Time for my weekly Current Events Write-Up, in which I link to articles that I found interesting.
It Really Sucks to be a Christian Right Now, by Steve Austin.
This post was not what I expected. I was expecting the usual
progressive Christian screed against conservative Christians. Instead,
the article was about feeling like an outsider from ideological camps,
choosing to take a lower profile in terms of online debates, and not
knowing what one believes on certain hot-button issues. I could
identify with a lot of this.
Introvert, Dear: The Science Behind Why It Can Be Hard for Introverts to Put Their Thoughts into Words, by Jenn Granneman.
Introverts can be articulate, I think, but many of them have to think
before they speak, so they are not always adept at rapid-fire
responses. I can identify with this. I remember when someone asked me a
question, and I was trying to formulate my response. He was yapping at
me like a chihuahua, asking me his question over and over!
American Conservative: Rod Dreher’s Interview with J.D. Vance, Author of Hillbilly Elegy.
I know the article is about a year old, but I still want to share
it. I would like to read Vance’s book, but it has a long waiting list
at the library! After reading this interview, I can see why. Vance has
a working class Appalachian background, but he went to Yale Law
School. He talks about why he believes that white working class people
supported Trump, critiques the left and the right, and discusses his own
personal background (i.e., learning discipline in the Marines, coming
back home, etc.). He has excellent insights.
New York Times: The Government Gorsuch Wants to Undo, by Emily Bazelon and Eric Posner.
Gorsuch prefers to defer to legislation rather than administrative
regulations. This article explains why that may be problematic: it
takes so long to craft and to pass legislation, whereas administrative
regulations can address problems quickly and more flexibly. The article
also explores the history of administrative regulations, going back to
the New Deal.
Townhall: Gorsuch and the Ghost of Harry Reid, by Cal Thomas.
Cal Thomas is a conservative and, not surprisingly, he thinks the
Senate Republicans should use the nuclear option to get Gorsuch
confirmed. What is interesting about this article is that it discusses
the history of the nuclear option.
Why Is Kim Jong Un Our Problem?, by Patrick J. Buchanan.
Maybe Pat is a little naive about Kim Jong Un. I don’t know. Still,
Pat offers intriguing arguments against the U.S. tying itself up in
alliances that may require it to go to war. According to Pat, as the
U.S. takes up slack in defending other countries, those countries are
using their resources to compete against the U.S. in trade. Buchanan
also does not feel that everything would fall apart if the U.S. were to
pull back from being the police officer of the world. He explains why.