"[There's] a strange inconsistency to the opponents of same-sex marriage. Their ends — every child gets a mom and a dad — are strangely mismatched to their means — prohibit same-sex marriage. It's sort of like banning bad moustaches to stop pornography. Perhaps there's some vague association, but that's about it," – Jason Kuznicki.
Month: June 2010
The VFYW Contest: Where Is That Window?
This photo was taken in early November. You have till noon Tuesday to guess it. Country first, then city and/or state. If no one guesses the exact location, proximity counts. Email entries to VFYWcontest@theatlantic.com (the regular Dish account was getting overwhelmed). Winner gets a free The View From Your Window book. Have at it.
Against God Or Tyranny?
Douthat psychoanalyzes Hitchens:
Hitchens’ anti-religious arguments feel the least heartfelt — the least, well, Hitchens-esque — when they’re couched in the language of scientism. (I’m thinking, in particular, of his grating and forced rhetorical habit of referring to human beings as “mammals” or “primates” in the course of these polemics …) Whereas they feel entirely authentic when they’re couched as “aux armes, citoyens“ rallying cries in the struggle against tyranny…Whereas Dawkins and co. are appalled by the belief in God, Hitchens is far more appalled by the idea that anyone would want to obey Him. Every true romantic needs a great foe, a worthy adversary, a villain to whose destruction he can consecrate himself. Never one for half measures, Hitchens just decided to go all the way to the top.
Face Of The Day
Rebuilding, Ever So Slowly
Lauren Collins spies on the World Trade Center site:
In mid-May, construction on One World Trade Center reached the twentieth floor, or what is called the “typical office floor”—the point beyond which the rest of the stories are easily replicated—and the hope is that, from now on, the building will rise about a floor every ten days.
The Weekly Wrap
Today on the Dish, the GOP establishment began to back Barton's comments, Joyner challenged Andrew over the BP "shakedown," and Frum wrung his hands. A local reporter in Nevada put the heat on Sharron Angle, readers cheered him on, and another dissented. Another good sign of journalism in Ann Arbor. Readers piled on Palin's attempt to meet with Margaret Thatcher. More Palin crack here, here, and here.
In other coverage, Josh Levin despaired down in the Gulf, Andrew sighed over the slipping of Arab sentiment towards Obama, and NRO noted Etheridge's past violence. A small sign of racial progress here. Stewart Brand previewed cold fusion power, Keith Hennesy didn't like "fossil fuels," Steven Taylor knocked "oil addiction," Free Exchange looked at carbon taxing in the UK, Bagehot was bullish on the new British government, Business Week spotlighted some good governance in the US, DiA countered Yglesias over gerrymandering, and Ambinder predicted a GOP mellowing by 2012.
In assorted commentary, Steyn dug in over honor killings, Friedersdorf dug deeper, Glenn Reynolds flipped out over the Internet flip switch, Seth Godin eulogized "The Office," and Chris Orr hearted Pixar. Dish readers sent in some fantastic links, others continued the thread over soccer in the US, another wrapped it up, others closed out the discussion over Gaga, and another fleshed out the news over "Fox News North."
A Derbyshire classic here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.
(Mustafa Ozer/AFP/Getty Images)
Thursday on the Dish, Andrew took a long look at Obama's competence in the face of the media and partisan critics on both sides. Amen from a reader. Boehner distanced himself from Barton's "shakedown" comments while NRO backed the charge. The employment forecast didn't look good. More on Britain's war crimes here. Palin blurred the truth again, Julian Sanchez addressed her views on pot, readers piled on her O'Reilly appearance, and E.D. cheered the Dish's efforts.
In other coverage, Tom Gross collected cartoons of anti-Israel ugliness, Diego Valle Jones illustrated the resurgence of drug killings in Mexico, Pareene profiled Canada's version of Fox News, Bruce Bawer was hounded for his "hate speech" about Islam, and Liz Mair exposed FGM at Cornell. Female Viagra fell flat and Eminem stood up for the gays. World Cup crack here.
