The system works!
Illinois Democrats boost election results by registering sex offenders.
How big effects can discrimination have?
Thomas Sowell makes some useful points regarding the feminist claim that women’s changing economic position is explained by male repression. He had earlier made similar points in connection with blacks. The line of thought certainly seems plausible—while the free market isn’t perfect, it’s not adapted for arbitrary repression in any normal sense.
The EU begins to blossom
A series of stories from England displays the features of the emerging transnational order:
- Everything has to be totally controlled by rational legal standards, up to and including:
- Things that precede all possible human law, like the ultimate use of force (i.e., war) to decide whose law shall prevail. See “Non-Accountable Organisations” on
Stepping back from politics
The world’s in a bad way, but if we want to turn things around things really aren’t so complicated:
- Live rightly. You can’t turn the world around unless you can offer the world something worth turning toward.
- Value the good, beautiful and true more than success. You don’t win on basic issues unless you value
The karate-chop approach to political discussion
As many have observed, liberalism creates a sort of inverted reality in which everything is the opposite of what is claimed:
- “Celebrating cultures” means abolishing culture, since no culture is allowed the public authority it needs to exist.
- “Avoidance of absolutes” means forbidding mention of anything liberalism can’t comfortably deal with, thereby making liberalism itself
Explaining the odd
The rock-ribbed Episcopal diocese of New Hampshire is likely to elect the first openly homosexual bishop in the Anglican communion, a man who left his wife and children to move in with the male lover with whom he would presumably share the bishop’s residence.
A lot could be said about the situation. I’ll stand back … More ...
What is Baathism?
We keep hearing about Saddam’s Baathist party, with never any explanation what it is or what they believe. This may help fill the gap: Saddam’s Brain. It seems it’s basically an Arab version of Naziism, with a mystical vision of race, violence, and purity. It has some Leninist elements as well, like the parallel … More ...
Is America becoming totalitarian?
How seriously should anyone take complaints that American society is “totalitarian”? After all, people here can mostly say and do what they want. Elections are free, the press uncensored, the police and courts comparatively honest and law-abiding, person and property generally secure. Education, religion and culture are as independent of outside control as … More ...
Which witches?
Maybe “gynocide” wasn’t so totally gynocidal: The victims of the witch hunt history would rather forget. Of the 60,000 or so persons executed for witchcraft in Europe between 1450 and 1750, perhaps 12-20,000 were men. In some regions, such as Burgundy, Normandy and Iceland, men were a majority of those accused. Those aren’t facts … More ...
Curing us of therapy
New studies show that the whole idea of basing what you do on studies, psychological advice and general schemes of social improvement is a bad one. In particular:
- You’re better off if you keep a stiff upper lip and don’t bother getting in touch with your feelings.
- On the other hand, if you’re a schoolteacher