Not a lost cause yet

If you have not seen the pictures of the anti-Syria pro-democracy Beirut demonstration, take a look. It has been all over the news and is quite stunning. In case you don't know, this rally is in response to the 500,000 person pro-syria demonstration organized by Hezbolla just a little while ago. The estimates are at 800,000 for this one, clearly trumping the previous. This is great news because the party that wants reform and is most likely to end terrorist activities (i.e. not Hezbolla) has just shown their force and seems to have the ability to bring change. Moreover, the people in this demonstration feel they can do these things without fear of reprisal (as many commentators have pointed out, see the link above), and this is an important development in itself, as it helps lead to change without war.

Update: More good news.

The West Wing

I caught the West Wing on NBC the other night after not seeing it for quite awhile (the second time in three weeks, but probably years before that), and I have to say I am impressed with how well they have preserved the quality of the original award winning season(s). Jimmy Smits has been added to the cast (since the President will soon be out of office and they need a new character to fill the void). I highly reccommend watching both for the interesting points of view presented and the sheer quality of the show. I generally disagree with the opinions of the characters, but their portrayal and the intelligence given to them by the scripts overshadows any disagreements I might have with them.

Cloning

I want to draw attention to this essay by Charles Krauthammer. I agree with his opinion on this matter, and I also agree that there has been much disinformation put out by all the parties in this debate. Names of procedures are changed to hide what they truly entail, and the fundamental question of the morality of cloning is mixed up with the good results that it might produce. By all means, the results of not allowing cloning should be taken into account, but if the procedure is fundamentally flawed (in a moral sense), then I am hard pressed to see any reason good enough to justify it. Whether cloning is morally right is the central question of this whole issue, and it is the question that the public debate in this country has not yet answered or even really addressed.

Abortion

There is an excellent essay in Time about Abortion, written by Andrew Sullivan. I am ardently against abortion and, and as Mr. Sullivan states, "believe that all abortions are an immoral taking of human life". However, I find I am atleast partially swayed by this article. The object of opposing abortion is not a political victory but to save lives. If those of us who are pro-life ever find ourselves in a position that puts our political goals ahead of our moral imperatives, we need to rethink ourselves. (This statement in and of itself applies to those who are pro-choice as well, but here I am discussing those who are pro-life.) None of this is to say that we should compromise our goal of ending abortion, but if we can get closer to that goal through political compromises, why not do it?