Joel Kotkin, the “new urbanist,” thinks our economic problems could have a good effect on our culture. Problems in the housing market could keep people from moving so much; high energy prices could keep folks closer to home and encourage them to buy food and other products locally; the bad economy and unaffordable mortgages could force family members to depend more on each other, thus strengthening the extended family. Kotkin is an advocate of “localism,” a way of thinking that a strain of conservatives have turned to, that advocates decentralized government, strengthened mediating institutions such as the family and local governments, and the like.

Read his argument. It seems to me that the new economic problems are going to create a government that is even bigger and more powerful than ever before. But do you see any silver linings in the current economic clouds?

At Missouri State University, in Springfield, a pro-life group put up 4,000 crosses made of popsicle sticks to symbolize little graves of abortion victims. So pro-abortion students trampled them, destroying the display. When called on their vandalism, the pro-choicers said they were just exercising their freedom of speech! (That claim is in the video with the linked article.)

That is to say, I can deny your freedom of speech because of my freedom of speech.

A usually reliable sports reporter says that former Packer Brett Favre called up the coach of the Detroit Lions to reveal his former team’s secrets. The Packers beat the Lions soundly and Favre is denying that he did it, but still there is evidence it happened. That would be low. See Brett Favre may have tarnished his reputation.

The New York Times reports on violent persecution of Christianity in India. FromHindu Threat to Christians :

The family of Solomon Digal was summoned by neighbors to what serves as a public square in front of the village tea shop.

They were ordered to get on their knees and bow before the portrait of a Hindu preacher. They were told to turn over their Bibles, hymnals and the two brightly colored calendar images of Christ that hung on their wall. Then, Mr. Digal, 45, a Christian since childhood, was forced to watch his Hindu neighbors set the items on fire.

“ ‘Embrace Hinduism, and your house will not be demolished,’ ” Mr. Digal recalled being told on that Wednesday afternoon in September. “ ‘Otherwise, you will be killed, or you will be thrown out of the village.’ ”

Meanwhile, in Iraq, 15,000 Christians have been driven out of Mosul. Thirteen have been killed. It isn’t clear whether the persecutors are al-Qaida–for whom Mosul is one of their last remaining enclaves–or the Kurds.