en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/4314605 Comments by Dan_O2 http://forward.com/#IDComment422307906 Pretty poor examples, Matt. The government regulates both boating and driving. Sodomy laws are still on the books. Risky sexual behaviors in minors below the age of consent are regulated because sexual behavior in minor are regulated (duh) below the age of consent. Drinking is pretty stringently regulated, depending upon the state. Restaurants, bars, and liquor stores are licensed and regulated. If you follow along, circumcision should be allowed, and regulated to control for some preventable risks (i.e. infectious disease). That's Jazzymom's and my position. Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:31:01 +0000 http://forward.com/#IDComment422307906 http://forward.com/#IDComment422264801 Ruth - Depending upon estimates in various studies, between 60% and 98% of adults are infected with or carry HSV-1. HSV-1 is only one of *many* pathogens adults carry (often without symptoms) that can be deadly to an infant with undeveloped immune systems. Anyone who has ever had a kid knows about Strep-B testing, and the procedures put in place to limit exposure of infants to Strep-B when their mothers carry it asymptomatically. Why would we accept putting mothers on IV antibiotics during childbirth to protect infants from Strep-B, while then exposing 6 day-old infants to dangerous, non-sterile surgical procedures? Why do all infants have their eyes swabbed with antibiotic ointment immediately after birth when they're going to have their bloodstream exposed to pathogen-rich saliva a few days later? The idea that an infected mohel is particularly responsible is nonsense. Every mohel is an infected mohel, because every adult is an infected adult. I mean, this is serious stuff. A head cold for you or me could actually be RSV, and an extremely serious case of pneumonia and bronciolitis for an infant. It's a mistake to make this about the mohels, personally. It's a mistake to blame parents, personally. Jazzymom23 put it best: government has a public interest to regulate surgery. Anyone who knows a darn thing about germs will tell you it's ridiculously stupid to needlessly risk introducing pathogens directly into the bloodstream of a young infant. Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:52:34 +0000 http://forward.com/#IDComment422264801 http://forward.com/#IDComment421830587 You don't understand infectious disease if you think blood tests protect infants from non-sterile surgeries. Tue, 14 Aug 2012 20:03:03 +0000 http://forward.com/#IDComment421830587 http://forward.com/articles/160746/our-favorite-heretic/#IDComment421828277 Not so. Nagel is agnostic about dualism. He is sympathetic to some kind of neutral monism, as his defenses of genetic panpsychism has indicated. But he's more humble about our understanding of the physical world to believe he can reasonably assert monism. (He therefore contrasts with bolder monists like David Chalmers.) You might say he Kant be all Spinoza. Tue, 14 Aug 2012 19:58:45 +0000 http://forward.com/articles/160746/our-favorite-heretic/#IDComment421828277 http://forward.com/articles/160746/our-favorite-heretic/#IDComment421586039 Russell's scientific realism was a bit less known (espoused in The Analysis of Mind, and The Analysis of Matter) were essentially Spinozist in the sense that it is a kind of neutral monism, which regarded understanding physical phenomena as real potential observations independent of observers. The influence probably goes through Leibniz, who Russell studied extensively. It's pretty hard to read Russel without seeing the influence of Spinoza. That said, Russel far outclasses Spinoza as a thinker. The most widely-read analytic philosopher who is influenced by Spinoza is Thomas Nagel. Considering he's might just be the most widely-read contemporary analytic philosopher, that says something. Much of the influence Spinoza has on contemporary philosophy of mind goes through Nagel. Tue, 14 Aug 2012 12:38:04 +0000 http://forward.com/articles/160746/our-favorite-heretic/#IDComment421586039 http://forward.com/articles/160746/our-favorite-heretic/#IDComment421173078 Interesting to hear that Levinas and Berlin are contemporary. I wonder if either could prove Spinoza's irrelevancy to their contemporary (not mine), Bertrand Russel. I doubt it. Anyhow, people working in (really) contemporary analytic philosophy find Spinoza relevant in the following general areas: (i) philosophy of mind (Spinoza's dual-aspect theory), (ii) metaphysics of fields and stuff (as opposed to objects and space), and (iii) the metaphysics of possibilities and actualities, in particular Spinoza's necessitarianism (i.e. the claim that the way the actual world is the only way it could be). More than anything, contemporary analytic philosophers trend to try to use broad strokes of thought to help solve some problems. Spinoza thought a bit differently from other people. On the one hand, he was extremely stubborn (i.e. taking the principle of sufficient reason all the way to necessitarianism). On the other hand his physical ontology is just... really cool. Mon, 13 Aug 2012 21:20:48 +0000 http://forward.com/articles/160746/our-favorite-heretic/#IDComment421173078 http://forward.com/articles/161024/weiner-and-huma-live-in-k-a-month-pad/#IDComment420933505 Anthony Weiner has no chance. de Blasio or Quinn will wipe the floor with him. Weiner just isn't serious. That can be okay as a legislator, but it is impossible as an executive. Mon, 13 Aug 2012 12:57:33 +0000 http://forward.com/articles/161024/weiner-and-huma-live-in-k-a-month-pad/#IDComment420933505 http://forward.com/articles/160929/israel-doctors-blast-blood-sucking-circumcision-ri/#IDComment419230453 It's funny that providing information is considered 'declaring war' on the practice. 'Declaring war' on the practice should mean making sure that nobody who does MBP as part of a circumcision ever performs a circumcision again. While I understand that could not happen in Israel, it's absolutely crazy to me that, apparently, Mayor Bloomberg doesn't even have the clout the end the practice in NYC. Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:07:45 +0000 http://forward.com/articles/160929/israel-doctors-blast-blood-sucking-circumcision-ri/#IDComment419230453 http://forward.com/articles/160715/shomrim-dont-want-police-to-see-security-video/#IDComment418589396 Some could put this in terms of 'privacy'. Others could put this in terms of coverups or criminality. Some just point as evidence that the Satmar are 'backwards'. All of it completely misses the point. It comes down the absolute authority demanded by Satmar religious leaders and institutions. It doesn't matter whether the issue involves transportation, security, or public health (i.e. the controversy over MBP) *all* issues are secondary to religious authority. Frankly, the fact that this group is Jewish is irrelevant. What is relevant is the theocratic attitudes of the religious leaders. Basically, this can go two ways. Either the camera footage won't be accessible to police, or the system will end up permanently malfunctioning. Thu, 9 Aug 2012 16:59:53 +0000 http://forward.com/articles/160715/shomrim-dont-want-police-to-see-security-video/#IDComment418589396 http://forward.com/articles/160349/alive-and-well/#IDComment413934238 It's hard to imagine that people who parrot the self-hating Jew smear miss how they appropriate anti-semitic tropes. According to the above, liberal Jews are: (i) servile, (ii) faithless, and (iii) only care about money. Thu, 2 Aug 2012 16:41:55 +0000 http://forward.com/articles/160349/alive-and-well/#IDComment413934238 http://forward.com/articles/160355/u-of-calif-#IDComment413907568 Look, we all know that any one-state resolution means the destruction of the state of Israel. But what does banning speech which, for example, argues in support of that solve? This isn't about the discourse itself, it's about (literally) policing the discourse. And that has much less to do with Israel than it has to do with America. Thu, 2 Aug 2012 15:50:37 +0000 http://forward.com/articles/160355/u-of-calif-#IDComment413907568 http://forward.com/articles/160355/u-of-calif-#IDComment413794930 Committees will do what committees will do. But they've got to know if they try to enforce a policy, they're going to end up backing down. Thu, 2 Aug 2012 12:12:58 +0000 http://forward.com/articles/160355/u-of-calif-#IDComment413794930 http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/159998/#IDComment410044440 That wasn't my argument. I like the ad hominem charge, though. It tacitly affirms the truth of those claims. Fri, 27 Jul 2012 18:31:45 +0000 http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/159998/#IDComment410044440 http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/159998/#IDComment409959130 As a matter of fact, it does. Because even if I wanted to cave to homophobes, the school that hosted the local pack is now closed and homeless (Immaculate Heart of Mary in Central Brooklyn). A result of... yup, The Catholic Church bleeding money and congregants due to their pedophilia coverup scandal. So, yeah. I think it's pretty interesting that an organization that blamed gay people for their own sex abuse scandal in the past is getting marginalized along with another group that blames gay people for their sex abuse scandals. Hey, maybe some of the money raised in the defense of Nechemy Weberman could be diverted to start a local scout troop. It's the next logical step. Fri, 27 Jul 2012 16:29:29 +0000 http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/159998/#IDComment409959130 http://blogs.forward.com/sisterhood-blog/159773/#IDComment409948258 I'm curious. How do you refer to the bankers who redlined the districts you speak of, resulting to families having to sell their houses for next to nothing (because the equity wasn't deemed good as collateral)? What would you call them, to their faces and behind their backs? Fri, 27 Jul 2012 16:14:27 +0000 http://blogs.forward.com/sisterhood-blog/159773/#IDComment409948258 http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/159998/#IDComment409822510 This is really sad. I'm sad how it colors your memories, and restricts your choices with your children. I certainly feel the restriction of choice as a parent. New York City has already walked away from BSA. They're only tolerated in conservative parochial environments. The presence or absence of the BSA has just become yet another regional difference. BSA needs to be replaced, not reformed. Local synagogues don't have to bother denouncing BSA. It's over and done with. The program that is amazing at replacing what BSA does, for boys and girls, is Outward Bound. But it's expensive, very intense, and very self-selective. I wish there was a more accessible alternative for my kids. Fri, 27 Jul 2012 12:11:19 +0000 http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/159998/#IDComment409822510 http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/159998/#IDComment409812591 I sort of agree with you (except - of course the scouts have gay people in it.). But I hope that you're not accusing other resigned or active Eagle Scouts of guilt by association, because that's uncalled for. I have had Westboro descend on my places of residence twice. It's amazing how unifying they are. Everyone despises them. Fri, 27 Jul 2012 11:51:41 +0000 http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/159998/#IDComment409812591 http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/159998/#IDComment409389073 I am no Boy Scout, but I know two Eagle Scouts who have since resigned. They aren't Jewish, but gosh... They're not the sort of people any organization needs to lose, and they've been losing them in droves. BSA is flushing their talent and support down the toilet. They're committing suicide over this. It's really sad. Imagine if a top college or University decided to alienate the top 5% of its alumni. That's what BSA is doing. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Thu, 26 Jul 2012 19:56:35 +0000 http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/159998/#IDComment409389073 http://forward.com/articles/158169/the-undeserving-poor/#IDComment386538468 Perhaps I could assist by helping organizations not waste money sending me big glossy catalogs for silent auctions. Thu, 21 Jun 2012 18:07:54 +0000 http://forward.com/articles/158169/the-undeserving-poor/#IDComment386538468 http://forward.com/articles/158169/the-undeserving-poor/#IDComment386537138 Brilliant... Thu, 21 Jun 2012 18:05:29 +0000 http://forward.com/articles/158169/the-undeserving-poor/#IDComment386537138