Andrew Sullivan's Blog, page 2549
September 13, 2010
An Apology From Marty
He writes the following about a paragraph I first noted here and that Nick Kristof subsequently noted here:
The embarrassing sentence is: "I wonder whether I need honor these people and pretend they are worthy of the privileges of the First Amendment, which I have in my gut the sense that they will abuse." I wrote that, but I do not believe that. I do not think that any group or class of persons in the United States should be denied the protections of the First Amendment, not now, not ever.....
Mourning Silently
Jonathan Hopkins, a former Army captain, explains the reality of DADT:
A colleague of mine relayed a story of a soldier whose boyfriend was
killed by a roadside blast while both were deployed. The only person
the grieving soldier could safely talk to was an Australian officer he
didn't even know. His most trusted teammates — members of his unit —
were not allowed to be there for him when he needed them most.
Don't Ask Don't Tell - British Army - United States - Jonathan Hopkins -...
America's Muslims
Lawrence Wright decries anti-Muslim bigotry:
Themost worrisome development in the evolution of Al Qaeda's influencesince 9/11 is the growth of pockets of Islamist radicalism in Westernpopulations. Until recently, America had been largely immune to theextremism that has placed some European nations in peril. America'sMuslim community is more ethnically diverse than that of any othermajor religion in the country. Its members hold more college andgraduate degrees than the national average. They...
The Manufactured Misfit? Ctd
A reader writes:
Perhaps I just don't read enough TMZ to have internalized the idea that Lady Gaga's persona is a "misfit," but I have never seen her that way. I think part of Gaga's appeal is the fact that she IS manufactured, but is up front about it. And seeing images of her former stereotypical beauty contrasted with her current look has given me the impression of someone who has actively and publicly chosen to reject her "beautiful" self. This resonates with people like me who grew up...
Chart Of The Day II
As Drum reads a new Pew report, his eyes widen:
Democrats and Independents have changed their viewing habits only
slightly while Republicans have flocked to Fox and dropped both CNN and
MSNBC in droves. Back in 2000, it turns out, the viewing habits of all
three groups were pretty similar. Since then, as Fox has steadily amped
up its conservative branding, conservatives have decided that's all
they want to hear. The echo chamber must be getting pretty deafening
over there.
Repub...
How Harry Potter Explains Modern Inequality
Tyler Cowen makes what should be an obvious point:
In a winner-take all economy ... small differences in skills can
mean large differences in returns and we have moved towards a winner
take-all economy because technology has increased the size of the
market that can be served by a single person or firm.
Tyler Cowen - Economy - Technology - Economic - United States
After November, Ctd
Stan Collender lists the consequences of a GOP-led government shutdown:
Shutdowns actually cost the government more money ($800 million last time according to Time) thanit would otherwise spend and, therefore, increase the deficit comparedto what it otherwise would be. Departments and agencies have to beginto implement shutdown plans within a few days of the possibility thattheir appropriations might expire. At a minimum, this involvesadditional communications security, building maintenance...
Merely A Copy
Rick Hertzberg connects two kinds of political burning:
[Y:]ou can't burn "the" flag, and you can't burn "the" Koran, either. Theflag is a Platonic ideal. As such, it is fireproof. Any particular flagis merely a copy, and you can't destroy the flag by destroying a flagany more than you can destroy (or even harm) the Constitution bydestroying a copy of it. Nor can you destroy the Koran by destroying acopy thereof, or any number of copies. But I can't claim to understandthe emotions involved...
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