Today's Gospel: Mark

Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

At that time, John said to Jesus,
"Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us."
Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us.
Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ,
amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.

"Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin,
it would be better for him if a great millstone
were put around his neck
and he were thrown into the sea.
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
It is better for you to enter into life maimed
than with two hands to go into Gehenna,
into the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off.
It is better for you to enter into life crippled
than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.
Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye
than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna,
where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'"

Obama Tries to Push Aside Governor Paterson

For Barack Obama, it's about politics and not losing. In New York, Paterson's low approval ratings and a viable GOP challenge (either by Rick Lazio or Rudy Giuliani) have given Obama pause and have compelled him to gently nudge Paterson out of the race.

If Paterson is like any politician, he will not take this lightly. It will be harder to cry racism here, but he might still put up a fight.

Now, Andrew Cuomo can seriously gear up. Will this give Eliot Spitzer the green light to run for Attorney General? His scandal already has worn off.

Irving Kristol: An Intellectual Giant

(Picture from American Enterprise Institute)

January 22, 1920-September 18, 2009

We will miss you. Your contributions will not be forgotten.


"For me, then, "neoconservatism" was an experience of moral, intellectual, and spiritual liberation. I no longer had to pretend to believe--what in my heart I could no longer believe--that liberals were wrong because they subscribe to this or that erroneous opinion on this or that topic. No--liberals were wrong, liberals are wrong, because they are liberals. What is wrong with liberalism is liberalism--a metaphysics and a mythology that is woefully blind to human and political reality. Becoming a neoconservative, then, was the high point of my cold war."