When will people realise that telling someone to cheer up is about as useful as telling them to be taller. And they say mothers are not demanding Half empty: a pessimist's view of the world
Eye on Politics & Law Lords: Variety and Vulnerability in Party Politics
Peter Berkowitz on variety and vulnerability in American party politics.
The 2004 election's map of blue coasts and red hinterland proclaims two distinct Americas. But this gives a false impression of unity within the contending camps.
Disagreement among conservatives in the United States is acute about which beliefs, practices, and institutions are essential and which are most in danger of being lost or degraded. Social conservatives are anxious to constrain America's larger liberalism by protecting traditional morality from the corrosive effects of untrammeled personal freedom and the disruptions of a healthy, churning economy. In contrast, libertarians seek to preserve the legal framework within which personal freedom can be enjoyed and the market can operate most efficiently. Neoconservatives—typically more at home with liberalism than social conservatives and more at ease with traditional morality than libertarians—are committed to protecting America's liberalism from its own excesses by preserving habits of heart and mind that support freedom.
• To command a national majority, the Republican Party requires the support of all three kinds of conservatives [The flap over the telephone conversations with the then presidential aspirant which were tape-recorded in 1998-2000 by political consultant Doug Wead has been under-appreciated Political consultant Doug Wead is Mr. Shoot-the-Moon ; There is a simple reason why patriots on both the right and the left are stymied: because the center is rotten to its well-wadded, self-righteous, willfully ignorant core. Core Values ]
• · It is regrettable but necessary that Mr Jones' comments should be made the subject of comments of my own. Mr Jones yesterday said the hearing was "looking grubbier and grubbier". He also commented on evidence given by Premier Bob Carr's chief of staff, Graeme Wedderburn ICAC threatens Alan Jones with legal action ; Darwin rocked by earthquake: Tsunami next?
• · · War of the words: Think what you will of her political views, but columnist Ann Coulter certainly has a gift for writing provocatively titled (and best-selling) books Ann Coulter and the Title Fight ; From Indonesia, an article examines the threats to its national interests. With 210 million people, Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous state and possesses Southeast Asia's strongest military
• · · · Mother Jones ponders about what’s missing from the debate over values in America. Worse than conservatives’ pretense of moral superiority is liberals’ pretense of superiority to morals. Left, Right, & Wrong ; Was Winston Churchill a neocon? A new museum prompts debate over the use (and abuse) of Churchill’s name in the war on terror
• · · · · Inventor/entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil has become the high-tech version of the cartoon character carrying the sign: "The End Is Near." That Singularity sensation ; Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right upfront with you, I like brawling Is it possible that some people actually see violence as a good thing?
• · · · · · As a libertarian who often finds more comfort with the left these days than the right, I went to the conference expecting the worst, particularly given the general contempt the Republican Party has shown for limited government since taking control of the White House and Congress. Is there still a chance for an alliance between libertarians and limited-government conservatives? ; Cold War pressures, and the whole complex put in place by the West (with the intelligence services playing a leading role), to identify the slightest crack in the other camp, were not invented by paranoia George Walden reviews The Soviet Century by Moshe Lewin ; Reconstructing the fabric of a demolished government