Category Archives: Civilization

Rise Of The Thought Police

Posted on October 28, 2007 by Gaius

Wendy Kaminer has a brilliantly reasoned – and beautifully written – op-ed over at the Opinion Journal today about why so-called hate crime legislation is a terrible idea. This is one of the best criticisms of the subject I have ever seen. … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization, Crime, Legal | 4 Comments

“The Full Metal Deer Apocalypse”

Posted on October 28, 2007 by Gaius

That is Mark Steyn's name for the film loop that circles endlessly through the minds of many of the people trying to make sense of the world around them. Riffing off the same topic that Peggy Noonan did a few … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization, Insanity, Media | 3 Comments

Born At The Right(?) Time

Posted on October 26, 2007 by Gaius

Me and my buddies we are travelling people We like to go down to restaurant row Spend those Euro-dollars All the way from Washington to Tokyo I see them in the airport lounge Upon their mother's breast They follow me … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization | 4 Comments

Safe Haven

Posted on October 18, 2007 by Gaius

Gerard Baker, writing in the Times of London, points out what some of us have been saying for a while now: the absolute safest place in the world to be anti-American is in America. It is a scathing look at … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization, World news | 3 Comments

The Threat Within

Posted on October 14, 2007 by Gaius

Simon Jenkins notes the letter that was issued by 138 noted Islamic clerics and leaders regarding Muslim-Christian relations. He is not noticeably impressed. Coming at the end of Ramadan, the letter is impressive. The signatories embrace a global range of grand … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization, Media, World news | Comments Off

The Long And The Short Of Ideology

Posted on October 14, 2007 by Gaius

Mark Steyn's weekly column in the Orange County Register is both a history lesson and a commentary on where the west – and particularly the United States – is failing to grasp that lesson from history. Steyn recalls the famous … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization | 2 Comments

The Threat Of Bad Education

Posted on October 8, 2007 by Gaius

Oddly enough, my son and I were talking about the problems in American education earlier today. Then I saw this item from Neal Boortz pop up over at Real Clear Politics this afternoon. He's discussing the failure of American education … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization | 4 Comments

The American ‘We’

Posted on October 2, 2007 by Gaius

Jonah Goldberg has a column up in the Los Angeles Times that examines the unspeakable in American culture – at least it is unspeakable to the media and political elite. That unspeakable aspect is the American 'We'. I've come around … Continue reading →

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Spurning Responsibility

Posted on September 30, 2007 by Gaius

I posted about the plans of Britain's labor government to gut the Royal Navy. Yes, I did so in a way that made fun of them. Michael Van Der Galien described my take as quite accurate. He also pointed out … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization, World news | 1 Comment

The Post Scolds China

Posted on September 30, 2007 by Gaius

The Washington Post scolds China in an editorial today. The subject is Burma and China's increasing willingness to block any actions against tyrannical regimes. In the past three days, Burma's ruling junta has carried out a bloody and criminal crackdown … Continue reading →

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Substituting Talk For Action

Posted on September 30, 2007 by Gaius

Mark Steyn explains the difference between democracies and tyrannies in terms so simple even a left wing academic could understand. It's not about risk-free dissent, it is about action. At some point during this past week, it was decided that … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization, History, Left Wing | 7 Comments

The Modern Left ExposedExplained

Posted on September 29, 2007 by Gaius

Well, I wondered what exactly was "liberal" about today's left in this post. It did not take long to get an explanation from The Time of London's columnist Mick Hume. (Funny how the Rupert Murdoch owned Times has an avowed Marxist … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization, World news | Comments Off

The International Green Light For Thugs

Posted on September 28, 2007 by Gaius

Vaclav Havel, a man who knows a bit about having the boot of the state on his neck, points out the disastrous effect on human rights the ineffectual United Nations is having around the world, but especially in Burma. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization, World news | 2 Comments

Fancy New Name, Same Old Problem

Posted on September 27, 2007 by Gaius

I'm not picking on T-Steel, who posts over at The Moderate Voice. I just happen to have taken exception to a couple of his posts in the past few days when I saw them pop up on Memeorandum. Today he … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization, Humanity | 2 Comments

Decision-Making By Wishful Thinking

Posted on September 23, 2007 by Gaius

Walter Reich, former director of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, looks at the misuse of memorials to human atrocity to provide photo-ops for political purposes. He finds it as wrong today as it was when it caused him to resign. … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilization, Iran | Comments Off