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🇺🇸 Fiat justitia ruat caelum

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🇺🇸 Fiat justitia ruat caelum

				
				
				

				

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					joined 2022 September 05 01:56:25 UTC
				


				
					

					
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				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 28, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
My husband isn't conservative or progressive or half as religious as myself.  He's just normal.   He dislikes politicians, plays video games and board games (but not too much) and otherwise just wants to raise good humans with me.  I would guess that most men are like that, the vocal and online ones are the outlier.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 28, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I think you should snag someone available.   You should settle a little.  Otherwise you end up with grass-is-greener, waiting for Prince Charming, until you're 45.


But it wont feel like settling because you don't have anything to compare against.  As long as your choice meets the baseline to live a decent life, such as the needed amount of diligence to hold down a job, the necessary amount of playfulness to spend 10 minutes with your own kids, etc, everything above that is gravy.


I knocked out 3 suitors within a month of dating each because they didn't meet the bare minimum to me, and then once there was a guy who did meet the minimum, I went all in.  Don't regret it for a minute.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 28, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Being a more-conservative-woman-than-average feels like a life hack in the current environment.


My husband says one thing that drew him to me was that I wore modest clothes???  That's such a super easy thing to do, way easier and less expensive than figuring out make up hacks.  And I didn't worry about being raped because I didn't drink or meet men alone.  I reserved sex for marriage so my choice of spouse was probably more clear-eyed than most these days.  And we still love each other, 10 years and 4 kids later, partly because I do the old fashioned things like have sex with my husband and try not to blow things out of proportion.


The advantages to behaving like a lady are so great, I don't understand why more men and women don't try to give their daughters this advantage.  Do they just not know?  Do they think this behavior is incompatible with also being intelligent, educated, and highly-paid?  Do they think it's just too hard?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Christian Controversy over Contemplation
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
There's very little "infrastructure" for lay people to find spiritual directors, let alone good ones.  And unfortunately, "keep trying new ones until you find one that confirms all your biases" is the wrong tact as well.


In general I think you should look at the fruits.  Start with finding people who seem full of virtue, and ask them who their spiritual director is.  Otherwise, pray to God to send you a good one and wait for Him to move first.


Heavily recommend reading Fire Within and Abandonment to Divine Providence.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Christian Controversy over Contemplation
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
A human person is a body-soul dyad.  It's not that a human is really the soul and the body is incidental baggage that needs to be managed.  The body and the soul interact with each other in various ways and together an entire human person is formed.


However, while the body is (currently) perishable, the soul is imperishable.  Upon death, the soul still exists in an un-ideal state, waiting for the resurrection. What these souls experience is impossible for us to fully understand.  That said, there are plenty of Christians I've talked with who argue that the dead are insensate until the resurrection of the body (and other Christians who argue that there is no resurrection of the body, gnostic heresy though it be.)  The Catholic view is that dead souls are aware in some way but not the same way they will be after the Resurrection.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Christian Controversy over Contemplation
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
At least in Western Christian Mysticism, Contemplation and Meditation should not be conflated.


There are three levels of prayer - Vocal prayer, Meditation, and Contemplation.  Vocal prayer is the easiest for a person to initiate - saying prepared prayers like the Our Father, talking with God conversationally, or petitioning God for things.  Meditation is perhaps more like your Buddhist meditation but instead of focusing on the self or on emptying the self, the purpose is to focus your mind on something relating to God - imagining you were there at key points in Jesus' life, thinking deeply about God's one-ness, etc.  There are similarities to modern meditation practices in that redirecting wandering thoughts is crucial.  The big difference should be glaring - the point is to grow in admiration of the goodness of God and through admiration to imitate Him.


The last stage of prayer, Contemplation, is a gift from God that cannot be obtained by any special techniques or training.  It is only given to a soul prepared for it through mortification and a rejection of all sin, even venial sin.  A consistent meditative practice will help the soul grow in the virtues needed to achieve this infused, contemplative prayer.


