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… los manuscritos originales de San Juan de la Cruz:

Under cover of darkness, the Carmelite monks once again called on the Campbells. This time, however, they were not seeking refuge for themselves but for their priceless archives, which included the personal papers of St John of the Cross. Campbell agreed to take possession of these precious archives and that night a heavy trunk of ancient documents was delivered secretly from the Carmelite library to the hallway of the Campbells’ house.

During the following day republican forces advanced through the city, forcing the defenders to fall back towards the Alcazar. Without the soldiers of the garrison to defend them, the priests, monks and nuns fell prey to the republican militiamen. The 17 monks from the Carmelite monastery were rounded up, herded into the street and shot. In the square outside Toledo’s town hall the Madrid militia lit huge bonfires which were fuelled with crucifixes, vestments, missals and any other religious items discovered in looted churches and houses. From their home, the South African poet and his family watched in horror as they saw the Carmelite library set ablaze.

Extraído de The poet who saved a saint’s priceless letters.

Brendan O’Neill, editor de Spiked, propuso su teoría de que la defensa del matrimonio gay es la forma en que las élites expresan su superioridad aquí: Gay marriage is now the issue through which the elite advertises its superiority over the redneck masses; y continúa articulándola aquí: The bile being spat at the people of North Carolina exposes the ugly elitism of the gay-marriage lobby.

Me parece a mí que las heridas se están cerrando en falso, y que una moda no es lo mismo que un cambio de parecer.

Aunque el detestable tratamiento a los homosexuales que se ha estilado en Occidente durante siglos ha de llegar a su fin, creo que las heridas –y el conflicto– se están cerrando en falso. (Y una moda no es lo mismo que un cambio de parecer.)

… y con esto en mente ha satisfecho amorosamente ciertas exigencias, un tanto controvertidas, de sus donantes más generosos. Mientras tanto, señala, desacredita y demoniza a los contribuyentes de su oponente Mitt Romney a fin de desalentar a todos aquellos ciudadanos que alberguen, a partir de ahora, la temeraria idea de enviar una monedas al probable candidato republicano a las presidenciales de finales de año.

Try this thought experiment: You decide to donate money to Mitt Romney. You want change in the Oval Office, so you engage in your democratic right to send a check.

Several days later, President Barack Obama, the most powerful man on the planet, singles you out by name. His campaign brands you a Romney donor, shames you for "betting against America," and accuses you of having a "less-than-reputable" record. The message from the man who controls the Justice Department (which can indict you), the SEC (which can fine you), and the IRS (which can audit you), is clear: You made a mistake donating that money.

Are you worried?

Publicado en The Wall Street Journal.

… en el día de hoy: conozco demasiado bien a demasiados policías del pensamiento como para dejarme embaucar por su repulsivo fascismo aséptico.

Apparently there have been a number of complaints about one of the advertisements His Grace carried on behalf of the Coalition for Marriage [a favor del matrimonio heterosexual]. He has been sent all manner of official papers, formal documentation and threatening notices which demand answers to sundry questions by a certain deadline. He is instructed by the ‘Investigations Executive’ of this inquisition to keep all this confidential.

Artículo completo.

… cuando el crimen no tiene límites y aparentemente todos los caminos conducen a él.

Like other “thought crimes,” homophobia lacks a definition and has no identity in law; you don’t know how to avoid committing this crime, since all lines of inquiry might suddenly turn a corner and land you in the midst of it. The only safe option is to keep your mouth shut, or else to join the crowd and shout “homophobia” in your turn at whichever victim has been currently singled out for persecution. We are already seeing this among the Church of England bishops, many of whom seem more anxious to avoid the charge of homophobia than to speak out on behalf of the biblical idea of marriage. I cannot help thinking that the decision of the Archbishop of Canterbury to step down is not unconnected to the inevitable martyrdom that his office would impose on him, were he to defend the Christian conception of sexual love. On the other hand, archbishops are made for martyrdom and ought not to avoid it.

Lo escribe brillantemente Roger Scruton, y brillante todo él es el artículo.

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