Dick Cheney rsquo s mien is too distinct to be uncultivated and so distinctly sinister watching him defend his administration rsquo s record on torture yesterday was a bit like watching a trailer for a summer horror flick The banality of the image ndash the starched white shirt the flat monot

For the past forty years since the very inception of the Moral Majority the Religious Right has organized itself around certain core themes They are pro-life pro-capitalism remember the old Soviet Union was still around and pro-Israel In 1980 The Rev Jerry Falwell and a group of American

Now that the Notre Dame controversy is behind us we can move on to something non-controversial like President Obama rsquo s upcoming Supreme Court nomination I am on record supporting Al Gore because his nomination would acknowledge if not rectify the supreme injustice done to him in Bush v Gor

The bishops of the United States will meet in San Antonio next month and there is a new agenda item for them Deal with the fallout from the controversy surrounding Notre Dame rsquo s bestowal of an honorary degree upon the President At the center of that debate has been a document the bishops issu

Where do we go from here As the political leaders of our nation begin to debate such morally significant issues as universal health care conscience regulations and immigration reform how does the Catholic Church ndash its hierarchy and its laity ndash go forward after the spectacle at Notre D

Lucky for President Obama a picture is worth a thousand words and the picture of cheering students welcoming him to the University of Notre Dame seemed to dispel the weeks of controversy that accompanied his invitation to receive an honorary degree at Catholicism rsquo s flagship university Unluck

Dear Mr Ron Howard I went to see your new movie last night I am writing to tell you that I am available to consult on your next movie so that you do not get so many things wrong I am not expensive The alarmists who were worried about the portrayal of the Catholic Church in Angels and Demons h

I have an article on the scandal surrounding Father Cutie and the issue of clerical celibacy at Slate today You can read it here

Well Notre Dame rsquo s commencement is nearly upon us The students rsquo parents have arrived The protesters are in place The President rsquo s speech is written Judge Noonan rsquo s speech is written ndash and his words should be greatly interesting to hear The event has thoroughly captiv

While all of the attention on Capitol Hill yesterday focused on the Senate Judiciary Committee rsquo s hearing on torture and how it is not only immoral and illegal it doesn rsquo t work But down the hall there was another hearing that warranted more attention that it got At the Committee on Hom