Month: August 2006

University of Pennsylvania Professor Elijah Anderson makes an argument for gun control which is rapidly gaining ground, and that is that opposition to gun control by people living in suburban or rural areas has definite racial implications: Most democracies heavily regulate or ban handguns, but there are some that have a lot of guns and…

I rented a really good (if disturbing) DVD last night — so if you’re planning to rent the film and want to be surprised, please stop reading right now, because what follows is what cranky people would call not a film review, but a spoiler. In my defense, it’s hard to discuss a film like…

I was all set to write a hopefully cool post about “End Times” when leading End Times advocate Pat Robertson has to go and spoil it all by proclaiming that he he now believes in Global Warming! Sheesh! Might this mean that the “End Times” aren’t happening fast enough to suit his fancy? Or might…

Sometimes, my local paper’s “wake up calls” make waking up in the morning a disturbing experience. Actually, this morning’s column by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s John Grogan serves as more than a wake up call; it’s taking me down a very unpleasant memory lane. As Mr. Grogan sees it, it is “time to unload” on what…

I’m confused about something. This stay-at-home dad business, it’s supposed to be a healthy thing, right? Isn’t it supposed to be good for America, good for equality between the sexes, maybe good for the economy (allows women more flexibility with their careers), probably good for men? Certainly, it would seem to be better for a…

Alan Dershowitz has a problem with the condemnation of Israel in the international community: When it comes to Israel, a lot of usually smart people stop thinking with their heads, and start thinking with their guts. Most smart people know that when an armed criminal takes a hostage and fires from behind him, it is…

This week’s Carnival of the RINOs is hosted by one of my favorite bloggers, jd at evolution. Despite the “dark days” indicated by the title, and despite the fact that he’s as sick of politics as most of us, jd has done a great job with this Carnival! Please go read the whole thing. The…

Gee, I’ve really become a whiner lately. So get ready for more whining. Yesterday I whined (came close to grumbling, actually) about a political ad which appeared on my blog for Senator Rick Santorum, about whom I have mixed feelings. Well, if there’s one thing I don’t have mixed feelings about, it’s censorship. Not often…

Before I address the topic of whether I am a conservative, there’s the threshold question of who gets to decide whether or not you’re a member of a particular group. Seriously, now, I don’t mean to be funny, even though I consider this whole thing ridiculous. And trust me, it’s hard having to take the…

Playing with real cigarettes in order to upset the anti-smoking Nazis is one thing, but why would anyone would want to spend nearly $200.00 each on fake marijuana plants? I don’t know why, but they’re for sale: Get a rise out of the neighbors with these fake pot plants, made out of realistic-looking silk by…

La Shawn Barber has a fascinating post titled “How to Avoid a Blogosphere Scandal.” If we bloggers are going to demand transparency from the media and criticize other bloggers for failure to disclose, we must hold ourselves to the same standard. Why should we disclose financial relationships? Because people don?t want to be manipulated. If…