Casting The Baroque Cycle
If I were going to produce a movie — more like an HBO mini-series, I should think — based on Neal Stephenson’s The Baroque Cycle, here’s some ideas for who I’d like to cast (if money were not much of… Continue Reading
Month: December 2008
Harry Reid Just Got Put In Check
I think the answer is “no.” Roland Burris was appointed to the U.S. Senate today by embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. How much he paid for this honor is yet to be determined (Blagojevich, alone of all the people paying… Continue Reading
New Year’s Predictions
We’ll revisit this post in a year. Here are some things that I will be looking for in 2009: The United States Federal deficit for calendar year 2009 will exceed $1.5 trillion. A human being will be cloned. There will… Continue Reading
A Lesson In Discrimination Law
Howard Friedman has found a terrific set of twinned cases that makes extraordinarily clear the reason why some of the scare advertisements used in favor of Proposition 8 — “If we have gay marriage, churches are going to be sued”… Continue Reading
Obama’s Religious Inauguration
Some of you Readers may be surprised at this opinion coming from me. But here it is. If Barack Obama wants to take his oath as President and add on the words “So help me God,” I’m totally cool with… Continue Reading
The Pledge
My fellow unbelievers, if you didn’t like it when the Republicans in power used you as whipping boys, you’re not going to like it when the Democrats in power do the same thing. And they are not only able, but… Continue Reading
Breakup Of United States Imminent
Six countries where before there was one? That’s what a Russian political scientist says is a little bit more likely than not to happen in the next twenty-four months. My initial reaction is, “This guy doesn’t understand much about American… Continue Reading
Is Caroline Kennedy Qualified To Be A United States Senator?
Apparently, 52% of Americans think so. They are, of course, correct. Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution says: “No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years… Continue Reading
Calling Captain Obvious
Guess what? “Virginity pledges,” in which teenagers vow to not engage in sex until they are married, do not work. Teenagers who take such pledges are just as likely to engage in premarital sex than those who do not. Teenagers… Continue Reading
Gaza Attacks
A depressingly-familiary story — with the breaking of the southern cease-fire by the Gaza faction of Hamas, Israel has responded by shelling locations where the Hamas attackers have been shooting rockets over the border. Innocent civilians have died on both… Continue Reading