Links

http://pjmedia.com/rogerkimball/2014/06/12/catholics-capitalism/?singlepage=true

I found this interesting, but not surprising; for one thing, most of the hierarchy is...well, to the left, which does not surprise me.  For another...if you think about it (I think Heinlen has made this point), the Church -- especially at the top, institutionally -- survives off of large donations from corporate groups, sort of guilt-payouts, if you will, so this is the only way to keep the money flowing.  Most of this dough, in turn, supports Catholic Charities and other groups which do do a lot of good, but also involve pushing poverty around, and not actually solving it (they would then be out of work, you know).  It is a vicious cycle....

http://news.msn.com/us/perry-discusses-view-of-homosexuality

I can see how, in SF, this would be an issue, but if you think about it...well, he is right.  If you, as many Christians, view this conduct as a sin -- an abomination, as it says in Scripture, is defined as that which you refrain from doing -- then you do not do it...and that is that.  And, if you take his analogy further....AA is religious system -- largely -- for treating the disease of alcoholism; the first step, of course, invokes a higher power.  The kick, of course, is that a lot of people -- and mind you, this is a modern trait -- simply do want to assign sinfulness to any action.  I for one do not think that is what Scripture sayeth, but what do I know?

I also note -- but didn't copy the link -- that in CA, they have thrown out teacher tenure.  I think this is good; I've always said that if the teachers had any brains, they would have gotten rid of the system long ago, or at least made it such that there was A mechanism to get rid of bad teachers.  I always the analogy of the medieval guild; the guild and its members had not only rights, but responsibilities, such as quality and standards.  One could buy non-guild products, but it was caveat emptor.  I wonder if the NEA and their ilk ever thought that going to the barricades for every employee would ever come back to bite them...as it has.