thoughts in and out of season
James Kalb A friend asked me for my thoughts on a National Review article by John Derbyshire on the recent scandals in the Catholic Church.
I very much disagree with the article. First, the author argues that the sexual revolution has made people happier, all in all, because the abolition of reticence makes it easier to fix … More ...
It’s hard to know what to say about some things: Artist ‘fine’ after having arm nailed to wall. I suppose he’s playing around with an odd kind of symbolism, like going around stripped and naked for 3 years (Isaiah 20:1-3). Three years is too long, though, so he makes up for the shorter time … More ...
Will it ever be possible to force gays back into the closet? That rhetorical question is considered a crushing rejoinder when someone objects to the attempt to normalize homosexuality. Whoever is making the objection, it implies, is a typical reactionary—either he hasn’t thought things through, and is living in the past, or else he’s planning … More ...
Changing something from an adjective to a noun isn’t always a good idea. For example, it’s usually better to be liberal, libertarian or conservative than a liberal, libertarian or conservative.
As someone on the right, of course, I believe that is most true of liberalism. Freedom and equality, the only moral standards liberalism is willing … More ...
In its boring way, USA Today takes offense because pilots want to be armed in case of a hijacking. Let the pros take care of it—like Norm Mineta, whose major contribution so far has been to insist that Arab men and Russian babushkas get watched equally.
The point, of course, is political and not technical. … More ...
Another problem with antiracism ideology—you simply can’t talk about what actually happens, because the ideology only works if white people and their attitudes are the only problem. That’s obviously not so, though. How long can the pretense be kept up, and what happens when the lid comes off?
Current notions of shocking comments, courtesy of Prince Philip.
The proposed EU definition of racism and xenophobia as involving “the belief in race, color, descent, religion, or belief, national or ethnic region, as a factor determining aversion to individuals or groups” logically criminalizes any expression of ethnic, national or religious attachment. After all, if I love France and the French, then whether people are … More ...
The possible EU dispute with the bible (see below) shows the problem with the attempt to set up an international community among people with very different views by agreeing on a list of basic human rights and basing the community on that.
The problem is that whatever principle is authoritative in the highest political community … More ...
It’s somewhat good news of course that UN Child Summit negotiations are stymied. “Permanently dead” would be better, though. Do you want the UN looking after any young people you know?