Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Blogging is going to be lighter than usual for the next few days, as I have to complete my 25 hours of mandatory Continuing Legal Education. Wow. I see that I have been blogging so long that this is the second time my continuing education has interfered with my blogging. Hearing about recent legal developments…

Bruce Bawer looks at the Islamization of Europe and sees the rise of gay bashing by Muslim youths as a barometer: As the number of Muslims in Europe grows, and as the proportion of those Muslims who were born and bred in Europe also grows, many Muslim men are more inclined to see Europe as…

Are parents and taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars being used in ways that ensure the highest quality education at the lowest possible cost? Asked at Phi Beta Cons. (Via Glenn Reynolds.) It’s undignified to answer rhetorical questions.

John McCain has expressed opposition to gays serving in the military, and he appears to have given considerable thought to the subject: In an April 16 letter to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, McCain said, “I believe polarization of personnel and breakdown of unit effectiveness is too high a price to pay for well-intentioned but…

I’m having conceptual difficulty analyzing Toni Morrison’s endorsement of Barack Obama for president, but whatever: ABC News’ Rick Klein Reports: Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison — who famously declared Bill Clinton to be the nation’s “first black president” — is endorsing Barack Obama for president today, an Obama campaign source tells ABC News. This comes…

What am I to do when I see a headline that says “WILL HILL CHILL BILL?” Here’s the story-in-brief: Hillary’s campaign will try to ‘shift former President Bill Clinton back into positive, supportive-spouse role’ he played before her loss in Iowa… Developing… And as if that isn’t bad enough, there’s now legitimate speculation which can…

Stretch them to the breaking point and then increase the pressure. Collapse will follow. In the early days of the siege of Richmond, Lee admitted that if Grant had been able to bring one or two more brigades to bear he would have been crushed as he had no reserves left. It appears that this…

Of Purina Dog Chow, of course — as seen on “Leave it to Beaver”: As I’ve kvetched, the number one reason I hate television is that I cannot stand commercials. They do not fit in at all with the programming. Far from it; they’re as invasive as a SWAT team serving a no-knock warrant, and…

I can’t believe it, but I’m watching the returns trickle in, and Obama is winning by a much larger margin than I expected. As of right now, with 56% of the vote in, Obama is ahead 54% to Hillary’s 27%. And Bill is red faced and ranting in a Missouri speech — as if he’s…

No this is not a satire post about gun huggers, or a proposal for a bumpersticker showing a man hugging an AK-47 captioned “ARMS ARE FOR HUGGING!” Much as I’d love to have time for such gun-lovin’ antics, this post is an attempt to examine something I’ve been thinking about for some time and finally…

No, I am not talking about a struggle involving physicians in the Republican Party; I’m talking about the McCain Republican third rail phenomenon which is being called McCain Derangement Syndrome. While I supported Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani before that (and I guess I would have to be considered a Giuliani supporter as long as…

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, whose fresh approach seemed like a welcome change from the corruption-riddled administration of John Street, is not off to a great start if his plan to enforce illegal and unconstitutional laws is any indication: Nutter: Enforce Phila.’s gun laws The mayor is setting up a legal showdown with the state Supreme…

Unfortunately John McCain got Time’s endorsement. Fortunately he did get the New York Time’s endorsement. I say they cancel out. McCain. More at Gateway Pundit Cross Posted at Power and Control

This song is brought to you by the enemies of The Three Little Pigs. HT Instapundit

Harvard Economics professor Alvin Roth has a thought-provoking paper titled “Repugnance as a Constraint on Markets” (that’s an SSRN download; PDF file here). He begins with a look at California’s horse meat laws, which forbid the sale of horse meat as human food despite the lack of any legitimate public health concern, and there’s extended…

Well maybe not as rich as Marc Rich, but rich nonetheless. Drudge posts this picture of the Clintons with Tony Rezko. That’s of course the same guy that Hillary (during Monday night’s debate) accused Obama of representing while she was busy fighting wicked Republican ideas. Maybe she needs to revise her accusation: I was fighting…

It looks like Romney is getting some help in the debate in Florida. It is too bad he didn’t ask the audience for a clue. What we need in the “debates” is more audience participation. You know. To make it more real.

A lot of people are discussing the way the Clintons have deliberately, slyly injected race into the campaign: DILLON, S.C. (AP) – He’s not on the ballot but Bill Clinton seemed to dominate the South Carolina presidential campaign, disparaging Barack Obama and journalists and predicting that many voters will be guided mainly by gender and…

This is going around. I got it from Gateway Pundit who has more.

William Greider is a leftie journalist who writes for The Nation, and he recalls vintage Clinton tactics in a piece titled “Slick Willie Rides Again.” While they’re not yet back in the White House, their tactics are already make him “queasy”: The recent roughing-up of Barack Obama was in the trademark style of the Clinton…