Great Nebraskans

Grace Abbott: Child Welfare
John Neihardt: Intercultural relations
Woody Varner: Higher Education, Philanthropy, the Arts
Alvin S. Johnson: Higher Education
Gerald R. Ford: Leadership
Johnny Carson: Television
Roscoe Pound: Pound Civil Justice Institute, UNL College of Law, Harvard Law School -Roscoe Pound Society.
Weber S. Seavey: Law Enforcement
Malcolm X: Racial Justice
Official Nebraska Hall of Fame

Brother's K quotes

"Oh, there are some who remain proud and fierce even in hell... They live upon their vindictive pride like a starving man in the desert sucking blood out of his own body. ... And they will burn in the fire of their own wrath for ever and yearn for death and annihilation. But they will not attain death..."

7 Deadly Sins

The basic goods of life are friendship, play, practical reasonableness, knowledge, aesthetic experience, and life. In light of discovering and understanding what is good for people to have we eventually may discover what is good to do. Doing the good forms our character. Character is the habituated promotion of basic goods and their use in constructing just civilization. Character defects occur when pain and pleasure distort the pursuit of one or more goods and results in the harming of one or more other goods. It appears that life is the good most often harmed.

Sloth- a lack of response to desire for the basic goods.
Lust- a desire for the unreal.
Pride- a lustful conception of self.
Gluttony- a desire for more than is proper.
Greed- a gluttonous desire for that which does not belong to you.
Envy- a greedy desire for that which is properly another's.
Anger- violent thinking or behavior stemming from the fear of losing what you have and/or of not getting what you want.

Hic verbum caro factum est

The latin translates roughly as "here the word became flesh." This statement is on a little plaque in the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth. This statement also symbolizes the difference between wanting to know what I must do to be saved and becoming a follower of Christ. For my human living it describes the journey from ethics to ethos. Ethics is about knowing the rules, ethos is about a way of living based on sanctified desire. Today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. You can find readings here, and a sermon here.

creationism vs. naturalism

I think the creationism vs. naturalism debate misses the pragmatic point. The main problem underlying the apparent debate lies in the awareness or lack thereof of the faculty of intuition. Intuition is the faculty through which a person may grasp the transcendent. Naturalists tend to deny that they posess the faculty of intuition. Creationists denigrate intuition insofar as they give revelation priority over transcendent normative intuition.

Good Books

Plato Rediscovered, T.K. Seung - This book makes me want to read all the works of Plato. This is a beautiful book that rekindled my interest in philosophy. Finnis posited that friendship was one of the basic goods. Seung proposes that friendship is the true basis of political life. Philosophy is both the love of wisdom and friendship in wisdom. After taking Prof. Seung's course on Kant, I felt an incredible desire for true friendship. He showed how philosophy is like home repair. The philosopher becomes familiar with the entire corpus of another philosopher he wishes to engage and shores up the other's edifice. Seung's style is constructive even in his treatment of deconstruction.
God at the Ritz, Lorenzo Albacete - Albacete appeals to our shared experiences and desires as he takes us through a beautiful journey through the human experience of suffering. This journey plumbs the depths of science, politics, sex, and religion. You will be blown away by this fat Puerto Rican.
The Spirituality of Imperfection - This book explores the why behind "How it Works."
Democracy Matters - Socratic dialogue, tragi-comic hope, prophetic witness

Currently Reading:
Natural Law and Natural Rights - The basic goods of life: Play, Friendship, Aesthetic Experience, Life, Knowledge, Practical Reasonableness
Christ and the Media

Fourth Sunday of Lent: readings & a sermon

Separation of Meaning from Reality

"France and the United States have strong laws that uphold the separation of church and state, while many other nations do not. What model should those who favor democracy and human rights promote in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, and the former Soviet republics? Separation of church and state (and mosque)? One established "church?" Or some kind of middle road?"
-in an email from the Communitarian Network

My response:
I think the phrase "separation of church and state" confuses the two-fold nature of the religious clauses in the first amendment.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
(the government can not endorse or oppose particular religions.)
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...
(when people express their religious beliefs, the government can not interfere)

The phrase "separation of church and state" makes it appear that the government is to be shielded from religion. It makes for a great sound byte, but fails miserably to convey the meaning that comes through an actual reading of the two clauses. I think you would get more thoughtful responses by dropping the phrase "separation of church and state" and sticking with what the first amendment actually says.

Human Rights and Genocide

Genocide is occuring in the world today and there is not much I can do about it. The only thing I can think of is to look it in the eye and own it. Pretending like it is not happening is worse than acknowledging that it is happening and not being able to do anything about it.
The Secret Genocide Archive from todays NY Times

Samantha Power wrote the book A Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide "There's never been a more important time to think about America's role in the world, about U.S. foreign policy, and about responsible citizenship." I browsed through the spring 2005 textbooks at the UNL bookstore and saw Samantha Power's book being used in several political science courses.

I think that educating myself about genocide is the best thing I can do toward being a part of the solution today. I fear doing nothing and taking actions that are seemingly helpful but end up making things worse. I know it does no one any good to try to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, but you can't ignore festering boils.