In assorted commentary, Joe Klein was bummed about Afghanistan, Josh Green challenged Obama on defense spending, John Michael Greer tackled tea-partiers and peak oil, Lee Harris defended the partiers, Friedersdorf called out Steyn for his epistemic closure, Bernstein marveled at McCarthy, and Dan Ariely shared some insight on email. Tara Parker-Pope showed how marriage and children are increasingly decoupled and Andrew offered his take on the institution.
A reader served up a creepy ad, another added to the celebrity thread, others broadened the recognition of gay rights pioneers, others continued the discussion of soccer in the US, and others gave feedback on the window contest. Ralph Maccio made his comeback, Comic Sans put the smack down, and Gaga emulated another pop group. Great videos of bears (the literal kind) here and here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.
Wednesday on the Dish we covered the president's big Gulf speech. Larger reax here, a reader reaction here, and the Oil Drum explained why the gusher is growing. Netanyahu budged a bit on the Gaza blockade. Closing coverage of the Prop 8 trial here and here. Andrew lauded the forefather of the gay rights movement, James Risen lashed out at bloggers, Drum diagnosed the Tea Party, and a reader dissented over Andrew's diagnosis.
In Palin coverage, O'Reilly put some heat on her, a reader shrugged, Patt Morrison was outraged over her attempt to exploit Thatcher, and Scott Morgan gave her props over pot tolerance. Tons of Wasilla gossip here and here.
In Cup coverage, Drezner wondered when the US will seize upon soccer and Yglesias responded. Get your vuvuzela fix here and here. Senior citizen prognosticating here and here. People were flooding into Texas. In assorted commentary, Tim Kowal cornered op-ed writers on the Middle East, Jay Rosin put the press corps under a microscope, Cameron Abadi looked at Neda's doppelganger, Yglesias defended gerrymandering, and Robin Hanson talked celebrities and evolution.
Gaga is still no Madonna. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.
Bab Az-Zahra, East Jerusalem, 12 pm
Tuesday on the Dish, Britain finally owned up to the war crimes of Bloody Sunday, GQ provided a harrowing account of the oil rig disaster, Tom Philpott shone a light on the use of chemical dispersants, and the St. Petersburg Times exposed the latest creepiness of Scientology. Andrew took a long look at the nature of the Tea Party.
In Iran coverage, Juan Cole kept faith with the Greens, Andrew did as well, and Joe Klein joined in. Greg Scoblete and Kevin Sullivan tackled Kristol's argument for bombing Iran and Andrew piled on. Iraq kept its title as the most dangerous country, Blackwater's big man could be getting away, and God smote a terrible sculpture. David Pollock looked at new polling out of Israel. World Cup coverage here and here.
In assorted commentary, Greenwald called for the arrest of Etheridge, Ezra Klein calculated the true cost of oil, Jonathan Bernstein addressed the deficit, and Edward Glaeser wanted to know what libertarians would have done about the Gulf disaster. Readers speculated on Trig-gate here and here, others sounded off on the Office of the Repealer, another pushed back against the idea of a terrorist watch list for guns, another continued the conversation on clocks and clouds, another reminesced about NYC, and another sent in some Fabio hathos.
Hewitt Awards here and here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here. Check out the winner of this week's VFYW contest here.
Monday on the Dish, bloggers reacted to Afghanistan's new bounty, Andrew offered a snap analysis, and Thomas Barnett's focused on the China connection. In Israel coverage, Schumer admitted his desire to punish Gazans, the Globe and Mail profiled the Knesset member present on the flotilla, Victor Davis Hanson suggested that Obama is anti-Semitic, and Andrew went another round with Chait.
In Palin coverage, she defended her wardrobe and told a pernicious lie about her hotness. Andrew challenged Lisa Miller over Sarah's cover story, Jay Nordlinger earned a Malkin over Trig, and we highlighted a bit of hathos. (Some South Carolina hathos here.)
