The Elfin Ethicist interprets a section of Roger Williams, The Bloody Tenent of Persecution (1644), on the role of the state in enforcing religious orthodoxy.

David Noon,"Happy Stono Rebellion Day," Axis of Evel Knieval, recalls that it's the 266th anniversary of the largest slave revolt in colonial North American history.

David Greenberg,"The Legend of the Scopes Trial," Slate, 8 September, argues that, despite our illusions about the Scopes Trial, anti-Darwinism never went away. Thanks to Kevin Murphy at Ghost in the Machine for the tip.

Florence Williams,"In Mississippi, History is Now a Salvage Job," New York Times, 8 September, surveys damage to historic sites and architecture on Mississippi's gulf coast.

Jack Shafer,"Don't Refloat," Slate, 7 September, makes the case against rebuilding New Orleans. Thanks to Dale Light at Light Seeking Light for the tip.

Finally, Timothy Garton Ash,"The Thin Veneer of Civilization," LA Times, 8 September, meditates on civilization's fragility, even in the best of times, and its collapse, in the worst. In the aftermath of Katrina, some of us thought we saw it, momentarily, in the collapse of civil authority, particularly in New Orleans. From natural disaster to hunger, thirst, and lust to looting, rape, and murder, we thought we saw what happens to us apart from civic order. There came a moment when the courts had ceased to function, the lawyers had fled, and any conventional wisdom about enforcement of authority made no sense. Arrest made no sense because there was no place to hold a prisoner. Shoot to kill made no sense because there was no place to put the body. It only further polluted the waters. The odd couple, Jonah Goldberg and Randall Robinson, used their privileged positions in the commentariat for macabre humor about reverses of evolutionary development and baseless rumors of cannibalism. By comparison, I'd say that the poor people of New Orleans were graceful under stress and forbearing beyond reasonable expectation. What's really amazing is how thin the veneer of civilization is on our talking heads.

chris l pettit - 9/10/2005

Karen Armstrong does a phenomenal job detailing the history of the fundamentalists and extremists (not that there is that much of a difference) after the Scopes trial in her text on the War For God (the one on the history of fundamentalism in the three major religions). After reading that, it is more easy to understand why some of those who can't get beyond blind faith to actually subjecting thoughts to critical thinking try to rebound with principles such as intelligent design as well as the manipulative nature of their positions.

CP