Microblog 2008-11-10

  • Mark Lilla: pick either faux populism or intellectual conservatism, you can’t have both [WSJ] #
  • P.J. O’Rourke on where conservatives went wrong [Weekly Standard] #
  • And how exactly did those mountain goats get up there without wings? [Flickr “Roger 80” h/t @coolpics] #
  • Scotland authorities trawl social networking sites, then slap teen with £200 fine for posing with sword on Bebo [Massie] #
  • “Victims’ rights” sound like lovely idea but can undermine fairness and practicality of criminal justice system [Greenfield] #
  • Bizarre Czech case: driver hits, then tries to murder pedestrian, victim survives only to be sued by car’s owner [Feral Child] #
  • Auto bailout would leave Big 3 in interest-group coils, bankruptcy could cut the knots [Bainbridge h/t @erwiest] #
  • ACORN as the gang that couldn’t intimidate straight [PoL] #
  • “Talked about in CivPro” I hope favorably [@sqfreak] #
  • More public stirrings against traffic cameras [Jeff Nolan] #

2 Comments

  • Everything I know about the American form of government I learned from PJ O’Rourke, and he is still a masterful teacher. Every Republican politician and those who aspire to be should be required to recite “We Blew It” from memory to their constituents.

  • As bad as American government is, you haven’t even started, with government or O’Rourke. Try his essays on the efforts of the Bangladeshi government to promote jute exports, or the last Filipino election under Ferdinand Marcos. (By the way, pray Obama doesn’t give State to John Kerry, who’s featured prominently and unflatteringly in O’Rourke’s reporting on that election.)

    There can be no greater proof that the New York Times is biased than that a hack like David Brooks (not really a hack, but in comparison to O’Rourke all of us mortals are hacks) got the column seat, and the salary and recognition, that rightfully belonged to P. J. O’Rourke when Safire stepped down from the Times’ token conservative slot.