I think the Pope has a pretty good head on his shoulders. Excerpts from his speech yesterday:

In a strong voice, the 81-year-old pontiff warned Bush of ''evils such as euthanasia, infanticide and, most recently, proposals for the creation for research purposes of human embryos, destined to destruction in the process.''

``A free and virtuous society, which America aspires to be, must reject practices that devalue and violate human life at any stage from conception until natural death,'' he said.

During Bush's six years as governor of Texas, the state carried out 152 executions, the highest rate in the United States.

Under his presidency, U.S. federal authorities resumed executions after a 38-year hiatus. Two men have been put to death.

The Pope warned that many were excluded from the benefits of globalization. ''The church cannot but express profound concern that our world continues to be divided, no longer by the former political and military blocks, but by a tragic fault line between those who can benefit from these opportunities and those who seem cut off from them,'' said the Pope.

The Pope on Sunday condemned the violence in Genoa, saying it was not the right path to justice.

His view boils down to the brief statement above: valuing human life at every stage from conception until natural death. You may not agree, but it's certainly a cogent, coherent view, and one which avoids the excesses and pitfalls of some of our technological dreams.