and his own solo career -- at age 67!
By many conventional standards, he's an old man, past the usual retirement age, with grown children of his own, yet he is still devoted to performing a young man's music.
In McCartney's case, this is all the more striking because the Beatles themselves stopped performing live concerts half way through their brief career (in their mid-20s) and produced much of their most celebrated music (the albums Revolver, Sergeant Pepper, the "White Album," Let It Be, and Abbey Road) as studio recordings. So McCartney now, in his late 60s, offers stage performances of songs such as "Yesterday" or “Back in the USSR,” which the Beatles never played in concert in their 20s.
Moreover, McCartney ranks among the richest entertainers in the world -- perhaps the richest. He's still making money from songs he wrote nearly 50 years ago. A concert tour is real work: the travel, living out of suitcases, catering to media, rehearsing constantly changing venues. Yet McCartney has absolutely no need to earn the money that touring brings.
So we naturally wonder: why is Sir Paul still playing at his advanced age?
By many conventional standards, he's an old man, past the usual retirement age, with grown children of his own, yet he is still devoted to performing a young man's music.
In McCartney's case, this is all the more striking because the Beatles themselves stopped performing live concerts half way through their brief career (in their mid-20s) and produced much of their most celebrated music (the albums Revolver, Sergeant Pepper, the "White Album," Let It Be, and Abbey Road) as studio recordings. So McCartney now, in his late 60s, offers stage performances of songs such as "Yesterday" or “Back in the USSR,” which the Beatles never played in concert in their 20s.
Moreover, McCartney ranks among the richest entertainers in the world -- perhaps the richest. He's still making money from songs he wrote nearly 50 years ago. A concert tour is real work: the travel, living out of suitcases, catering to media, rehearsing constantly changing venues. Yet McCartney has absolutely no need to earn the money that touring brings.
So we naturally wonder: why is Sir Paul still playing at his advanced age?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)