Making sense of the DREAM Act
Timothy Lee has a really good post up responding to Reihan Salam on the merits of the DREAM Act and, importantly, on how the DREAM Act relies on our better virtues: The pro-DREAM argument...
Monthly Archive: December 2010
Wikileaks and War; Context and Common Cause
The following is one of several short essays I wrote on Wikileaks between March and April of this year, both before and after the organization released the Afghanistan tape. This one appeared on April...
Wikileaks and the Tea Party
One side effect of the Wikileaks controversy is how it’s fracturing the Tea Party movement. On the one hand, Ron Paul recently tweeted his support for Wikileaks: Re: Wikileaks – In a free society,...
Trading Off Security for (Relative) Privacy
The issue of the new airport security requirements is still rolling around in my mind. I left Michael Heath with the final word on my prior post, as we were, to a large degree,...
Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans
My thoughts on the 30th anniversary of John Lennon’s death. You don’t need me to tell you he was a genius; he was. (So was Paul, but John was better). You don’t need a...
So Help Her God
For our Sara Palin critics, check out Jonathan Turley’s take down of her “history.” I’ve crossed paths formally and informally with a number of the names he mentioned. My friend Ray Soller of my...
Anonymous preparing for new Wikileaks effort
WikiLeaks may be a small player, really, in the bigger scheme of things. But to some degree it is also a bellwether, a forecast of things to come as information and technology continue to...
The War on the Poor
I had trouble reading Radley Balko’s article on the saga of Cory Maye. I picture this young man in his quiet home with his 18-month-old daughter asleep in the other room and I immediately...
A Survey Research Interlude
Presumably because I’m beginning to unconsciously prep for my annual empirical research methods course, methodological questions have been capturing my attention with great frequency lately. So here’s a survey research methods question that caught...
Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom
National markets that only thirty years ago seemed comfortable oligopolies–such as America’s television and car markets–are now squabbled over by companies from the world over. And in general, the more futuristic the industry, the...
Links and site errors
Let me know if you’re having any problems with the site. I’ve got some stuff I’m working on – Big Things! – and in the process we may encounter some issues. For instance, our...
Whither the institution of the American musculature-oriented entertainment union? WHITHER?!?
I’m kind of worried that we’re about to get the gay marriage issue solved for good over in that other thread, and that’s really one of my favorite issues, so before that happens I’m...
Little Match Girl Passion.
What I like most about the An die Musik performance space in Baltimore is the low stage, which to me represents the basic spirit of the place. It’s no more than two feet high,...
On Consumerism, Living the Dream, and Hope
Bob Wise is a sailor, boat-builder, and filmmaker. He’s also my friend and where film and sailing are concerned, my mentor.
Question for readers
If the publisher of a small website dedicated to the dissemination of the state-secrets of the Chinese government were operating their publishing outfit out of the United States and published a bunch of leaked...
Eugene Volokh: One of Same-Sex Marriage’s Biggest Opponents
I remember several years ago the Volokh Conspiracy invited Maggie Gallagher as a guest poster. The commentariat ripped her apart. At the end, there was absolutely nothing left to her arguments. She answered no...
Exceptionalism, Imperialism, and the Necessity of “Closed Systems”
by E.C. Gach In early November, J.L. Wall addressed the recent Republican talking point over American exceptionalism by unpacking the following quote from President Obama: “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect...
Go Ducks!
There are all kinds of good arguments against living vicariously through the success or failure of one’s favorite sports teams, and I agree with most of them. Nevertheless, I like sports more than I...
Julian Assange: bank account closed, prepares to meet with police, face talking-point wrath of GOP hopefuls
“In a free society, we are supposed to know the truth. In a society where truth becomes treason, we are in big trouble.” Ron Paul To illustrate the divide between Ron Paul and the...
