Judas . . . the made-for-tv movie!

ABC is cashing in on the Passion hype with a movie about Jesus' betrayer . . . The made-for-tv movie Judas airs this Monday.

Good guys wear white, bad guys in black. I can dig that. But why does Jesus look like unshaven Fabio? -- Let's get a real Jewish actor for once.

A conservative in Hollywood?

"It's easy to lose a civilization," Rhys-Davies warns. "The values of Western civilization have brought so much good to the world: the notions of equality, democracy, tolerance, abolition of slavery."

Rhys-Davies [Gimli in LOTR] sees these same themes espoused in The Lord of the Rings, observing, "[J.R.R.] Tolkien knew that civilization is worth fighting for. There are times when a generation is challenged and must fight to defend their civilization from annihilation."

Of course, others on the set didn't see it the same way. Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings, wore a "No Blood for Oil" T-shirt during a promotional interview for the movie on Charlie Rose's PBS show.

Ironically, Mortensen's character in the movies is a military leader. And many have drawn parallels between the conflict in The Lord of the Rings with the war on terror. With a twinkle in his eye, Rhys-Davies confides that a friend whispered to him while watching Mortensen in The Return of the King, "Does he realize he's George Bush?"

No Sean Penn: John Rhys-Davies, without Oscar censors
by Andrew Leigh
NRO Guest Comment. March 5, 2004.

Quite a challenge . . .

[Nietzsche's] idea of eternal recurrence cannot be grasped fully if it is shrugged off as cosmological or metaphysical speculation. Nietzsche certainly believed in its propositional truth, but regarded the existentially transformed power that emanated from this idea as still more significant. He understood it as a challenge to live every moment in such a way that it could return without causing horror.

Rudiger Safranski Nietzsche
(W.W. Norton & Co., Dec. 2001)

Vicious, Anti-Semitic Film

Joel C. Rosenburg's guest comment on NRO about "a vicious, anti-semitic film":

Israeli Cabinet Minister Natan Sharansky went to Berlin in January to show German, French and other European officials excerpts of a vicious, anti-Semitic film.

With all the media attacks on Mel Gibson and his new film, you might think Sharansky showed excerpts of The Passion of the Christ. He did not. Sharansky wanted European officials to see a real anti-Semitic film. So he showed them excerpts of Al-Shatat ("The Diaspora"), a $5.1 million, 30-part "mini-series" produced by Syrian television. . . . [Read More]

MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) has video clips of the aformentioned film, as well as an article on the key characteristics of Arab anti-semitism. Worth checking out, especially in light of all the misdirected criticism of The Passion.

Maps!

Maps are cool.

Liberal Antisemitism

I usually like Adbusters magazine, but this is ridiculous. Ok, let's put together a list of "50 most influential neocons in the US" . . . and then they point out the fact (the intent of the article), that at least half of them are JEWISH.

Liberal-antisemitism? -- They may deny it, but if a conservative mag like The National Review tried this tactic, you'd bet there'd be an outcry. Thanks to The Conservative Contrarian for the head's up . . .

George Weigel on "Europe's Problem -- And Ours"

In "Europe's Problem -- and Ours" (First Things 140, February 2004), George Weigel quotes a stern warning from historian Christopher Dawson: "a secular society that has no end beyond its own satisfaction is a monstrosity—a cancerous growth which will ultimately destroy itself," and again: "the modern dilemma is essentially a spiritual one, and every one of its main aspects, moral, political, and scientific, brings us back to the need of a spiritual solution."

According to Weigel, the problem with modern Europe is the notable lack of what he calls a "Slavic view of history", a perceptiveness found in such diverse figures as Vladimir Soloviev, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Václav Havel, and Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II), all of whom possessed the common conviction:

. . . that the deepest currents of history are spiritual and cultural, rather than political and economic. In this way of thinking, history is not simply the by-product of the contest for power in the world -- although power certainly plays an important role in it. And neither is history the exhaust fumes produced by the means of production. Rather, history is driven, over the long haul, by culture -- by what men and women honor, cherish, and worship; by what societies deem to be true and good, and by the expressions they give to those convictions in language, literature, and the arts; by what individuals and societies are willing to stake their lives on.

