The Cult of Rules

Paul Rosenberg “The mark of an educated mind,” taught Aristotle, is “to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” And that’s what I’ll be asking of you today. Because as certain as I am that I’m substantially right on this, I’m also sure that its acceptance will take quite some time. But I do want to plant its seeds as best I can.

The Cult… Is Us

Doubtless you’ve seen or heard stories about religious cults and the people born into them. They all focus upon the same set of writings and explanations, all repeat the same phrases, and all approve or disapprove of the same things. Continue reading

Rules Versus Righteousness

rulesPaul Rosenberg – Yes, we’ve seen a string of irrational, malicious and even murderous rules lately, but that’s not what I’m addressing in this post.

Today my point is that rules by themselves – rules by their essence – are the opponents of righteousness. I know this strikes most people as impossible, but I’m convinced that it’s correct and important.

I expect this concept to take root slowly; human psychology is just that way: It takes time to absorb and sift ideas that are not only new, but which stand against basic assumptions. Continue reading

When Do Legal Immigrants Get to ‘Speak Out’?

rulesRobert Oscar Lopez – I went to El Salvador last year. This  commentary explains how the experience finally reconciled me with the conservative position on immigration.  I emphasize the pain caused to a beautiful people, the Salvadorans, by their living in a state not like Jesus in Egypt, but more like the Babylonian captivity of the Old Testament.  Sometimes history presents lose-lose scenarios where a trend has no winners. Illegal immigration belongs in such a category.

Since the Washington Post and the New York Times will never cover what I learned, I will “speak out” here.  I hope it does some good.

Immigration is emotional

In the Los Angeles Civic Center, my wife took an oath to become a citizen.  After sixteen years together, fourteen years of marriage, and over a decade with a green card, she had finally cleared all the hurdles, made her decision, and decided to become American. Continue reading

The Caravan: Rules During an Invasion

rulesWilliam L. Gensert – The presumption of innocence, a foundational principle, instituted by the founding fathers in our founding document, the Constitution, has evaporated faster than a bead of sweat on Christine Blasey Ford’s brow as she awaits a flight to French Polynesia for one of her many surfing vacations.

One rule shot to hell.

What of rules?  Why do we have them?  Wouldn’t it be nice if we were allowed to park our cars wherever we chose to, at our convenience, even if it were in a place that through our ignorance, or inconsideration, resulted in blocking a street at just the moment an ambulance came along, trying to get help to a man who had a heart attack down the block?  Humans, left to our own considerations, can be considerably inconsiderate when it comes to others.  It’s too simple to write this off to cruelty or evil; it’s just that in life, we look at what we need and want first and do not always consider how our needs and wants affect others. Continue reading

The Cult of Rules

rulesPaul Rosenberg – “The mark of an educated mind,” taught Aristotle, is “to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” And that’s what I’ll be asking of you today. Because as certain as I am that I’m substantially right on this, I’m also sure that its acceptance will take quite some time. But I do want to plant its seeds as best I can.

The Cult… Is Us

Doubtless you’ve seen or heard stories about religious cults and the people born into them. They all focus upon the same set of writings and explanations, all repeat the same phrases, and all approve or disapprove of the same things.

If you’re inside such a structure, it makes sense and holds together. Stepping outside the structure, however… that becomes terrifying. Continue reading