That seems to be the rap on Jonathan Chait’s now-notorious neo-Voltairean rap on free speech and the lack thereof in academe and on the web. Seems that Jon is fed up with the cult of victimhood that’s sweeping the nation, while the blogosphere is naturally fed up with the idea of well-paid straight white guys…
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. “I tell you, Bob, this kid is the greatest stone face since Buster Keaton!” “Your references are Ramesses II and Thutmose III? Quite the little name-dropper, aren’t we?” “‘What walks on four legs, then two, then three?’ I’ve got a better question for you: How the hell did you get in here?”…
A tear for Sarah Palin
The Divine Sarah cannot catch a break, can she? Not with the media around to trash her for every little thing she says. Not the mainstream media, of course. They’ve more or less lost track of her. It’s the conservative media that’s pissing all over her. Listen to what that mean Byron York at the…
Economic recession not a good thing, the New York Times discovers
The New York Times has an elaborate article (by Dionne Searcey and Robert Gebeloff) cum interactive display (by Alicia Parlapiano1, Bob, and Shan Carter), all four of whom, it seems, are stunned to learn that the last six years have been pretty terrible in economic terms. The article is titled “Middle Class Shrinks Further as…
Can Republicans say “abortion”? No.
Essentially Ellington – UK—“Hackensack”
Students at the Guildhall School in London, performing at “The Spice of Life,” turn in a 2012 performance of Monk’s salute to a New Jersey suburb, as arranged by Wynton Marsalis. Sam Warner – Trumpet; Ru Pattison – Alto Saxophone; Albert Garza – Tenor Saxophone; Sion Favell Jones – Trombone; Liam Dunachie – Piano; Mark…
Can Republicans say “immigration”? Yes, but only in Spanish
“We should also work through the appropriate channels to create permanent solutions for our immigration system, to secure our borders, modernize legal immigration, and strengthen our economy. In the past, the president has expressed support for ideas like these. Now we ask him to cooperate with us to get it done.” Good to hear, right?…
Meanwhile, in other torture news
The bad news is that the Obama Administration is 99% behind the CIA’s “tain’t nobody’s business if we spy (on the U.S. Congress), lie, and torture” stance on, well, spying, lying, and torture. The further bad news is that Republican Sen. Richard Burr1 of North Carolina, incoming chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, wants to…
Pseudo New Yorker
Legal humor here. “I’ll tell you why singing ‘Row, row, row your boat’ with irony doesn’t cut it. Because this galley is an irony-free zone. Capisce?” “Well, we’re all friends of the captain, in a manner of speaking. But that’s not a good thing.” “No, this isn’t why you went to Wharton. It’s why we…
Pigs aren’t the only thing this gal likes to castrate
Politico’s media watchdog Dylan Byers passes along this note from Mother Jones regarding the GOP’s response to President Obama’s penultimate State of the Union Address, which will be delivered by hog castrator extraordinaire Joni Ernst, freshman senator from Iowa. There will, in fact, be two Republican responders—Florida freshman congressman Rep. Carlos Curbelo will be doing…