Law as Empathy, or: Natural Man’s Need for Society
Law requires faith. Man must be faithful in the institution of law and in his contracted brethren with whom he shares the empathy of petition — namely, that they share the common bond of having signed the social contract and agreed with each other to follow it in its legal manifest. Those not involved in [...]
Iran’s emergent revolution
Protestors flood Tehran streets By Borzou Daragahi and Ramin Mostaghim, Associated Press Tens of thousands of protesters swarmed the streets of Tehran and at least two other Iranian cities Friday, audaciously turning an annual rally in support of the Palestinian cause into the first major demonstration against the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in six [...]
South Africa’s black schools are still suffering from the effects of apartheid
Keen to Learn, and Let Down in South Africa Celia W. Dugger, New York Times I am so incredibly disgusted by the perpetuation of that one relevant sin of a sentient species — what I call “uneducation.” Hendrik Verwoerd, architect of South African apartheid, would surely be proud to see the vestiges of his Bantu [...]
On Animal Welfare and the New Culture of Cruelty
Lately I’ve been struggling with the ethical concerns of farmed animals, because I’m of the increasing belief that our current regulations still allow for a significant amount of cruelty. Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s in our nature to eat meat. I have no problem accepting that killing animals for consumption is a part [...]
Rethinking Foreign Policy
The war in Iraq has cost the United States more than a trillion dollars so far by conservative estimates. Such unprecedented spending has left us economically vulnerable — and no matter how much blame we care to pass around at shady practices on Wall Street and credit lending schemes, we’ve got to be open to [...]
The Pauper As A Prince
I’m at a scary juncture in my life. I’m fresh out of the military and entering this strange, familiar world where I’m coming back into poverty like amnesiacs ride bicycles. I’ve come to realize that no matter what I achieve in my life, there’s always going to be a part of me that’s just doing [...]
A Brief, Cynical Aside
I am starting to believe I was right when teenage angst muddled my political aspirations into a screaming megaphone at 14. That change from the inside is contrary to change. Have we gone so far that the only redeeming revolution will be the bloody one? In this brave new America, with its vast government of [...]
