News of the Week (April 6th, 2014)

Posted on April 6, 2014 by The Political Hat

 

News of the Week for April 6th, 2014


 

Mozilla Fallout

 

Hey, OkCupid, no plan to boycott former Mozilla CEO’s ‘homophobic’ JavaScript?
Dating website OkCupid led the witch hunt for Mozilla co-founder Brendan Eich, boycotting the Firefox web browser over Eich’s 2008 donation in support of California’s Prop 8. As soon as Eich resigned as CEO of Mozilla, OkCupid traded in the pitchforks for champagne.

Considering how meaningless marriage has become, I hereby withdraw any opposition I’ve ever had to gay marriage
Up until our very modern era, before a girl got married, she was (in theory, at least) a sexually uninitiated child under her parents’ care. Marriage was her entry into the adult world: she left her parents; her faith and her state both encouraged her to have sex (with her husband); and she began producing and raising the next generation. For centuries, even millennia, the wedding was the single most transformative event in every woman’s life. It marked a profound change in her standing in society, from child to woman.

OKCupid Goes Full Fascist for the Gays
I’d like for people who support gay marriage to answer this question: Is it right to deny employment to someone who opposes gay marriage?

“Recant Your Heresies,” the Freethinker Demanded, Trembling with Religious Fury and Transcendant Ecstasy
An anonymous writer — an insider in the tech world, but unwilling to share his or her name (go figure) — writes about the Moral Panic burning over the tech industry over the elevation of Brendan Eich to the head of Mozilla.

No more Firefox for me — I don’t do business with fascists
As of today, I am no longer a Firefox user. I think that, after you read about Brendan Eich’s travails, you’ll agree that you don’t want to be a Firefox user anymore either.

Corrosive Conformity
In 2008, Barack Obama and Brendan Eich both were against gay marriage. Senator Obama averred his support for the one-man/one-woman view of marriage, while Mr. Eich, a cofounder of the Mozilla web-browser company, donated $1,000 to support Proposition 8 — a California ballot initiative that had the effect of making Senator Obama’s avowed marriage policy the law in California, at least until a federal court overturned it on the theory that California’s constitution is unconstitutional. Barack Obama inexplicably remains, as of this writing, president of the United States of America, but Mr. Eich has just been forced out as CEO of Mozilla because of his political views.

Mozilla’s Gay-Marriage Litmus Test Violates Liberal Values
The forced resignation of Brendan Eich will have a chilling effect on political discourse.

A Gay CEO with Balls Needs to Hire Eich and Halt this Crap
If the headline strikes some as offensive, it will nevertheless remain, because that’s the case I’m making, and I’m sticking with it: a gay CEO with a pair of brass ones needs to step up and speak truth to a growing, and most illiberal new power. He or she needs to hire Brendan Eich in some sort of corporate leadership capacity for the sake of the most fundamental of freedoms — the freedom to think what you want to think, even if your thinking is unpopular or deemed “mistaken” — and in so doing boldly declare that our society has no truck with inquisitions.

Purge the Bigots
Brendan Eich is just the beginning. Let’s oust everyone who donated to the campaign against gay marriage.

The Radical Left’s High-Stakes Gamble on Intolerance
Not for the first time, the radical Left is moving rapidly away from any respect for free speech and pluralism and is decisively throwing itself into creating a self-righteous culture of intolerance and intimidation. It’s playing a dangerous game, one that is already alienating its own allies.

Intolerance in the Name of Tolerance
The online campaign that led to Brendan Eich’s resignation was intolerant and obnoxious. Also, stupid. But please don’t blame the gay community. Blame the people who did it and who do not represent or resemble mainstream gay America.

Slate pro-tip on executive management: Only bad CEOs oppose same-sex marriage
Actually, Slate has two pieces up today on the Mozilla/Firefox nuttiness that cost Brendan Eich his job as CEO of the company, for a private political donation six years ago for a referendum that passed in California by a significant majority. Let’s see if you can guess which one is the satire.

The rise of totalitarian liberalism
George Orwell gave us a look at the operation of a totalitarian one-party state in 1984. This week Mozilla gave us a look at its nascent liberal variant. Recently appointed CEO Brandon Eich was officially made a nonperson. He was dispatched down the memory hole as the company announced that he has “step[ped] down from his role as CEO” as a result of his contribution of $1,000 to the passage of California’s Prop 8 six years ago.

Mozilla blowback: bursting the PC bubble?
The people at Mozilla may yet live to regret their decision in cooperating with the forcing out of Brendan Eich.

