Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

S.M. (what a great set of initials) McCain is blogging about a blogger busted for incest. Since it is a political hit piece you know how it runs. The miscreant is a left wing blogger who was a big Obama supporter. It is just a matter of time (human nature being what it is) until…

Over at HotAir, Ed Morissey asks if Obama’s triangulation has flopped. We’ve been hearing a lot about 1994 lately, but people tend to forget that Ross Perot made a real showing in 1992 and was a major factor in 1996 — for Clinton, moving toward the middle meant squeezing the space his 1996 challenger could…

The copyright slimebags have gone after Matt Drudge for using an allegedly copyrighted photo in the Drudge Report. What I find especially remarkable about the lawsuit is their damage demand: As the Wild West of online copyright enforcement very, very slowly sorts itself out, a group that seems to be trying to enforce — or,…

An FBI alert over a Barbie doll with a video camera has generated a lot of interesting discussion by people who are worried that the dolls might somehow be used by pedophiles to make kiddie porn: …that the new “Video Girl Barbie” comes with a hidden camera, which could be used to record child pornography.…

The man’s sex obsession is on view for all to see. My kinda guy. The book: Lube Jobs: A Woman’s Guide to Great Maintenance Sex If you buy the book from the above link it is almost $2 cheaper than the Instapundit link. I wonder why? And if I use this link the price is…

Not only did I love Sarah’s latest post (“Don’t Hate Me ‘Cause I’m Human“), I also loved her comment: …if I hear ONE MORE twit-line (or read it) in move or book saying something like “We are a plague on the Earth” I’m going to… become even more angry than I am. Those who say…

I haven’t written much about WikiLeaks, but I think there are two separate issues: one is the First Amendment, and the other goes to the damaging nature of the leaks (often called “national security”). It’s pretty basic that the right to say or publish something does not make saying or publishing it right. The principle…

Punishing sinners. A thankless pass time. A LOT of money in it though. According to Judeo/Christian philosophy punishing sinners is reserved for the Maker. Punishing disturbers of the peace is allowed. Where our “religious” friends go off the rails is in conflating the two. Vice may be unseemly. It is not crime. Vice is to…

This morning I was irritated to find a stupid piece of spam posted in my name on my Facebook Wall. Eventually I figured out what happened (no, they had not hacked my actual FB account), and I tried to post a helpful warning to whoever might be reading my Wall. But I can’t do that,…

A lot of people are hoping to start a war between social conservatives and libertarians in the Tea Party, and I think that represents wishful thinking on their part. That there is no denying the existence of sharp differences in philosophy within the Tea Party tent has long been obvious; I have written a number…

When I was younger and considerably more irresponsible than I am now, I bought a used car for almost nothing, which the guy sold me because the (automatic) transmission had conked out and he couldn’t move it. Actually, the car could be moved, but only in reverse. The transmission was dead in all forward gears,…

I would like to thank the Japanese and Germans for starting WW2. Without the war my mother would not have met my father and I would probably be some one else. If I was anyone at all. On Dec 7th, 1941 my Dad (God rest his soul) was in the Coast Guard. Not long after…

I try to remember every year. And I can’t think of a better reason than the fact that (unlike Bing) Google would have us forget. So what did I do? In spite of if not because of the obvious irony involved, I promptly Googled Google on the subject and found a Google discussion — titled…

Repeating myself is no fun. Nor is saying “I TOLD YOU SO.” But in today’s news, I see that President Obama is selling out the left, and making a right turn: Obama sells out the left: a Republican win on taxes By Jennifer Rubin There really is no other way to say it: the Republicans…

Quick question. What gives the Drug Enforcement Administration the right to determine what pain medications elderly people should be getting, when they should get it, and who gives it to them? Kohl wants to change DEA rules that allow pharmacists to dispense drugs to nursing home patients only with a verbal or written prescription from…

When I was exploring a blog which Glenn Reynolds linked recently, I found a fascinating left-wing comparison of Sarah Palin with Mike Huckabee, which is so refreshing in its honesty that I couldn’t resist sharing it: * General GOP crap: Palin believes and pushes a bunch of asinine right-wing nonsense about the economy, environment, guns,…

R.S. McCain is looking at the Jew hating faction of the Democrat Party. And like any good reporter he picks a particularly ugly example for our entertainment and enlightenment. But history intrudes. Nazi Germany is now history. And so is the interregnum it brought to Jew hating. Jew hating in America peaked in 1944. It…

I was reading Beyond The Nanny State which was discussing the TSA and other outrages and came across this comment: I’m not even in a position to go flying, but I must say, why is each and every frequent flyer being treated like a drug-runner in a car in Jersey You don’t get it do…

There is right and wrong. At least I still like to think there is. Drug laws contaminate our sense of right and wrong. Think about it. The big divide in criminal law is the distinction between malum in se, and malum prohibitum. Prohibitory substance laws treat malum prohibitum crime more seriously than many malum in…