Condorcet came up with a theorem about juries and how, if a group of people share their knowledge on a topic, they will come to a better decision than the average of the decisions each would make as an individual. Of course as soon as this sounds great, they start coming out with limitations: ...
Politics as Theater
Was I There? (Barack Obama’s Inauguration)
I live in Washington DC. Once in awhile, things happen here that don’t happen anywhere else, like terrorist attacks on the pentagon and the inauguration of Barack Obama. For both events, I was here, in DC. If I ever had grandchildren, or even children, I’d probably have to tell them I wasn’t actually down...
TSA Comfort
I was reading a Peter King (Sportswriter and Bret Favre spokesperson) column where he complained that the TSA didn’t do the same thing every time at every airport. He wanted the comfort of either being told to always take off his shoes, or never take off his shoes. I think he speaks for most...
Theater and the TSA
Long lines at airports, to get through security, tell us something. They tell us that our government is doing something about terrorism. In fact, the government is mostly crowding travelers into large packs, in the midst of which large carts full of luggage are dragged along. It makes a pretty good target, but nobody...
The War Prayer (a story by Mark Twain)
The War Prayer by Mark Twain It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and spluttering; on every hand...
Palin Pardons a Turkey
Turkeys get slaughtered all the time. Come Thanksgiving, it’s going to be Turkey Genocide. We’re okay with that, because we like food, we like getting together with family, and watching football or something. Still, every year, we have our leaders pardon a turkey or two: But Sarah Palin pardons her turkey while behind her,...
Taken and Torture
During the movie Taken, one of my friends had a strong negative reaction to the torture sequence. Not because it was graphic, or even disturbing. He had a political reaction. Afterwards he said he nearly walked out because “torture never works”. My other friends thought it odd that he picked out that element. After...
Read more »