The definitions of ‘Republican’ and ‘Democrat’, and even ‘conservative’ and ‘liberal’, seem to dance in circles. Even the nature of the parties shifts over time. One is an ideology, the other a coalition, they say. But even that fact tends […]
Free Speech
Another Way of Bypassing the Restrictions on Criminal Law
I have written about the increasing use of civil law to bypass the limitations and ‘rights’ attached to criminal law. But yet another tactic has recently been discovered, and maybe not all that recently. The law and concept of rape has […]
Several Suggestions for the Democratic Party of California
The Democratic Party of California has reason for complacency. It is the only state level political party of significance. It unites the majority communities of color with the creative class portion of the still powerful non-Hispanic white minority. The tensions in […]
Authoritarianism is a Hot Subject Nowadays
There is a lot of intellectual fuss about ‘authoritarianism’ nowadays, because of the rise of Donald Trump and what appears to be the overthrow of traditional ‘fusion’ conservatism. A long essay by Amanda Taub in “Vox” is the most thorough […]
Andrew Sullivan on Trump and Tyranny: A Response
Andrew Sullivan, having retired from blogging and writing after first giving us the idea of same sex marriage and then being lambasted by his followers for wanting to be tolerant to their enemies who lost over that particular issue, has […]
Face, Respect, the Sin of Gossip, and ‘Freedom From Speech’
The debate about ‘freedom from speech’ has accelerated. Greg Lukianoff, author of the Freedom from Speech broadside, has cooperated with Jonathan Haidt, an author I have quoted on Blue Kennel to write an article for The Atlantic criticizing the concept of […]
‘Christian Colleges’ for The Heathen?
There has been plenty of publicity about “political correctness” on campus and on the extreme sensitivity of today’s generation to “microaggressions”. I posted “Freedom From Speech” not long ago, getting that title from Greg Lukianoff’s book of that name. I modestly […]
‘Freedom From Speech’ and Freedom From Other Things
“Freedom of speech” has been a slogan in America and the Western World for some time. But how to explain the rise of “political correctness,” which has not much affected our civil law, but has affected policies on campus, and, […]
Islamist Hypocrisy on Free Speech: Suppose They Got What They Wanted?
Eric Posner, legal scholar and son of the scholar and judge Richard Posner, declares in Slate that free speech is overrated and that internationally, even to a small degree in Europe, it needs to take a back seat to order. […]