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Liberals need to practice the politics of fear
I first heard the phrase politics of fear applied to liberalism in a speech the late, great Tony Judt gave at New York University. Judt was a historian of the 20th century. He knew well the horrors...
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Boycott the Oscars #boycotttheoscars
I'm serious. Let's do it. I think most of us would agree that Hollywood, if not outright racist, treats people of color with neglect and condescension. ("We nominated a Black film last year so we...
View ArticleFox News: The movie Frozen castrates men
So in an interview on Fox and Friends, anchor Steve Doocy asked his guest Penny Nance what she thought of the film. Nance is the CEO of Concerned Women for America, a Christian women's activist...
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ISIS is largely a figment of our imagination
This is a kind of tricky post to write because of what just happened to the Jordanian pilot. And I want to be clear--I have no sympathy for ISIS. Its actions are abhorrent to me. The group is a moral...
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Brian Williams and American Sniper tell the same lie
I think I understand why Brian Williams made up his story about being in a downed helicopter in Iraq--he wanted to be the hero of his own story. Narratives, especially one of your own devising and...
View ArticleVets speaking out against American Sniper
Most of the media has focussed on whether American Sniper is accurate as if that's what the controversy about the movie is all about.So it's worth noting that a number of soldiers have come forward to...
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New books on America's great shame: the prison industrial complex
Not sure if it's a coincidence or there is a sudden surge of awareness and interest that will lead to reform, but there's been a lot of excellent books and articles on the prison industrial complex...
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Who should replace John Stewart?
Actually, given that most of us here watch him, we might be able to have an outsize influence on the decision. Some obvious candidates: Keith Olbermann, John Hodgman, Jason Jones.My vote: Brian...
View ArticleTop 5 things to be auctioned off at next Republican fundraiser
The Conservatives in Britain recently held an event where they auctioned off some key party memorabilia to raise money for candidates.If the Republicans did this, here's what they could...
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Is the world safe for Jews anymore?
I'm not someone who goes around seeing anti-Semitism everywhere nor am I a big supporter of Israel. I find Israel's constant claim that it faces an existential threat from Iran or Hamas a wild...
View ArticlePorn: maybe it explains the modern Middle East
I was in Prague shortly after Communist rule ended and was surprised to see how much disgruntlement the Czech people felt about the incipient Westernization taking place. They had expected stores to be...
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What's the best word to describe ISIS?
So the language wars have begun with everyone arguing over how we should refer to groups like ISIS--can you use the word Islamic? Are they terrorists? Extremists? Of course none of this chatter is...
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The ISIS Spice Girls: Facing up to the truth about Europe's jihadists
So we are getting a steady stream of information about the three girls and their ringmaster who left Britain to go join ISIS. They were middle class, Internet savvy, strong students, and from all...
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Europe's Jihadists are really yesteryear's Commies
I'm following-up on an earlier diary post of mine where I pointed out that the European Muslims who join ISIS and other jihadi movements are fully westernized. They come from middle-class families and...
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Media manipulates Twitter to give political correctness a bad name
Today comes news that there's outrage over the Saturday Night Live skit about ISIS this weekend.You will hear newscasters bandy around phrases like "sparked outrage" or "social media is abuzz" and then...
View ArticleBush's real track record on education
An excellent and balanced piece in the Wash Post today on Bush's record on school reform as governor of Florida. He put in place a raft of inititiaves--standardized tests, vouchers, and grading...
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I'm sick and tired of organic, shade-grown, cage-free blah, blah, blah
I think the food movement began with excellent intentions—sustainable agriculture, reduced pesticide pollution, combatting obesity, more humane treatment of farm animals. But it's become excessive....
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Boost Your Productivity!: The latest form of worker exploitation
I recently downloaded one of those news aggregator apps for my iphone where you can select topics and it finds you interesting articles to read. I ticked off some topics, but was surprised when it...
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The Apple Watch is Big Brother's greatest tool yet
It always makes me uncomfortable to see the worshipfulness that Apple inspires. At least with the Beatles, those teens were going gaga over people. Apple is a corporation and despite what the Supreme...
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The upside to racist, sexist, homophobic comments on the Internet
Several years ago, I interviewed web guru and Microsoft researcher danah boyd (She has legally changed her name to all lowercase.) danah spends a lot of time with adolescent girls and I asked her...
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Anyone who doubts the positive effect government can have on people's lives...
I just returned from a week and a half long vacation in Iceland. Of course, I was bowled over by the natural beauty of the place, but the lefty in me couldn't help marvel at the public facilities and...
View ArticleWill having more black cops really reduce police brutality?
There's an implicit assumption--mostly among liberals--that increasing the representation of minorities, women, and other underrepresented groups in business, government, policing, and other fields...
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Trevor Noah anti-Semite? misogynist? Wrap-Up
I really am conflicted on this one. It's not that I want to see him blocked from becoming a TV host, it's that his comments really go to the heart of the issue of what is racism and where you draw the...
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Why I oppose Passover
American Jews like to say Passover is a holiday about freedom. It isn't, or at least wasn't intended to be. It's main focus is on what a vengeful, bloodthirsty God did for his chosen people. We say...
View ArticleHow conservatives are making hay of the Rolling Stone fiasco
Sometimes it's good to read what the other side is saying and I think that's especially true in this case where what happened is a black eye for liberalism. I'm not saying it is a black eye only that...
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The TV show American Crime is f--kin' awesome
Maybe it's just that I'm overly enthusiastic at this moment, but I think this show on ABC about two heinous murders is the best dissection of race and class I've seen since Do the Right Thing. Every...
View ArticleHillary announces, the idiocy of the punditocracy begins
No sooner has Hillary announced than we are inundated with the idiocy of what passes for political analysis in the news media. They have to write something. They have to make it seem like they offer...
View ArticleHBO's Silicon Valley exposes the 'greed is good' mantra of the tech industry
First off, it's a great show. I watched the season two opener and thought the writing was even better than before--sharper, funnier, more knowing about the subject it's lampooning, and with better plot...
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Putin: The second coming of Hitler or victim of Western aggression
It actually seems that these two opinions are the only ones the commentators have on Putin. Either you think Putin is evil, expansionist, and wants to restore Russia to its former imperial glory or...
View ArticleThe one word Martin O'Malley said that makes me think I might vote for him
Juvenile.In an interview with NPR, O'Malley was asked whether failing to sign a Pacific trade pact would leave a power vacuum that the Chinese could exploit to boost their dominance in the region:I've...
View ArticleObama and Jewish Conspiracy Theories
Usually you see a headline like that and you think it's going to be about some wild conspiracy theory about Jews. But in this case I write about a conspiracy theory among Jews.This is the belief, which...
View ArticleWhat William Pfaff can teach liberals about foreign policy
William Pfaff, a longtime commentator on American foreign policy, died this weekend. Pfaff's heyday was the 1970s when he wrote a regular column for William Shawn's New Yorker. After that, he went into...
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Want to see video of polite, law-abiding cops? Watch Scandinavian TV.
I watch my fair share of Scandinavian police procedurals--The Bridge, Fortitude, The Killing, among others--and I'm continuously amazed by how pleasant and polite the cops are. They are almost...
View ArticleIt it okay to go to Starbucks now?
I tend to be a locavore, which means I stay away from Starbucks and head to the local coffeehouse. But as I sat there the other day, struggling with a sketchy wifi connection and wondering why the...
View ArticleWhat's Obama really thinking on Arctic drilling?
This morning comes news that Obama has permitted Shell to drill for oil in the Arctic.The New York Times piece along with every other news article I found on the story was strangely short of...
View ArticleWill the Baltimore cops get off scot free?
Look, I'm not a lawyer—nor do I play one on TV--but from everything I've read, this case is shot through with holes. We need to prepare for these guys walking out of the court free men.It's always...
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Is Game of Thrones homophobic?
I am a big fan of the TV show and even bigger fan of the books, so I have been surprised by how much political controversy they've generated. Last season it was the "rape/not a rape" of Cersei...
View ArticleLouis C.K., a Duke professor, and Congresswoman: Are their remarks racist or...
There have been several recent incidents involving remarks that were judged racist, homophobic, insulting, inflammatory, or insensitive. I remember having long debates in college in the 90s about what...
View ArticleGame of Thrones and Rape
Earlier in the week, I reported on charges that the TV show Game of Thrones was homophobic.Now, following up on last year's outrage over the rape of Cersei by her brother, comes the response to Season...
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Is the New Yorker racist and sexist?
From Vox--a study in the Proceedings of the Natural Institute of Science (which has the unfortunate acronym PNIS) found a bias toward white males in a sampling of New Yorker cartoons.Out of 1,810 total...
View ArticleHelp me understand China: Friendly foe or menacing danger
I go back and forth on this, mainly because I don't really know anything about the issue.Most of the time I don't see the harm done if China's power rises in Asia. I remember shortly after the Cold War...
View ArticleGame of Thrones and Rape: George Martin responds
By way of Entertainment Weekly, we get the author's response to charges he uses sexual violence against women gratuitously.His reasons:Historical accuracy:The books reflect a patriarchal society based...
View ArticlePolitical Correctness from the right: Where's the outrage?
When a conservative speaker gets heckled on a campus or by activists, it sets off a whole round of attacks on liberals for being intolerant of opposing views.Then comes this news:Treasury Secretary...
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An inane, probably misogynist review of Goodfellas
I worked with movie reviewer Kyle Smith for many years at the New York Post and would be the first to concede he's a very intelligent, sharp-witted, funny guy. But he has written an assessment of...
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Has Game of Thrones Jumped the Shark?
I've defended the hit HBO show in the past from charges that it exploits sexual violence against women for prurient thrills. The rape scenes this season and last struck me as consistent with the book....
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What woman do you want to see on the 20 dollar bill?
May as well get the nominations going: --Eleanor Roosevelt --Harriet Tubman --Margaret Sanger (never happen) --Ayn Rand (so crazy it just might happen) (definitely not my vote) --Amelia EarhartI don't...
View ArticleWho'd a thunk it? Sweden teaches us about the perils of school privatization
In 1992, the normally socialist democratic Sweden implemented a series of school reforms that would be the wet dream of most conservatives. Vouchers were issued to parents to send their children to any...
View ArticleTwo words the media should never utter: 'Obama's legacy.'
This is a rant, but I want to get it off my chest:No sooner had the Supreme Court made its big decisions last week than the press began talking about Obama's legacy.Slate: Obama’s Legacy Is Looking...
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The dumbest things conservatives said about gay marriage: The Complete List
I am trying to compile a list of all the amazingly offensive and idiotic things the right has said since the Supreme Court's ruling. Please add any below and I'll repost tomorrow with the full list....
View ArticleThe impossibility of being a socially-conscious consumer
I just returned from a two-week vacation at a resort in Cancun where I was treated and indulged at a level well beyond what any human being deserves or is entitled to.I had a blast, but the guilty...
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