Archive for March, 2006

Moral Relativism


Posted by Bruno on March 31st, 2006

One of Sullivan’s readers makes a great point:
“Yes, it was those deconstructionists who attacked not only elites, but the ontological conception of a ‘privileged position,’ which is the idea that some people may have access to better, more complete information (and better culture) and thus their point of view ought to have more weight. Their [...]

This Is Just To Say


Posted by Contrarian on March 31st, 2006

This is just to say that this week Paul Krugman wrote a piece that actually made me rethink the way I see an issue. This is a big deal for me. And if you missed it, his op-ed on immigration, a guest worker program and how it affects the native-born underclass is pretty smart:
. . [...]

Rummy Fatigue


Posted by Bruno on March 30th, 2006

Nice thought, but it’s about 18 months too late. Rumsfeld shoulda resigned after Abu Ghraib. Or, rather, Bush should have accepted his resignation. Not sure what a difference it would make at this point. (via Atrios)

Shooting the Messenger


Posted by Bruno on March 30th, 2006

This is one of those articles that reminds you how truly bizarre our spin-obsessed White House has become in putting message over action. For example, you’d think that the former budget director, Josh Bolten, now chief of staff, would make it a priority to strengthen the economy. But that would be too hard! [...]

Over the weekend the Times ran a “scary” above-the-fold article on the way No Child Left Behind is forcing low-achieving schools to cut back on classes like art and science in order to spend more time on reading and writing, the kind of thing that makes education experts say, “What a sadness”*:
Schools from Vermont to [...]

We’re All Making Straight-Line Projections


Posted by Bruno on March 28th, 2006

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote:
Anyway, the point is that the media follows the most dramatic storyline. As the FAIR quotes prove, the media was MORE THAN HAPPY to run with the “Bush Triumphs Over Critics” storyline back in April of 03, because that was the most dramatic story at the time.

The media [...]

Speaking of Christian Homosexuals


Posted by Bruno on March 28th, 2006

Following up on The Contrarian’s post on Iraqi militias attempting to weed out gays for possible execution, I’m reminded of the eerie similarities between the persecutions of Christians in Afghanistan and the execution of two gay teens in Iran last summer.
I was listening to Condi Rice on Meet the Press when it all came together. [...]

45 Is The New 30


Posted by Contrarian on March 28th, 2006

New York Magazine investigates the concept of the “grup” — or how the 18-to-24 demographic mission-creeped to 18-to-35 and now probably 18-to-45:
We might consider, then, the case of Chad Ruble. At age 32, with a wife who was four months pregnant with their first child, Ruble had a bright idea — he decided to [...]

Now that the Christian convert in Afghanistan has been freed, maybe we can turn our attention to the nasty anti-gay pogrom going on in Iraq:
Following a death-to-gays fatwa issued last October by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, death squads of the Badr Corps have been systematically targeting gay Iraqis for persecution and execution, gay Iraqis say. [...]

Wake


Posted by Apocalypse Tom on March 28th, 2006

My neighbors are throwing a wake tonight for one of Saturday’s shooting victims. So far, the Seattle Police Department seems more inclined to sift and analyze than panic. On the other hand, the Seattle Times Editorial Board senses a market opportunity and weighs in all Solon-like and calm:
…this event forces every parent of a teen [...]


Now Playing: Episode 421: Reconciliation, Unions, Iraqi Elections

 
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Unions and weatherization programs

Public-sector unionization rates

Iraqi elections

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