Good Friday: Mark Steyn Reviews The Passion of the Christ

In the church year, Easter is when the we remember Christ’s resurrection and ultimate triumph over death; Good Friday is when we remember that we, in our sin, put Him to death.

In observance of Good Friday today, Mark Steyn reprints his 2004 review of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.  (Note that this link will probably expire.)

Instead of Jesus the wimp, Mel gives us Jesus the Redeemer. He died for our sins — ie, the “violent end” is the critical bit, not just an unfortunate misunderstanding cruelly cutting short a promising career in gentle teaching. . . .

BREAKING: Judge Rules in Our Favor, Cincinnatians Will Get Referendum on Parking Deal

Judge Winkler has made his decision:  The referendum petition drive will be allowed to continue.  If we get enough signatures in the next few days, the people will get to vote in November on whether to repeal City Council’s “privatization” of city parking meters, lots, and garages.

If you’re a Cincinnati voter and want to sign the petition but haven’t yet, one option will be this Saturday:

. . . 9 AM to 5 PM in Mt. Lookout Square.  We can accept with drive-thru signatures as well as signatures from pedestrians.

Whatever

Even at liberal NPR, this book reviewer wonders whether our culture’s descent into nihilism and narcissism hasn’t gone too far.  The review is entitled “The Apathy In ‘A Thousand Pardons’ Is Hard To Forgive”:

Given that Dee is such a precise, dry and cynical writer — and given the class resentments that his plots stoke — I wonder, not for the first time, why I don’t like his books more. Maybe the answer lies in his distinctive atmosphere: Most of Dee’s key characters are so cool, so jaded, so “whatever” — it’s like they overmedicate.

Marriage

I think this video strikes a reasonably good balance:  It tries to present a lot of the (pretty abstract) arguments for the traditional definition of marriage; at the same time, it tries to be brief and engaging for a general audience.

Culture of Death

Mark Steyn reflects on “abortion” “doctor” Kermit Gosnell’s grisly murder business, and how differently the mainstream news media treat its death toll from, say, those of the Jared Loughner and Adam Lanza shootings.

Gosnell’s murderous regime in Philadelphia reflects on him. The case’s all but total absence from the public discourse reflects on America . . . .

Freedom of the Press under Threat in UK

A deal has been reached by all three major political parties in the United Kingdom to impose severe restrictions on the freedom of the press, apparently including the Internet.  Details are still unclear,* but it seems to include an Orwellian ministry of truth that would have the power to order newspapers to issue “corrections”, letting the government replace what a paper reported with what the government says is true.

Some of the Britons or ex-Britons at National Review Online explain.

• “1771–2013: The Era of the Free Press in Britain”, John O’Sullivan

Admitting Too Much? Obama and Israel

In light of Obama’s well-known* anti-Israel record (saying that Israel “doesn’t know what its best interests are”, calling Netanyahu a “coward”,  giving free tanks and fighter jets to the Muslim Brotherhood president of Egypt who thinks the people of Israel are “bloodsuckers” and “the descendants of apes and pigs” for whom Egyptian children should be “breastfed hatred”, etc., etc.), some wonder why he’s even bothering to visit Israel now.  NPR, no Republican mouthpiece, practically admits that it’s just a cynical ploy to ingratiate himself with Israelis so that he can better sell them an unfavorable peace agreement with those who would destroy them:

‘They Said It! White House Official Says Obama’s GOP Outreach Is A “Joke”’

Via the Republican Party, “Senior White House Official Says Obama’s GOP Outreach Is ‘A Joke’ And ‘Wasting’ Time”:  Ron Fournier at National Journal writes,

He is dining with Republicans after advisers openly mocked suggestions that he do so. He is visiting Capitol Hill after telling aides that such a gesture was beneath him and the dignity of his office. . . .

Obama’s sudden burst of public outreach coincides with a drop in his approval ratings . . . . This raises the uncomfortable question: Is this schmooze-a-thon a legitimate act of humility and leadership or a cynical public display?

Latest House-Republican Budget Would Balance Budget in Estimated 10 Years

Paul Ryan introduces his and House Republicans’ proposed budget for the coming year:

America’s national debt is over $16 trillion. Yet Washington can’t figure out how to cut $85 billion—or just 2% of the federal budget—without resorting to arbitrary, across-the-board cuts. Clearly, the budget process is broken. In four of the past five years, the president has missed his budget deadline. Senate Democrats haven’t passed a budget in over 1,400 days. By refusing to tackle the drivers of the nation’s debt—or simply to write a budget—Washington lurches from crisis to crisis.

The Latest on the Cincinnati Parking Sell-out: Referendum Kick-off Drew Surprisingly Large Crowd; Court Hearing This Week on Whether to Allow Referendum

Yesterday, according to WCPO:

CINCINNATI – People who oppose the city’s new parking plan began collecting signatures Sunday in an effort to get the issue on the November ballot.

The kick off event, led by Cincinnati City Councilmember Christopher Smitherman, Amy Murray and Pete Witte, took place Sunday at Oakley Square.

Witte said the event exceeded expectations, especially because of the short turnaround time event organizers had to put it together.

The Latest: Cincinnati Parking Sell-out Subject to Referendum?

COAST reports that it successfully blocked the parking deal with a very rapid-response lawsuit, which may soon put the matter to a vote of the people.

Note:  I’m on COAST’s side on this issue, and I think their reporting is worth passing on, but their sometimes acrimonious tone doesn’t speak for me.  I’m just saying.

• “Citizens Obtain TRO Halting Parking Lease”

Cincinnati to Sell Out Our Parking Meters?

John Cranley, running for mayor of Cincinnati, has a new video out:

Exploitation of Women at the University of Cincinnati, Courtesy of—You

Another example of the unintentional ironies of feminism:  Students at the University of Cincinnati are going to protest the objectification of women (you know, treating women as if they were nothing more than a collection of sexual body parts) by displaying “12 billboard-sized photographs” of female genitalia on a green in the middle of campus this Thursday.

UPDATE (March 4th, 2013):  A reader has pointed out to me that the event link below now actually shows one of these explicit pictures, which was not the case when I first linked to it.  Please be warned and do not click on that link unless you are willing to have that picture on your screen.  (I would remove the link entirely for obscenity, but since it’s what we’re discussing, I don’t think I should make it more difficult to find the proponents’ explanation of their point of view, even though they are editing it and making it more vulgar post facto.)  I have added another warning below.  I apologize to anyone who was inadvertently exposed to the picture between when I posted the link and when it was pointed out to me that the picture had been changed.

News Flash: Sequester Not the End of the World

First, the Obama administration and the liberal news media tried to tell us that cutting a small fraction of the federal budget for this year (a. k. a. “the sequester”) would inflict unspeakable misery on America.  Then they said, No, wait, never mind, you probably won’t even notice it!

Now that the much-anticipated day has arrived, Jim Geraghty has a hilarious round-up of satirical conservative reactions.  More under #OnTheSceneSequesterReport.