Free Republic

Read the whole thing at the OC Domer blog.

A.A. Cunningham -

Lay off the crack pipe.

Nice, A.A. Very well reasoned and persuasively argued. Your people skills are truly a wonder to behold. You must be a diplomat, right? Or a lawyer?

Or an unemployed asshole living in his mom's basement getting a beer buzz at the computer in the middle of a work day.

Really? Who holds them in high regard?

Well, I do. As does U.S. News & World Report, and every other major publication that ranks colleges and universities. As do the medical schools, law schools, and other graduate schools that admit Notre Dame graduates at an impressively high rate. As do the corporate, government, and non-profit employers that hire Notre Dame graduates in large numbers every year.

But I guess they don't count. Because Notre Dame invited an American President, who isn't a Catholic, to speak at Notre Dame despite his holding views that don't agree with the Catholic Church.

Of course the problem was that they were esteemed ONLY as a Catholic University, mostly by just Catholics. They weren't esteemed by most as a University. They have been trying, with some success and some missteps, to blend the two - to be both an esteemed University and an esteemed Catholic University. It's a difficult task.

The Obama episode isn't the first time they've been accused of abandoning their Catholicism, it's been going on for years. The thing is, if they stay totally Orthodox (whatever that means), then they remain largely ignored and irrelevant in the National cultural debate. What truly orthodox Catholic school has a bigger voice in the National conversation than Notre Dame? And the reason they are listened to in that National debate is because they are credible, and even highly regarded, as a University as well as a Catholic institution.

I’m sure GCC is an excellent school.

“The University encourages a way of living consonant with a Christian community and manifest in prayer, liturgy and service.”

I don’t see how the University in any way shape or form is actively promoting the ideas in this statement, in the entire student body.

Prayer, liturgy, and service.

What, exactly, should they do? Mandate attendance at mass and mandate regular prayer? For all students? Will non-Catholics be permitted at this university? If so, will they be required to attend mass as well?

Notre Dame is a world-class University that actually honors and encourages (rather than ridiculing) the practice of one's religious faith. That is very rare among universities that anyone has ever heard of. Are there smaller colleges that are more doctrinaire? Certainly. But Notre Dame is almost unique as a highly ranked University that is welcoming to people of faith.

As for service, it is astonishing to me how much emphasis Notre Dame (and many other colleges) place on community service these days.

Bainbridge -

I assume you mean "How is it more conservative?"

Well, almost uniquely in higher education Notre Dame has only single sex dormitories (no co-ed dorms), and opposite-sex visitors are only permitted in the dormitories during specified visiting hours. Each dormitory on campus has it's own chapel, with mass said in each dormitory at least every Sunday and Holy Day. Students are required to take two semesters of theology while at ND, regardless of their major. Underage drinking is ALMOST entirely prohibited on campus. Illegal drug use is not tolerated.

That's just off he top of my head.

EyeGuy -

I think you're confusing "Catholic University" with "Seminary." A Catholic University doesn't exist merely to indoctrinate students to Catholicism. They aren't simply Christian versions of radical Islam's madrassahs.

From the University's mission statement:

The University of Notre Dame is a Catholic academic community of higher learning, animated from its origins by the Congregation of Holy Cross. The University is dedicated to the pursuit and sharing of truth for its own sake. As a Catholic university, one of its distinctive goals is to provide a forum where, through free inquiry and open discussion, the various lines of Catholic thought may intersect with all the forms of knowledge found in the arts, sciences, professions, and every other area of human scholarship and creativity.

The intellectual interchange essential to a university requires, and is enriched by, the presence and voices of diverse scholars and students. The Catholic identity of the University depends upon, and is nurtured by, the continuing presence of a predominant number of Catholic intellectuals. This ideal has been consistently maintained by the University leadership throughout its history. What the University asks of all its scholars and students, however, is not a particular creedal affiliation, but a respect for the objectives of Notre Dame and a willingness to enter into the conversation that gives it life and character. Therefore, the University insists upon academic freedom that makes open discussion and inquiry possible.

[...]

The University encourages a way of living consonant with a Christian community and manifest in prayer, liturgy and service. Residential life endeavors to develop that sense of community and of responsibility that prepares students for subsequent leadership in building a society that is at once more human and more divine.

Notre Dame's character as a Catholic academic community presupposes that no genuine search for the truth in the human or the cosmic order is alien to the life of faith. The University welcomes all areas of scholarly activity as consonant with its mission, subject to appropriate critical refinement. There is, however, a special obligation and opportunity, specifically as a Catholic university, to pursue the religious dimensions of all human learning. Only thus can Catholic intellectual life in all disciplines be animated and fostered and a proper community of scholarly religious discourse be established.

