Dec

29

Sex and Libertarians Well, the

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Sex and Libertarians
Well, the good people at Libertarian Samizdata are back at it again. Natalija responded to a number of emails on the 15 yr. old prostitute story (see below). Many of them were weird and not appropriate for a family web site such as this but she did have courtesy to respond to me as well. I had asked her if it was prudish to worry about a young boy being given access to a prostitute and she responded thus:
“Fifteen year old dying boy, Kevin. To deny him a basic human experience because someone else has a problem with casual physical intimacy, yes I would have to say that is prudish. Also heartless.”
I really think this sums up the difference between us. She describes sex between a 15 year old and a prostitute as “casual physical intimacy.” I guess I am a prude because I see sex as an important and consequential physical and emotional act that should not be entered into lightly or flippantly. I also believe that it is not something that 15 year olds should be engaged in. A terminal illness does not change the fact that he is a 15-year-old boy and that sex with a prostitute is illegal and wrong and not likely to help him any. How about some counseling on his mortality and how to deal with it appropriately? Was this out of the question or was he so stuck on sex that he couldn’t think about anything else? Is that the key to dying in peace - have sex? To me this seems shallow.
I believe society has the right to define boundaries for the community as a whole - and keep 15 year olds from having sex with prostitutes seems like one we should keep. I for one am glad that prostitution is illegal in this country (USA) and I am also reassured to know that someone still considers it troubling to supply young people with prostitutes. (more on society, boundaries etc. later).

Dec

28

Tip Jar Hey, I know

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Tip Jar
Hey, I know this is going to sound crass but I spent some time trying to get the Amazon tip jar thingee and the guestbook in the right place and working so if any one cares to use them it would mean a lot to me (you don’t have to give a large amount on Amazon just put in a buck so I can see how it works - OK?). Plus my wife doesn’t belive anyone will ever use it!

Dec

28

Geraldo News Flash This just

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Geraldo News Flash
This just in - Geraldo is an idiot. Or to quote the ubiquitous and ever useful InstaPundit (on another subject) he is “so absolutely, unrelievedly, stone-cold dumb.”

Dec

28

Religion, War , and Truth

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Religion, War , and Truth
Kaus Files examines an interesting Washington Post piece by Kevin Hasson. Hasson blasts Andrew Sullivan, Thomas Friedman, and Bill Clinton for tying the war to a defense of relativism. He instead argues that what is needed is a realization from Islam that human freedom is an inviolable right - like Catholicism did with Vatican II. Mickey, if I may call him that, rejects this complex argument for a simple minimal tolerance - i.e. can’t people just agree not to kill each other over disagreements? Point well made, but what is interesting is that few have a good understanding of why we should be tolerant and to what extent. As I pointed out in previous posts, First Things editor Richard John Neuhaus has outlined this in excellent fashion as part of a debate with Stanley Fish. Relevant quote:
This tolerance is made necessary by two factors: cognitive humility and love for neighbor. The Christian truth about God, man, and the world of which we are part includes the truth that we are not the masters of all the truth there is. For starters, there is original sin, which distorts and disorders also our reason. The truth about sin helps us understand why we frequently fail to understand. Then there is what we might call the eschatological proviso. Now we see through a glass darkly; only in the Kingdom of God will we know as we are known (1 Corinthians 13). This is not a matter of locating truth “in an ever- receding future.” It is knowing that the fullness of our grasp of the truth is in an ever- oncoming future.
Yeah, what he said.

Dec

28

Guns, Gun nuts, and Gun

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Guns, Gun nuts, and Gun Whackos
There have been some interesting inter-blog arguments on guns and gun control lately. AintNoBadDude is seeking to find some middle ground between the libertarians over at Samizdata and the full out gun control groups. Good luck! This issue really gets people riled up. I agree with ANBD that some 2nd amendment people go a bit far in their paranoid visions of government. I also share his and the libertarians distaste for the gun control crowd that seems to believe if we just get guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens the streets will be safe. The difficulty with this issue is that both extremes have an interest in making the worst-case scenario in order to raise the noise level and raise funds.
Here in Ohio the pro-gun groups have, excuse the cheap pun, shot themselves in the foot to the point where it is almost comic relief. They constantly snipe and threaten good members of the legislature if they don’t sign pledges or fill out dubious questionnaires. They even campaigned against the GOP Speaker of the House who was hoping to push concealed carry through the General Assembly this session (Here is an interesting story on how he hopes to do just that). They are constantly letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. It is all or nothing - us or them. This simply does not work in Ohio where the emphasis is on pragmatism and collegiality. I am all for standing for ones principals but one has to work within the system to get the best result possible.
The bottom line is that the vast majority of gun control legislation is either an unnecessary infringement on the 2nd amendment or an ill advised and ineffective policy (or both). But one does not have to be a member of the Brady Campaign to worry about gun violence and or be willing to explore compromise on issues like concealed carry, etc.

