I have yet to see any problem, however complicated,
which, when you looked at it in the right way,
did not become still more complicated.
Poul Anderson
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On Politically Correct/Motivated Terminations: Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin Cochran
Chief Cochran, a devout Baptist, wrote a book which in two brief paragraphs reinforces the traditional Judaic-Christian moral beliefs about sexuality in the procreative nature of the marital union between a man and a woman. A group of fascist LGBT's, furious over Cochran's paraphrase of Biblical text, went after Cochran's job, even though there is no evidence of misconduct by Cochran towards the LGBT community. Shamefully, Mayor Kasim Reed capitulated to LGBT demands and terminated Cochran. For a clear violation of Cochran's rights to free expression and religious liberty, Mayor Reed is now a candidate for my annual mock award for Democrats behaving badly.
"Free" Community College?
High Tech Meets Education
My Greatest Hits: January 2015
- Miscellany: 1/03/15
- Miscellany: 12/25/14 Happy Christma
- Miscellany: 12/26/14
- Miscellany: 1/02/15
- Miscellany: 1/04/15
(Libertarian Catholic). Jesus said "turn the other cheek," Pope Francis says punch away. Does speech ever warrant violence? #jeSuisCharlie #freeSpeech #libertarian #Catholic
Pathetic lead comment, re: "turn the other cheek". What Pope Francis said was not a teaching but a reflection on human nature--that words matter and we have a moral responsibility not to abuse our fundamental right of free expression. And let's not forget, Jesus Himself used judgmental words like "hypocrite" and so incited at least one mob to the point they tried to kill him.
I know- this is exactly what you have commented before. Do we at least agree that no one has the right to kill someone for offending them?
I'm not Charlie. Charlie is an asshole. Personally, I only see a right to kill when one's own life is at stake, and insults don't constitute mortal danger. I think the best way one deals with incivility is by ignoring and/or shunning the offender, not giving him the attention he craves. But there's a moral difference between tolerating and accepting hostile speech; freedom of expression is really more salient in criticizing the State which has a monopoly on the use of force. It is not represented by a bunch of juvenile jerks who never grew up and who make a living out of pulling other people's chains.
(separate comment)
Let's recall that Charlie Hebdo has been much worse on Catholicism. https://www.lifesitenews.com/.../supporting-charlie-hebdo...
And let's not forget the classy reaction of Charlie Hebdo to the Church reaching out after the massacre: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm...
(Reason). The pope says "you cannot provoke," which means freedom of speech extends only to messages that no one finds objectionable. In other words, there is no freedom of speech.
Yet another pathetic, incompetent, third-rate opinion by a morally relativist Reason columnist. First of all, there is no absolutist criterion of free speech; you can be sued or charged for slander/libel, for engaging in fraud, for telling a judge just what you think of him, for perjury, etc.
Second, arguing that the pope should be judged based on what American legal analysts may think of the "fighting words" doctrine is absolutely absurd. Pretending that poorly toned, provocative, threatening speech does not result in individual or public safety issues is a state of denial.
Third, the Pope is the spiritual leader on matters of faith and morals for over a billion Catholics worldwide. He's rightly pointing out free expression has a moral dimension; just because one can say something insulting doesn't mean you should. It closes, not opens dialogs; it can exacerbate existing tensions.
What this hack columnist fails to point out is that the pope specifically acknowledged the fundamental nature of the right to free expression and speech. He did not argue for State censorship, which already exists in many Western democracies in the form of hate speech. We should also point out because of the traditional role of the Catholic Church in France, they get parodied over a hundred times worse by Charlie than Muslims, but Pope Francis in fact did not seek to excuse the terrorists regardless of Muslim sensitivities and unambiguously condemned the murders.
(Rand Paul 2016), This president thinks paid leave is a "worker's right?"
There "The One" goes again--raising the cost of hiring, even as we have a decades-low labor force participation rate. Businesses don't need Obama's "help" to implement and innovate a compensation package to attract valued workers. Obama is engaging in predictable demagoguery trying to bribe middle-class voters on the backs of businesses, but there's no such thing as a free lunch.
(Cato Institute). "Twenty years of data and two pilot programs seem to have been enough to convince your government that, in this case at least, Mexicans are just as good at doing things as other people."
This restriction on Mexican trucks was all about morally bankrupt, anti-consumer crony unionism. This wrings intrinsic inefficiencies from the status quo; increased competition is a benefit to consumers, who should see lower prices.
Choose Life
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| Kelly Clarkson and baby River Rose Blackstock |
Political Cartoon
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| Courtesy of Lisa Benson via Townhall |
Céline Dion, "To Love You More" Hands down, my favorite tune by the diva, not even close. The song enchanted me the first time I ever heard it, and I never tire hearing it. The violin work by the guest artist (Taro Hakase) is absolutely spectacular.
