Commenter Archive

Comments by CJColucci in reply to Jaybird*

On “Two Hamiltons For A Tubman

I've long thought that colonial rule was never that irksome and that the representation argument was largely bogus because even granting the colonies representation in Parliament, even on a fair basis (itself a radical idea in England, where constituencies varied enormously in size), the colonies would likely have been consistently outvoted. What they really wanted was to run their own show, which is a legitimate enough beef. Whether I would have been willing to go to war over it back then I don't know, but since it worked out at fairly low casualty levels, I can't say now that it was a bad idea.

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I remember the Nelson Biddle orchestra, backing up Frank Sinatra.

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Maybe we should consider not limiting each denomination to a single person, and use a rotation of worthies. Perhaps they could be thematic. With Lincoln as the main man on the five, we might rotate in William Seward, Frederick Douglass, and other contemporaries.
The only problem I see with this (I don't see vigorous debate over whether Jackson or Calhoun ought to be on a bill as a problem.) is that it might slow down recognition of denominations, a problem we could solve, as other countries do, by making each denomination a different color.

On “Carbonaraghazi

Spaghetti carbonara has been my go-to dish for decades. I ate it often in law school because it was fast, cheap. filling, and delicious. I have used it for seduction and, sometimes, succeeded. I fully endorse the instructions in the video, but, not being a complete purist, I make some room for variation. I don't think there's a significant difference between one whole egg and a yolk or two whole eggs. A dash of cream, but no more, is OK if you like it, but not needed. I accept onions as a legitimate addition, and know a place that makes an excellent carbonara with them, but I don't use them myself. I also like to add a bit of garlic and crushed red pepper to the pancetta, and some white wine, not much, after it browns. Some parsley as a garnish is a nice option as well.
Now I'm hungry.

On “Seeing Through the Unseen

So you say. I say otherwise. Is there some way of finding out who is right? Perhaps if we asked a bunch of people whether all government was based, ultimately, on force, and, when we got "Huh?" as a response, unpacked the notion and got a more nuanced response? Short of spending money on such a survey, maybe we can ask if anyone here is the least bit surprised by the assertion that all government is, ultimately, based on force.And then ask what they make of it if they're not surprised.

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People "ignore" the idea that government is backed by force for the same reason that they "ignore" gravity. It's obvious and doesn't tell you much more than not to piss off the cops without good reason or walk out of tenth-story windows.

On “Romney Condemns Trump

Two words: Ted Cruz. Three words: New York values. Three more words: media and finance. It was as obvious as a slap in the face, and I'm not even Jewish.

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Isn't it fun when somebody proves your point so thoroughly and so fast?

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I largely agree with this, but most of Obama's critics are coming from the opposite direction.

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Calling Captain Renault!

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Grown-up is, to a considerable extent, a matter of context. I'll say what Burt didn't (and might not even believe): Romney is "an entitled, out-of-touch goof, a total establishment tool, a product of such privilege that nothing he said meant anything." Even so, compared to the current crop, he is a grown-up. It's not that he has become any more grown-up, it's that those around him have regressed.

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I thought that was the Hair Club for Men.

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Well, given that choice......

On ““Neoliberal” — I’m not sure if I get this term (but I try to)

As someone old enough to remember the 60's and 70's, I can report that "neoliberal" was originally used to describe a constellation of beliefs similar to those North describes, and that, sociologically, neoliberalism appealed to the sort of folks Ronald Dodds is talking about, with political effects evolving pretty much as he says. One of its signature beliefs was an eagerness to use market mechanisms for liberal ends, for example, effluent fees over emissions controls. The Washington Monthly of 40 years ago would be a good place to look for examples.

On “David Bowie as the Right Wing Artist

Almost certainly none -- and I've actually looked them up.

On “The annual Hall of Fame post

I've often said Pete Rose was the greatest utility player of all time.

On “Heirs to Forgotten Kingdoms & Pythagoras

When I was a believer, the main thing I had a problem with was original sin. Now that I am a heathen, original sin is the only part I don't have a problem with.

On “A Belated Hanukkah Gift For A Wealthy Man

In a trademark case, the government is not determining who can "legally make a certain type of speech." Dan Snyder can call his team the Redskins, the Wops, or the Niggers if he wants, and the government can't do squat, just as the band can call itself the Slants or the Chinks, or the Yellow Peril and the government can't do squat. What is at stake is whether someone else can put out "Redskin" tee shirts or other geegaws without Dan Snyder's permission -- in short, whether Snyder can have a government-granted monopoly on certain speech. While the First Amendment seems to me to be relevant, the analysis of whether one can have a government-granted and enforced monopoly on speech can't be the same as the analysis that informs whether a speaker can be prevented from speaking.

On “An Open Letter to My Friends on the Left… about Donald Trump’s Hair, Unfortunately

You should keep this as a standing response to far too many posts. A few minor adjustments, and you'll have everything covered.

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That's a statement about the limits of your memory, which isn't interesting.

On “Who Will Win the Driverless Car War?

Who actually wants this product, and why do they think it's a good idea?

On “The Slippery Slope of the Slippery Slope

Among the biggest questions when it comes to gun confiscations is “How will we collect the guns that are out there if we don’t know where they are?”

There are all sorts of ways -- most of them a lot scarier than having someone check a registry and visit the registered owners.

On “Neither Here Nor There

I'm old enough to remember when there weren't any non-smoking sections.

On “On The Attempt To Use A Child As A Weapon

I agree with all this, but I still wouldn't be surprised to see a small edge for the traditional family structure, all other things being equal, simply because the playing field is largely designed with that structure in mind. And if there isn't more than a small difference, even with this natural advantage, then that isn't enough to drive either policy or individual decisions.

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He referenced social science research which allegedly showed that children raised in homes with a mother and a father did better than children raised in homes consisting of any other combination of parents.

I get tired of hearing this offered as if it meant anything, even if true. For a very long time now, our society has held up the two-opposite sex-biological parent version of the family as the ideal type. Many formal institutions and informal customs heavily favor that sort of set-up. We are used to it. Nobody thinks it strange or in need of justification. It offers genuine conveniences if you can pull it off. Under the circumstances, it would be astonishing if that family structure didn't have some child-rearing advantage.But I am unaware of any study that shows a large difference when you control for certain obvious variables, or shows that other types of family structures don't also produce reasonably good results. There is no more "best interest of the child" justification for taking a child from one set of adequate parents to a different type of presumably adequate parents than there would be for taking just about any child from its family to be raised by Bill and Melinda Gates. And probably less.

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