In the final analysis, Madame Bovary is just another trope. Unknown academic wag. dope: an illicit, habit-forming, or narcotic drug; a stupid person; [slang] the inside scoop, the poop, the skinny, the lowdown Cant kills ideas. Leaves them dead in the field, their tongues swollen and hanging. Flies buzzing. (They fell in love too easily. […]
Threats to Democracy
. The New York Times editorialized the other day, in “Too Much Power for a President,” It has been clear for years that the Obama administration believes the shadow war on terrorism gives it the power to choose targets for assassination, including Americans, without any oversight. The Times argued, No one in that position should be able […]
Dishonest Argument: the Social Divider
The other day I mentioned the argumentative reversal in debate, when one party makes use of the argument against it to try to turn the tables, sort of the way in Aikido, one does not directly counter the opponent, but redirects his attacking force back against him. The party implicitly accepts an argument – without […]
CineFile – Norma Rae
Those who do not remember the past are condemned to low wages, managerial mistreatment, and old age poverty. What kind of boss do you think the underhanded, contemptuous, and inflexible Scott Walker will be to work for? While Martin Ritt was not an exceptional film stylist, his origins in the 1930s Group Theater led to […]
Hugo Chavez in Wisconsin
It is a core distinction between the American Left and Right that while liberals seek to expand rights in ways that conservatives often dislike and find offensive, conservatives simply seek to deprive citizens of rights and to take from them those they already have. You can find video of this historic travesty of democracy – […]