Tag Archives: democracy

Whips Used to Break-Up Pussy Riot Protest of Vladimir Putin at Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics

Posted on February 19, 2014 by

Those wielding the whips are Cossack militia. These are some brave women activists: ___________

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

In Light of Kiev, Will Vladimir Putin Be Tightening the Screws Even Further on Russian Dissidents?

Posted on February 19, 2014 by

Julia Ioffe, at The New Republic, thinks so: Moscow’s liberals are watching Kiev with a mix of horror, envy, and admiration: they’re just like us, but look at what they’ve been able to do against a president they didn’t like. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Crowd Effects

Posted on September 1, 2013 by

The below video gives fresh meaning to Karl Marx’s amusing phrase, “the idiocy of rural life.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Obama Surfs the Demographic Wave, But Through Target Marketing (the Use of Big Data), Not Reason

Posted on August 1, 2013 by

Jonathan Alter’s new book, The Center Holds, on President Obama and the 2012 election, was recently reviewed in The New York Times, and there are some revelations in it: [Alter] thinks the United States “dodged a bullet in 2012,” and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Don’t Tread on Me (Epistemically)

Posted on October 23, 2012 by

This falls into the category of Stop the epistemic power-plays! It comes from a recent article in Scientific American written by Shawn Lawrence Otto: The Founding Fathers were science enthusiasts. Thomas Jefferson, a lawyer and scientist, built the primary justification for … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mike Bost Speaks Truth to Power

Posted on May 31, 2012 by

I don’t know if Mike Bost, an Illinois state legislator, is a Republican or a Democrat, but I’m impressed with his lucidity in the midst of strong emotion. His complaint: a giant bill has come to him without sufficient time … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Chris Hedges the Prophet: Liberal Democracy Headed for Breakdown

Posted on April 25, 2012 by

Chris Hedges thinks the writing is on the wall, Nebuchadnezzar. In his most recent essay at Truthdig (“The Globalization of Hollow Politics”), he writes the following: A breakdown of liberal democracy [in the United States], which seems to be where we … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Negotiation of the Detour: The Pervert’s Guide to the Origin of Rhetoric

Posted on March 28, 2012 by

Accompanied by a black and white dog, a huntress, not young, steps from a blue grove into the dawn light. It’s spring; we are outside of Athens in 508 BC. Pericles will not be born for another 13 years. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Better Angel of Our Nature: Democracy and the Way of Bees

Posted on March 3, 2012 by

If alpha-male behavior (dominating, hierarchical, authoritarian) is, at some level, natural, it’s also possible that democracy too is natural. These contending impulses—the authoritarian personality and the democratic personality—may be competing evolutionary strategies that, in fact, take up habitation in different … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

When the Western Atlas Shrugs: The Economic Consequences of the Islamic Brotherhood Ruling Egypt

Posted on January 16, 2012 by

The majority of Egyptians are on the verge of getting their wish—a theocratic state—but they may rue the day that they did. The following quote comes from Middle East analyst Theodore May, and appeared as part of an opinion piece … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Antichrist Elimination Watch: President Obama Agrees That Jesus Christ is the Lord

Posted on September 27, 2011 by

The recent AP video clip embedded below seems to strike President Barack Obama off the potential list of people living today who might be the Antichrist. In the clip, a heckler does a righteous prophet freak-out on President Obama, calling him “Antichrist.” President Obama handles … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

In the United States, has “that government of the people, by the people, and for the people” perished from the Earth?

Posted on April 18, 2011 by

When my four and seven year-old daughters reach the age where they can understand, what should I tell them is the kind of government that we live under? In the United States, has “that government of the people, by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Debating the Future of Islam in Egypt

Posted on April 14, 2011 by

The birth pangs of a new Egypt: a Hitler-like religious fanatic (living in London!) argues with an Enlightenment influenced liberal over the future of Egypt: Hat tip: Concerned Christian.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Mohamed ElBaradei Demonization Watch: Anne Bayefsky Links ElBaradei to Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Posted on February 2, 2011 by

Regarding American right-wing paranoia over the street protesters in Cairo (Glenn Beck calls them “rioters”), Jonathan Chait of the New Republic nails it: [W]hat’s fascinating is the emergence [among the right] of a strain of paranoid anti-Islamism that lumps together Iran, Mohammed … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Mohamed ElBaradei’s Democratic Revolution in Egypt v. George Bush’s in Iraq

Posted on February 1, 2011 by

Fox Noisers seem to be directing a lot of cynicism and vehemence toward Egypt’s democracy movement leader, Mohamed ElBaradei, and when I first noticed it, I was a bit stunned. Mohamed ElBaradei, after all, is not an Islamist, but a secular … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

California’s Governor, Jerry Brown, Gives a Great Speech

Posted on February 1, 2011 by

California Governor Jerry Brown gave an extraordinary State of the State speech yesterday. He anchored it in democratic principle and didn’t in any way evade the budget issues facing the state. It reminds me of why I voted for him: And … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Handel’s Messiah in the Mall: Totalitarian Creepiness or Just a Song for the Holiday Season?

Posted on December 5, 2010 by

Even though I’m an agnostic, I love Christmas music and Christmas movies. I must, for example, have upward of 300 Christmas songs on my iPod. And every year my family and I watch Alastair Sim as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Why Read Literature or Watch Good Films? Martha Nussbaum on the Role of the Imagination in the Cultivation of Empathy

Posted on July 23, 2010 by

Here’s a great quote from Martha Nussbaum’s new book, From Disgust to Humanity: Sexual Orientation and Constitutional Law  (Oxford 2010, xvii): That ‘terrified’ gay teenager needs, and deserves, equal respect, and a sphere of liberty equal to that enjoyed by … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

This is what democracy looks like?

Posted on July 22, 2010 by

In the video below, the guy at the mike falls off message and says that Nevada Republican, Sharon Angle, a candidate for the U.S. Senate, will make herself available for questions. Oops! You see, Sharon Angle doesn’t take questions from … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Steven Novella, the Ambivalent Blasphemer

Posted on July 6, 2010 by

At SkepticBlog this past week, Steven Novella endorses blasphemy as social protest (sort of):  There are those, for example, who champion blasphemy as a form of social protest. PZ, Penn and Teller, Christopher Hitchens and others argue that nothing should … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment