Monthly Archive: December 2010
The death of custom and the rise of nationalism in the post-colonial state
An observation: whenever some outside force – the colonial powers of the 19th and early 20th century; the Soviets in Eastern Europe – disrupts the traditions and customs of an occupied or dominated region,...
A Modest Proposal
The New York Times yesterday reported: “The same people driving the lawsuits that seek to dismantle the Obama administration’s health care overhaul have set their sights on an even bigger target: a constitutional amendment...
Do Gay Rights Hurt Democrats?
In Jason’s post on DADT’s repeal, he noted: One thing that history won’t remember, but that will certainly be true, is that the Democrats chose the single moment in all the possible permutations of...
Be the Change You Want to See in the World, Jury Duty Editon
If more potential jurors start turning down nonviolent drug cases, our drug laws will change.
Will “History” Ever End?
That’s the title of my latest guest post at Dispatches From The Culture Wars. I reproduce part of it below if interested in discussing it here: Writing in TNR, Mark Lilla informs that intellectuals...
Economic Commands are Different from Political Commands or Taxes
Brad De Long proposes that if I’m arguing against congressional authority to regulate the health insurance industry, then I don’t understand the history of the Constitution. He would be right, if that were my...
I suppose the political is personal too
This post is 1) long; 2) personal. You’ve been warned on both counts.
Assange, Allegations & Assault
In general, it’s a bad idea to speculate on sexual assault cases that are ongoing. As for the allegations about Julian Assange, Kate Harding offers very good suggestions on how to have a responsible discussion and not tick...
Some Noise About Signals, Education & Other Likely Stories
I. We’re going to have the best educated American people in the world. – Dan Quayle Recent discussions here have addressed the purpose and the value of an undergraduate liberal arts education. Purpose and...
DADT Open Thread
So yes, DADT has been repealed. A great day, and one that I feel confident history will remember as a step forward. (I also know that conservatives hate it when I talk that way....
Who Pays for Anonymous Protests?
In all of Anonymous’s chest-thumping about the DDOS attack on Visa, did any of them pause to think about the effect on mom and pop shops that may have lost sales because they couldn’t...
On Expectations of Privacy and Internet Anonymity
In a recent post by Mr. Thompson entitled “Wikileaks on The Wire,” one commenter said he thought Deadwood would have been a better source to compare. More recently, there has been some controversy over...
Heads Up
I’ll be guest blogging at Ed Brayton’s Dispatches From the Culture Wars from Dec. 19-27. My grades (for 21 credits) are due Tuesday morning, so I’m not sure how much blogging I will do...
All Apologies
My apologies to readers and commenters here at the League for the rather peculiar happenings in this thread. I have edited the content of some of the comments there in order to protect what...
Pushing through the market square, so many mothers sighing…
It might make me a blogopshere square to admit this, but I’m a huge fan of print magazines and journals. Right now, I only have three subscriptions, but read about seven other titles regularly enough that I...
Anonymous launches new project, press release
I have just received the following press release in which a contingent of Anonymous spells out its general aims and practices while also announcing another effort, Project Truth is Revolutionary. I have pasted it...
What Can’t Congress Do Now?
If the federal government can force you to buy health insurance merely for being alive — on the theory that your inaction, while stubbornly remaining alive, has indirect effects on interstate commerce — then...
