On liberty
[I’ve been too busy to write today, so in honor of the Fourth, this is a repeat of an old post. See you tomorrow.] I’ve been visiting New York City, the place where I grew up. I decide to take … Continue reading →
neo
Who’s afraid of the big bad terrorists?
Police speculate that three recent car bomb incidents in Britain are related. Perhaps al Qaeda is part of the picture, perhaps not. But all three car bombs had a similar modus operandi to one another, and the outcomes of all … Continue reading →
On-topic and off: letting go
I was asked here why it is that I tolerate so many off-topic comments on this blog. Why not delete them, or at least admonish people to stay on-topic? As far as I’m concerned, the comments section here is for … Continue reading →
The surge: “Hello we must be going…”
Groucho Marx had a signature greeting song, always good for a laugh: “Hello I Must Be Going:” Hello, I must be going I cannot stay I came to say I must be going I’m glad I came But just the … Continue reading →
What price diversity?
Today the Supreme Court has handed down this decision blocking attempts by the public school administrations of Seattle and Louisville to reassign students solely on the basis of race in an attempt at greater diversity. Here’s the NY Times’ summary … Continue reading →
A mighty poor documentary
I haven’t seen it and probably won’t, because I don’t go to the movies often and this one doesn’t sound very good. And reading this review of the Danny Pearl story “A Mighty Heart” only reinforces that notion. Daniel Pearl’s … Continue reading →
If war is not the answer, what is?
You’ve all seen those posters and bumper stickers: “War is not the answer.” You’ve also seen discussions of why those sporting them are incorrect; war has solved some things and provided answers to certain questions—such as whether, for example, there … Continue reading →
Who put the Cialis in socialism?
Ymarsakar asks why my blog refuses to accept any and all comments featuring the word “socialism.” Well, I certainly had no idea! It was never my intent! I wasn’t even there! Blame it on WordPress! Blame it on….Cialis. Cialis? The … Continue reading →
The unintended consequences of teaching expurgated history
I don’t know about you, but I hated the subject “history” in school. School history courses were almost uniformly boring, and this is a source of wonder to me because history itself is almost unfailingly fascinating and even gripping. To … Continue reading →
Getting to the pointe
This is a pair of my old pointe shoes. They are from about twenty years ago, the last time I took a ballet class. I threw out the innumerable other ones, myriad shapes and sizes and makes purchased in my … Continue reading →
For the duration
In my series on al-Marri and beyond, I made some suggestions for taking prisoners in this conflict. They involved the concept of incarcerating people “for the duration,” a standard practice in warfare. But we face a special problem in this … Continue reading →
Abbas and peace: fed up with “dialogue?”
Do I detect a new tone in the rhetoric of Mahmoud Abbas, or is it just wishful thinking on my part? He’s reported to have issued some stinging criticism of his former “partners” in the ill-fated “unity” government of Palestine, … Continue reading →