thoughts in and out of season
James Kalb Another effort in Britain to bring cultural institutions into line: Racism in British Theatres. I look forward to future reports on indecency, lack of patriotism, doubts about the work ethic and who knows what else in the British theater. The reports on racism in the theater follow reports on racism in British universities and … More ...
Here’s a useful survey of family life in the West. They don’t give links or footnotes, but at least they mention where they got the information.
What else can you expect under the current regime? A UK government White Paper on criminal justice proposes to limit jury trial, keep dangerous and sexual offenders in prison indefinitely if judged a risk to the public, abolish the “double jeopardy” rule for serious cases, and allow “hearsay” evidence in court.
As the author points … More ...
There’s something very odd about treating this as “course of conduct or repeatedly committed act which alarms or seriously annoys another person”: Man Sentenced To Jail For Racial Slur. It was a one-time event, and the black woman involved didn’t even hear the offending “n” word. Nor did anyone seem to think the event … More ...
In the past day I’ve run twice into Roger Scruton’s 1996 Wall Street Jounal piece on “Godless Conservatism”, from which it appears that many people who are uncomfortable with liberalism find it speaks to them.
Basically, Scruton proposes a traditionalism that refers to nothing beyond itself, one that treats human goods as purely human … More ...
The retiring director of the British Museum, Dr. Robert Anderson, says that he ‘ prefer[s] paternalism to populism’. The good doctor gives away too much by the phrasing. Neither paternalism nor populism is at issue in current disputes over the nature of the museum. The paternalist doesn’t give people the best he has, and … More ...
To those who have experienced other denominations, it seems unlikely that democratization of the Roman Catholic Church would make it more satisfactory to ordinary parishioners. Case in point from the ever-so-sensitive-and-aware Episcopal Church, New York Diocese: Two Who Queried Pastor’s Past Are Forced Off Parish Board. The guy had done jail time on child … More ...
There’s an air of unreality to the Voice of America assertion that slower processing of refugee claims is causing problems in North Dakota because the state is “struggling to maintain its population” and “refugees are a vital part of [its] economic development.” Even if it’s true that the arrival of mainly unskilled third-world immigrants improves … More ...
All tolerance, all the time: Ontario judges rule not recognizing gay marriage violates Charter, British National Party councillor denounced for refusing to back “no room for racism” motion, and N.Y. passes women’s health bill requiring Catholic institutions to provide contraceptives to employees. Meanwhile, the NAACP says half of Congress fails civil rights … More ...
Our sympathy to the French on the sad anniversary of a revolting massacre.