The gun debate has erupted once again. The two sides are entrenched in their respective positions, which have changed little over the decades. One side claims their right to keep and bear arms. The other sees all guns as violent and wants them outlawed. But guns are not the real issue. This … Read more
Why Liberalism Failed by Patrick Deneen (248 pages, Yale University Press, 2017) Many commentators have observed that liberalism is coming apart. The liberal order no longer provides the security and happiness that it always promised. Some link the cause of liberalism’s decline to the decay of the culture or the … Read more
The Russian collusion case has been dominating the headlines for some time. Recent indictments seem to prove that 13 Russian individuals and 3 companies operated thousands of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts aimed at influencing the American elections and destabilizing the country. Investigators have sounded the alarm saying tens of millions may … Read more
The death of Billy Graham has led many to reflect upon what it means for America. The popular evangelical figure was more than a preacher. He was a man-symbol who represented the way much of Protestant America has practiced religion over the decades. His message was much more temperamental than doctrinal; more … Read more
The story of American public education begins with Horace Mann. It was Mann who popularized the idea that American schools should teach all students, be non-sectarian, and tax-supported. A little less than a half-century passed between Mann’s death and the advent of John Dewey. That half-century may well be the most dynamic … Read more
Just over a year has passed since a conservative wave swept over Washington that took control of the White House, Senate and House. The election of President Donald Trump brought relief among an electorate that had feared the worst. It also awakened the great hope that America might return to the moral … Read more
The “dreamer” debate is raging as the nation contemplates what to do with the 800,000 young people who came to America illegally as children alone or with parents or relatives. Of course, this debate was foreseen. The Obama administration broke the immigration rules with its Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, … Read more
Among the three branches of American government, there is supposed to be a system of checks and balances to curb any abuse of power. That is at least the theory. In practice, the judicial branch is now engaged in a campaign of checks without balances or precedent. Judges are becoming tyrants without … Read more
A Catholic soul is filled with sadness when it must criticize a member of the once glorious Society of Jesus founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, a religious order that did so much good for the Church. Alas, corruptio optimi pessima—the corruption of the best is the worst of all. This reflection … Read more
An opioid crisis is devastating America. Every day, more than ninety Americans die by overdosing on these new killers. The crisis involves the misuse of and addiction to opioids such as prescription pain relievers, fentanyl and heroin. New powerful synthetic opioids have become especially deadly. Too many people mistakenly reduce the problem … Read more