Today a noted abortionist named George Tiller was shot while attending church this morning. As of this writing, it’s yet clear who was responsible, but it is likely that Tiller was shot because he was an abortionist.

Tiller’s work was an abomination. His murder is also an abomination, and his murderer is guilty of a grave offense. I will be praying for both Tiller and his murderer; both are desperately in need of God’s mercy.

Just saw Up!.

Don’t want to spoil it, so I’ll just say a few words.

Amazing! Stupendous! Moving! Go see it!

(Those of you who are married—bring Kleenex.)

It’s a common Catholic saying that grace perfects nature. There’s a neat post about how this works out in the moral realm over at Just Thomism.

Amy Welborn’s husband Michael Dubruiel has died.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon him. May his soul and the soul of all of the faithful departed rest in peace.

Update: I was completely shocked by this news; the above is what emerged. However, Tim Jones has expressed what I feel much better than I did:

I was stunned last night to read on Amy Welborn’s blog Charlotte Was Both (which has been in my blogroll for a very long time), that her husband, Michael Dubruiel, collapsed and died very suddenly yesterday. He was 50.

I will be offering a Rosary for the repose of his soul. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, be near this family, sustain and and comfort them.

I have such great respect for Amy Welborn, and have visited her blog as a matter of daily habit so often that the news made me gasp and cover my mouth. It was completely un-looked for. Though Amy Welborn wouldn’t know me if we met on the street, I suppose other Catholic bloggers feel as I do, and that for many of us there is about this something of the atmosphere of a death in the family. I’m just terribly sorry for her, their children and all who knew Michael DuBruiel.

We do, Tim.

So, I gather there was some kind of football game going on today. Gosh, is it football season already?

I actually read this book when it first hit the stores some months ago, and I’ve been delaying reviewing it because I want to be fair.

The book, one of Pratchett’s juveniles, concerns a small island in what would be the South Pacific if it took place on Earth, which it almost does. This is not a Discworld novel; the setting is a sort of alternate 19th-century British Empire. The island is the home of a tribe that calls itself the Nation.

A young lad of the tribe is on a nearby island going through the ordeal that will allow him to be seen as a man when a tsunami strikes. The lad survives, barely–and discovers that his tribe has been completely wiped out.

This is not to say that his home island is deserted. Although it is not the largest island or the most important, it is in some sense legendary and central. The home of the Nation is a concept to all of the islanders, and it’s the place where the survivors begin to collect. Our hero is determined not only to survive, but to cope, and (though not officially a man) to lead the survivors in re-building.

Our hero isn’t interested in recreating the Nation as it once was, however, for his experiences have shown him that much of what he once believed was an utter crock. And this is where I need to be fair.

The book is an enjoyable read–not Pratchett’s best, but far better than the disappointing Making Money. The plot is more straightforward than usual for Pratchett, even for his juveniles, but it works, and as usual it’s brilliant at the paragraph level. My suspicion is that he’s coming to terms with Alzheimers, and that this new simplicity is the result, not of his condition, but of his determination to write good books in spite of it.

The early Discworld books were romps, plain and simple; but over the years Pratchett’s work has begun to exhibit a strong moral compass, evident in books like Night Watch and the Tiffany Aching books. Here are some of its hallmarks:

• Think for yourself.
• See what’s really there.
• Take care of others, even when it’s unpleasant.
• It’s your responsibility.

This message is closer to the surface in Pratchett’s juveniles than in his other books; and it’s the shining thread that runs through Nation. In fact, I think that was his goal for Nation–to express his personal beliefs clearly and distinctly.

There is much to like about them. If Pratchett lives up to his views, he’s a good man. But it’s clear that he doesn’t have much use for religion. It’s not that religion is devoid of truth; it’s that what truth there is, is obscured, hidden, lost (at best) in a morass of half-truths and details the importance of which has been forgotten. The teachings of religion can possibly lead us to truth, but only when tested.

And how are we to test them? The Scientific Method! This is the way to find the truth, and Nation ends in a touching paean to the benefits of scientific knowledge.

And here’s the rub. The methods of experimental science have amply proven themselves. They work. But there are domains where the scientific method doesn’t work, where other modes of finding the truth (“science” in the classic sense) are appropriate. Even if one confines oneself to the natural order, to the truths that are accessible to the natural light of reason, the scientific method isn’t all inclusive. (I can expand on this, if anyone’s interested.)

Bottom-line: this is a fine, well-written book, but the message is much closer to the surface than usual. It’s a good message, for the most part, but it is painfully limited; and I certainly couldn’t let my kids read it without discussing Pratchett’s treatment of religion with them.

(In a way, this is a compliment to Pratchett. Some authors denigrate religious faith in a manner that’s easily dismissed. “Yeah, kids, he’s a nut. Ignore those parts.” Pratchett’s underlying message is more serious by far, and needs to be engaged.)

Who said,

“How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible, and not tell them that?”

Guess first.

By the nature of things, I tend to use Microsoft Office quite a bit at work; and some while ago I got a copy for home use as well. I don’t use it all that often, but it’s sometimes convenient. Consequently, I haven’t paid a lot of attention to OpenOffice. However, there’s one significant thing that OpenOffice has that MS Office does not: A drawing app. And, in fact, OpenOffice Draw is the only drawing tool I’ve found for Mac OSX that’s a free download and possibly worth using. Once in a while I find I want to draw a diagram of something, à la Tom at Disputations; now, perhaps, I’ll be able to do so.

I’m writing from the 15th Annual Tcl/Tk Conference, which is taking place in sunny Manassas, Virginia, where the current temperature is 51 degrees, dropping to the 30’s by morning. Perhaps I won’t go outside, much.

It looks to be an interesting conference this year; and though I haven’t seen Michael Cleverly, yet, I saw a nametag with his name on it at the registration desk. With luck, then, we’ll be able to continue our tradition of going out for pizza one night during the conference.