A Future of Fear
As we noted in Mozilla Burning, the real purpose of going after Eich was to harass and intimidate everyone who supports the traditional view of marriage. Its purpose was to drive such people out of polite society. Or make them shut up. The mob has no interest in winning hearts and minds anymore, not when crushing them swiftly will do.

Mozilla Clams Up
Firefox meets firestorm.

OkFascist
Mozilla, the company that makes the web browser Firefox, committed the only unforgivable sin progressives have – it hired someone who didn’t toe the progressive line to be its CEO. Uniformity of thought is the new black, and a straying from that plantation lands you on the new blacklist. That’s where Brendan Eich finds himself now for daring to stray from the progressives’ plantation on gay marriage.

Gingrich Goes Off on Left’s ‘New Fascism’ After Mozilla CEO’s Ouster
On This Week With George Stephanopoulos Sunday morning, 2012 South Carolina GOP primary winner Newt Gingrich decried the “new fascism” that forced people out of their jobs for having conservative beliefs — the most recent example being, according to Gingrich, former Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich, who stepped down last week after public outrage over his $1,000 donation to an organization supporting California’s Proposition 8, which would have banned same-sex marriage.

 

Election 2014

 

The Demographics Behind the Democrats’ 2014 Troubles
The party is losing support among whites, millennials and independents.

GOP Candidate For New York Governor Has Kids Opt Out Of Common Core Testing
Westchester County Executive and Republican candidate for New York governor Rob Astorino is having his kids opt out of Common Core testing this week. Here in Central New York hundreds of children are opting out. My 7th grader told me there are at least three kids in his grade that sat out the test today. They came to school late, but other kids in New York who opt out are left to sit and stare for hours while other students take the exams.

Supreme Court strikes down overall campaign contribution cap
The Supreme Court has struck down limits in federal law on the overall campaign contributions the biggest individual donors may make to candidates, political parties and political action committees.

Republicans Catch on that Negative Advertising Works
Early spending by outside groups on attack ads has put Democratic incumbents on the defensive.

House Republicans’ Secret Immigration Ploy
House Republicans are quietly working to insert immigration legislation into the text of the Department of Defense authorization bill that would allow so-called DREAMers to obtain permanent legal residency by joining the military, Breitbart News has learned.

#MNSen: Can this map keep expanding?
A new poll from GOP pollster Magellan Strategies puts Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., at just 44 percent against two potential GOP challengers, with leads of three and six percent against two different hopefuls. Franken’s approval/disapproval is tied at 44/44.

Why the GOP could control Congress for a long time
Republicans are now favored to control both chambers of Congress after the 2014 election. And thanks to favorable maps in both the House and the Senate, they could hold both for plenty of years to come.

Scott Brown moves closer to announcing official Senate bid
Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown (R) plans to make his bid for Senate in New Hampshire official, he said on Wednesday on a local radio show.

Republicans Poised For Major State-Level Gains in November
Democrats should be worried about more than just the U.S. House and Senate.

 

Obama Scandals

 

DHS document: 68,000 illegal immigrants with criminal convictions released in 2013
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials last year released 68,000 illegal immigrants with criminal convictions, undercutting Democratic claims that President Obama has strictly enforced immigration laws.

Regulators Twice Failed to Open GM Probes
Internal Email at Agency Asked Why Airbags Weren’t Deploying

The GM Scandal Is Worse Than You Think
And by “you” I mean the media.

Gun Rights

 

Seven ironic post-arrest Leland Yee press releases
There’s a point after reading the 1,100th Leland Yee press release that the words start to run together, in a blur of bragging award acceptance, sanctimonious video game manufacturer shaming and C-list celebrity name dropping.

Leland Yee’s interesting history of cash for votes
Ever since the recent revelations regarding California state senator Leland Yee’s allegedly somewhat unusual approach to capitalist endeavors – to put it charitably – the media has begun digging more deeply into the elected official’s past. (Well, unless the moniker of your media outlet involves the initials C, N and N, that is.. not to name any names.) And as the LA Times reports, there are more than a few curious votes in Yee’s legislative record which, by some amazing coincidence, seem to line up with large political contributions he received.

Hide the Decline

Environment &
“Green Energy”

 

Green ideologues from UK government sexed up IPCC climate report
Green ideologues working for the British government helped “sex up” the latest Intergovernmental Panel On Climate Change (IPCC) report in order to make its conclusions sound more scary than the evidence warrants, it emerged today.

