“I think freedom depends largely on morality. Without moral citizens, freedom is impossible. This is why Russia is a shithole even after the fall of communism. The cultural damage of atheism and vodka swilling makes Russia utterly unfit for liberty. This is why they get a guy like Putin. Similarly, if the USA becomes a nation of potheads addicted to videogames, it won’t be much better. There is no liberty without virtue.”

–From Charlie’s Blog

This is a very trenchant observation. Charlie’s Blog was always interesting to me primarily for his thoughts on government and a more Libertarian outlook–if one disregarded his incessant, pointless profanity and over-the-top anti-marriage and other rants.

But it seems he’s undergoing big changes: he actually got married and is in the process of going from Protestant-turned-Atheist to converting to Roman Catholicism. Not that any of those things are what I’m particularly interested in…

The really good stuff that bubbles up from time to time has to do with his observations on both Limited Government and Human Morality. This one comes from both those camps, really, and I couldn’t agree more. This is a pretty good explanation of what is happening all around us right now and nobody seems to care. This is why our country is falling apart and why people actually want to reelect our current president even as he actively works to drive us all over the cliff.

An increasing lack of freedom due to an increasing lack of virtue…