Category: Ethics, Morality & Religion
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Interesting NY Times blog post here by Gary Gutting, who is a philosophy professor at Notre Dame. In these popular debates about God’s existence, the winners are neither theists nor atheists, but agnostics — the neglected step-children of religious controversy, who rightly point out that neither side in the debate has made its case. This…
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Another one of Stanley Fish's superior sounding fatuous essays appeared in the NYT's Opinionator blog. It is Law & Order he is criticizing this time. And why? For having a "law and order" agenda and for being unkind to the rich and the exceptional. Heck, the characters that Jack McCoy and his band of justice seekers go after…
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Everyone knows that Afghanistan, is, in cricketing parlance, at best, a sticky wicket, if not a downright pigsty. Now, we have the Leaks pouring onto an already damp pitch, 90,000+ documents regarding the day-to-day conduct of the war in Afghanistan, of which 75,000 are now available for your perusal. Or if you don't have the…
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I have been sitting on this link for more than a week although the story caught my eye on the same day that it came out. The current and future problems of the beleaguered nation of Afghanistan may go well beyond war, the Taliban, Al Qaida, US occupation, poverty and heroin trafficking. The land locked nation of rough and rugged terrain is…
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Rand Paul, the son of Texas Congressman Ron Paul beat the "mainstream" Republican candidate in last Tuesday's surreal election evening. The junior Paul seems to have emerged as the favorite of both the libertarian wing of the GOP as well as the conservative "stick a finger in your eye" Tea Partiers. I watched the following exchange between Paul and MSNBC's Rachel Maddow with some…
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The oil spill caused by oil giant British Petroleum off Lousiana's gulf coast killed eleven people and it is on its way to becoming the worst ecological diaster in US history. The oil company has been inept at containing the damage so far. Despite the severe damage to its reputation and the focus on its incompetence, BP tried to get legal waivers meant to immunize the company from future…
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I recently explained why the overheated rhetoric of the Tea Party wing of American politics is making me increasingly uncomfortable. Right wing protestations that it is just vigorous but legitimate political disagreement is being questioned by many others, including one ex-president who was in office during the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Here is a sampling of some of the cautionary voices: …
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Tea Party politics has kicked into high gear. The already overheated war of words is getting hotter. Republican leaders are vying with each other to gain the fawning love of Tea Partiers. The GOP has turned into the Grand Opposition Party where just saying "no" to Obama-Pelosi-Reid, without offering alternate solutions to policies and programs constitutes political courage. We have seen and heard…
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Remember the outcry that rose when Texas governor Rick Perry attempted to make HPV vaccinations mandatory about 3 years ago? He backtracked when clear conflicts of interest were revealed, along with the pharmaceutical company's links to the decision-makers in the administration. (Link to Ruchira's earlier post regarding this) Yesterday, a familiar news snippet surfaced in…
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"If you voted for Obama, seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your healthcare begin right now, not in four years." That's the curious, angry reaction from a Florida urologist who is upset with Obama and his health care reform legislation. The doctor's admonition does not break any laws. It is just obnoxious. MOUNT DORA, Fla.…
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Here is an alternate view of Jesus' resurrection. This story makes its rounds every year around Easter in one form or the other and it is not really as new as the BBC report makes it out to be. I had heard it many times as a child in India. The reason why the Rozabal shrine has only recently been getting attention…
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Frank Rich of the New York Times sums it up, providing the relevant historical and psychological underpinnings for the rage that is fueling the angry rhetoric and violence of the right wing of American politics. The last few paragraphs of the article: (please read the whole thing) Demographics are avatars of a change bigger than any…
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