A couple of years back, lots of young people were wearing WWJD on t-shirts and wristbands. It stood for "What would Jesus Do?" and it was supposed to remind the wearer to consider the moral content of any proposed course of action. We can debate the authenticity–not to mention the depth–of such faddish expressions of religious devotion, but there is something to be said for the use of a standard to measure behavior. Accordingly, I hereby propose one.
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Comparing Cultures
At the end of December, 2004, Spain passed legislation recognizing the right of same-sex couples to marry. It thus joined Belgium and the Netherlands as the third European country to legalize gay marriage. Sweden and Denmark have previously extended civil union legislation to same-sex couples; under their laws, gays have most, but not all, of the rights accorded to heterosexual citizens.
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Mixed Messages
We are hip-deep in our quadrennial passion for Get out the Vote activities–from politicians to rock musicians, everyone’s reminding us of the importance of casting a ballot. It’s a nice sentiment, but have you ever wondered how things would change if we really believed that everyone should vote?
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That New Time Religion
I am old enough to remember when my religious beliefs and practices were my business, not because bad church-state separationists wanted to "exclude religion from the public square" as the right-wingers like to charge, but because we were taught that respect for the equal rights of others was an important American value.
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Are We Safer Yet?
Politicians and pundits can and do argue over the proper role of government, but virtually everyone?from conservative to liberal?will agree that public safety is a core state function. Our leaders are supposed to make policies that are most likely to keep Americans safe at home and abroad. So an important question to ask in the wake of the war against Iraq is: are we safer than we were before?
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