Groundhog Day

1. More propaganda on embryonic stem cell research, this time from Time Magazine. Yuval Levin takes it apart at National Review Online. Meanwhile, advances in non-embryonic stem cell research continue to occur, unnoticed by the media and the government/big pharma consortium.

2. Some women in Latin America are speaking out against the repeal of the Mexico City Policy. Now we get to see the real "global gag rule" in operation, as the media enforces absolute silence on those who oppose the Administration's policies.

3. A Minnesota school has revoked an athletic Hall of Fame award to a former student who has become a pro-abortion state legislator. The legislator, a regular Mass attendee, is of course upset. But perhaps he'll wake up for a moment and wonder whether his faith should have anything to do with his public positions. Sometimes the path to conversion starts with facing the uncomfortable truth that discipleship means more than accommodation to the spirit of the age.

4. What kind of political decision will the Republicans come to about the "social issues" -- keep on fighting, or throw in the towel? This decision will have momentous significance for the pro-life movement. In this regard, if you have the time for a long article, it would be valuable to re-visit George McKenna's excellent review of the history of abortion in modern American politics, and how the Republicans and Democrats have shifted their positions over time. At the same time, the GOP has elected a Catholic to be their National Chairman, Michael Steele. He says he's pro-life, but when the questions get specific, he gets a bit soft and vague.

5. The Times never fails to fail to surprise. In Sunday's Style section was a very positive feature story on lesbian-only gated communities, where no males are allowed, the hostility to men is palpable, and contact with the outside world is limited. Even the visit of a baby boy is cause for a paranoid-sounding email warning being sent to all residents: "There's a man on the land". The Times notes, with a tone of regret, that these communities are slowly dying off; I can't imagine why. Oddly enough, the Times doesn't see such people as odd.

6. Happy Groundhog Day. I'm going to post today on that movie at my official ArchNY blog, and its meaning for marriage. Seriously. I'm also going to blog on the politics of principle, in memory of a mentor of mine who died on this date, twelve years ago.