Month: July 2009

A Perfect Hack

by Patrick Appel

Julian Sanchez responds to Conor Friedersdorf's broadside against of DC pundits:

The guy at that cocktail party laughingly acknowledging that his last column is a load of crap designed to placate or pander to either the base or allies on the Hill is a lot more likely to be the guy movement types admire as a principled purist than the one they deride as a sellout XINO. And in a way, this is sort of predictable. Over a large number of issues, a thoughtful person applying shared principles to a particular debate or fact pattern is all but guaranteed to sometimes interpret those principles in a different way from the consensus, and so come out at odds with the orthodox movement/party position. Just as being perfectly average in every way is actually quite remarkable,  agreeing with the party-line view every single time as the upshot of serious, honest, independent consideration is actually pretty wildly improbable in the aggregate, even if you assume the same underlying value set. Reasonable people not only can differ, as the saying goes; they do, constantly.

MGM Update, Ctd

by Chris Bodenner

A reader writes:

The idea that sex is better for circumcised men is very suspect. In fact, it is my understanding that the reverse is actually true; since the skin has "movement," it is actually a better "ride" for the female/bottom. I think that this kind of thinking – that cut is better – is due to cultural psychology. Americans are notoriously squeamish about foreskins and have been brainwashed by doctors to think that there is something dirty about it. That's what the doc told my mother when I was born, so she had me chopped. She has since apologized when I confronted her (nicely) about it.

Also, I wanted to let Chris know that circumcision is partly reversible, but it takes a lot of work and time. I'm about 70% restored using a DIY stretching technique. You can also buy products to aid with this especially on the internet (search: foreskin restoration). I wish this procedure wasn't necessary, because it takes a lot of time and effort, and it's not always convenient, but I'm really glad to have some of my skin back!  It feels awesome!

Thanks for the, um, tip. Oy.

Don’t Crash — Stay for Awhile

The Associated Press reports:


MADISON, Wis. —  An Illinois teen knew he was too drunk to drive home after a Dave Matthews Band concert south of Milwaukee. So he fell asleep in his car, only to be awoken by a state trooper.

Travis Peterson, 19, of Dixon, Ill., said even though he told the officer he was drunk and sleeping it off, the trooper ordered him to leave because the lot was being cleared.

Once out of the parking lot, Peterson was arrested for drunken driving. He was subsequently found guilty and ordered to spend 60 days in jail.

A Wisconsin appeals court on Wednesday commended Peterson for doing the right thing by trying to sleep it off, and said the trial court was wrong not to let him argue that police had entrapped him.

Thoughts:

1) That officer who demanded that he move his car while drunk ought to be severely reprimanded — it could have caused a crash.

2) Though I am generally loath to impose new municipal regulations on businesses, I've long thought that bars and concert venues should be obligated to provide a certain number of parking spots for people who need to leave their cars overnight. At the very least, cities that ticket overnight parking near bars should stop that practice.

(Hat tip Radley Balko)

Seeing Racism

by Patrick Appel

Ta-Nehisi makes a good point:

I've written repeatedly about how racism can be a problem in a society with seemingly no racists, how racism–out of all the isms–became the province of cannibals, ogres, people existing one rung above the rapist, and child molester. Some of this is our fault–dramatizing the depravity of Southern racists was a brilliant political strategy. But the unexpected upshot is that whites who know they'd never sic a dog on a kid for the crime of crossing a street, can sit at home and say "Well if that's racism, I know I'm not that." It'd be as if our thoughts of sexism revolved strictly around honor-killings and rape. Perhaps they do.

“De-Baptism”

by Patrick Appel

Money quote:

In a type of mock ceremony that’s now been performed in at least four states, a robed “priest” used a hairdryer marked “reason” in an apparent bid to blow away the waters of baptism once and for all. Several dozen participants then fed on a “de-sacrament” (crackers with peanut butter) and received certificates assuring they had “freely renounced a previous mistake, and accepted Reason over Superstition.”

Conservative atheist Allahpundit scoffs:

Hey, remember when one of the benefits of not following a religion was being spared that religion’s rituals? What’s next, Sunday atheist mass?

The "rituals" are more satire and political demonstration than anything. The mockery of religious sacraments reminds me of PZ Meyers desecration of the Eucharist awhile back, but this is a little more complex:

Some of the so-called "de-baptized" have used their certificates to petition churches to remove their names from baptismal rolls. One argument: they were baptized without their consent as children and should now be declared de-baptized. Some churches, however, aren't budging on what they regard as an irreversible sacrament.

I can understand why some atheists would find this cathartic.

Are the New Atheists Intolerant?

by Robert Wright

Conveniently, one reader’s email helps answer another reader’s question. First reader:

I really don't understand the use of terms like "Militant" and especially "Intolerant" to describe the public personas of the New Atheists. Since when has it become a bad thing to be vocally and unequivocally critical of an Idea in an intellectual debate?

Second reader:

An interesting wrinkle in the anti-theism campaign is their hard line on Francis Collins, recently nominated to be head of NIH. I recap some of the critiques here. The question in my mind is whether anti-theism means barring anyone with open religious leanings from prominent science posts. If so, I’d say the movement has entered a new and potentially worrisome phase.

I agree. At least, it’s worrisome when people oppose the Collins nomination just because Collins is religious—not because there’s some specific policy position that he holds on religious grounds. (And even then, would the religion matter so long as he didn’t invoke it in arguing for the policy? That’s a tougher question…)

Don’t Tax the Rich — Just Stop Giving Them Stuff

by Conor Friedersdorf

The progressive blogosphere cannot understand those who oppose funding Barack Obama's domestic agenda by levying a surtax on the rich. Rather than rehash the arguments against that plan, let me propose an alternative that should appeal to left and right alike: rather than raise taxes on the richest Americans, why not pass a law that freezes them out of receiving federal largess?

Whether measured by income or net worth, those falling above a certain threshold could be means tested out of Social Security, Medicare, farm subsidies, the ability to deduct interest paid on their mortgage, federal higher education grants and subsidized loans for their children, NEA grants, vouchers to subsidize the cost of transitioning to digital televisions, etc.

Thoughts?

Tortured To Death

by Chris Bodenner

A grisly reminder of the regime: 

Mohammad Kamrani was arrested during the mass demonstrations that took place on Tortured-to-death 18th of Tir (July 9) and was taken to Evin prison on the same day. On July 15 his parents were informed that their son  had been release, but upon arriving at Evin they were informed that their son had been transferred to the prison hospital due to minor wounds. Soon after arriving at the hospital his parents discovered that their son was on the brink of death and hence took him to a major hospital where Mohammad passed away. The hospital listed severe torture as the cause of death.

Mohammad was planning on taking his medical school entrance exam last week.