Noonan on Narcissism

The political kind, that is:

People who charge into burning towers are heroic; nuns who work with the poorest of the poor are self-denying; people who volunteer their time to help our world and receive nothing in return but the knowledge they are doing good are in public service. Politicians are in politics. They are less self-denying than self-aggrandizing. They are given fame, respect, the best health care in the world; they pass laws governing your life and receive a million perks including a good salary, and someone else--faceless taxpayers, "the folks back home"--gets to pay for the whole thing. This isn't public service, it's more like public command. It's not terrible--democracies need people who commit politics; they have a place and a role to play--but it's not saintly, either.

I don't know if politicians have ever been modest, but I know they have never seemed so boastful, so full of themselves, and so dizzy with self-love.

Ladies and Gentlemen . . .

Please enjoy: The Parade of Unfortunate Star Wars Costumes

(Via Michelle Malkin)

Now For The Good News

Zarqawi may -- just may -- be experiencing a slow, painful death. Eternity in hell is not going to feel too good either.

That Crappy Deal

The verdict from all the best pundits is unanimous. Powerline sums it up:

Senator Graham and his friends have likely given away one of the president's most important powers -- the power to nominate Supreme Court Justices of his choosing and get an up-or-down vote on them. I hope they enjoy the praise they are about to get from the Washington Post and the New York Times.

Will the Republicans learn too late that, whether it is offered to the Democrats or the Jihadists, the wages of appeasement is death?

It's a religion of peace, honest.

Great Moments in Education

The Dawn Patrol exposes Sex Week at the University of Washington:

A group of eighth graders touring campus from Odle Middle School in Bellevue sheepishly giggled as they looked at tables set up for Sex Week on the HUB lawn. Some of the boys took free condoms and some of the girls gathered in front of the "who do you want to do?" poster to write in their favorite pick.

"It's a good view of college life -- which includes sex," said Gary Abbrederis, a 14-year-old student from Odle.

Read it all.

The Animal and The Diabolical

Recently finished re-reading C. S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. Here's a favorite passage:

"Finally, though I have had to speak at some length about sex, I want to make it as clear as I possibly can that the centre of Christian morality is not here. If anyone thinks that Christians regard unchastity as the supreme vice, he is quite wrong. The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronizing and spoiling sport, and back-biting; the pleasures of power, of hatred. For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self which I must try to become. They are the Animal self, and the Diabolical self. The Diabolical self is the worse of the two. That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But, of course, it is better to be neither."

That last line is priceless. It's a real shame this book is not outselling the rather frothy Purpose-Driven Life. How far we have fallen.

Apparently the Satanists may need to order new stationery:

Recently a very ancient copy of a Greek New Testament manuscript from the Book of the Revelation has been deciphered. In this document the number of the Beast is 616 not 666.

I for one won't be accepting either number on the back of my hand or forehead. Can't be too careful.

Rent "Tender Mercies" Instead

Bad news about the new Ridley Scott film, from The American Thinker:

The New York Times’ Alan Riding recently opined that

“…[The C]rusades were waged, [by] European monarchs, lords, knights and their armies of devout followers to fight - and settle - in an area stretching between what is today Syria and Egypt. The Muslims responded [emphasis added] with their own sporadic jihads until finally, by 1291, the Christians had been driven out.”

He further lauds the fact that in Ridley Scott’s new film portrayal of the Crusades, Kingdom of Heaven

“…Mr. Scott and his screenwriter, William Monahan, have tried to be balanced. Muslims are portrayed as bent on coexistence until Christian extremists ruin everything.” [emphasis added]

As always, great work from Michelle Malkin:

STOP SMEARING THE MINUTEMEN