Uncategorized
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New evidence in Chait v. Yglesias
Jon Chait’s TNR article on the “netroots” makes an important point: there is a new wave of liberal bloggers who are putting ideological/partisan loyalty ahead of the open-minded pursuit of the truth. One device that Chait uses effectively is pointing out that even Matthew Yglesias, a famously open-minded liberal blogger, “confessed in March that he
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Gilder attacks “Darwinian storm troopers”
Since it’s impossible for anti-evolution conservatives to win a debate on the merits, George Gilder is trying to smear proponents of evolution instead: Skeptics of Darwinism like William F. Buckley, Mr. West and Mr. Gilder also object. The notion that “the whole universe contains no intelligence,” Mr. Gilder said at Thursday’s conference, is perpetuated by
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NYT refers to “inbred racism” in the South
Imagine you’re a writer for the New York Times, a newspaper that many people believe is politically and culturally out of touch with the South. Shouldn’t you try to avoid using words like “inbred” when writing about the region? This new wave of historians, many of them young, believe that one cannot understand today’s housing,
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Off until Friday
The family and I are headed west to the mountains, so no posts until Friday. Enjoy the week!
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Joe Biden ’08, RIP
I challenge you to watch or read Joe Biden’s rambling, unfocused answers on Meet the Press and support his presidential candidacy. How long until he pulls the plug? Biden’s defense of his position(s) on the war in Iraq was a particular lowlight: MR. RUSSERT: But, senator, there has been an evolution in your thinking because
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Is Brownback right on the death penalty?
In a comment on my post about Sam Brownback’s death penalty position, my friend Ben Fritz (formerly my co-editor at Spinsanity) makes an excellent point: Though I’m not sure if this is what Brownback meant, there are people who we’re not protected from even when they are in prison. Some prison gangs, like the Aryan
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When the passive voice attacks!
Hmm, I wonder who David Brooks has in mind in this passage? Second, there is the corrupting influence of teamism. Being a good conservative now means sticking together with other conservatives, not thinking new and adventurous thoughts. Those who stray from the reservation are accused of selling out to the mainstream media by the guardians
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Inequality in everything: Upgraded prisons
Here’s a disturbing example of what Tyler Cowen at Marginal Revolution would call “Markets in everything” — “pay-to-stay” upgraded jail accommodations: Anyone convicted of a crime knows a debt to society often must be paid in jail. But a slice of Californians willing to supplement that debt with cash (no personal checks, please) are finding
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Worst-sounding headline ever
Talk about a headline that sounds bad out of context: “Sex Slave Dispute Follows Abe Even as He Bonds With Bush”. It’s, uh, not what you think.
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GOP “surrender”/”appeasement” rhetoric
In the latest series of post-9/11 attacks on dissent, Republicans are trying to discredit the Democratic proposal to set a date for withdrawal from Iraq by describing it as “surrender,” “waving the white flag of surrender,” and “appeasement.” Of course, Democrats are not calling for American troops to surrender to insurgents, nor are they suggesting