The comment I did NOT post on facebook this morning...

A high school classmate posted a link to an article about France's new ban on "child beauty contests" with the comments, "Good on France" and "When do beauty pageants get banned altogether?"  This is a classmate who is a fervent supporter of abortion rights, because, "women's control over their own bodies" and what-not.

My comment, written and then deleted (as is so often the case):

Ok, I've tried to not do this, but I've got to know - how do you reconcile support for abortion (because "women must have control over their own bodies") with government bans on beauty pageants?  If women have the right to "reproductive autonomy" don't they have the right to compete in swimsuit competitions?

I don't want to debate abortion (or beauty pageants), but the cognitive dissonance strikes me as overwhelming, and I'm honestly curious as to how you would reconcile those positions.

And I really am curious.  But it's the wrong conversation for the wrong forum, so, delete.

But if anyone reading this happens to hold both of those positions (pro-choice, pro-prohibition on beauty pageants), I'd love to understand how...

Modern political discourse

It is easy to dismiss people who disagree with you as unreasonable, hateful bigots. All you have to do is ignore the rational arguments that they use to support their positions. Once having dismissed them as unreasonable, hateful bigots, one is obviously under no obligation to actually address their arguments...

Idle thought...

Reading writing advice is a great way to kill time when you're suffering from writer's block. It's as useless as reading facebook or playing minesweeper, but it feels like you're staying on track...

Perspective

Why I would make a poor economic czar, directing the economy from on high¹.

The picture overstates how much I actually know, but I couldn't make it any smaller and have it still be visible.  I know a lot about a little. I know a little about a lot.

I know nothing about most things.

Like most people...


¹ - That goes for everyone else, too.

Idle thought...

Government is the only entity which can offer services of lower performance at higher cost, and still see the demand for those services increase...

One of the differences between Austin and Boston...

...is that you'd never hear a Boston radio guy make the following comment that I heard this morning:

The cold air is here now, and there's a big change today, with a high of 79, and a high of 81 tomorrow...

Idle thought

When one goes out of one's way to be intentionally provocative, one loses the right to take offense when others are provoked to respond in kind...

Idle thought

Radical egalitarians are secular Calvinists.  Salvation comes not from God through the Holy Spirit, but by Society through the Holy Government; the number of the elect is fixed, and one's salvation is determined by Government's choices and actions, rather than one's own...

Idle thought

Too often "pro-choice" really means "anti-consequence"...

And another thing...

Is there anything more annoying than when a big government leftist, someone who believes the government should do everything except prohibit abortion or allow prayer in schools, uses Jesus as a club to beat on someone with whom they disagree?

"You want prayer in schools? Haven't you ever heard of separation of church and state?"

"You want to ban abortion? No, that's a fundamental right!"

"The marriage laws in this country are just government-enforced religious bigotry."

"What do you mean the government shouldn't force health care plans to provide contraception? Are you trying to impose your religion on everyone else?"

"You're opposed to government health care? I thought you were a Christian!"

Idle thought

Appeals to fairness are doomed to fail where the people do not share fundamental principles.

Idle thought

Whatever else one thinks of modernism and technology, there are wonders to behold in a world in which one can listen to Handel's Messiah or Mendelssohn's Elijah or Mozart's Te Deum with the simple click of a mouse.

(Actually, this might be more aptly termed an iDle thought...)

"...King of Kings and Lord of Lords,
and he shall reign forever and ever,
Hallelujah!"

Idle thought

On Hell's sports radio station, the morning show will be hosted¹ by Michael Felger and John Meterperel².



¹ - I'm sure that they'd take this as a compliment if they saw it. It isn't.
² - If you don't know who these people are, count your blessings.

Idle thought

How many men died because Robert E. Lee turned down Abraham Lincoln's offer of command of the Union forces?