Economist Tyler Cowen posted on his own blog a link to his own piece in Slate where he suggests the key to rebuilding New Orleans is to recognize that the land in the city is still valuable, just less so than before, and to legalize shantytowns. I’m with the commenter who thought this must be his own economist version of Swift’s A Modest Proposal. I mean, yes, reggae and great Brazilian music may have come from slums and shantys, but then, a lot of great music has come from non-shantys. The notion that it’s a perfect place for Caribbean and …
Tag: politics
Adam’s Worried. As Am I.
Adam at A Violently Executed Blog admits he’s worried and that all that bluster about Iran might not just be bluster. It scares me, too. I mean, if they invade Iran, they’ll need troops. Can’t take them from Iraq. Where will they get them? No, no, please don’t say Korea. Because on the other side of the DMZ, Evil Mr. Kim is just waiting to swoop down and slaughter all of what he’d certainly see as pampered, soft, weak couch potatoes here in the South.
Why not indeed?
Katolik Shinja asks why the Church doesn’t just go ahead and excommunicate all Pro-Abortionists from its ranks like it did with Segregationists. Here’s my thinking: My suspicion is that the population of the North American and European Church — or pretty much the Church in any developed country — would diminish to a small portion of its current size. I suspect that’s why this would never happen. Of course, that, and the fact that Segregationism was a social practice, thus more easily detected and repudiated; abortion, as a medical procedure, is performed in isolation, and is not so easily detectable. …
Writing Science Fiction During the Third World War
The sorta-dead The Infinite Matrix has Eleanor Arnason’s great speech/essay on the subject. Worth a read, and look around there while you’re there.
Angry Asian-Americans Against Adidas
Well, 40 of them. More on the Ray Fong adicolor shoe hullaballoo. Perhaps Adidas screwed up. But the artist whose tag they used is Asian himself! (Well, half-Asian, as they point out, but that’s more than enough for him to identify. And if they hadn’t noticed, the Angry Asian Man they cited, he’s annoyed about EVERYTHING.)
Christians Sue for Right To Be Excluded From The Bitchun Society To Come
Some wingnut far-right Christians are suing for the right not to have to attend tolerance training and the like. “What if a person felt their religious view was that African Americans shouldn’t mingle with Caucasians, or that women shouldn’t work?” asked Jon Davidson, legal director of the gay rights group Lambda Legal. Christian activist Gregory S. Baylor responds to such criticism angrily. He says he supports policies that protect people from discrimination based on race and gender. But he draws a distinction that infuriates gay rights activists when he argues that sexual orientation is different — a lifestyle choice, not …
Here Comes World War III
What, they haven’t messed up Iraq enough, they have to go and mess up Iran, too? And with NUKES? How stupid can an Administration be? Quite frankly, if this does go forward, the whole world’s gonna be a bloody mess. The tone of so much of the commentary is horrifying, really. “We’re the good guys,” and the repudiation of an “Islamic Republic” by, oh, yeah, high-ups in a pseudo-Evangelical Christian Republic. Good grief, you’d think they would see all the contiguousness and work together on oppressing the rest of us! Mark my words, eventually people will look back on America …
So, yes, God does speak to you. What he is saying is: ‘Take a hint.’
Lovely speech by Bill Maher recounted by that bald guy. You know, Moby. Who needs to get the caps lock fixed on his PC, it seems.
The Decline And Fall Of Europe?
The Decline And Fall Of Europe is, yes, sobering, but there’s one thing the author overlooks, which is that Europe could take immigrants from places other than the Middle East. Immigrants from Asia, for example, would probably meld into European culture well, just as they have in North America. Just as there is not inherent hostility toward Europe by, say, Chinese, Europe isn’t anywhere near as hostile towards Chinese as, say, to Turks or Lebanese. I’d like to see Europe do well. Whether it does, though, depends on its ability to change. A friend recently wrote to me in an …
Who’s Your Worst Enemy?
Reading the title of this post at Mingi Hyun’s page, S. Koreans Say China is the Greatest Threat in the Future, it feels like seeing Luke Skywalker eyeing Boba Fett and saying, “You know, that guy, he’s the one I’m worried about, guys.” And this, with Darth Vader standing in the background, lightsaber at the ready. sigh