Today on Kresta - Nov. 30, 2009

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Nov. 30

4:00 – The Manhattan Declaration
The Internet and blogsphere was buzzing last week about the The Manhattan Declaration, which is described as “a 4,732-word statement signed by a movement of Orthodox, Catholic and evangelical Christian leaders who are collaborating around moral issues of great concern." The Associated Press says about it: The Document…sounds familiar themes from political and social debates over the health care overhaul and gay marriage battles.” President Barack Obama's desire to reduce the need for abortion is "a commendable goal," but his proposals are likely to increase the number of elective abortions, the document contends. We talk with Dr. Timothy George, one of the co-writers of the document.

4:20 – “Climategate? Is “Scientific establishment hopelessly compromised”
A week after London Telegraph reporter James Delingpole coined the term "Climategate" to describe the scandal revealed by the leaked emails from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit, Google was showing that the word now appears across the internet more than nine million times. What we are looking at here is the small group of scientists who have for years been more influential in driving the worldwide alarm over global warming than any others, not least through the role they play at the heart of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). We analyze with Bjorn Lomborg.

4:40 – Thrift: Rebirth of a Forgotten Virtue
Despite the calls for massive spending and “stimulus,” if the current financial crisis has taught us anything, it is to save, not just spend. In fact, over the years “thrift” has become America’s lost or forgotten virtue, rarely mentioned and never celebrated, despite its historical significance. Theodore Malloch is here to trace the history of thrift from its roots in the Scottish enlightenment to the no-waste credo of Sam Walton. Thrift, Malloch argues, provides the resources to stimulate prosperity. Even if the government manages to shock our economy back to life, America will require discipline, accountability, and farsightedness to right its course for generations to come. In an age when corruption and greed have crowded out personal responsibility, Thrift is lively, topical, and immediately useful.

5:00 – TIME: The Case Against Over-Parenting
The most recent edition of TIME Magazine has a cover story entitled: “The case against over-parenting.” It begins – “The insanity crept up on us slowly; we just wanted what was best for our kids. We bought macrobiotic cupcakes and hypoallergenic socks, hired tutors to correct a 5-year-old's "pencil-holding deficiency," hooked up broadband connections in the tree house but took down the swing set after the second skinned knee.” We talk to Dr. Ray Guarendi about “over-parenting.”

5:40 – NY Times Op-Ed: “Latin Mass Appeal”
In a surprising New York Times op-ed Saturday, the paper published a piece from Kenneth J. Wolfe, a traditionalist Catholic who writes for the “Remnant” newspaper. It was entitled “Latin Mass Appeal” and lamented the decline of liturgy since Vatican II. We analyze the article and the decision of the NY Times to publish it with Fr. John Zuhlsdorf.