Sometimes the commodity is a valuable mineral, like gold or diamond. The former is considered so valuable as to require heighted security and protection from criminal acquisition, in the U.S., at Fort Knox. The latter, the criminal pursuit of which is famously high in style and low and deadly, may even receive the epithet “blood,” […]
Independence Day #235
The American Civil War, known commonly by that name, but by many others, too, all depending on one’s point of view, has, in fact, no official name. The Fourth of July, known commonly by that name, does have an official name, and it isn’t that. It is Independence Day. All depending on one’s point of view, we […]
The End of Memoir: Allison Benedikt and Jose Antonio Vargas
Well, no, not really. But Fukuyama got a lot of mileage out of “The End of History,” and we’re still living it. People will keep on writing memoirs, long and short, and they’ve written bad ones before. This latest acme in the genre may not even have been reached yet. Still, there is a point […]
NY State Senate Gay Marriage Debate
It ain’t the Constitutional Convention. The National Review Online today offers a truly bizarre joint op-ed by New York Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long and Democratic State Senator Ruben Diaz. It is bizarre because it can only be a testament to the depth of Diaz’s opposition to gay marriage that he would sign on to […]
Circumcision Cuts Both Ways (Ay, there’s the rub)
Circumcision has been in the news lately. (What makes it “news.”) More precisely, it is anti-circumcision sentiment that has been in the news. The issue is going to be on the ballot in San Francisco in November and was due to be considered in Santa Monica, California until the measure was withdrawn due to controversy. […]