Month: April 2010

April 23, 2010

Tocqueville on Earth Day?

I know I am a little late on this post, but… This year marks the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, but if we want to understand its origins, one of the best sources is Alexis de Tocqueville’s master work, Democracy in America and his chapter on Democracy and Pantheism. Continue Reading...
April 22, 2010

Colson: Creation and Man

On The Christian Post, Chuck Colson talks about Earth Day and Christian world view in “Creation and Man.” … Christians are rightly concerned that extremists have turned Earth Day into “Worship-Earth Day.” Continue Reading...
April 22, 2010

Chaucer, Eliot and Earth Day

Some Earth Day thoughts, beginning with some reflections on the month of April by two great poets, over at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Prior to the inaugural Earth Day in 1970, we witnessed environmental catastrophes of nearly Biblical or World War proportions. Continue Reading...
April 22, 2010

Acton Media Alert: Rev. Robert A. Sirico and Kishore Jayabalan on the Fifth Anniversary of Benedict XVI’s Election

Acton President Rev. Robert A. Sirico and Kishore Jayabalan, the Director of Acton’s Rome office, joined host Al Kresta on Kresta in the Afternoon on Friday along with another guest to discuss the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI as the world marks the fifth anniversary of his elevation to the papacy; audio of the segment is available via the audio player below. Continue Reading...
April 21, 2010

Journal of Markets & Morality, Fall 2009: A Legacy of Stewardship

The latest issue of the Journal of Markets & Morality, vol. 12, no. 2 (Fall 2009) is now fully online. In the editorial for this issue, “A Legacy of Stewardship,” I write of the loss in 2009 of two figures of importance for the Acton Institute: “In the unique matrix of vocation that made up their lives, Lester DeKoster and Karen Laub-Novak have each left this world with a legacy of faithful stewardship, and it is to such that this issue of the Journal of Markets & Morality is dedicated.” Continue Reading...
April 20, 2010

Pope Benedict: Retrieval and Reintegration

Catholic World Report published a roundup of commentary on the fifth anniversary of Benedict’s pontificate. I contributed a piece titled Retrieval and Reintegration and was joined by a number of outstanding writers whose work is indexed here. Continue Reading...
April 20, 2010

Who’s Polling Whom?

Last night I got a phone call from a polling organization that wanted to ask me some questions about local “upcoming elections and issues.” I listened to the introductory remarks politely but soon found myself persuaded to ask a question. Continue Reading...
April 20, 2010

Extending Europe Eastward

A Polish friend recommended this NYT piece by Roger Cohen reflecting on the most recent tragedy visited upon the Polish people. Cohen’s friend, Adam Michnik in Warsaw, “an intellectual imprisoned six times by the former puppet-Soviet Communist rulers,” had said to him in the past that: …my obsession has been that we should have a revolution that does not resemble the French or Russian, but rather the American, in the sense that it be for something, not against something. Continue Reading...
April 15, 2010

Review — Capitalism: A Love Story

The family friendly Movieguide published my review of Michael Moore’s trashing of the market economy, “Capitalism: A Love Story.” Excerpt: Perhaps the most egregious bit of manipulative effort Moore displays in his latest attempt, which by all reports has failed miserably at the box office, is his attempt to use religion, in particular the social teachings of the Catholic Church, to grant an imprimatur to his un-nuanced critique of the business economy. Continue Reading...