Pope Benedict claims that bone fragments from the first-second century have been found in what the Roman Catholic Church has traditionally claimed is St. Paul’s tomb. And, says they must be "him."
First, while the coffin supposedly dates from at least 390 CE, we don't know how much further back it goes, and Benedict and Vatican archaelogists haven't offered to date it.
Second, even if it does go back to the 1st century CE, the first church at the site goes back no further than the oldest confirmed date for the coffin. So, we don't know if "whomever" the bones belong to was originally buried either in that coffin or that site, let alone that he was a Jew from SE Asia Minor and likely sufferer of either manic depression or temporal lobe epilepsy. (Contra John Shelby Spong, I do NOT think Paul's "thorn in the flesh" was closeted gay desires.)
June 29, 2009
No coup in Honduras
Instead, President Manuel Zelaya illegally tried to go ahead with a referendum to change the constitution, then, after the military arrested him, acting on a court order, Congressional leader Roberto Micheletti was sworn in ONLY to complete the seven months left on Zelaya’s term. If this really were a military coup, we wouldn’t have his denouement.
It’s still not a good thing whenever the military gets involved in government, especially in Central America. But, in this case, the military was doing its duty, and did it the right way.
And, yes, it is meddling by the Obama Administration when it insists on restoring Zelaya.
Perhaps, per the often sensible conservative blogger Allahpundit, Obama is fearful of “optics,” knowing the Honduran military’s long connection to more thuggish elements in the U.S. military, CIA, etc.
No matter. It’s not a coup.
Update, Sept. 6, 2017: Per Wiki, I now call it a coup, as I have for more than 18 months.
It’s still not a good thing whenever the military gets involved in government, especially in Central America. But, in this case, the military was doing its duty, and did it the right way.
And, yes, it is meddling by the Obama Administration when it insists on restoring Zelaya.
Perhaps, per the often sensible conservative blogger Allahpundit, Obama is fearful of “optics,” knowing the Honduran military’s long connection to more thuggish elements in the U.S. military, CIA, etc.
No matter. It’s not a coup.
Update, Sept. 6, 2017: Per Wiki, I now call it a coup, as I have for more than 18 months.
June 28, 2009
Conservatives BS about ‘suppressed’ EPA global warming report
Via CNET, it’s clear that the anti-science wing of the GOP is going to try to make hay out of an allegedly suppressed report by career EPA staffer Alan Carlin, cited by Smokey Joe Barton last week on the House floor during Waxman-Markey debate.
But, let’s take a look at Carlin’s own, Googlepages website to get the lowdown on his political angle.
And we have it. Go to Carlin's website, look at his list of publications. This guy's flogging cost-benefit analysis (PDF) as THE answer on global warming, and other stuff, for years. His global warming answer is atmospheric engineering with aerosols, a HUGELY dangerous proposition.
Meanwhile, if the science doesn’t support the actuality of global warming, then why was Carlin proposing such a solution for an allegedly nonexistent problem?
EPA's only "problem" is that Carlin wasn't smoked out and headed off at the pass six months ago.
Update: Welcome to all you Europeans coming here via “Wikio.” I hope you’re staying around long enough to learn the truth about Mr. Carlin.
Anyway, for visitors, I’m curious about your views, so take the poll if you would. (Multiple answers are allowed, as I have a bit of snark in it.)
But, let’s take a look at Carlin’s own, Googlepages website to get the lowdown on his political angle.
And we have it. Go to Carlin's website, look at his list of publications. This guy's flogging cost-benefit analysis (PDF) as THE answer on global warming, and other stuff, for years. His global warming answer is atmospheric engineering with aerosols, a HUGELY dangerous proposition.
Meanwhile, if the science doesn’t support the actuality of global warming, then why was Carlin proposing such a solution for an allegedly nonexistent problem?
EPA's only "problem" is that Carlin wasn't smoked out and headed off at the pass six months ago.
Update: Welcome to all you Europeans coming here via “Wikio.” I hope you’re staying around long enough to learn the truth about Mr. Carlin.
Anyway, for visitors, I’m curious about your views, so take the poll if you would. (Multiple answers are allowed, as I have a bit of snark in it.)
WaPost blames ‘sniping among liberals’ for healthcare woes
At the Washington Post, its copy editors win the prize for misleading headline of the year, claiming “sniping among liberals” endangers any healthcare reform. Of course, Ceci Connolly takes that angle in her story.
And, wrong!
No, it’s sniping, or, putting on notice, BY liberals at centrist neo-somethings like Kay Hagen, Ben Nelson and Sen. Betty Crocker, Dianne Feinstein.
That’s because they’re signing off, in part, and in part due to Big Pharma campaign dineros, signing off in part on conservative bullshit like Greg Mankiw’s.
And, wrong!
No, it’s sniping, or, putting on notice, BY liberals at centrist neo-somethings like Kay Hagen, Ben Nelson and Sen. Betty Crocker, Dianne Feinstein.
That’s because they’re signing off, in part, and in part due to Big Pharma campaign dineros, signing off in part on conservative bullshit like Greg Mankiw’s.
Greg Mankiw BS on national healthcare
He claims that a single-payer type public option is no different than a nonprofit group setting up a healthcare plan:
Well, lemme see, the purchasing and price negotiation power of the whole U.S., potentially, versus the small number of members of a nonprofit.
He then claims it would eventually need public subsidies, just like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Well, no, or at least not for those reasons. National health insurance doesn’t buy up subprime mortgages.
Finally, Mankiw gets to the bottom-line conservative bogeyman. They’re afraid of real competition in health insurance:
So, big is OK for Microslob, but not for healthcare, just because it’s not privately owned? What bullshit.
Meanwhile, at the WaPost, its copy editors win the prize for misleading headline of the year, claiming “sniping among liberals” endangers any healthcare reform.
No, it’s sniping BY liberals at centrist neo-somethings like Kay Hagen, Ben Nelson and Sen. Betty Crocker, Dianne Feinstein.
But if such a plan were desirable and feasible, nothing would stop someone from setting it up right now. In essence, a public plan without taxpayer support would be yet another nonprofit company offering health insurance.
Well, lemme see, the purchasing and price negotiation power of the whole U.S., potentially, versus the small number of members of a nonprofit.
He then claims it would eventually need public subsidies, just like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Well, no, or at least not for those reasons. National health insurance doesn’t buy up subprime mortgages.
Finally, Mankiw gets to the bottom-line conservative bogeyman. They’re afraid of real competition in health insurance:
A dominant government insurer, however, could potentially keep costs down by squeezing the suppliers of health care. This cost control works not by fostering honest competition but by thwarting it.
So, big is OK for Microslob, but not for healthcare, just because it’s not privately owned? What bullshit.
Meanwhile, at the WaPost, its copy editors win the prize for misleading headline of the year, claiming “sniping among liberals” endangers any healthcare reform.
No, it’s sniping BY liberals at centrist neo-somethings like Kay Hagen, Ben Nelson and Sen. Betty Crocker, Dianne Feinstein.
Twitter, Iran, urban legends, solipsism
My professional newspaper column thoughts on a variety of interconnected subjects.
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