‘Global warming’ is rubbish says top professor
He doesn’t believe in ‘global warming’ and says ‘climate change’ is a meaningless term used as a sop by big business to create money.

Lying About Climate Change To Advance The Green Agenda Is Good, Says Peer-Reviewed Paper
Lying about climate change to advance the environmental agenda is a good idea, say two economists in a peer-reviewed paper published in the American Journal of Agricultural Economics.

Obamacare

Government in Healthcare

 

Lawsuit Filed Against Nevada Health Exchange
Just days after the deadline to enroll for insurance coverage through Nevada Health Link, the first class-action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of residents who say they signed up and paid their premiums – but were never given coverage.

Obamacare and how Democrats lost the senior citizen vote
He’s not a health policy expert or anything, but I bet he votes, and his experience is not uncommon. It explains why in its moment of relative triumph in terms of sign-ups (they probably enrolled 5 million people), the Affordable Care Act remains as as unpopular as it ever has been.

 

War & Terror

 

Koreas trade fire; island residents in shelters
North and South Korea fired hundreds of artillery shells into each other’s waters Monday in a flare-up of animosity that forced residents of five front-line South Korean islands to evacuate to shelters for several hours, South Korean officials said.

Vladimir Putin ‘Wants to Regain Finland’ Says Close Adviser
One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ex-advisers has claimed that the ex-KGB agent ultimately wants to reclaim Finland for Russia.

Growing number of states outlaw NSA-style police and government spying
An increasing number of states are pushing legislation to protect the private telephone and Internet data of citizens from police and government electronic surveillance.

Taiwan’s Takeaway from Russian Annexation of Crimea: We Must Modernize Military
Taiwan watched Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea from Ukraine very closely. After all, the island nation, which is claimed by China, has long feared Beijing might do the same thing.

US built Cuban social-media platform as means to undermine Castro regime
And … ended up providing a free social-media network for no reason at all. According to the Associated Press, the normally-aboveboard USAID used Cayman shell corporations to hide a covert effort to use Cuban cellphones as a means to spread information that would allow the people to understand the nature of the Castro regime. ZunZuneo ended up being popular, but in the end USAID never sent out anything in support of its intended mission

Russia Eyeing Land Grabs in Moldova, Georgia
Inhofe: ‘At some point Putin has to be told that the buck stops here’

Japan to intercept any North Korea missile deemed a threat
Japan will strike any North Korean ballistic missile that threatens to hit Japan in the coming weeks after Pyongyang recently fired medium-range missiles, a government source said on Saturday.

U.S. Fails to Reaffirm Its Mutual Defense Treaty with Japan
Russia’s effortless annexation of Crimea has raised concerns in countries throughout Asia that the U.S. will not honor its commitment to defend them against attacks from other countries, such as China. When America became policeman of the world after WW II, thanks to the Truman Doctrine in 1947, the deal was that other countries could focus on economic growth and not worry about military spending, because America would rescue them if necessary. But after America took no action in Crimea or Syria, and the Obama administration appears to have completely abandoned the Truman Doctrine for the first time, many countries are understandably nervous that now they’re completely on their own.

National

 

Why is Mitch McConnell smiling?
Jennifer Rubin awards the Distinguished Pol of the Week trophy to… Mitch McConnell.

This second grader’s revenge against Common Core math will make your day
The litany of frighteningly stupid Common Core math worksheets never ends. Perhaps now, though, kids are starting to fight back in satisfyingly creative ways.

White Privilege Conference: “What can Educators do to end White Supremacy in the classroom?”
The city of Madison hosted the 15th annual national White Privilege Conference last week at the Monona Terrace to discuss issues of white supremacy, social justice, education and the Tea Party. The MacIver Institute attended multiple breakout sessions and will be releasing our highlights over the next couple days.

Harvard discovers three of its library books are bound in human flesh
There’s something undeniably creepy about big, expansive libraries. The hushed whispers, the almost artificial quiet, and the smell of dusty tomes combine to create a surreal experience. But when it comes to creepy libraries, Harvard University might take the cake… you see, three of its books are bound in human flesh.

Massive Voter Fraud Scandal Erupts in North Carolina
State elections officials seek tighter security

Why the All-Ivy League Story Stirs Up Tensions Between African Immigrants and Black Americans
The story of the first-generation Ghanian-American student accepted by all eight Ivy league schools is wonderful, but it also stirs up the tension between black Americans and recent African immigrants — especially when you describe him as “not a typical African-American kid.” That’s been the reaction to USA Today’s profile on Kwasi Enin, a Long Island high schooler who got into the nation’s most competitive schools through hard work and, according to IvyWise CEO Katherine Cohen, being African (and being male).

