“Morality” on The Daily Caller

There were reports of babies out in the cold for hours in Houston. In Indianapolis, two dozen police officers used pepper spray to control an unruly crowd that pried shopping center doors off their hinges. (more)

I often hear those on the right say that the left has stolen the language and that we must take it back. Yet I really don’t see or hear this occurring. In fact, I don’t really think the right is serious about taking back the language. If it were, would conservatives continue using terms like “African-American” and “xenophobia”? (more)

Dear Editor: (more)

We’re not there yet. But we are making progress. (more)

In the British comedy show “Monty Python’s Flying Circus,” a cartoon God would often send a giant foot down from Heaven to squash malefactors. Some see God’s justice in the non-cartoon world to be similarly imposed, with Him smiting the unjust, albeit minus the giant foot. The Old Testament gives examples that fit this model, but things get complicated upon closer inspection. Was God a little indiscriminate in His actions? While the Israelites were the Chosen People, there must have been a few virtuous souls among the various Runners-Up Peoples that the Israelites, with God’s help, destroyed. The New Testament offers more material for theological puzzlement, for we are urged to love those who do us ill which, one could argue, rewards evil. Our experience of the world adds to the confusion about God’s justice for, while bad things happen to bad people, bad things also happen to good people and, very irritatingly, good things happen far too often to bad people. How simpler it would be, if He actually did send His foot down upon evildoers. Presumably, God has the capacity to dispatch as many giant feet as required and soon the Earth would be thrumming with a divine version of River Dance as He trampled out some of His wrath upon evil human grapes. It would certainly send a strong message to the criminal classes if, for instance, when the police located a killer, God had already dispatched His foot to flatten him. To invoke another television program, imagine an episode of “CSI” in which forensic expert Grissom leans over a paper-thin corpse, scratches his chin, and declares, “He must be the murderer. He’s been God-stomped.” (more)

When lawmakers tried to pass a federal ban on same-sex marriage, the activist left was there to shout: “You can’t legislate morality.” When they tried to alter or overturn Roe v. Wade, the National Organization for Women started screaming: “You can’t legislate morality.” When they tried to pass a law saying 13-year-olds shouldn’t have government funded access to contraception, organizations like Planned Parenthood and the ACLU were there to remind us: “You can’t legislate morality.” (more)

One of the less obvious effects that crime has on society is the tremendous financial burden it places on both individuals and government. Efforts to more accurately quantify the specific financial costs associated to crime have produced a variety of results; however, one common theme resonates. Both the tangible and intangible costs of crime are placing a severe encumbrance on society and misappropriating significant resources that could otherwise be directed toward more productive endeavors. (more)