In all dimensions of the University, Notre Dame pursues its objectives through the formation of an authentic human community graced by the Spirit of Christ.

Great! Increases my odds in the football ticket lottery for this season!

But seriously, what University are these people going to support now? Georgetown? Boston College? DePaul? It’s crazy to stop supporting Notre Dame because they made one decision that you disagree with, and ignore all the other positive things the University does. Is Notre Dame as conservative as the staunchest Catholics would like? No. Is it waaaaayyyyyy more conservative than any other significant university in America? Yes, it is.

Moral cowardice defined.

Great story. Always good to read about acts of true humanity and courage. European anti-semitism has always been a puzzler for me. They hate Jews, yet welcome the radical Muslims who will want to rip European culture as we know it apart.

Well, judging by the horrific quality of that piece of "journalism" it's clear that the demise of the newspaper is his fault. What awful writing!

The pace of technology certainly hurried things along, but newspapers have been in a death spiral for a long time. I attribute it to the fact that it's no longer respectable in the business to be a good reporter. A good reporter works the phones and sidewalks and his sources to dig up facts that aren't widely known and then writes an article that educates the reader without insulting him. But good reporting has become a lost art.

Nowadays we have "journalists" instead of reporters. "Journalists" want to be either: (1) The next Woodward & Bernstein, or (2) Columnists. To be W&B of course you need to be investigative, you need to advocate, to inflame, to accuse! To really be W&B you need to take on "the man" and hound him from office. Of course, most admirers of W&B are liberal Nixon-bashers who only want to hound Republicans out of office, but that's another issue. And, of course, actual investigation is hard work. And really, it's beneath the dignity of your average journalism school graduate, don't you think? So let's put investigation aside and just go with advocating, inflaming, and accusing. That's what passes for journalism these days. Surf the web, attend a press conference or read a press release, then regurgitate it wrapped in political advocacy.

Of course, most readers of newspapers recognize that type of journalism for what it is and refuse to read it. "Give me the facts and I'll make up my own mind, thank you very much."

If you can't be Woodward & Bernstein, then with any luck at all your genius will be recognized and you'll become a columnist! Paid to spout whatever drivel is swirling around inside your addled brain! Heaven on Earth! As one wag once said "indoor work, no heavy lifting."

The problem with columnists of course is that they are basically being paid to voice their opinions on matters of public interest, which the internet allows legions of hobbyists and enthusiasts to do better for free. Like belly buttons, everyone has an opinion and they'll share it with you if you'll only agree to look. No charge.

So newspapers have abandoned the one field where they actually have a competitive market advantage (collecting and reporting actual news) and have instead drifted into a field where they are at a decided market disadvantage (editorials and advocacy). The typical blogger can't compete with the New York Times in the collection of political news. The blogger has a day job and lives in Truckee. The NYT has paid professionals working in the White House and all over Washington DC. No contest about who gets the inside scoop. But the blogger can readily compete with the NYT when it comes to analysis, commentary, and opinion, and his or her overhead is really, really low. Hard for the NYT to compete with that.

Newspapers, if they want to survive at all, need to get back to news. Collect it and report it. You know what news I have a hard time getting? The truly local stuff. Local weather, city council updates, high school sports news. Instead of actual news that I would read, my newspaper gives me recycled AP news stories that I read on-line yesterday. Not helpful.

Read the rest of this post at the OC Domer blog.

Home-run for John McCain and the GOP!

Read the rest at the OC Domer blog.

Will Hillary reject this? Or will she denounce it? Will she reject AND denounce it?

Or will she claim it has nothing at all to do with her, despite the fact that she claims as her primary qualification to be President the eight years she spent in the White House?

Hillary wants credit for her White House years as experience, yet she doesn’t admit to being in any way involved in anything that actually happened at the White House while she lived there. Nice trick if you can pull it off.

Invisible Hand - I don’t have a problem with the line. In fact, it is a quote from an earlier (1961) opinion that was written when it actually meant something.

My point is, to use that line in the context of today’s public education system is dishonest. How many times are we going to sue and be sued over whether the kids ought to say the Pledge of Allegiance? How many times must our kids be told by their teachers that “good” and “bad” is relative, and that America is really no better than those countries that stone fallen women and homosexuals, and fill their jails with anyone who speaks out against the State? In fact, our kids are taught that America is a joke and an international pariah. How does that instill patriotism? (It doesn’t).

Another win for the social engineers. Another loss for the people.

May God bless and keep him