Dec

27

I have been playing around

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I have been playing around with the format of this blog so if things look a little wierd I appologize. I am trying to master some html and look for content and still do my job and live my life - Whew! Hope to have a guestbook up without screwing the format soon.

Dec

27

Sex and Conservatives Like a

Filed Under Books and Culture | 1 Comment

Sex and Conservatives
Like a pavlovian dog hearing the bells, I must respond to a recent entry from the blog Libertarian Samizdata. The blogstress Natalija launched a rant after reading this article about a dying boy whose last wish was to experience sex. Some friends obliged and arranged a visit with a prostitute for the 15year-old boy before his death. Now Natalija seems quite upset that conservatives, feminists, and others would not see the story as a touching tribute to true friendship. Well, I for one find it surprising that an intelligent woman such as Natalija would miss the troubling aspects of such a case.
Lets forget for the moment the issues surrounding sex before marriage, etc. that non–Christians find so puritanical. There are still a number of issues involved, herewith some ruminations:
1) Natalija: “How can a woman be ‘demeaned’ by engaging in her chosen profession with a grateful dying boy?” Is it not possible that ones chosen profession can be demeaning and dehumanizing? Is Natalija insinuating that prostitutes live happy, self-fulfilled, emancipated lives? Is it not possible that turning sex into just another market transaction cheapens the act and the people who commit it? One doesn’t have to be a prude to disapprove of prostitution. Does the boys gratitude make the act ok? Might the boy be grateful for all sorts of acts that are nontheless wrong?
2) Natalija again: “I am so very glad that more compassionate souls were there to make the only true moral decision or this story would have reduced me to tears.” So, the moral choice in this case was to conspire to break the law (sex with minors, prostitution?) in order that a 15-year-old boy could have some instant gratification with a prostitute against the wishes of his parents with little or no counseling!!!! First of all, does dying suddenly change what is healthy for a 15 yr. old? Is Natalija arguing that all 15 year olds should be allowed to have sex with prostitutes? Might the compassionate thing to do have been to explain to the child that sex was something best experienced between people who love each other and are mature enough to understand its implications? Does Natalija believe that sex is just another bodily function and that any societal compulsion to see it as otherwise is cruel? If so, then I think she is heading towards the lack of moral boundaries and traditions that the whole dust up with Jonah Goldberg was about.
This post is already too long so I wrap up. Sure sex happens in all sorts of circumstances and situations but that does not make it right. ?Reality? is often the excuse to push things beyond prudent boundaries (just search the net if you want to find some examples). Moral reasoning does not involve simply accepting what happens but deciding what should be happening. There are a lot of things conservatives can and should be chided about, but ethical concern when a 15 year old boy has sex with a prostitute is not one of them.

Dec

27

Math and politics Interesting article

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Math and politics
Interesting article in Slate on the polarization of politics. Apparently, some math wizards have come up with a way to “map” the political spectrum in a mathematically precise way (using roll call votes). The data shows that the current congress is significantly polarized but what is interesting is that this seems to be the norm (the exceptions seem to be the 1950’s and civil rights and period leading up to the Civil War).
One interesting thing to note is the consistency of voting patterns. A politician’s place on the spectrum accurately predicts votes more than 80% of the time. This is further proof of something opponents of campaign finance have been saying: money doesn’t buy politicians. If a simple left-right spectrum can predict 80% of votes then clearly money is not the major factor in why a person votes a certain way on an issue (neither are constituents) or these votes would change as money flowed over a long career. This seems one more indication that politicians are not necessarily sleazy moneygrubbers who shift with the wind but rather people with set ideas about government (and human beings subject to group pressure and leadership). Unfortunately, it also likely means that politicians are not particularly open minded or likely to change.

Dec

26

Easterbrook on Christmas I am

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Easterbrook on Christmas
I am not, I repeat not, a publicist for Gregg Easterbrook (I seem to be linking to him a lot lately). Nevertheless, he has a great Christmas suggestion in TNR which I missed earlier. The suggestion: for every dollar spent on presents spend a dollar on the needy. I think this is a great idea and one I hope to implement next season. I have begun to realize that, despite my natural tendency to think otherwise, I am not that generous of a person. Sure, I find it easy to give to friends and family and to help out people I know, but when it comes to the truly needy - destitute strangers across the world - I simply ignore them. This idea works because it is not some anti-capitalist screed about materialism and greed but rather a call to recognize the blessings we have and to share with others less fortunate.

Dec

26

“Modern Art” A great skewering

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“Modern Art”
A great skewering of so called “Modern Art” in The American Enterprise Magazine. It saddens me that most of what is considered art today is either BS like the works rightfully mocked by Karl Zinsmeister above or crafty schtick/illustration like Thomas Kincaid. Is that all we get? Sad. Beauty, inspiration, meaning, they are no longer the goals; art seems to have lost touch with life.

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