I went to the monastery for a week ....

... almost one year ago. I wouldn't mind doing it again soon. I certainly seem to be in need of it. I learned something about the monastic life that, aside from the spiritual benefit, will stand me in good stead as an historian of the Middle Ages. There is a movie about the monastic life called "Into Great Silence" that got good reviews and is now out on DVD. Andrew Sullivan loved it, as does this critic over at "National Review Online." Here is a quote that asks important questions about silence:

Even more importantly, the film prompts us to wonder about silence in our “noisy, time-consuming” world, about different types of silence (empty or full, anxious or grateful), and about why we seem so afraid of silence and flee it, even in our churches. Indeed, we might be led to formulate a question never asked in our churches, where we seek to deploy the most advanced technology and the best practices guide for effective ministry. What is the quality of our silence? Do we even allow for it? What is its duration, depth, and reverence?

A few nights ago I went with my mountaineer friend Jed and his dogs around a mountain lake in almost complete darkness. The incredibly bright stars, away from most light pollution of the east coast, were most striking, but after exclaiming over the stars I noticed the silence. All we could hear was the sound of winter ducks muttering softly as they paddled around.

That great Tar Heel conservative ...

... from the Watergate era, Sam Ervin, has found a biographer. Who turns out to be a friend of mine, in fact, the father of someone who is mentioned frequently on this blog. Ervin was a true defender of the Constitution, sometimes foolishly, sometimes too excess, but we all owe him a great debt for his work making clear to the American public what was at stake with a president who saw no limits to his power. Something we might keep in mind today.

Anyway, here is a neat lecture of the author on ol' Sam.

The continuing saga of the little Vietnamese boys ...

... as I may have mentioned, Máeráed went to Vietnam to find her little brother Micky, but can't bring him home because the US government, in the person of the CIS (those wonderful people who keep terrorists from our shores and are, of course, part of Homeland Security, those wonderful people who oversaw the destruction of New Orleans), has decided to make it as difficult as possible for all concerned.

Máeráed is not alone, there are several others. Here is an interesting little video from CNN about some other folks who are fighting our government to get their son home from Vietnam.

BTW, you may notice at the end of the little piece that the reporter tries to put the best face on the government's reluctance to allow the little boy in their story to come to the US with his parents. I might buy that, but I am familiar with these cases, and in at least one case there are multiple documents providing the info the CIS is concerned about. They stand pat and don't respond.