Giving Up Capital Punishment for Lent

Democrats for Life, on their Facebook page, called attention to something of merit:

”Early on the morning of Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent’s season of penitence, Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois went through some final, solitary rumination. For much of his political career, he had supported capital punishment, albeit with reservations, even debating it at the dinner table with his mother. Now a legislative bill abolishing it was waiting for his signature, or his veto…And when he signed the bill striking down the death penalty, he cited one influence by name: Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago.” From the NYT

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America Magazine Benedict XVI weighs in on "Redistribution"

Paul Ryan should perhaps look at the writings of Benedict and other recent popes on redistribution. they are most definitely teaching redistribution to help the poor, as this America article attests. America Magazine Benedict XVI weighs in on "Redistribution" : 'via Blog this'

Wither Goes the Corn?

One of the most under played news stories in the national media right now is the potential impact of the mid-western drought on food security in the United States. According to Forbes 75% of food on supermarket shelves has corn in it. Having already destroyed, stunted or delayed much of the corn crop, the heat is now working it's way on the soybean crop. The Agriculture Dept conservative estimate is that food prices will rise by 3-4% this year as a result. However this is based on the current, incomplete assessment of the drought's impact on corn and other crops.This drought is a new phenomenon-- a global warming drought based on fundamental alteration of weather patterns. Already about one quarter of the country is in severe drought. Other estimates of potential price impacts range as high as 15% and the latent fear that eventually, for a time, the U.S. may become a net importer of food may play havoc with the crop futures market. Food inflation ...

Just War and Just a War

One of the thorniest problems man face is when, if every is war justified. The bible says there is a time for war and a time for peace, but that could be just a bow to the inevitability of war in the fallen world. If also says that they will beat there swords into plough shares and study war no more. Dorothy Day, Peter Maurin, William Miller and other Catholic Workers often ascribed to pacifism or near total pacifism face with the near impossibility of every untangling the moral consequences of violence from the ends desired in undertaking it. But St. Augustine, faced with a world where Christians were starting to replace pagans as political leaders and Christians we soldiers in obedience to the leaders tried to come up with criteria by which war could be measured. Augustine knew that the Gospel question on it was complex. One the one hand Jesus told people to turn the other cheek and also told Peter to put away his sword and not defe...

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