This taxonomy of prayer was gathered through cumulative experiences through the life of the Church.  However, the seeds of it are in the Bible.  The Psalms and Song of Songs resonate strongly with mystics.  The New Testament also has indications that the Apostles were familiar with contemplative prayer:




This same conviction we find in the New Testament as well. Our prayer is to grow to the point where it becomes continual, (Lk 18:1; Eph 5:18-20; 1 Th 5:17.) a trait that is impossible in discursive or vocal prayers but is found in advanced infused prayer. This communion is a genuine tasting, an experiencing of the Lord Himself. (1 Peter 2:3) It brings a joy and peace that are continual and beyond understanding or description. (Jn 16:22; PhiL 4:4, 7; 1 Pet 1:8.) Indeed, we are to experience God’s power, working in us, and accomplishing infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. (Eph 3:20) The contexts of these pauline passages as well as their wording suggest that the apostle is thinking of a remarkable immersion in God given in this life, not simply one reserved for vision in risen body.




(FIRE WITHIN St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and the Gospel—on Prayer, by Fr. Dubay.)


Despite wholeheartedly agreeing that this is what Christians should practice, I would caution people that they can do a lot of harm to themselves without a competent spiritual director guiding the process.  You can get stuck on the Dark Night of the Senses, shut out the beginnings of contemplation because you don't recognize it, and other mistakes.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 28, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I think "terrorist" grew to mean something like violent, possibly organized, non-State actor.  Because "violent, possibly organized, non-State actor" is a mouthful to type.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 28, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Yesterday in the UK a farmer noticed something odd - three white vans blocking a road and "a large group of hooded and masked men" who hid when they saw her near RAF Fairford.  She called the police and five men were arrested.  International story, were these men agents of Russia? Iran? Homegrown terrorists?


85 homes were evacuated while the bomb squad investigated the vehicles.  Trump stated that intelligence agencies had their eyes on these guys, while other people noted that this contradicted the official story of a chance random encounter leading to the arrests.  Other news articles indicated the air force base had been under heightened security leading up to the event, while paradoxically other news articles indicated nobody was guarding the place.


What everyone did agree on was that these people were dangerous and definitely up to something not good. Which is obviously the reason they were released a day later on the most "stringent bail conditions."


...What?


Ok, I'm supposed to come up with a better conversation starter than just disbelief so... why did this happen?  Are the suspects brown and they just cannot conceive of holding brown people without bail?  Are they actually not all that dangerous?  Is it a foiled false flag?  An interrupted training exercise?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
...we were arguing?


Edit: no seriously.  You never addressed my one thesis, and in this comment show that my one thesis does not contradict anything you have said, so I don't think you disagree with me so what do you think we've been arguing about?  I thought I was learning about city living and you were learning about people who primarily enjoy walking while living outside a city.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


As far as I know, the claim you were making is that a resident of an urban area needs a car to the same extent a suburbanite needs a car.




No, that's not the claim.  The claim is that life has inconveniences either way, and you're unfairly weighing the inconveniences of walking medium distances in comparison to the inconveniences of walking in a city.




To put things more succinctly, so what?




Exactly what I have been repeating about every other comment.  The design of Redmond Ridge was really nice and I wish more developers copied what made it incentivize walking.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


(Note that this is a required part of the trip regardless of whether they are about to travel by foot; by car; by public transit; or by blimp.)




But it is something that is more likely to happen in a city than a suburb, which is where the comparison is.  In a suburb I don't have to calculate the lenght of time it takes to go down an elevator or up a stairwell.




I'm inclined to point out that this is incorrect, since driving to the grocery store is far more practical in inclement weather; if you have small children to bring along; or if you are tired or sore for whatever reason. But I'm not sure what your point is here either.




