What to Read on June 25, 2009

• Why the Catholic Position on Homosexual Marriage Is Not Mere Bigotry (But Still Is Mistaken) -- Gene Callahan - Fun and quick philosophy/theology lesson. I'd wager that most Catholics don't even understand this argument fully, even though it's their religion. My favorite part is, "The Catholic view...holds that it is a sin to have sex that is not pleasurable!" Read the article to find out why.
• Globalization -- Donald J. Boudreaux - A good overview of the case for free trade, explained for the non-economist. Here's a beautiful one-liner to get the message: "By directing resources around the world into those tasks that each resource does best, free trade arranges the world’s resources so that they produce the greatest possible output while giving consumers maximum access to this output."
• House Takes Up Creating Consumer Financial Protection Agency -- McClatchy Newspapers (via truthout) - This is very good news, for reasons I explain in my forthcoming book. We will surely see Congress take up several useless, counterproductive, or even dangerous regulations over the next couple years, but at least they are starting with a positive one.
• Misinformation from Heritage -- Benjamin H. Friedman - Defense spending is a major, and I mean major, problem, both because we have massive budget deficits and because our military strategy has been, shall we say, less than ideal over the last few years. One of the worst acts of political duplicity constantly resurrected in Washington is the notion that defense spending is sacrosanct, almost off-budget, and that anyone who keeps it from growing exponentially is somehow hacking away at our national security. Benjamin Friedman at Cato is particularly good at showing why this argument is wrong...time and time again.
• McChrystal’s Tactical Priority: Avoid Civilian Casualties -- Spencer Ackerman - "McChrystal is prioritizing the need to prevent civilian casualties above attacking an enemy." Bravo! Ask any counterinsurgency expert, and they'll tell you that minimizing civilian casualties are priority #1. Not to mention, it's morally the right thing to do.
• Did Everyone See Me Do That? -- Allen R. McConnell - Two lessons: (1) We're a little more self-absorbed than is warranted; and (2) Don't be afraid to go out on a limb to be happy and successful, even if it means going against the crowd. Your fear probably isn't as justified as you think it is.