Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Public Policy

June 02, 2005

Bono: aid or trade?

Bono: Heart in the right place, head not quite there yet For those PowerBlog readers who don’t follow the world of rock and roll, the man in the photo on the left is Bono (aka Paul Hewson), the lead singer of the biggest rock and roll band in the world – U2. Continue Reading...
June 01, 2005

Fear of the European Union

With France voting NO for the ratification of the EU Constitution, a spotlight now follows the current voting on the same issue in the Netherlands. The world is expecting the Dutch to follow suit with the French, although not necessarily for all the same reasons. Continue Reading...
May 27, 2005

Grocery store wars

Cuke Skywalker vs. Darth Tater The popularity of the Star Wars franchise (and Episode III Revenge of the Sith) has been fertile ground (pun intended) for various political satire and commentary. Continue Reading...
May 27, 2005

When to make law

A good question and discussion over at WorldMagBlog: “Should everything that’s immoral be illegal, regulated, or punished? If so, by which kind of government (include family and church as kinds of governments)? Continue Reading...
May 27, 2005

The battle of ideas

The Road to Serfdom, by F. A. Hayek This OpinionJournal article, “Investing in the Right Ideas,” by James Piereson, surveys a brief history of philanthropy in the 20th century. Piereson describes three phases of conservative philanthropy, initiated by F. Continue Reading...
May 26, 2005

Those progressive conservatives

Very often in political discourse, the labels liberal/progressive are juxtaposed with conservative/traditional (or variants thereof). But there are numerous instances where these terms become misleading, not only due to various connotations associated with them, but because the denotation of each word may not adequately describe the position on either side. Continue Reading...
May 26, 2005

Celebrating chimeras

Here’s a different, deeply flawed, and downright chilling take on the creation of genetic chimeras: David P. Barash, professor of psychology at the University of Washington, welcomes them as a sign of the “continuity” between humans and other creatures. Continue Reading...
May 25, 2005

Of mice and men: What it means to be human

Jordan Ballor writes about the ethical and moral implications of creating genetic chimeras. Ballor comments on a recent New York Times editorial promoting chimera research, calling their thinking “scientific pragmatism” and criticizing the general lack of understanding of both human nature and anthropology. Continue Reading...
May 25, 2005

Sources of African poverty

This Tech Central Station article, “Saving Africa,” puts some figures in perspective, citing the reason for the poverty of African nations: “Africa is poor because most countries in the region lack the fundamental elements of a capitalist system: property rights, free markets, free trade and the rule of law.” Continue Reading...