In the November issue of First Things, Justice Antonin Scalia has a review of Law’s Quandary by Steven D. Smith. One of the review's central issues is the meaning of meaning. Scalia writes thatThe portion of Smith’s book I least understand—or most disagree with—is the assertion, upon which a regrettably large portion of the analysis depends, that it is a “basic ontological proposition that persons, not objects, have the property of being able to mean.” “Textual meaning,” Smith says, “must be identified with the semantic intentions of an author—and . . . without an at least tacit reference to an author we would not have a meaningful text at all, but rather a set of meaningless marks or sounds.” “Legal meaning depends on the (semantic) intentions of an author.”"Scalia on the meaning of meaning", 10/29/2005
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13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
http://www.secularnewsdaily.com/2010/04/07/catholic-bishop-children-want-to-be-sexually-abused/There are 13 year old adolescents who are under age and who are perfectly in agreement with, and what’s more wanting it, and if you are careless they will even provoke you.
Serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference!
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Deceased Connecticut woman faces exhumation amid religious and racial issues. When Juliet Steer finally succumbed to lymphoma, her brother dutifully and loving carried our Juliet’s final wishes. She had been a devoted Christian in life but wanted to be buried in the Jewish manner, under the same traditions that Jesus had been buried with. She had even found a Jewish cemetery with an interfaith section separated by a road from the Jewish section that would accommodate those wishes. When she passed, her brother, Paul, arranged the ceremony and tearfully said good bye to a family member. Despite the cemetery’s 2009 policy on interfaith burials, one cemetery board member has taken issue with Juliet’s presence on the grounds. Maria Balaban has sued both Paul Steer and her own congregation on the grounds that Juliet had no ties to Judaism. Maria claims that Juliet’s burial violates the spirit of the board’s ruling, to allow persons of different faith with ties to Judaism and the nearby synagogue to be buried with their families. She contests that since no one in the congregation knew Juliet, she did not belong. However, the Steer family believes the real reason for the objection is because Juliet is black. Four other plots in the interfaith section have been reserved but have not seen Mrs. Balaban take similar legal action. The owners of those plots are white. The resulting controversy has divided the congregation. It is terribly sad that such petty arguments can befall a grieving family and that human bias, be it religious or racial can inflict so much emotional damage to the Steers even after Juliet’s death. As an Atheist, I believe Juliet was incorrect in her faith. But, I do respect her final wishes. Some things are best left undisturbed. This story from my friends at http://freethoughtblogs.com |
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| Vatican Bishop Gianfranco Girotti |
