National Healthcare Bill

In a class discussion, my civics teacher asked what I thought about the Healthcare Reform Bill. The first steps of any reform, I thought, should be imposed not by a large governing body but by groups of individuals. For when that large governing body along begins to micromanage what belongs to the individual, freedom slips away. Very quickly, that governing body turns into a fascist mob where words like "freedom" and "rights" have no place except the graveyard of the Constitution.

A CNS reporter questioned Nancy Pelosi, "Where specifically does the Constitution grant Congress the authority to enact an individual health insurance mandate?" Pelosi's response revealed nothing besides ignorance. The fact that the Constitution does not grant Congress the authority to mandate health insurance should be the end of the argument, but to many that doesn't seem to quell the debate. Most want to know how reform would look like in actuality instead of simply theory. Luckily, we can see the effects both England and Canada have suffered from their national health care system. 750,000 British citizens are waiting for hospital admission, this does not account for the half of patients waiting over 18 weeks for care from their doctor. Then there's Canada with 800,000 citizens waiting for treatment which they'll receive in about 18 weeks-- if they're lucky. Doctors no longer have the drive or money to work for themselves, some turn to work for the government thus slowing the process down due to the "take a ticket" system and lack of personnel and equipment. In the end more lives are lost. Today, scientists work day and night researching ways to extend human life; they don't need medical expertise to see that socialized medicine is not the answer. THe problem can be partly solved by removing the hand of the government. In respect to healthcare, after the government has withdrawn, things such as TORT reform and the deregulation of health insurance begin to put the power back into the hands of citizens and improve healthcare.

Encomium: St. Augustine's Confessions

No crowd ever chanted "Augustine! Augustine!" No king or queen summoned him to sit and feast at their table. No royal fleet voyaged to carry his name across the seas. But bow down on their knees and lament did those whose eyes passed over the truth-filled pages of Augustine's Confessions. Tales of spiritual revelation, personal freedom, and selfless faith definte Augustine's road to Christ and provide a pathway for the modern reader to search within himself so that God may detract the scandals that lie within every heart.
Every human is born a sinner and dies a sinner. What, then, is man's ultimate end if there is no hope for these criminal patterns? As a boy in Thagaste, Augustine plotted out every way to defy the strict laws of Christianity. As a teenager, he furthered this pattern by indulging in carnal pleasures. In Confessions, Augustine tears down the curtain that cloaks the deceiving lies hissed into man's ears. He allows readers time to reflect on their own life and realize the need to repair the shattered pieces and turn to the One Savior for redemption. Never once does Augustine boast about himself, or repent in order to receive pity from others, or deny that Christ alone offered him His hand through the miry clay. Instead, through his explanation of personal and theological struggles, Augustine uses Confessions to identify with nearly every stage of man's distress and seeks to guide his audience toward the Truth of God.

Candid

None are worse than I who have defiled the reputation of mine and my lord to which I had remained so faithful. Let fiery hell be cast upon me that I may forget the wrongs I have committed! O God, listen closely to this cry of mine. The girdle I kept for my own was not unlike Eve partaking of the forbidden fruit. I deluded my mind to believing the enchanted belt would save my life, therefore preserving my strength to further serve my king. However, just as my king upholds chivalry above his own head, so should have I. So should have I! Diloyalty, that war-mongering scoundrel, was my primary sin. Betrayal, that fraudulent brute, infested every corner of my judgment. Was my host rude and estranged? Was he cheating and despicable? Was he spiteful and salamitous? On the contrary! For those depictions and other such foul things resided in me. Cursed be that green girdle, for if i was such a fool to steal it away and betray the code I held to so dearly, my life was not worth saving. The moment I dishonored my king, I began living life for my own selfish heart. A knight I am not, but a knave.
I fall at the feet of the One who is higher than I. All fault is mine to bear, but with Your grace my heart is made anew, a second chance I am given, my burden is lifted. Even though the worm is more innocent than I, you grant me life--life undeserved, but life given still.

Ezra Pound's "The Seafarer"

Ezra Pound's translation of "The Seafarer" provides grounds for being both a good translation and a poor one. Pound maintains the elements of Anglo-Saxon poetry. He stays tru to alliterative accentual verse by using caesura, alliteration, and stressed syllables. Line ten is a great example of this verse, and brings the atmosphere of "The Seafarer" to life: "Chill its chains are; chafing signs hew my heart round." Pound also regularly uses kennings and epithets. Perhaps the most important quality which allows Pound to stay tru to the Anglo-Saxon verse is that he translated the poem as a poem, rather than a narrative.
The original "The Seafarer" seems to be composed of two parts, the first half lamenting and the second half didactic. The huge difference between Pound's translation and that of another is that Pound completely cuts out lines 100-124--thus leaving out the didactic element of the poem. Pound also purposefully mis-translates line 78 to read "And his laud beyond them remain 'mid the English" rather than "with the angels". The Christian element of the poem magically disappears, leaving the audience with a lament. There is no redemption, no warmth.
Though Pound's translation stayed true to the Anglo-Saxon poetry elements, he strayed far from their culture of truth. He knew the impact of the Gospel was greatly evident, and he took every stride to eliminate it. Such are the ways of those who know the Truth but seek to destroy it. Truth is indestructable, so most simply ignore the Truth. When one reads further into Pound's translation or any like his, he will discover that ignorance isn't so blissful afterall.