Teacher Tearfully Describes Bullying and Intimidation She Suffered for Opposing Common Core
Missouri elementary teacher Susan Kimball testified before the Missouri Senate Education Committee that she has been threatened and bullied for her opposition to Common Core.

Dem Senate candidate: SCOTUS decision on McCutcheon v. FEC may be worst since Dred Scott
South Dakota Democratic Senate nominee Rick Weiland thinks Wednesday’s Supreme Court decision striking down the cap on aggregate political contributions is the worst since the Court ruled against Dred Scott.

Washington Post Political Blogger Thinks a Whole State Can Be Gerrymandered
In a piece today, he writes that if the Republicans take the Senate this fall, they could hold it for years to come. Why? Because red states are somehow “gerrymandered.”

Teachers Wallow in White Privilege Conference
Minority privilege has reached such an extreme of insanity that you can actually be elected president primarily on the strength of not being a member of the majority racial group.

Under Icy Surface of a Saturn Moon Lies a Sea of Water, Scientists Say
Inside a moon of Saturn, beneath its icy veneer and above its rocky core, is a sea of water the size of Lake Superior, scientists announced on Thursday.

Stephen Breyer’s Collectivist View Of Free Speech
A couple of days ago the US Supreme Court struck a blow for free speech by reversing the decision of the odious and addled 9th Circuit. The court ruled that there was no compelling reason that authorized the Congress to limit the number of candidates to which a donor could contribute. Less noticed was the direct assault on the First Amendment by the four justices who made up the minority in this case.

Univision Staffer Rejects RNC Press Release ‘Because I am a Democrat’
This is outrageous. In my old job with the Texas GOP I met with Univision executives and anchors a few times. Univision claims that it wants to be a fair broker to both political parties, but it is increasingly revealing that it’s completely in the tank for the Democrats — even more than the English-language mainstream media.

Vegas or bust for Republicans
Las Vegas has a big advantage over the other five cities hoping to host the Republican National Convention in 2016: Sheldon Adelson.

Intriguing New Campus Event: “How to Be a Lesbian in 10 Days or Less”
The University of South Carolina Upstate is hosting a production of “How to Be a Lesbian in 10 Days or Less.”

Economy & Taxes

 

Here Comes the Sun
The price of a product is a function of the demand for it — or should be.

Can This Man Feed the World?
Billionaire Harry Stine’s Quest to Reinvent Agriculture — Again

GM is Alive, And 13 Victims of GM Malfunctions Are Dead
The headline refers to the fact that 13 people died due to the ignition-switch defect, which would have cost fifty seven cents per car to fix.

$6 Billion Goes Missing at State Department
The State Department has no idea what happened to $6 billion used to pay its contractors.

 

International

 

France’s ruling Socialists lose big in local elections
Back in January, Socialist French President Francois Hollande promised to turn the disastrously foundering ship that is the French economy around, apparently having realized that his erstwhile agenda of taxing the heck out of businesses and millionaires wasn’t going anywhere, by instead instituting tax cuts for businesses that the government hoped would boost the country’s competitiveness. Those tax cuts have yet to materialized, and in February, France’s unemployment rate again ticked upward — which was announced just in time for municipal elections this week. They didn’t go too well for the Socialists, as you might imagine.

Mass protest held in Taiwan against China trade deal
At least 100,000 people have taken to the streets of Taiwan’s capital Taipei, to protest against a controversial trade agreement with China.

Tea-party libertarianism sweeps … France?
Even from the modest height of the ersatz Eiffel Tower in Paris, Texas, the twinned radicalization of Lone Star and French conservatives unfolds in neat parallel. On a number of issues, the discourses of the Tea Party in Texas and the FN in France have pushed the traditional conservative establishments to the right. While “compassionate conservatives” have long argued for a more humane and generous immigration policy, the Tea Party has pushed mightily in the opposite direction. This seismic shift has led to the growing isolation of establishment figures like former President George W. Bush, and the growing prominence of radicals like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who himself becomes a beacon of moderation when compared to Tea Party militants like Senate candidate Chris Mapp, who told the Dallas Morning News that ranchers should be allowed to shoot on sight illegal immigrants — in his words, “wetbacks” — crossing the border.

