Mixing and Matching on a Monday Morning

President Barack Obama spoke at the commencement ceremony at the University of Notre Dame yesterday. He said that we need greater civility in our public discourse. On that, I agree. But when he asserts that people who favor things such as embryonic stem cell research are on essentially the same moral ground as those who oppose it, I beg to differ. They may support it for what they think moral reasons, yes, but the bottom line is that their moral stance is askew. Charity towards people holding opposing views is generally a good thing, and we should be courteous in dealing with even (and perhaps especially) those in the wrong. Charity also means going to them and trying to talk them out of their ill advised or dangerous beliefs. In short, we must play nice. But we must also remember that the game has rules which we must keep in order to rightly claim moral authority.

He should never have been invited to speak there. Being civil surely doesn't mean granting honors to those who hold repugnant positions, even if they presume to have a moral rightness on their side.

This morning I see a seat belt check lane has been established a few blocks from my house. I am not against seat belt usage, but I cannot help but wonder whether a police officer's time would be better spent tracking more serious offenders of society than those who don't belt up. There simply has to be more pressing concerns for the local government than that.

Joe Biden went out and disclosed the location of a bunker designed to safeguard Vice Presidents in an emergency. This apparently constitutes a breach of security. But I wouldn't worry. Being Vice President is about the safest job in the government. It is the biggest who cares position in Washington. You're safe, Joe.