A View from the Right Science, POLITICS, & Religion

“If executive officers were to adopt a policy of ignoring or attacking Acts of Congress whenever they believed them to be in conflict with the provisions of the Constitution, their conduct in office could jeopardize the equilibrium established within our constitutional system.” — Benjamin Civiletti, U.S. Attorney General under President Jimmy Carter Who knew defending […]

I love my country. And I think we have the best government and legal system, based on the Rule of Law, beginning with and rooted in the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. But, it’s still an imperfect system. Sometimes — more often than most of us imagine or care to […]

I know I’m a little late on this, but… This past January, King Day at the Dome was held on the northside steps of the State House in Columbia, SC. The annual rally in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. drew 1200 observers. In addition to honoring MLK’s civil rights legacy, the event gives […]

A day or two ago, a more liberally-minded friend sent me a message on Facebook. He pointed me to an article on HuffPo, which asked the question (prompted by liberal theologian / “social justice” activist Jim Wallis), “What Would Jesus Cut?” Of course, it refers to the federal budget and is a challenge to let […]

“[A] fair result can only be obtained by stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question.”  — Charles Darwin To most in the U.S., February 12th is known & celebrated as Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. But, to a growing number, that date has become Darwin Day, in honor of Charles Darwin. […]

“A people contending for life and liberty are seldom disposed to look with a favorable eye upon either men or measures whose passions, interests or consequences will clash with those inestimable objects.”    — George Washington, letter to General Thomas, 7/23/1775 I’d like to pick up from the preceding post, which included an excerpt from Senator […]

“Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty.” — Thomas Jefferson Why is it that so many people fail to see the dangers in giving increasing power & authority to the government, of becoming more & more dependent upon it for our livelihoods and well-being? Can’t they see how this […]

Came across these yesterday and decided it was time for a light-hearted post: “I’m not the only taxpayer who has no idea what he’s sending to the IRS. This year, only 28 percent of all Americans will prepare their own tax returns, according to a voice in my head that invents accurate-sounding statistics.” “Here’s my […]

Today, I continue what could be called “My Conversation with Michael the Heathen Gnostic.” As Michael and I traded comments about the Gospel of Thomas (among other issues), the issue came up of which were/was likely written earlier — those manuscripts that became the four Gospels in the Bible OR the Gospel of Thomas (GTh). […]

This is the continuation of a post that I pieced together from a forum discussion I had with a religious skeptic named Michael, but who gave himself the handle “Heathen Gnostic”. This particular thread has to do broadly with historical manuscripts and the canon of the Bible and more specifically with the Gnostic “gospels”. (I […]