Friday miscellaneous (10/5)

The Obama administration is doing it’s best to prevent defense contractors from laying off workers between now and the election--even offering to pay legal fees related to contractors not sending required notices of upcoming layoffs. Also looming is a FHA crisis that the Obama administration appears to be trying to hold off until after the election.

Meanwhile, NRO examines Romney’s debate prep method which paid off on Wednesday:

The goal was to overwhelm the president with liveliness and information, to force him to confront the messy details of his economic and fiscal record. The strategy, sources say, clicked with Romney for two reasons: He did not want to spend hours tinkering with his mannerisms, and he wanted to focus on internalizing data. He’d take advice on his voice, his posture, and the rest, but he wanted his prep time to be a policy workshop.

Thomas Kidd reviews PHC professor David Aikman’s new book on the American founding and emphasizes the importance of having a balanced approach. Meanwhile, John Fea tackles the issue of sin in history.

Art of Manliness has a guide on how to stylishly conceal carry.

I’ve done some reading on the history of the evangelical right. What I am less familiar with is the evangelical left. That’s why this book is now on my reading list.

Front Porch Republic emphasizes again the importance of hospitality, tying together diet restrictions, environmentalism, and the Odyssey:

In the ancient world, to offer hospitality to travelers was more than just being a nice guy; it was a sacred duty. That theme is woven through Homer’s Odyssey; it’s also woven through the Old Testament. There was always the possibility that your guest might be Athena or an angel of God, but the same duty applied to any stranger who appeared at your door. That’s good ethics and a roadmap to peace, but it was also a practical necessity in a world without central government, police, paved highways, hotels, or hospitals (note the etymology of that last word). Not surprisingly, as those grand institutions of civilization have flourished, personal hospitality has withered, and we caution our children sternly about even talking with strangers. Now many of us are reaching the point where we throw up our hands at offering hospitality to our friends, to people we already know and love or at least have agreed in principle to tolerate. Such behavior, I would argue, doesn’t only reflect a lack of trust; it breeds it. We still have a sacred duty to be hospitable.

And finally, American audiences weren’t the only ones who thought Romney...ahem...clobbered Obama in Wednesday’s debate. Taiwanese media recreated the scene.