Natural Law->Human Rights->International Law

I have not been to law school except for having taken "Public Policy Dispute Resolution" at UT Austin law school. My musings on law are therefore probably way off. The origins or reasons for law are studied in jurisprudence courses. Jurisprudence is a fancy way of saying "Legal Theory" or a "Philosophy of Law." I noticed that quite a few professors taught in the law school, government department, and philosophy department while I was at grad school. It almost seemed as if law and government were merely objects of applied philosophy.

The acts of law are fourfold:
1)To Allow
2)To Command
3)To Prohibit
4)To Punish

That which is not prohibited is allowed. That which is commanded is implicitly allowed. Without responsibilities, human beings need no legal rights. We have rights insofar are they are necessary for us to become fully human.

The acts of law can be observed wherever law is in effect. There is law made in family life in how parents run the household. In the workplace with office policies, etc.

How ought a person live? In the answer to that question, lies the origin of all law. Natural law is one line of inquiry in moral philosophy that attempts to answer the question. Human rights flow from how we ought to live. International law flows from the human rights to which all humans are entitled. It seems like the other side of the coin is sometimes forgotten, namely "how ought humans live."

Iterated Opinion

I found a quote in the Op/Ed page of the Washington Post citing the Op/Ed page of the NY Times here. "But as Paul Krugman of the New York Times has noted..."

This reinforces some ideas I learned in a "Media and Politics" course I took in grad school with Paul Burka. He said that the NY Times "reads" the country through its cultural lenses, formulates their opinion which in turn sets the agenda for the opinion and tone for the rest of the print and electronic media establishment. It was not meant as a critique, but merely as a description of how mass media functions and the ways in which it influences politics. On capital hill everybody reads the op/ed pages of the NY Times, Washington Post, and WSJ. That is just how it is. Occasionally people may glance at the op/ed page of the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, LA Times, or the CS Monitor.

I think I might try a little experiment and comment on the NY Times Op/Ed page this week on my blog to see if gives me "predictive" powers for what I will be watching on headline news in the evening. I will try to use my latest understanding of moral theory to evaluate the normative opinions given therein.

Cool Blogs

Catholic Ragemonkey Fr. Shane rocks!
Unstructured Musings Deep thoughts..hmmm (Unstructured Musings must be a self-deprecating boast. His thoughts are well structured and quite penetrating)
Ragamuffin Ramblings Steve is all heart.

Attraction rather than promotion

Attraction is better than promotion which is better than coercion.
What are the good things about the U.S. that other countries see as desirable?
Does globalization and the increased economic interdependence of nations tend to promote peace in the long run?
Is anything more effective at promoting peace than the combination of liberal democracy and capitalism?

Social Capital and Civil Society -Fukuyama style
Francis Fukuyama serves on the president's council on bioethics with Robert P. George (director of the James Madision Program at Princeton) who I heard speak at lecture while at the University of Texas.

I have never met Thomas J. Raleigh, but I like his observations on "moral ascendancy". He reminds me of Tom Otterpohl, a social entrepreneuer, who was the keynote at a conference at Benedictine Colleges' "Discovery Day" back several years who did work with orphanages in Russia.
..."moral ascendancy" " He did not define "moral ascendancy," nor did he explain how one achieves it....As a result of 9/11 attacks, the US was indisputably in a position of moral ascendancy - that is, the unambiguous and near-universal perception that your cause is right."

I met James Fallows at a conference on the future of libraries in the west. The "Infinite Library" Fleur Cowles Flair symposium at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin was incredible. I also met Prosser Gifford, Richard Eckman, and William Chace.
James Fallows on "soft power" excerpt -> "...the real foundation of American dominance seemed to be its "soft power"--the impact of its world-leading universities, its dominant pop culture, its revived high-tech industries, its booming employment rolls, its open-market ideology, and its continued ability to attract and use talent from around the world."

Joseph S. Nye, Jr. on "soft power" here. excerpt-> "Soft power is the ability to get what you want by attracting and persuading others to adopt your goals. It differs from hard power, the ability to use the carrots and sticks of economic and military might to make others follow your will. Both hard and soft power are important in the war on terrorism, but attraction is much cheaper than coercion, and an asset that needs to be nourished."

Renewal

The scent of pine and oak fill the air in the nave of St. Mary Cathedral in downtown Austin.

I have very fond memories of singing in the choir at St. Mary's Cathedral in Austin. Most of the section leaders also sing with the Opera. It is a beautiful thing to sing great music with great singers. Bishop Aymond and Fr. Bud are quite the dynamic duo.

One of the tenors was a surgeon who put his heart into choir. He also made everyone feel cherished with the appreciation receptions he put on for everyone.

Friday nights found the Church resonating with the sounds of Taize amidst the glow of hundreds of candles.

I loved how irreverent some of the choir members were. He who shall go unnamed loved to utter a few words to loud before the service began to rattle the prayerful reverent.

