Andrew Sullivan's Blog, page 2693

Stopping Blood Diamonds Won't Fix Congo, Ctd

Texas In Africa makes her case in more detail. Jason Stearns differs. Chris Blattman moderates:

My fear: oodles of energy get directed to the minerals issue, armedgroups re-balance their portfolio, and not much changes in the way ofrebel finance. "Conflict cows" doesn't sell so well, and soEnough declares victory, seizes the next sexy issue ... the US will continue it's 50-yearpolicy of supporting dodgy dictators in Kinshasa, all the whilewondering why things never seem to get better; and...

The Weekly Wrap

Today on the Dish, Andrew lauded Obama's historic efforts, recommended a new book on neoconservatives, and kept defending himself against smears. The blogosphere reacted to new GDP numbers. Allahpundit assessed the unsettling Time cover on Afghanistan, Ackerman relayed some surprising polling on drones, and Greenwald chided war supporters over Wikileaks. A distressing dispatch from Afghanistan here.

In Palin coverage, she found an ally in the ADL (commentary here), David Vitter ran with death ...

Shades Of Modernization

Digging deeper into this Pew study, Kalsoom Lakhani ferrets out a contradiction:

Many Muslims in Pakistansay there is a struggle between groups that want to modernize their country andIslamic fundamentalists (44 percent), and of those who see a struggle, most identifywith the modernizers (61 percent). At the same time though, a solid majority ofPakistanis polled said they would favor making gender segregation in the workplacea law in the country (85 percent), as well as punishments like...

The ADL Backs Palin Against The Cordoba Mosque, Ctd

Goldblog admonishes the ADL:

This is a strange war we're fighting against Islamist terrorism. Wemust fight the terrorists with alacrity, but at the same time we mustunderstand that what the terrorists seek is a clash of civilizations.We must do everything possible to avoid giving them propagandavictories in their attempt to create a cosmic war betweenJudeo-Christian civilization and Muslim civilization. The fight is notbetween the West and Islam; it is between modernists of all...

Top Secret America, Ctd

Richard Posner didn't enjoy the series:

The overarching theme of the studyis that the intelligence system is too large. But in emphasizing sheersize, the study reflects a lack of perspective. Although the nationalsecurity state has about 100,000 employees and annual expenditures of$75 billion, IBM has four times as many employees and yearly costsapproaching the same amount. Is IBM too large? Is $75 billion, which isroughly one-half of one percent of the nation's Gross Domestic Product,too...

Wright vs George

A helpful discussion between two of the smartest thinkers on morality, politics and religion:

Politics - Religion - Religion and Spirituality - Atheism - Ethics

Waiting On Innovation, Ctd

Avent counters Manzi:

If you look closely, you'll find that Manzi has gone and made
case for a carbon price in as compelling a fashion as you're likely
find. Manzi thinks about automobiles and gas taxes and pictures a
certain kind of innovation — new cars with new engines that don't
on gas. And when he looks at Europe he doesn't see it. But does
mean that there has been no innovation in response to the higher
tax rates?

Clearly that's not the case. In general, Europeans do d...

Face Of The Day

Anti-abortion activists hold an event to 'beat and hang' Senator
Lindsey Grahams, R-SC, in effigy for committing 'ethical and political
treachery against the babies of North Carolina, and the laws of God' on
Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, July, 29, 2010. By Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images.

North Carolina - Washington DC - United States - Activism - United States Capitol

Abortion And Slavery

E.D. Kain contests this Malkin Award:

If you believe in your heart of hearts that an unborn child is
nevertheless a child – a living, growing, human being – and yet the law
of the land dictates that said living, growing human being is not in
possession of even the most basic right – the right to life – then how
different is this from slavery?

Abortion - Slavery - Human - Right to life - Law

Creepy Ad Watch

Copyranter scratches his head over the "Kurt Cobain dwarf doppelgänger":

The point, I guess, of this unfortunately humorous ad for a New Zealand domestic violence support organization is that, when you've been abused by an angry man-monster, you see angry man-monster faces everywhere. Sorry, but smiles should never be the result of viewing an ad for such a serious subject.

Kurt Cobain - Women - People - Violence and Abuse - Domestic violence