Tag Archives: conservatism

Let’s talk about the ways fundamentalists can abuse each other and create a society of 10 year olds

I don’t think the author meant to be bullying, and I do think this attempts to be more satirical than mean, but experience has taught me that this is not innocuous in the least So that link above is a really good look at where I go to school. A lot of things I’ve struggled …

February 21, 2013 – 4:19 am | By ashok | Posted in education, politics | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Conservative Self-Pity and the Demagoguery that Enables It: A Response to Mark Levin

I vote Republican and have given money to GOP candidates. I’ve worked on one campaign in a fairly substantial role and I was happy to chip in when I could in smaller ways throughout the years for the cause. I am going to continue voting Republican, but I want a different party, one not overcome …

January 12, 2013 – 4:58 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged | Comments (2)

Viola to Orsino, Act V of “Twelfth Night,” lines 2471-4

I. Something about love actually can be tender: And all those sayings will I overswear; And those swearings keep as true in soul As doth that orbed continent the fire That severs day from night. – Viola to Orsino in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” Act 5 Finished a close read of Twelfth Night and this just …

August 22, 2012 – 6:11 pm | By ashok | Posted in love, politics, shakespeare | Tagged | Comments (0)

Justice, Equality, “Clientelism” and Faction: A Response to Jay Cost

Jay Cost, “Spoiling Julia Rotten” 1. The core of Cost’s critique – republicanism is compromised when the electorate that matters is nothing but special interests. To wit: And that is what “The Life of Julia” [Obama campaign advertising] is all about. It is liberalism, for sure, but it certainly is not a republican brand of …

May 15, 2012 – 2:55 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged | Comments (1)

Re: “Some Open Questions for Conservatives”

Paula at It’s Only Words has a post looking for some feedback. From the post: My question was, and is, how many conservative positions must one hold on the issues in order to be considered a conservative? The person who started the controversy contends that you must hold the conservative position on every issue, “with …

November 18, 2009 – 5:54 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged | Comments (3)

Rant: The Banality of Conservatism

I certainly don’t want to go “look how smart I am,” because if the latter is said people might actually start looking and I might get in trouble. But this passage from Joseph Epstein’s obituary of Irving Kristol leaped out at me: At the same time, he liked to play with ideas. I remember a …

September 28, 2009 – 5:09 pm | By ashok | Posted in personal, politics | Tagged | Comments (9)

John Derbyshire’s “How Radio Wrecks the Right” is a waste of time

1. Short take: ugh, don’t read his article, it’s a waste of time and indirectly supports his poorly presented idiotic views. I’m writing because better conservative media exists: that’s what this blog is. 2. John Derbyshire’s “How Radio Wrecks the Right” has some significant flaws. I didn’t really want to write on it – I …

February 25, 2009 – 12:26 pm | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged | Comments (9)

What Can We Reasonably Expect from Partisanship?

Lincoln in 1857, “On the Republican Party:” Upon those men who are, in sentiment, opposed to the spread, and nationalization of slavery, rests the task of preventing it. The Republican organization is the embodiment of that sentiment; though, as yet, it by no means embraces all the individuals holding that sentiment. The party is newly …

November 12, 2008 – 2:57 pm | By ashok | Posted in education, lincoln, politics | Tagged , | Comments (5)

Post-Election: A Practical Agenda, and Consideration of a Passage from Plato’s “Cleitophon”

I. I wasn’t going to say anything about the election until I saw this nonsense being spouted, and realized that I have to practice what I preach. I can’t allow my fellow conservatives to indulge in the paranoid “everything is a conspiracy against us” narrative complete with a “if McCain had run further to the …

November 5, 2008 – 5:12 am | By ashok | Posted in philosophy, plato, politics | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

For Republicans: On Creating a Self-Sustaining, Educated Party

The latest plan [Congress is offering] is even worse than the spring round of $100 billion or so in tax rebate checks. At least rebates allowed taxpayers to spend their own money. Under this stimulus the government will tax or borrow $150 billion to $300 billion in order to spend the money on social and …

October 23, 2008 – 10:33 am | By ashok | Posted in politics | Tagged , | Comments (1)