Weigel lists a number of symptoms, among them the rapid depopulation of Western European nations, failing to ensure a future for themselves with a replacement-level birthrate ("demographic suicide") -- presumably due to abortion and a "contraceptive mentality" that prioritizes self-gratification above offspring; the proliferation of what Henri De Lubac called "atheistic humanism" -- the deliberate rejection of the God of the Bible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jesus, in the name of authentic human liberation; and the "Christophobia" of European intellectuals and political leaders who, in "deliberate act of historical amnesia" strike from the proposed European Constitution "a millennium and a half of Christianity's contributions to the European understanding of human rights and democracy."

Weigel goes on to explain why Europe's problem is ours as well, and makes a good case why -- making a good case for why Americans should worry:

• American civilization has long understood itself to be in continuity with the civilization of the West that we associate, in its origins, with Europe -- with the unique civilizational accomplishment that emerged from the interaction of Jerusalem, Athens, and Rome. Americans learned about the dignity of the human person, about limited and constitutional government, about the principle of consent, and about the transcendent standards of justice to which the state is accountable."

  Weigel justifiably fears an American loss of pietas, or "reverence and gratitude for those on whose shoulders we stand," severing the ties we have with Europe and to that extent, Western civilization. "A United States indifferent to the fate of Europe is a United States indifferent to its roots."

• Secondly, as demographic vacuums do not remain, Europe's "self-inflicted depopulation" will most likely be met by a rising tide of Islamic immigration, such that "current demographic trendlines could eventually produce a Europe . . .increasingly influenced, and perhaps even dominated, by radicalized Islamic populations. It goes without saying that a Europe dominated by radical Islam would pose a significant threat to the security of the United States.

• Third, the historical and cultural amnesia that Europeans currently suffer with respect to their Christian heritage is already reflected to some degree here in the United States. The stability and durability of America's political institutions and "the democratic project" as a whole is contingent upon America's historical memory; the loss of the vision of our founding fathers would have disasterous consequences:

  To deny that Christianity had anything to do with the evolution of free, law-governed, and prosperous European societies is more than a question of falsifying the past; it is also a matter of creating a future in which moral truth has no role in governance, in the determination of public policy, in understandings of justice, and in the definition of that freedom which democracy is intended to embody.

Weigel doesn't go so far as to offer a practical answers for the problems he describes (he is "less interested in specific policy options . . . than understanding the problem at its roots"). However, confirming Christopher Dawson's diagnosis, he agrees that the solution can be nothing else than "a rebirth of life-transforming and culture-forming Christian conviction, especially Catholic conviction."

Much worth reading, and reflecting on.

"Neoconservative": Dismantling the Myths

Much has been made of the term "neocon" in recent years -- In the January/February issue of Foreign Policy, Max Boot dismantles the half-truths and myths surrounding the inappropriately-applied political label:

A cabal of neoconservatives has hijacked the Bush administration’s foreign policy and transformed the world’s sole superpower into a unilateral monster. Say what? In truth, stories about the “neocon” ascendancy—and the group’s insidious intent to wage preemptive wars across the globe—have been much exaggerated. And by telling such tall tales, critics have twisted the neocons’ identities and thinking on U.S. foreign policy into an unrecognizable caricature. . . .

I'd blogged about this briefly as well, back in September.

Missionary of Charity Robbed by Highway Bandits

Associated Press reports:

HANBAD, India - Mother Teresa's successor, Sister Nirmala, was robbed Saturday by highway bandits during a tour of rural areas in eastern India, police said.

Nirmala was visiting centers run by her order, the Missionaries of Charity, in Jharkhand state when about two dozen bandits began stopping buses and cars and robbing people, said Inspector-General Rajiv Kumar, the state's police chief.

"They were on a looting spree," he said.

"No one was hurt ... we don't know what the robbers took away," a nun from the order said on condition of anonymity.

My first thought: Why would somebody bother to rob a nun who has taken a vow of poverty?

I thought this was pretty cool . . .

Found it at a yard sale for .50 cents.

The fact that news writers and editors are often ill-informed about religion also helps to explain why they incessantly project their own biases into their religion coverage. When much of the secular knowledge class thinks about religion, here are the sorts of associations that often naturally come to mind: fundamentalism, violence, scandals, homophobia, dying churches, repression, exotic rituals, political ambition, cults, trivia. . . .

