gdp's Comments

Big Journalism : A Challenge to the MSM: In the Name of Decency, Back Off the Ground Zero Mosque

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:01:13 +0000

Suppose, hypothetically, that some American group wanted to put an American cultural center in downtown Hiroshima. What do you think would be the likely media reaction?

Big Hollywood : Today's Open Thread

Wed, 4 Aug 2010 19:35:43 +0000

I keep waiting for somebody to bring up the new AMC Series "Rubicon." If you haven't seen it, it's the Truther Universe version of 24, but it does give a fascinating peek into its writers' world views. Given that left-wing anti-Iraq movies have pretty uniformly bombed at the box office, I wonder how far this show will continue...

Big Hollywood : DVD Review: Director Nora Ephron Ruins a Pretty Good 'Julie & Julia' With Gratuitous Republican Bash

Wed, 4 Aug 2010 19:31:10 +0000

I don't agree that the Republican bashing is entirely gratuitous, within the movie's own terms. In one of the early scenes, the Julie character states that Julia Child was the catalyst for significant changes in American culture. The Republican bashing is partly to draw a contrast between American culture in the early 50s and American culture now. Of course, I agree that this is a dumb premise if you're trying to write a film that makes money.

Big Government : Patronage, Principles, and Political Parties

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 21:27:03 +0000

By all means let us clear things up. You quote from Lincoln's reply to Stephen Douglas in the first Lincoln Douglas debate at Ottowa, Illinois. Two sentences later, Lincoln goes on to say, "... I hold that notwithstanding all this, there is no reason in the world why the negro is not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I hold that he is as much entitled to these as the white man. I agree with Judge Douglas that he is not my equal in many respects -- certainly not in color, perhaps not in moral or intellectual endowment. But in the right to eat the bread, without leave of anybody else, which his own hand earns, he is my equal and the equal of Judge Douglas, and the equal of every living man." I believe the last sentence is the important piece, not the excerpt you have quoted. I take Lincoln's position on the slave power conspiracy to be tolerably well elaborated in the "house divided" address. (http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/house.htm). You do not specify the senate resolution which you cite, but this has no bearing on the slave power conspiracy. Lincoln's stated position on slavery during the secession crisis was that he would not interfere with slavery in those states where it was established but he would oppose extension of slavery into any of the U.S. territories (not organized as states). The seceding states took this as casus belli. The primary stated war aim of the Union was not to end slavery but to suppress the armed rebellion started by the army of the Confederate states at Fort Sumter. Regarding the percentage of slaveholders, I do not accept in principle that a group must necessarily be large to be powerful. However, working from raw figures, the Census of 1860 gives 393,975 (an over-count to an uncertain extent) to 8,039,000 white inhabitants of the slave states, which is 4.9% of the population. If we reduce the denominator by taking it as male inhabitants, that should double the percentage to 9.8%. If we assume the fraction of white male inhabitants over the age of 18 equals 75% (a guess; however, the Census of 1860 estimates that 20% of the population consist of white men between 18 and 45), then the percentage rises to 13.4%. All of these numbers are somewhat arbitrary, but so is your 3.5%. I have heard in the past that 25% of Southern farms had at least one slave, but I can't source the figure. Regarding your comments on President Roosevelt I generally agree, but I think that Roosevelt's malevolently inept domestic policy is a more important charge against him than his foreign policy. I agree with your sentiments about President Coolidge, but I don't see how you can construe them as an instance of principles over party.

Big Government : Patronage, Principles, and Political Parties

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:33:32 +0000

While I agree with you that eliminating the Electoral College is a bad idea, I don't accept your conclusion that such a change would necessarily increase the power of the coastal states. However, I do believe that the 17th Amendment should be repealed and elections to the U.S. Senate should be returned to state legislatures.

Big Journalism : 'We Will Not Be Silenced, 2008' -- Charges That Obama Stole the Nomination From Hillary Clinton

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:20:29 +0000

Honestly, it's always been hard for me to develop a rooting interest in this particular case. See this clip at 5:35. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xjRJ4noK6I&NR...

Big Journalism : 'We Will Not Be Silenced, 2008' -- Charges That Obama Stole the Nomination From Hillary Clinton

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:21:48 +0000

One more point I would add: at some point voters have an obligation to punish misbehavior at the polls. I wonder how many people appearing in this clip voted against President Obama on account of misconduct by the Obama campaign. If you're not willing to do this, then complaints are largely useless hand wringing.

Big Journalism : Journalist At Work: Megyn Kelly Interviews Karl Rove About the New Black Panther Case

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 18:40:40 +0000

General?? I thought that was a doorman's uniform.

Big Hollywood : RACISM: Mel Gibson May Rant But Leftist Hollywood Believes...

Wed, 7 Jul 2010 16:07:10 +0000

You left out "..., and gave away free beer." from your first sentence.

Big Government : Walter Lippmann on Progressivism

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:14:08 +0000

What, in your opinion, is the most important point that Continetti has omitted? What, in your opinion, is the most important point that Continetti takes out of context?

Big Government : Walter Lippmann on Progressivism

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:10:57 +0000

I wish to quibble a bit about details here: The Venona papers were American decrypts about Soviet espionage that were released in the early 90s. At the same time, internal papers from the Communist Party of the USSR became available, although not via an official release; these archives have since been closed, although many of the raw papers are available. Simultaneously, a KGB general named Pavel Sudoplatov published a book recounting further details about Soviet espionage.