Book Title Seen in Columbia Law School Library

Military Justice is to Justice as Military Music is to Music by Robert Sherrill

Worth Your Time: Podcast of Richard Rorty on KQED's Forum

My favorite thinker & teacher, Richard Rorty, was interviewed by Michael Krasny on 1/31/06. The podcast is here. (iTunes link)

Harold Bloom calls Rorty the "most interesting philosopher in the world today," but I agree with Rorty. If you're attempting to talk about a distinct human activity easily distinguishable from other literary traditions, there is no such thing as philosophy.

This Was the Best Headline They Had?

For the record, the President is also opposed to Melodramatic Sappiness, Overly Dry Wit, and 1980's-style Action Movie Arbitrary Nudity.

Bush v. Science, Round 37: George Carlton Deutsch III

After it became clear that he had been less than truthful on his résumé, George C. Deutsch III resigned his post at NASA yesterday, where he had taken it upon himself to see that NASA's online references to the "Big Bang" were amended to read the "Theory of the Big Bang."

His rationale for the change? "It is not NASA's place, nor should it be to make a declaration such as this about the existence of the universe that discounts intelligent design by a creator," moreover, he explained to one NASA employee that the Big Bang "not proven fact; it is opinion."

The 24-year old Mr. Deutsch's credentials for his post as a writer and editor in NASA's public affairs office in Washington? He worked the Bush/Cheney reelection war room in 2004 (It turns out he does not, in fact, have a Bachelor of Arts in journalism, Class of 2003, Texas A&M — hence the resignation.)

Of course, Mr. Deutsch's choice of preface for "Big Bang" is technically correct, but for profoundly incorrect reasons. I love the way Josh Marshall sums up the problem:

(The Big Bang is) not just some idea someone thought up which stands on an equal footing with any other idea anyone else could cook up. Among cosmologists today, it's the dominant theory about how the universe began. It is based on various theoretical work (which I won't try to understand or explain) and supported by a lot of astrophysical data.

The theory could turn out to be wrong. And it will almost certainly end up being revised in one or more ways. But it is not 'opinion'.

It's worth taking note of the word choice because it captures the mix of obscurantism and relativism which has characterized all the Bush administration's attitude about science and, really, pretty much all empirically based knowledge...

The rub here is the failure to see that knowledge which has been subjected to and survived – indeed been strengthened by – empirical and theoretical scrutiny stands on a higher footing than information that hasn't. This isn't pedantry. Nor is this some obscure alcove in the science curriculum.

This mindset – obscurantism and relativism duking it out to be of most use in the pursuit of power – suffuses the Bush administration: a lack of respect for facts and the set of tools we use to discern factual information from chatter and bombast.

We've Come Traveled A Long Way, Baby Friend

January 13, 1967 — Ed Sullivan finds the Rolling Stones' lyric Let's Spend the Night Together objectionable, forces the band to sing Let's Spend Some Time Together.

February 5, 2006 — NFL officials, haunted by wardrobe malfunctions and panicked by America's apparently frail sensibilities, force the aged Rolling Stones to alter two of their songs during the Super Bowl halftime show.

For They Sow the Wind, and They Shall Reap the Whirlwind (Hosea 8:7)

Upon reading that President Bush weathered some uncomfortable political speech at Coretta Scott King's funeral, my intial reaction was to feel bad for him.

Maybe it's something about the way I was raised — I just hate the idea of people being embarrassed in public.

Then – after about 10 seconds – I remembered how Bush's minders keep him secluded from anything resembling dissent and I ceased to feel pity for our unpopular President.

Multiple Images, Singular Anger

This is neither here nor there, but the gallery image that Matt Drudge includes at the top of the Drudge Report to demonstrate Pan-Islamic rage in reaction to the Danish cartoon scandal is just a bit deceptive.

The signs in the top two images are clearly the work of a single person. The handwriting similarities are just too uncanny. Look at the E's.

Titles For Canadians For Dummies

9 out of 10 amateur book critics agree: They should retitle this series For Canadian Dummies.

Justice Deferred is Justice Denied

This is a travesty. This crime was committed (at the latest) in June 2003.

I'm astonished that District Judge Walton is waiting until January 8, 2007 to begin Lewis Libby's trial.

January 8, 2007 is 2 months after congressional elections and more than 14 months after Libby was indicted by a federal grand jury.

We Must Not Rest Until this Article is Complete

At Wikipedia, the list of pages needing expert attention are those pages that caring Wikipedians have identified as requiring the special care of someone with a professional level of fluency on the topic in question.

The entry for Care Bears: Journey to Joke-a-lot is currently among this set.

How can we sleep at night, knowing that the world's public knowledge on this vital topic is so partial and incomplete?!

Help us, Wikipedians! Help us!