What makes human laws just?

Pope Benedict XVI answers that question, as reported in this story. As Benedict points out, the key to whether a law is just or not depends on if the law is ultimately directed towards the protection and preservation of human life.  Benedict's observations on this point build on a long tradition of both theistic and natural law teaching on the nature of law and justice, stretching back through Aristotle, Cicero, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Francisco Suarez, to modern thinkers like Jacques Maritain, Alessandro d'Entreves, and Heinrich Rommen.

The criminalization of American life

Read about it here. (Hat tip to Instapundit.)

One of the most disturbing trends in the federal government for the last half-century has been the explosion in the number of federal crimes.  Far away from accountability from the people at the local level, federal criminal law has managed to grow to the point where it covers a huge swath of American life.  Everything from laws against public corruption to "hate-crimes laws," the scope of federal criminal authority just keeps growing and growing.

Our course, as the federal government increases the scope of its criminal jurisdiction, local levels of government are becoming increasingly draconian.  This trickles down all the way to the way schools discipline pupils.  Take, for example, this disturbing story of a second-grade student sent home and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.  What was this lad's major dysfunction?  Well, he drew a picture of a crucifix.  Yes, a crucifix.  Evidently, the day before he and his family went to a Catholic shrine.  That obviously shows a demented mind to the powers that be in the Massachusetts school system that the pupil attends. 

The problem with writing guides

Here's a very interesting critique of one of the oldest and most widely-used writing guides for American English.  I have to confess to being a fan of Strunk & White's little book, although I prefer Christopher Lasch's guide Plain Style.