Steve wrote an interesting look at why someone like Pat Buchanan should not be painted with a broad condemnation brush and written-off solely based on his comments related to race. Buchanan gave a very interesting analysis * of the war issue and the larger ideological context in which it resides : [ * - Jeanne Kirkpatrick was a professor of mine at Georgetown University. From 1994-95 I studied in her courses 'Critique of Utopia' and 'Capitalism, Competition, and Democracy' .] I agree with everything Buchanan says in the video but do I agree with everything Buchanan says anywhere else I have heard him? Certainly not but it worries me not an iota because , as Steve mentioned, he is not elected and has no public power to wield over any of us. Nevertheless, as the above video attests, Buchanan has had valid and insightful ideas and analyses for many big questions, not the least of which was a very realpolitik critique of the Iraq war. Even more, his critique was based n...

This from our British friends at The Libertarian Alliance . I warn you in advance that it is provocative reading, even by Libertarian standards. Brit Libertarian Sean Gabb has been rather ceremoniously uninvited as a United Kingdom Independence Party speaker because--oh, wow!--they just discovered that he is in favor of drug legalization, eliminating the UK's race relations laws, and in repealing some child pornography laws. That's right: Sean Gabb actually takes a critical look at child porn from a Libertarian perspective. This requires a longish citation to do his reasoning justice: This outrage, it seems, was caused by my brief statement of what it means to be a libertarian. I said the day before yesterday that I believe in legalising all drugs, in repealing all race relations laws, and in repealing some of the laws against child pornography. I am surprised that my statement had this effect. I have spent the past three decades arguing very clearly on every occasion for wha...

The following posts discuss tolerance, violence and the reality of both, in sometimes graphic terms. But nothing can prepare one for the ultimate reality of violence which is both harmful and painful; the necessary antidote to violence is tolerance; the necessary antidote to hyperviolence is to restore the appropriate humanity to human relationships. Both are discussed by Steve and I at some length. Like the clap of a zen masters hands: wake up to the reality of systematized violence and hyperviolence and more forcefully than any words: you should learn to be tolerant.

If Gay Marriage should be a right, how about ladyboy marriage? Becky has a nice take on it that when gay marriage comes to Utah the rapture cannot be far behind. I guess it is just whose behind we are discussing that matters in a literalistic sense. http://girlinshortshorts.blogspot.com/ I think the case can be made that people should be allowed to do pretty much whatever the hell they want as long as they do not hurt others in doing so. It is only in cases of harm that government should intercede to protect the rights of both parties. In parts of Asia where everything seems to be illegal, people do everything anyway. I mean, who would ever really know that in the above picture of the Band they are all men? I bet half of you young men out there would love to marry one of these "girls" and only later ( but hopefully not too late ) figure out that they are not tastefully carrying a mango in their thong underwear. I am proud to say that I have male friends who look like this, a...