The World’s Post-Crimea Power Blocs, Mapped
What does this week’s UN vote say about Russia’s new place in the world?

Venezuela issues ID cards to curtail food hoarding
Battling food shortages, the government is rolling out a new ID system that is either a grocery loyalty card with extra muscle or the most dramatic step yet toward rationing in Venezuela, depending on who is describing it.

Amnesty Reports Dozens of Venezuela Torture Accounts
Amnesty International has received dozens of accounts of torture allegedly carried out by government security forces in Venezuela since protests that have left at least 37 dead broke out in February.

Opposition politician dares Venezuela to arrest her
Opposition politician Maria Corina Machado dared Venezuela’s leftist government to arrest her Wednesday, as President Nicolas Maduro’s administration carried out a widening crackdown on protesters.

Ousted Venezuelan Legislator Attacked with Tear Gas
Lawmaker María Corina Machado made her way back to work Tuesday after the Venezuelan legislature’s president, Diosdado Cabello, stripped her of her elected position and the legislative immunity that comes with it. Venezuelan troops, in response, attacked her and the thousands behind her with teargas, blocking her way.

Venezuela Wants to Spread the Suffering
Venezuela’s economy is starting to remind me of the old woman who swallowed a fly.

Turkish riot police break up post-election protest in Ankara
Turkish riot police have fired water cannon at opposition protesters demonstrating against local election results. The weekend vote was dominated by the ruling AKP party of Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Three explosions at Cairo University, at least one dead
One policeman dies and at least five are injured in three explosions at Cairo University on Wednesday; a forth device was deactivated; 15 students arrested

Nigel Farage: The European Dream is Crumbling

Nigel Farage v Nick Clegg: EU debate highlights

Venezuelan Government Sending Threatening Notices To Journalists Covering Unrest
This letter, now circulating the Internet, was sent to me by a number of sources in Venezuela. It is being sent out to journalists in Venezuela identified as having unfavorably covered the Venezuelan government in regards to the unrest which began in the country in February this year.

Venezuela issues ID cards to curtail food hoarding
Battling food shortages, the government is rolling out a new ID system that is either a grocery loyalty card with extra muscle or the most dramatic step yet toward rationing in Venezuela, depending on who is describing it.

Soviet Sweden? Model Nation Sliding to Third World
When President Barack Obama visited Sweden last year, he expressed his deep admiration for the Swedish model. But that should make Americans a little nervous.

The Cesspit of Parliaments
Westminster, so the saying goes, is the mother of parliaments, but the EU’s parliament is the cesspit.

Ebola
It’s one of the deadliest diseases on Earth, with a fatality rate as high as 90 percent. It’s also grotesque, sometimes causing bleeding from the eyes, ears, mouth and rectum and a bloody full-body rash leading to a quick demise.

Pro-Russians storm government offices in eastern Ukraine
Activists chanting “Donetsk is a Russian city!” broke through police lines Sunday and stormed the region’s administration building as a wave of violent protests gripped the industrial heartland of eastern Ukraine.

Free speech in Australia
a small start to rolling back Gillard and co’s war on it

 

Opinion

 

Dropped on Her Head Again? Radical Feminist Rants About ‘Intersectionality’
You may remember how, in reaction to a radical feminist’s anti-heterosexual rant — “PIV is always rape, OK?” — Twitter user @conkc2 asked, “Was she maybe dropped on her head?” In recent weeks, the radfem has been on an extended rant about “intersectionality,” the most recent installment being the fifth in the series

Which Side Are You On?
If you don’t care whether Republicans win, care that Democrats lose.

Trigger Warning: Is That You Liz Warren?
If white people are making fun of you for claiming a fake minority status, imagine what actual minorities are saying about you. White guys don’t care. You’re not taking coveted victim status away from them.

Graphic Images Justify Border Patrol’s Use of Deadly Force Against Rock Attacks
The images included below shed light on the dangers U.S. Border Patrol agents are facing from rock throwers along the U.S./Mexico border. The Border Patrol has come under an unprecedented level of fire from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and their allies in both government and media for the use of deadly force in response to some rock attacks from individuals and groups illegally entering the U.S. from Mexico.

Yoga pants are not a civil right
Middle school’s policy isn’t a ban. And it doesn’t encourage rape culture.

Exposing the Myths of Recreational Sex
There is a mountain of media out there promoting a phony philosophy about the joys of recreational sex – casual, risky sexual encounters that do not involve commitment. One need look no farther than the junk advice featured in magazines like Cosmopolitan to see just how pernicious and pervasive recreational sex is.