Christian Smith
"Religiously Ignorant Journalists: What We Don't Know, and Why"

Ain't Too Proud To Bleg

Circumstances warrant that I need some cash on hand for a family event on the 14th that involves renting a tuxedo and dining out. Please make use of the Paypal "donation" button on the left if you feel so inclined -- if necessary I may even find myself resorting to parting with some old books or CD's (email me if interested, I'll put together a list).

Doonesbury, 1971

Getting Priorities Straight

Remarks by the President to the Press Pool
Nothin' Fancy Cafe
Roswell, New Mexico

11:25 A.M. MST

THE PRESIDENT: I need some ribs.

Q Mr. President, how are you?

THE PRESIDENT: I'm hungry and I'm going to order some ribs.

Q What would you like?

THE PRESIDENT: Whatever you think I'd like.

Q Sir, on homeland security, critics would say you simply haven't spent enough to keep the country secure.

THE PRESIDENT: My job is to secure the homeland and that's exactly what we're going to do. But I'm here to take somebody's order. That would be you, Stretch -- what would you like? Put some of your high-priced money right here to try to help the local economy. You get paid a lot of money, you ought to be buying some food here. It's part of how the economy grows. You've got plenty of money in your pocket, and when you spend it, it drives the economy forward. So what would you like to eat?

Q Right behind you, whatever you order.

THE PRESIDENT: I'm ordering ribs. David, do you need a rib?

Q But Mr. President --

THE PRESIDENT: Stretch, thank you, this is not a press conference. This is my chance to help this lady put some money in her pocket. Let me explain how the economy works. When you spend money to buy food it helps this lady's business. It makes it more likely somebody is going to find work. So instead of asking questions, answer mine: are you going to buy some food?

Q Yes.

THE PRESIDENT: Okay, good. What would you like?

Q Ribs.

THE PRESIDENT: Ribs? Good. Let's order up some ribs.

Q What do you think of the democratic field, sir?

THE PRESIDENT: See, his job is to ask questions, he thinks my job is to answer every question he asks. I'm here to help this restaurant by buying some food. Terry, would you like something?

Q An answer.

Q Can we buy some questions?

THE PRESIDENT: Obviously these people -- they make a lot of money and they're not going to spend much. I'm not saying they're overpaid, they're just not spending any money.

Q Do you think it's all going to come down to national security, sir, this election?

THE PRESIDENT: One of the things David does, he asks a lot of questions, and they're good, generally.

END 11:29 A.M. MST

John Kerry's Military Service

What with Dean's hysterical scream in Iowa (what Buchanan dubbed "the worst political performance since Gary Hart stepped off the Monkey Business" on The McLaughlin Group), John Kerry is looking to be the leading Democratic nominee. The 'Best of the Web' (blog of The Wall Street Journal) refers to Senator Kerry as "the haughty, French-looking Massachusetts Democrat who by the way served in Vietnam," for his perpetual referral to his military service in his campaigning . . . Newsmax (conservative newsrag) has uncovered some troubling "skeletons in the closet" regarding Kerry's "military service" after Vietnam.

Life & Death in Baghdad

"For hours no one knew where they were. We went about our day as best we could. Work never stops here — progress is the best revenge against these savages. But our minds were with Raghad and Hadeel — and our prayers, too. Several Arabic speakers from our office hopped in a car and made the rounds to all the hospitals. . . ."

"Hard Times: Life and death in Baghdad"
by Martha Malone (pseudonym)
NRO Jan. 22, 2004

The Neo-Conservative Myth

Max Boot dismantles the many misconceptions and outright falsehoods regarding the so-called cabal of neo-conservatives running the Bush Administration and pulling the strings of American foreign policy in "Think Again: Neocons" (Foreign Policy January/February 2004).

Guess how they found Saddam?

Liberating Art . . .

"When he was forced to fashion statues of Saddam Hussein on horseback, the Iraqi sculptor, Kalat, had no idea that someday he would melt them down to create a memorial for American Soldiers. . . ."

"Changing faces: statue honors fallen heroes"
by Spc. Benjamin R. Kibbey
TIKRIT, Iraq (Army News Service, Jan. 6, 2003)

Bug Eyed Monsters!

Planet Comics no. 17, March 1942 and other comic books from the 1940's, scanned and reproduced online for your viewing pleasure.