Updates from Iran here and here. Kristol beat his war drum, a NC congressman went ballistic on an amateur reporter, Fiorina couldn't say sorry, Josh Green did so to Rand Paul, and McArdle got married. Andrew discussed homophobia with Dan Savage while Apple succumbed to the ick factor. World Cup coverage here, here, here, here, here, and here.
In assorted commentary, Scott Horton sounded off on Dawn Johnsen's failed bid, Balko cheered Brownback's call for eliminating government programs, Beinart mulled over the media coverage of Afghanistan, Exum examined the argument that terrorists are idiots, Greenwald argued that partisanship is breaking apart, Bartlett surveyed Republicans in favor of debt default, Tara Parker-Pope assessed the value of pets.
Readers extended the thread on dead birds, another hailed the role of Twitter in Iran, and another criticized Jonah Lehrer's take on scientific truth. Creepy political ads here, a cool ad here, and another Malkin Award here. MHB here, VFYW here, and FOTD here.
— C.B.
Barton And The Right, Ctd
David Frum winces:
As Dave Weigel points out, the escrow fund idea was proposed by BP itself, at the prodding of Republicans who endorsed the idea well before President Obama ever heard of it.
This story is another example of the harm done by allowing talk radio & Fox – rather than elected officials and aspiring candidates – to define the GOP. Anybody heard any objection to the escrow fund from Mitt Romney? Has Mitt Daniels termed it a “shakedown”? Bobby Jindal seems cool with the idea, ditto Mitt McConnell. But these real leaders are crowded out by people trying to bump ratings a point or two by inciting another prime time hour’s worth of anti-Obama indignation.
Watching The Watchers
Ambinder stands up for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange:
I want Assange to remain a free man. I want him to publish what he finds worthy of publishing, consonant with his own values and his obligations as a citizen of the world and of Iceland. I also understand and believe it to be reasonable that the intelligence community and the Department of Defense are worried about Assange, and that they are trying to figure out the best way to mitigate the effects of a major document release. Their equities are valid, too, although as I said, I tend to be rooting for Assange to feel free and liberated, and less hunted. Assange's tendency to believe that he is one step away from being thrown into a black hole hinders, and to some extent discredits, his work. I don't always agree with his methods, but the value in having an unchecked accountability mechanism for governments worldwide is obvious.
Greenwald zooms in on Bradley Manning, the 22-year-old facing charges for leaking documents to Wikileaks.
Face Of The Day
Ethnic Uzbek women care for their children under a tent by Kyrgyz-Uzbek border near the village of Vlksm some 20 km outside Osh on June 18, 2010. The World Health Organisation said today that it was working on a worst-case estimate that the crisis in Kyrgyzstan may affect up to one million people, about a third of whom could be refugees. By Viktor Drachev/AFP/Getty Image.
Dissent Of The Day
A reader writes:
I disagree about Baca. Angle has nuanced points that go beyond soundbytes. When she says she wants to transition out of social security to personal accounts, that's a valid position. The reporter doesn't seem to understand that; he just tries to "gotcha" her by saying she's trying to save social security "by transitioning out of it?" Yes he's persistent, but he's not after the full truth – only soundbytes. Yes, he's more persistent than the MSM is with Palin, but he seems more interested in causing a stir than allowing her to explain her positions.
As a Libertarian-leaning cat yourself, you know how difficult it can be to express paradoxical views to a credulous – and often blindly lefty – public, and this journalist seems to be squarely in that camp. I don't think he allowed her to give the full view any more than O'Reilly typically does with his lefty guests.
I take the point, but since she refuses to give a real interview that can allow for a nuanced discussion, you get this, which is better than nothing. There's a case to be made for privatizing social security, and you do that the way Reagan did on other controversial matters, by making arguments again and again in as many forums as possible, engaging the press to explain his positions, rather than ducking the press to evade accountability. It seems to me, for example, that Rand Paul's error was not going on Rachel Madow but in withdrawing from public debate ever since. If he has a case for his point of view, he should make it, and those should be the grounds on which you support him or not.
The Dish 