Chip Gibbons points to an essay about Prohibition, and finds it very interesting when applied to the recent same-sex marriage issue.#
This is one class of prohibitionists. The other, and by far the larger class, is made up of religious zealots, to whom prohibition is a word having at bottom a far wider application than that which is generally attributed to it. The liquor question, if there really is such a question per se, is merely put forth by them as a means to an end, an incidental factor in a fight which has for its object the supremacy of a certain form of religious faith. The belief of many of these people is that the Creator frowns upon enjoyment of any and every kind, and that he has merely endowed us with certain desires and capacities for pleasure in order to give us an opportunity to please Him by resisting them. They are, of course, perfectly entitled to this belief, though some of us may consider it eccentric and somewhat in the nature of a libel on the Almighty. But are they privileged to force that belief on all their fellow beings? That, in substance, is the question that is involved in the present-day prohibition movement.
Andreae goes on to explain how prohibition is not just about the choice to drink liquor, it is about the choice of one's beliefs. In other words, it is a way to impose state-sponsored religious values.
Dave Pollard talks about self-publishing books.#
I know many bloggers have aspirations to land a book contract, and a few that I know have succeeded, though some of these contracts are a lot more generous than others, and none are for what I'd call big money. What do you think? Do you have dreams of publishing your work in more than the emphemeral world of the blogosphere? If so, would you self-publish? How would you get around the challenge that faces all new writers (exactly the same paradox that faces new university graduates looking for work): If you haven't already been published, no one will publish you.
Tyler Cowen writes about the same.
But does self-publishing have a bright future? Yes and no. Soon self-publishing won't be worse than going with a mediocre press. The value of the very best certifiers will go up (in the academic market this is Harvard, Princeton, Chicago, and MIT presses, for a start), if only because the proliferation of writing makes their sorting function more important. At the same time the relative value of the middling certifiers will fall. It will become apparent they don't offer a better product than writers operating on their own. At some point you have to ask whether the press is lending reputation to the author, or vice versa.
Erin Judge paints a picture with words. Read the whole thing.#
Alex Tabarrok responds to Tyler Cowen on Economic Gloom. (I linked this conversation yesterday.)#
Of course. Who would deny [that the US is great shape]? The problem is that the budget projections of Kotlikoff et al. already take these factors into account. Their projections assume that the economy will continue to grow, they assume that a nuclear weapon will not go off in Washington, they assume that we will not become bogged down at increasing expense in the Middle East for the next 50 years etc.
A doctor tells a man that he has just 6 months to live. The man replies but doctor I'm only 25, I'm in great shape and I've never been seriously sick before. Yes, the doctor says that's why I gave you 6 months.
Tyler Cowen responds:
The bottom line? A growing population, combined with a bulge of old people, requires planning wisdom and creates some costly expenditure pressures. But overall longer lives are cause for rejoicing, not our economic doom. Love and time are what we are ultimately seeking to economize, and longer lives contribute toward both ends.
Let's just hope that everyone gets to experience it without some free-loaders ruining it for everyone.
Tony Pierce is taking over Tiger Woods' public relations team.#
Tiger's PR people need to get axed.
my man had 19 starts last year. he placed in the top 10 in those tournaments 11 times.
of those 11 top-ten finishes he was in the top five 10 times.
thats sick.
of those 10 top-five finishes last year he won the whole damn thing 5 times.
so whats a brotha got to do to get a little love up in here?
if i was tiger's people i would have a chocolatey protein "Tiger Bar" and a line of golf clubs called the Tiger Tail featuring a collection of drivers called Tiger's Woods.
and i would make yellow and black toothpaste for kids, and chewable vitamins.
and i would have him get on tv more.
Nate P. talks about faith and politics.#
But I have grown tired of a highly politicized group of religious believers laying exclusive claim to labels like "Christian." I usually identify as an "Episcopalian" because the word "Christian" has been co-opted by a group with a particular agenda, a particular politics, and a particular theology, none of which I agree with. And it seems to me that some members of these groups, like the "Christian" Coalition, and such ilk, by participating in politics exactly as everyone else does, engaging in "war" and working mostly in demagoguery toward their opponents, bear false witness to the faith they proclaim. Although they believe in a transformative God, their faith has not transformed them.
I'm with Quindlen and the nuns who taught her: "Actions, not words." Or as St. Francis of Assisi put it, "Preach the gospel at all times. Use words, if necessary."
Ms. Lauren posts an important quote on attitudes about rape.#
Derrick Jensen discussed attitudes of rape in his book "The Culture of Make Believe" in a passage I have quoted before:
Years ago I stayed for a few days at the house of a friend who runs a battered-women's shelter. One of the remarkable things about this woman is that whenever she meets a new man, whether he drives her in a taxi, sits next to her on a subway, or crashes in her spare room, she asks him what it will take for men to stop beating on women.
She has her own theory. She believes that violence against women will stop - and presumably the same is true for violence against blacks, Jews, children, homosexuals, or other targeted classes - only when other men refuse to socially reward those who are violent. "Women can't do it by ourselves. If a man hits his girlfriend, the man's friends need to stop playing basketball with him, and they need to tell him why. They need to confront him about it, and they need to socially isolate the men who have shown themselves incapable of mature relationships. And they need to do it every time. The bottom line is that members of the class of people who are doing the violence - in this case, men - need to take responsibility for the violence done by their class, and they need to work to stop it. Until that happens, not very much will change." (p. 44-5)
Emphasis mine, of course. The social isolation of those incapable of empathetic and mature relationships is imperative to end the prevalence of sexual assault against women. This is what Bryan tried to do when he yelled at the kid in the t-shirt. He wanted to make it very clear that those attitudes toward sexual assault that serve as apologies and excuses for deplorable behavior are not welcome, not in that business and not in the company of these peers.
The Black Saint writes three perfect paragraphs on the presidential race. This is the last one.#
I'm skeptical of Sen. Kerry's actual ability to win, since the last guy from Massachusetts who ran against a Bush had his ass handed to him. Sen. Edwards had a great stump speech and obviously made some black bargain with Satan to preserve his youth, so he could ideally call in a few more favors and pull out a victory in 2004.
Moxie spend 67 cents as the gas station. Read the story for details.#
Chai Tea Latte: "4 years of college, 4 years of med school, 5 years residency, 1 year fellowship. All that and I still buy lottery tickets."#