archives :: zeitgeist
ode to the nutroots
I don't believe it's the way you were raised
or the cards you were dealt
or a poor self-image
I think you love yourself
too much... [read more]
dog daze (II)
Those atheists who most strenuously object to Matzke’s claim will in general have the greatest emotional and intellectual stake in that position—and as such will ironically have invested in their atheism many of the very religious sensibilities that they claim to abjure. [read more]
dog daze
Which is more damaging to the scientific enterprise—the anti-evolution beliefs of the general public (which, through the miracle of federal funding, have precious little impact on how research is actually conducted), or [read more]
fisking Lucas's moral universe, part II(a)
Without doubt, volumes have been written on the metaphysics of Lucas's galaxy far, far away. A pity: for in the end, there's no there there, just a mishmash of ideas lifted from Eastern—mostly Chinese—religious traditions, spiced up with enough emphasis... [read more]
the empire strikes back (II)
The title of the last post was intended to refer to the legacy media, which—as Martin Peretz of The New Republic describes—is busily circling the wagons in the wake of the Newsweek flushing fiasco (more here). It was also a... [read more]
fisking Lucas's moral universe, part I
What he has unwittingly revealed instead is just how conventional a thinker he really is. True visionaries transcend their times: but Lucas cannot even manage to see beyond the hermetic confines of Hollywood groupthink, in which dire predictions of rising fascism in W's America are as hackneyed as they are de rigueur. [read more]
portents
Sometime in the early 1990s a friend of mine suffered a freak accident. While at dinner with friends, he choked on some food, and for whatever reason, it could not be dislodged. The shock triggered a heart attack. In the... [read more]
childhood's end
Too tired to write tonight (well, this morning, now). So instead I'll share an image saved from the Spectator (UK) a couple of years ago. Perhaps I won't be alone in finding it both poignant and haunting. (Click for larger)... [read more]
St. Patrick's preview
About a month back, a drive-by commenter suggested that “War on Terror” ought best be understood as “War on Terrorists of the Wrong Sort”. To which I replied: Enlightened self-interest dictates that not every terrorist movement will be treated alike:... [read more]
bigger
Yesterday's pro-independence demonstration in Beirut drew in excess of 800,000 people. Here's what it looked like. Lebanon's population is just over four million—meaning that somewhere north of 20% of the population was in the streets. That's a lot of flags.... [read more]
hell freezes
And the British left catches chill. As Syria pulls out of Lebanon, and the winds of change blow through the Middle East, this is the difficult question that opponents of the Iraq war are having to face. More: Orrin Judd's... [read more]
red and black (redux)
[Earlier posts on this subject are here and here.] Last fall, 60s radical turned neocon David Horowitz published Unholy Alliance: Radical Islam and the American Left. One of the better reviews of the book was by Joshua Kurlantzick, in the... [read more]
legal kill, redux
National Review: “Dead Reckoning” (1998) A quarter-century has passed since the Supreme Court struck down the laws of every state in the nation, in the name of a constitutional right to abortion it had just discovered. In Roe v. Wade,... [read more]
context and subtext
That's Mark Steyn (who else?) in London's Sunday Telegraph—proving once again that the British press is nothing if not unrestrained. But perhaps our own should be so honest. Consider this NYT column from the same day: Can History Save the Democrats? [read more]
a simple plan
This year, for every foretelling of Democratic doom (a genre to which I am a proud contributor), there has been a corresponding prediction of a Republican breakup. If nothing else this election has decided which side has the better prophets, at least for the short term. [read more]
a star is born (redux)
One of the very first posts here on andúnië.net was about Bobby Jindal, then running for governor of Louisiana. He lost that election, but this week won a seat in the US House of Representatives, with an astonishing 78% of... [read more]
nous sommes tous Jacksoniens
The hell with it. Here's my victory post: “I'm George W. Bush, and I approved this message.” Congratulations, Mr. President. MORE, via Orrin Judd: One of America's leading conservative intellectuals, Professor Francis Fukuyama, said Mr Bush's victory foreshadowed an increasingly... [read more]
goodbye, and good riddance
The Johns, back in the halcyon days of summer. Gerard Van der Leun wrote this back in September, but methinks that the final truth is settling in on the faithful only now: The single and only internal reason that... [read more]
afternoon cheer
Just in case you're frantically clicking around the web for news (and who isn't this afternoon?) here's two pieces of interest. First: Kerry's chief pollster throws in the towel. For months, though, I’ve been assessing President Bush’s vulnerability, but win... [read more]
divine wind
The summary: Senator Kerry cannot garner over 50% of the popular vote; President Bush can, and almost certainly will. More importantly, Kerry cannot reasonably hope to hit the 300 EV mark, whereas the President can, along any of a number... [read more]
bipartisan interlude
Or, prominent Democrats who I actually like—in many instances, despite their social liberalism. The only order in what follows is alphabetical. [read more]
St. Jimmy (redux)
In this exchange, Carter reveals an attitude disturbingly common within today's Democratic Party—a deep distrust of American power, coupled with a willingness to compromise American sovereignty. [read more]
an antidote (bump)
It isn't the politics these troops espouse that is at issue; it's the pastry-addled rat bastard and enemy collaborator who is undermining their morale with the most insidious work of utter mendacity since the heyday of Leni Riefenstahl. [read more]
running the numbers
