FINALLY

The definitive job on the New York Review of Books. Fred Siegel in the New York Observer documents its long history of getting everything wrong, its loathing of capitalism, its solipsism and marginality, its pomposity and tedium, its condescension to the American public, its cliquish insularity … and more. Thanks to Mickey Kaus for pointing me toward it.

THANKS, WSJ: A stern editorial today from the Journal deploring some African countries’ recent turn toward scapegoating homosexuals in the AIDS epidemic. It’s encouraging in many ways, not least because it’s rare to hear the Journal, or indeed any other conservative outlet, defend homosexuals from the threat of violence or intimidation or discrimination. This is a shame. Even if some conservatives may disagree on marriage rights or military service, there really should be a consensus that no-one should be targeted for violence or hatred because their orientation. This needn’t mean hate crime laws (although it surely means that if you support hate crime laws for other groups, there is no rational reason to deny them to gays.) It simply means a public affirmation of homosexual dignity and humanity. Don’t you think that conservatives who want to deny civil rights to homosexuals would seem less mean-spirited if they occasionally took a moment to regret anti-gay violence or anti-gay bigotry? I guess I shouldn’t be handing out this p.r. advice to people I disagree with, but heck, take it. And good for the Journal for leading the way.