Equality, Justice, Freedom

God makes his grace equally available to everyone; He never stops loving us no matter what. He also made a basic template for human nature. When our "being" is aligned with that template (i.e. when we are just) then we experience serenity and we know peace. We then become free in our "doing" to live our lives with playfulness, spontaneity, and an appreciation of beauty.

Arnold Labaton

Peabody winning philosophy majoring producer.

Created the series Media Matters .

Soul, Jazz, Etc.

Plato's rendition of the soul
I bought a tape at a library booksale of Plato's Republic. I read it once in college just to say that I read it. I first heard bits and pieces of the Myth of the Cave back in high school. Now I listen to that tape in the car blissfully content.
T.K. Seung really brought Plato alive for me in a course on Kant's Moral Philosophy. Seung has a beautiful mind. His insights into western philosophy are riveting. I you have ever been drawn toward philosophy but baffled by the ocean of choices, start with Seung. He is like Virgil, Beatrice, and St. Bernard in one.
Self-evident Transcendent Normative Intuitions form the nexus of the Jazz of life. They are the chords upon which a life of magnanimous humility can be built. This is my song. If I follow the chord progression I can play whatever notes I want, however I want. Life is beautiful.

The Word

A word has power in and of itself. It comes from nothing into sound and meaning; it gives origin to all things. By means of words can a man deal with the world on equal terms. And the word is sacred.
- N Scott Momaday

Semiotics

Am I listening to the world
Have I learned how to listen
Can I listen to learning
Have I learned to learn

Blessed Elizabeth of Dijon, AKA Elizabeth of the Trinty AKA Praise of Glory

From www.praiseofglory.com (a website for Lovers)

Elizabeth of the Trinity
A contemporary of her better known sister in Carmel, St Therese of Lisieux, Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity seems also to have been given to us by God to announce the Good News of His Love, entrusted with what Hans Urs von Balthasar calls a "theological mission." ...Receiving on earth her new name in heaven, Laudem Gloriae, The Praise of Glory, Elizabeth points us to the Mystery of Christ in our own midst, and the indwelling of the Most Blessed Trinity.

A prayer of Elizabeth of the Trinity
O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to forget myself entirely that I
may be established in You as still and as peaceful as if my soul were
already in eternity. May nothing trouble my peace or make me leave You,
0 my Unchanging One, but may each minute carry me further into the
depths of Your Mystery. Give peace to my soul; make it Your heaven, Your
beloved dwelling and Your resting place. May I never leave You there
alone but be wholly present, my faith wholly vigilant, wholly adoring, and
wholly surrendered to Your creative Action.

The spiritual movement of A.A
This Section of A Catholic Page for Lovers celebrates the gifts of Alcoholics Anonymous, and how this spiritual movement might "teach" the Church some approaches that might be fruitful - to the praise of His Glory!
And it celebrates the memory of some great Christians and Catholics who helped shape A.A. and gave it some precious gifts of Christ and His Church. Lest we forget....
May their memory be eternal!

...in His Law he meditates day and night.

"Praise of Glory" Prayer:

Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity,
Draw me from myself
in a wholly simple and loving movement
that I may cling to our Beloved Three.
Keep me in this great interior silence
that God may imprint Himself on me
& transform me into a Praise of Glory.

Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity Prayer (on rosary beads)

I tried to incorporporate my favorite saint with the two great Commandments and their context. (The Beatitudes) This prayer is for all who are affected by addictions.

First three small beads:

1. "Our Father"
2. "Hail Mary"
3. "Apostle's Creed"

"Glory Be" & "Praise of Glory" Prayer on large beads

Small beads:

1. Love the Lord your God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.
2. Love one another as I have loved you.
3. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
5. Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.
6. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall have their fill.
7. Blessed are the merciful: for mercy shall be theirs.
8. Blessed are the pure of heart: for they shall see God.
9. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10. Blessed are they who suffer persecution for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Repeat for five decades & finish with an "Our Father."

Keep praying this prayer until you like being alone in loving awareness of inner peace, and then pray it for those still suffering.

"It is a spiritual axiom that every time we are disturbed, no matter what the cause, there is something wrong with us." -p. 90 12&12

Our Father...

We are children of a God who dwells among us and in each one of us. God desires reverence and adoration, and has made language as a vehicle for this expression. We can intuitively know the building blocks of His Kingdom, and we are to construct a fascimile wherever we are at the present time. We need to gather together with all people who believe in the Transcendent and with those who don't to discern and discuss the tools He has given us for this task. We can only do this by following His path of Love and Mercy. Our eros needs to be dirrected toward God, so that we may have the energy to struggle with the evil of ignorance.

This Is My Song

Beautiful song set to Finlandia
http://my.voyager.net/~jkhodges/sound/Song18.htm

1. This is my song, Oh God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating,
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

2. My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
Oh hear my song, oh God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.

3. This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth's kingdoms,
Thy kingdom come; thy will be done.
Let Christ be lifted up till all men serve him,
And hearts united learn to live as one.
Oh, hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations.
Myself I give thee; let thy will be done.