Supreme Expectations

March 13th, 2010 by Russell Shaw

The Washington rumor mill is busy grinding out speculation that President Obama will soon have a chance to nominate one or possibly two new justices to the Supreme Court. The speculation focuses more often on the anticipated retirement of Justice…

 

Church-State Cases on Supreme’s Agenda

February 26th, 2010 by Russell Shaw

Until the Supreme Court’s decision overturning a federal campaign financing law—a ruling that prompted liberal cries of “Judicial activism!” and led to the head-butting incident (I speak metaphorically) between President Obama and Justice Alito during the State of the Union…

 

Don’t Ask; Don’t Tell; Don’t Change

February 12th, 2010 by Russell Shaw

The first and most important thing to understand about the gays in the military debate is that it isn’t really about gays in the military. Not at bottom, at least. The fundamental issue in this argument is about…

 

The National Mood

January 29th, 2010 by Russell Shaw

As Americans wait, hopefully or apprehensively as the case may be, to see what happens next to the Obama legislative agenda, a question unavoidably suggests itself: how on earth did we get into this mess? A mess that evidently transcends…

 

Soothing Words Aren’t Enough

January 15th, 2010 by Russell Shaw

It’s hardly news that politicians sometimes say things to particular audiences simply in hopes of pleasing them, without necessarily meaning to follow through on what they seem to have promised. Perhaps that explains President Barack Obama’s odd performance…

 

The Soul vs. Pornography

December 21st, 2009 by Russell Shaw

The sad case of Tiger Woods offers the familiar spectacle of media and the public setting a celebrity on a pedestal, then taking gleeful satisfaction in knocking him off. If this episode has redeeming value, it’s the reminder that even…

 

You Don’t Want to Mess with this Catholic

December 4th, 2009 by Russell Shaw

For 16 of the 36 years the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has been in business, it’s been headed by Dr. William Donohue. In that time Bill Donohue has put his own distinctive mark on this feisty anti-defamation…

 

Professional Priest?

November 21st, 2009 by Russell Shaw

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Pope’s Spiritual Generosity Misunderstood

November 7th, 2009 by Russell Shaw

For me at least, the most dismaying thing about criticism of Pope Benedict’s plan for easing the way for Anglicans who seek to enter the Roman Catholic Church is the critics’ apparent indifference to the spiritual welfare of these…

 

Performance Issues

October 23rd, 2009 by Russell Shaw

European secular liberals and certain people at the Vatican may not have many things in common, but there’s one thing they unquestionably do share: high hopes for the presidency of Barack Obama. The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize…

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