The material quoted in this post is wonkish, but it comess from Michael Barone and so is well worth the effort. (Via InstaPundit.) I have a theory—I can't prove it; it's just a theory—that in these polarizing times there are... [read more]
requiem for a dream
Not that there is anything wrong with idealism in principle, or with a desire to heal society’s ills: but on the left these are often coupled with an elitist hubris and a denial of fundamental human nature. [read more]
the grimmest of visions
Gerard Van der Leun argues that the justifiable disgust over CBS mainstreaming of bogus military draft fears is hiding the long view: Yes, Virginia, There WILL Be a Draft. The beauty of the “There's Gonna Be A Draft” lie is... [read more]
jihad chic
In early July I wrote: We are perilously close to a revival of domestic terrorism, and not from right-wing militia types. The Left—both domestic and international—is already making common cause with Islamists. It is only a matter of time before... [read more]
when cowards attack
Here is the latest example of the tactics of the Islamofascists: A siege at a school in south Russia has continued into the night, with armed attackers holding at least 200 people hostage, many of them children. Several people... [read more]
bizarro world
As a rule, I don't blog breaking news. But this is just weird. MTV, ROLLING STONE and the rock and roll establishment — past and present — have cast their vote, and their man is John Kerry. So on Sunday... [read more]
the hero as martyr
SO WHERE are we headed in the coming weeks? It seems that Senator Kerry has settled on scorched-earth tactics: any criticism from any quarter shall henceforth be labeled as character assassination, with blame to be laid—no matter how tenuous... [read more]
distressing visions
David Warren is perhaps my favorite columnist, with only Mark Steyn giving him close competition. In the past two years I've learned much from him, about Canadian society, about Islam before the Islamists (he spent much of his formative years... [read more]
Sully's descent to farce
Via The Corner: official notice that Andrew Sullivan is, shall we say, a few condoms short of a pack. Harsh? You be the judge. Below I've excerpted a sizable chunk of Sullivan's commentary from Sunday's Times of London, as a... [read more]
red and black
A few days ago, I wrote this cheery passage: The Left—both domestic and international—is already making common cause with Islamists. It is only a matter of time before some in those camps decide to cement that alignment with more than... [read more]
two minute hate
Britain's Guardian, 28 May 2003: Bob Geldof astonished the aid community yesterday by using a return visit to Ethiopia to praise the Bush administration as one of Africa's best friends in its fight against hunger and Aids. The musician-turned activist... [read more]
1968
We are perilously close to a revival of domestic terrorism, and not from right-wing militia types. The Left—both domestic and international—is already making common cause with Islamists. It is only a matter of time before some in those camps decide to cement that alignment with more than mere words. [read more]
one particularly stupid white man
The Sydney Morning Herald reports from a news conference by spheroid propagandist and money-grubbing enemy collaborator Michael Moore (registration probably required). At a press conference for foreign correspondents in New York on Tuesday, Moore said Mr Howard's decision to get... [read more]
those wacky conservatives
So. What is the cover story for the upcoming issue of National Review? Next week's handover of sovereignty in Iraq? Nuclear weapons in Iran? Eh: not exactly. National Review—to the continuing surprise of many—has long advocated legalization of recreational drugs.... [read more]
whitewashing
Earlier this week I railed against the postmodernist creed of social constructivism, which among other feats allows a traditional historical account to be replaced by another, ostensibly more enlightened and progressive than the first. This practice is not seen as... [read more]
beyond the echo chamber
One thing that does not bode well for the upgrade of this site (now ongoing, but not yet obvious unless you know where to look) is the fact that there remain some details unfinished from the original launch last October.... [read more]
and so it begins
On Monday alone, more than a thousand homosexual couples applied for marriage licenses in Massachusetts. The state's Supreme Judicial Court has successfully made an end run around the democratic process: Massachusetts voters will not be able to make their collective... [read more]
another skirmish
Time will tell, but something that transpired in the Senate late this afternoon may prove to be of historic significance. The Senate passed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act on Thursday, following House passage last month of a bill that... [read more]
cultural relevancy and the play-doh Jesus
There is something from my overlong post of Friday night that is worth revisiting. Here, again, is a portion of TNR literary critic Leon Wieseltier's screed against The Passion of the Christ. Gibson is under the impression that he has... [read more]
The Passion and the fury
If I can't yet comment on the movie proper, I can comment on the commentary, of which there is a lot. Let's start with the NYT review. [read more]
forcing the contradictions
Neuhaus is correct: the Constitution will be amended, either by a democratic process as provided for in the document itself, or by judicial fiat. I submit that those who hope for the latter are abetting the rise of tyranny. [read more]
line in the sand
Even the most prescient of public intellectuals is wrong as often as right. The trick is that—if you're going to be wrong—just try not to be very, very wrong. As in (for instance) this assessment by Andrew Sullivan. [read more]
the legacy of anti-Semitism
You declare, my friend, that you do not hate the Jews, you are merely “anti-Zionist.” And I say, let the truth ring forth from the high mountain tops, let it echo through the valleys of God's green earth; when people... [read more]