Elephants, Rhinos, and Jackasses
Back during the 2012 election cycle, I had the good fortune to attend a meeting in Washington DC sponsored by Herman Cain. He had withdrawn from the presidential race and felt that the tea party needed to come together behind Mitt Romney. There were a number of attendees from around the country to include some of the larger tea party organizations.

Charles Koch: I’m Fighting to Restore a Free Society
Instead of welcoming free debate, collectivists engage in character assassination.

Justice Breyer Pens a Remarkable Dissent in the Campaign Finance Case, Arguing that Free Expression is a Collective Right to be Permitted Only to the Extent It Furthers the “Will of the People”
And he got the three “liberals” to agree with him on this proposition.

Did Michigan just trigger ‘constitutional convention’? Bid gains steam
Momentum is building behind what would be an unprecedented effort to amend the U.S. Constitution, through a little-known provision that gives states rather than Congress the power to initiate changes.

Breyer’s dangerous dissent in McCutcheon (the campaign finance case)
Many early twentieth century American Progressives, who previously were indifferent or hostile to freedom of speech, discovered its importance during World War I and the post-War Red Scare, when the government prosecuted pacifists, pro-German activists, and radicals of various stripes. The idea that such persecution could occur in the U.S., and by an overtly Progressive (Wilson) Administration no less, was profoundly disturbing.

Something to keep in mind as liberals freak out over today’s SCOTUS decision
You’ve probably seen the McCutcheon decision this morning, by which the court abolished the $123,000 overall political giving limits and the $48,000 limit on what anyone can give to federal candidates in any given cycle. I think this is a positive development, a reaffirmation of free speech, and something that liberals would appreciate more if they weren’t deluding themselves about campaign finance law and what it can and cannot accomplish.

Job Interview=Microaggression
Tumblr is freaking gold. Here we have the story of Steven (formerly Stephanie, natch,) who writes about the under-reported scourge of “extrovert privilege.” Steven’s friend Tiffany was recently a victim of the microaggression known as a job interview.

It’s Time To Reclaim Classic Liberalism From The Hard Left
Modern liberalism is, as many on the right have observed, increasingly illiberal and more rigidly dogmatic than even the most fevered popular conception of medieval Catholicism. Liberals even have their own self-appointed Inquisitors, who prowl about the Internet seeking the ruin of careers for the slightest impolitic comment.

One Reason The Overton Window Doesn’t Open For Conservatives…No One Is Really Trying To Do It
On this week’s podcast Ace and I disagreed over the importance and virtue of the latest Ryan Plan budget. As I wrote earlier this week, I think it’s a waste of time that will be of no benefit to the GOP. I brought this up as my quick hit and Ace brought up Kevin Williamson’s piece pointing out that there’s nothing close to a majority that supports big spending cuts. Obviously I agree with this because disagreeing with that notion is like disagreeing with the idea that the Sun will rise in the east and set in the west. It’s just a fact.

The Cultivation of Shame
Like anger, shame is a natural emotion that everyone experiences, and we all experience both emotions for the same reason: Sometimes the moral law written on our hearts bumps up against reality. Though a child’s sense of right and wrong is unrefined, it exists from the earliest ages. Anger is triggered by perceived injustice, while perceived justice triggers feelings of magnanimity. Likewise, feelings of shame are triggered by perceived transgression while doing what we perceive as the right thing triggers feelings of pride. By itself, feeling shame is not right or wrong—it simply is. Shame is certainly a less pleasant emotion than anger is—righteous anger is something people are generally very comfortable with—but that does not mean the feeling must be avoided. It does, however, mean that shameful actions must be avoided. Like pain, shame is actually a good thing because it exists as a hedge against self-destruction.

White Liberals: We’ll Say Who the Racists Are
Karl Lueger was the mayor of Vienna at the turn of the century, whose populist politics were often riven with anti-semtism — so much so that he was cited as an inspiration by none other than Adolf Hitler in Mein Kampf.

The Republicans’ natural Senate majority, and its implications
I used to argue that the Republicans have a natural majority in the Senate in the sense that, given a 50-50 election, the House will be almost evenly divided, the presidential winner will be uncertain, but the Senate will likely be Republican (though this would require 50-50 elections over the course of three cycles). The reason, of course, is that the Senate gives equal weight to thinly populated states and large states. Republicans tend to do better in thinly populated states, which are typically rural, than in large states dominated by big cities.

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