I would prefer to walk/bike.  Cars are bulky, they separate you from the outside world, you have to find a parking space and worry that one mistake will create a huge expense and inconvenience to you and another person.  I would much prefer to live in a neighborhood where I could bike 20 minutes to a grocery instead of drive 20 minutes to a grocery.  This is my point.  Walking is good, the fresh air and exercise is good, cars are inconvenient.  It is possible to design suburban environments where driving is a weekly thing instead of a daily thing and I wanted to shill for that.


It is also good to have a car to fall back on if the weather is bad, but that part is very location-dependent.  I've walked through 2 feet of snow but all the sidewalks were cleared regularly.  The place I live now I hesitate to drive in the rain because it's that strong and blinding and the roads can pool up fast.  In which case it doesn't matter if I'm walking or driving, I'm waiting for the weather to clear either way.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Guess you've never seen one of these: https://sipmask.com/products/sip-airtight-drinking-valve-safely-drink-through-mask-with-straw


Also, obviously, alcohol sterilizes your mouth so you don't have to worry about Covid while you're drinking.  /s


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I once lived in a condo that was next to a grocery store, it would also be a 2 minute walk max.  I shopped 2-3 times a week.  Back then, if I wanted milk or anything else that couldn't fit in my cloth shopping bag,  I'd drive anyway.  And that was without dealing with five flights of stairs, are you including the time it takes to walk upstairs in the calculation?


At my current place, it's a 20 min drive to the grocery store anyway, so a 20 minute bike ride isn't particularly more inconvenient.


From this conversation I have mostly learned that people who live in cities and people who live in suburbs don't understand the most basic facts of each other's lives, yet somehow we both live so that's something.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


I'm tempted to point out that the hardware store will likely deliver or that Home Depot stores in the NYC area have light trucks which can be rented for a modest fee.




The same would be true of suburbia so I don't see the point.


Ok, if that's too implausible, what if you're in Manhattan and have young toddlers.  You need a gallon of milk a day.  How do you get the milk from the grocery store to your apartment?  How often do you go shopping to be able to reasonably carry a gallon of milk plus whatever other food ingredients you need to keep your young family fed?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Let's say I'm in Manhattan, I purchase a condo or something, and want to paint the walls.  How do I get 5 gallon paint buckets from a hardware store to my new abode?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
No, most people would need to own a car or have a friend with a car or at some point use an uber.  I don't dispute that.  Though I think the same would be true of any city as well, and delivery options/remote work has flattened the difference considerably.


My entire point was and is "I think this neighborhood is one of the ideal examples of urban planning and wish there were more neighborhoods like it."


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I've lived without a car twice and each time I had to account for weather, but honestly you might not appreciate how mild Redmond is.  It "rains" almost every day but it's rarely stronger than a drizzle and doesn't go on that long.  There were only a couple times a year that I thought it wasn't safe to take kids out, and those times were due to smoke.


In college I would do most grocery shopping at a Target that was reachable by a bus, but once a Wegmans was open I walked there despite it being what Google says is a 50 minute walk.  I would regularly jog down there anyways just for fresh air.  It wasn't an imposition to stop at Wegmans, fill up a reusable bag and then walk back.  It didn't strike me as impractical or difficult.


My point is that someone designed a neighborhood (Redmond Ridge) in such a way that, despite having a car, I elected to walk 90% of the time.  And this is a nice balance between surburb and city and more neighborhood planners should try to emulate this design.


I am not someone who does well in "real" cities.  I find them exhausting.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'm basically telling you I did this and you are still saying it's impractical.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Lol, you got pretty close to the mark with your example.


...Ok, you can't live every lifestyle there.  I guess there are people who want to go to a gym for the community factor instead of just exercise at home.  And there are people who want to dance...


But if your demographic is "married mother of 4" then you have:


4+ playgrounds that are close enough that a toddler to walk to.


Elementary, Middle, and Preschool also within easy walking distance.


Community center within walking distance.


Library drop off/pick up within walking distance.


Really great crosswalks and sidewalks and good laws/culture that mean cars have to stop to let people cross the road at designated crosswalks.


