tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post114135621038367647..comments2024-03-06T03:15:58.539-05:00Comments on <b>THE NEW REFORM CLUB</b>: Strayed From the HeartHunter Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14961831404331998743noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1141675494080063532006-03-06T15:04:00.000-05:002006-03-06T15:04:00.000-05:00I perceive them as evil in their use of wrong mean...<I>I perceive them as evil in their use of wrong means.</I><BR/><BR/>Some on the left (Connie *possibly* included) seem to be more passionate about Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld being wrong than Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld are about being right.Barry Vanhoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04006891046091646808noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1141618169822189082006-03-05T23:09:00.000-05:002006-03-05T23:09:00.000-05:00And I see the depth and breadth of this struggle e...<I>And I see the depth and breadth of this struggle every day, because I am married to an honest lawyer.</I><BR/><BR/>A friend of mine tells a story about working with missionaries in Amersterdam's Red Light District. He asked them if they had any reservations about raising their own kids in such a crude environment. Amazingly, they said no.<BR/><BR/>In fact, they believed that their children benefited from seeing the depravity out in the open. They were able to see it clearly, and understand what it led to. Most people don't get the benefit of that kind of perspective.<BR/><BR/>The essence of the Washington problem is that it is a problem everywhere, at every level - we just don't usually realize how big until it is too late. I think we'd all like to be able to avoid the 'really tasty' seductions in life - hopefully most of us will. But those 'mediocre' ones will just as certainly spell big trouble for us too...whether you're in Washington, or right here in River City.Matt Huismanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09972662349345412127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1141586395568395302006-03-05T14:19:00.000-05:002006-03-05T14:19:00.000-05:00Speaking of marriage, Kathy, rarely have I seen br...Speaking of marriage, Kathy, rarely have I seen brevity married to clarity as beautifully as that - with eloquence as a bridesmaid.Jay D. Homnickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14714671338316275833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1141583584868883562006-03-05T13:33:00.000-05:002006-03-05T13:33:00.000-05:00Here is the essence of the Washington problem: the...Here is the essence of the Washington problem: the "everyone does it" rationale is just so obviously <B>true</B> that it goes without saying. It is a powerful snare, because you soon believe that playing this game is the only way to get anything done here. So your moral sightline shrinks away from "is this right to do?" to "is the cause I am advancing worthy?" You will only survive intact in Washington if you have a moral code that absolutely, without exception, forbids you to exercise wrong means in the pursuit of even the highest of ends. Admit even the remotest possibility of utilitarianism or situational ethics into your heart, and you are toast.<BR/><BR/>And I see the depth and breadth of this struggle every day, because I am married to an honest lawyer.Kathy Hutchinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11851875819094837357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1141577064680213402006-03-05T11:44:00.000-05:002006-03-05T11:44:00.000-05:00No way.To be a College Republican at Brandeis in t...No way.<BR/><BR/>To be a College Republican at Brandeis in the 80s was like volunteering for clean-up duty in Hell without the asbestos suit. You had to really believe way down deep in your heart.Jay D. Homnickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14714671338316275833noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1141538013400892352006-03-05T00:53:00.000-05:002006-03-05T00:53:00.000-05:00Yes, Matt. I wish I could affirm that I'm invulne...Yes, Matt. I wish I could affirm that I'm invulnerable to the seductions of this world.<BR/><BR/>So far, pretty much so good. The seductions have been on the mediocre side.<BR/><BR/>Then again, it might be the answer to a prayer <I>"and lead us not into temptation..."</I><BR/><BR/>But I'm not dead yet. Something really tasty could turn up.Tom Van Dykehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07121072404143877596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1141529098360298632006-03-04T22:24:00.000-05:002006-03-04T22:24:00.000-05:00I generally believe corruption comes from weakness...<I>I generally believe corruption comes from weakness and lack of values within.</I><BR/><BR/>Exactly. Which explains why we're all corrupt.Matt Huismanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09972662349345412127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-1141524824023262662006-03-04T21:13:00.000-05:002006-03-04T21:13:00.000-05:00It is in the nature of people who are in the wrong...<I>It is in the nature of people who are in the wrong to seduce you into their midst even if you offer them no direct advantage. The presence of virtue causes them discomfort. <BR/><BR/>This forced choice between group acceptance and righteous isolation is a powerful trap for a man.</I><BR/><BR/>This is how Hollywood works. An accommodation with its perversions is a necessary first step.<BR/><BR/>From there, the innocent begins to see perversion as normal, and falls into it; the perverts, with no decent society around them to rein them in, get more and more perverse.Tom Van Dykehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07121072404143877596noreply@blogger.com