Cross-posted from State of Formation. The title of this post might sound a little obvious to many who have concluded already that Santorum is a bigot for his anti-gay sentiments. But I think it’s important to take a look at why he was wrong, specifically, when he said this in an interview with Piers Morgan: I think just because … Read more
…also known as one of the more offensive and stupid ways of thinking about policy I’ve heard. Offered, surprisingly, by Steven Levitt who co-authored Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics: Most of the time there is broad agreement as to which activities should be made criminal. Almost no one thinks that theft or violence against innocents is socially … Read more
Also: If there is no bulb, do not turn on the light.If you have no car, do not drive.If there are no clothes, do not get dressed.If there is no food, do not eat.If you have no voice, do not speak.
The ACLU of Michigan has filed a brief on behalf of Terry Jones: The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan has weighed in on the Terry Jones saga, filing a brief supporting the controversial pastor’s right to protest this afternoon in front of a mosque. In the eight-page brief to the 19th District Court, the ACLU … Read more
In Colorado Springs yesterday, an elderly man called police to report his own suicide: At about 8:15 a.m. the 74-year-old man called 911 to report “he had a suicide,” according to the police report. When a dispatcher asked for more information, he replied, “Hold your ears,” then the dispatcher heard a gun discharge, according to the … Read more
Cream soda, cherry, apple? Maybe. The New York Times thinks it knows: Naked Cheetos would not seem to have much commercial future. Nor might some brands of pickles. The pickling process turns them an unappetizing gray. Dye is responsible for their robust green. Gummi worms without artificial coloring would look, like, well, muddily translucent worms. … Read more
Terry Jones issues a statement on ChristianNewsWire concerning the riots, claiming that “we should hold Islam accountable.” He comments under the name “Dr. Terry Jones.” Doctor of what? I have no idea. The Wikipedia entry on the Dover World Outreach Center says that “Jones received no academic degree in theology but was given an honorary … Read more
Cross-posted from State of Formation. Remember Terry Jones? Not the guy from Monty Python, but the Florida pastor who threatened to burn copies of the Qur’an last August in response to the building of the Cordoba House Islamic cultural center a few blocks away from where the World Trade Center used to stand? And the president actually … Read more
From a day long past: “It was at the period of my mental progress which I have now reached that I formed the friendship which has been the honour and chief blessing of my existence, as well as the source of a great part of all that I have attempted to do, or hope to … Read more
PZ Myers has a more visceral response to the rioting in Afghanistan, entitled “Shades of gray.” I won’t quote it, because it really should be read in full. What I appreciate most is that he identifies motivations such as honor and vengeance that obscure the fact that humans are murdering other humans in cold blood. … Read more