As far as your specific requests:


(1) Anytime Fitness is a 24 hour gym that is a 12 min bike ride or half an hour walk.


(2) The QFC is a 12 minute bike ride, which tbh I don't know many people who want to walk with groceries but biking with a trailer is fine and meets the "no cars" point.  And there are bike lanes and trails.  If you want to walk it's about half an hour which isn't a bad walk either, though I wouldn't want to make it with a gallon of milk in each hand.


(3) Ixtapa is a much nicer restaurant and a very easy walk.


(4) Palmer's East is in Redmond Town Center?  There's a bus pick up by Rosa Parks Elementary (about a 10 min walk from your selected house with a stroller) that goes straight to Redmond Town Center approx every 1 hour. (DART Route 224)  This is a harder requirement because I don't think this is as popular an activity in the area.  Most live shows are in Seattle proper, which is a pain to get to whether you're on bus, car, boat, or bicycle.


(5) Redmond Town Center also has a Guitar Center, does that count?  Otherwise there's a lot of other cool things within easy walking distance of Redmond Town Center.  Big 5 Sporting Goods, Zumiez, etc.  Home Depot is a little further away but is that a thing that might be worth finding your friend with a truck anyway?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Is the criteria "urban means they cannot afford a car" or is the criteria "urban means they don't need a car for 90% of the time?"


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I can also say that in practice you can go months without needing to drive unless you want to go to a specific grocery store.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 21, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
You could theoretically live in this neighborhood without a car: https://maps.app.goo.gl/SaPWqXz55VwMcyqh9


It has a couple bus stops, lots of parks, restaurants within a short walk, gainful employment (at Space X), a QFC, and other places. However, walk around on Google Maps and it will feel very suburban.


None of the parks have restrooms.  The houses largely have property values in the millions.  I think in the US "suburban" means area without extra crime but you still rub elbows with your neighbors.


(Honestly I think this neighborhood is one of the ideal examples of urban planning and wish there were more neighborhoods like it.  Just with more reasonably priced homes, but maybe it doesn't work with reasonably priced homes.)


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for September 20, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
One thing people complain about on the drugs is anhedonia.  Less desire for food, drugs, sex, caffeine, etc.  I could see this turn into a spree of purchasing better and better things trying to chase their old high.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of September 14, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
It prevents the Chinese from investing in Greenland, which they have been doing in the form of buying up mining rights.  They've even tried buying the abandoned Grønnedal naval base in Greenland in 2016.  That was rebuffed with pressure from Washington but there was no guarantee CCP-backed Chinese companies wouldn't keep trying and one day succeed.


https://pure.diis.dk/ws/files/4834625/Chinese_investments_in_Greenland_DIIS_Report_2021_05.pdf


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for September 13, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I think we're taking past each other.  Venerable Bede wrote:




"The battles recorded in Holy Scripture are not left to us merely as records of ancient bloodshed, but as lessons in spiritual combat. The enemies that Joshua was commanded to strike down without mercy are the very temptations and evil desires that rise up within the soul. To make a covenant with the enemy is to yield to vice; to put them to the sword is to mortify the passions through spiritual discipline."
— Thirty Questions on the Book of Kings, Question XI, Venerable Bede




The purpose of Joshua is not merely to record ancient bloodshed, but it was recorded as scripture for the a more allegorical purpose, in this case for spiritual combat.  I can pull quotes from Origin, Augustine, Gregory the Great, Bernard of Clairvaux, etc that say the same.


Likewise, the beginning of the book of Genesis provided a thought provoking, textured, allegorical recounting of the origins of man.  Everyone saw that there were two, contradictory accounts of the origin of man in the first two chapters.  The purpose of handing down these chapters was not to present an accurate account of history but to present a Biblical anthropology.  Most commentary on these stories focus on the relationship of God and man presented in the stories as perennial spiritual truths.  They were also taken as the best account they had of the beginning of the human species.