The right to life includes food and basic health care.

Are we so hard hearted that we can refuse food and health care to children just because their parents are poor? What kind of society are we? Their right to food and health care is so fundamental and so self-evident that it is incomprehensible to me that we ignore their needs.

Are we trying to punish poor parents by punishing their children? Is this some Malthusian strategy to get them to stop having children?

The Bush Administration’s opposition to expanding SCHIP is outrageous and immoral. Their talking points are absurdly false as even Republican members of Congress point out.

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Although Hollywood is routinely condemned by conservatives as a hotbed of liberal elitists, in fact it perpetuates the American myth that violence is the way to overcome evil.

We grew up on cowboys and Indians, war movies and espionage thrillers that showcased the good guys beating up and killing the bad guys. And if the heroine is in danger, then the end justifies the means, any means. We all booed when the criminal tortured by Dirty Harry was released back into society by the court. We cheered when Harry blew him away. Don’t get mad, just get even.

The American faith in the efficacious use of violence led us astray first in Vietnam and now in Iraq. And when you are fighting an evil such as Communism or terrorism, the argument goes, any means is legitimate.

There are numerous reasons why torture is wrong.

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Jesus taught Christians to forgive, but it is not easy to do.

On the cross, Jesus prayed, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” He also told us many parables about forgiveness, especially the one about the servant who was forgiven a debt and then refused to forgive his debtor. In the Lord’s Prayer, he also has us pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Forgiveness is an essential part of Christ’s message. I wish it were easy, but it is not. Since I have some Irish blood, I can repeat the joke about Irish Alzheimer’s, where the person forgets everything but his or her grudges, but any ethic group can be inserted in this joke.

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“More murders occur on Christmas than any other time of the year,” a reporter once told me. “The problem is that people who hate each other consume a lot of liquor and are forced to spend time together. The combination is lethal.”

Whether Christmas is the murder season or not, holidays certainly can be a time of tension for families. Where you celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, who is invited, who cooks, and what you talk about can all be areas of conflict. Old grudges and jealousies can surface; new slights can occur.

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Reading The Washington Post every morning can be depressing.

We read each morning about wars, earthquakes, floods, famines, fires, crimes and plagues. TV is even worse. It is enough to send you right back to bed.

It sounds like Jesus talking about the end times with wars and insurrections. “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.” But Jesus tells us when we hear of these things, “do not be terrified.”

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When President François Mitterrand died in Paris, his wife and mistress stood side by side at his grave, something that would be unthinkable in the United States. Everyone in the France knew that he had a mistress while he was president.

There is some sophistication in this ability to separate personal from political morality. We should be more concerned about a politician’s positions on issues than about his or her sex life. If a candidate can achieve peace and prosperity, as a citizen we can ignore his or her personal vices even if as human beings we might be appalled.

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