I already put in my picks for my Fantasy Politics league (it's like fantasy football but for people who read Ricochet and DON'T watch SportsCenter). I called Paul for Iowa, but I'm beginning to think it'll be Romney, Santorum, Paul and then a smattering with Gingrich, Perry, Bachmann, Huntsman. And a few write-ins or something for Palin.

Did this remind anyone else of the floating city real estate development "Bluthton" from Arrested Development?

Coddling? As is frequently pointed out, nothing is stopping Warren from cutting a big fat check to the IRS voluntarily, out of civic pride. Lead by example Warren and maybe your tax-profiteering wont seem so opportunistic.

I think we all secretly know that TPaw bowing out makes room for Santorum to finally make his move. Get out of the way! But seriously, now that Perry's in, we can now have a threeway fight and stop inviting Ron Paul to debates (PLEASE!).

Who can energize the base and independents the most? Coming across with energy, competence and a strong message will be the best way to negate demonization. I think Perry is better on this, or at least he has a good shot at it, because he's fresh. I need to see more of Perry before I can really pass judgement.

Did the announcement of the bus tour remind anyone else of the picture of John Kerry waving ears of corn during his 2004 bus tour? http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/breck/kerry_explains_corn_to_teresa.Par.0001.ImageFile.jpg

Somehow I can't read the words "Obama bus tour" without smirking. A bus tour seems so...antithetical to his Ivy League intelligentia, jetting around on Air Force One, premimium Kobe beef appetizer eating persona. How high tech and comfortable will these buses be? Will they be models of ecosanctity?

I would recommend reading Theodore Dalrymple on the riots and the breakdown of British society in general. The lack of community which Brand bewails isnt the result of Tory policies. It's due to the welfare state and the entitlement it fosters. When you are given everything, you don't care about your community. Maybe if every Brit had to pay some fee, say $3.58 a month, to live in England, these people would behave more decently and would care about their community.

So if even if every youth in England was given the same "privileges" as Brand, he seems to imply they would still be inclined to participate in protests and riot. This is drivel. Interesting drivel but drivel nonetheless. The poor disadvantaged youths must have government cheese, dependence on which seems to have spawned the problems we witnessed.

On the space issue, I find myself in a bit of a bind. I agree with Peter (and that other grump, John Derbyshire) that NASA just isn't feasable right now. Why do we need to go to the international space station? To carry out irrelevant experiments (investigating the effects of weightlessness on mice watching Jersey Shore or something like that)?

On the other hand, I just got engaged. And my future father-in-law is a rocket engineer for NASA. My future mother-in-law used to work on the Hubble program until she became a full time home school mom. Both of them, along with my beloved as well, are quite adamant that Obama shouldn't cut NASA funding and tell NASA to boost Muslim self-esteem. While I agree on the latter, whenever talk turns to NASA budget cuts, I find myself holding my tongue. 

But well done Ricochet for having a Radiohead post. And extra kudos for the Girl Talk reference. As if the bumper music on the podcast didn't already prove this place was hip to the latest indie music. Does this mean that future podcast episodes during election season will start with the jangly guitars from the OK Computer track "Electioneering"?

After my first listen through, I'd have to say that this album will have to grow on me. It's not as varied or rocking as In Rainbows. Seeing as my first Radiohead album was Kid A, which I fell in love with immediately, I have no problem with the experimental stuff. The album feels like the band is moving in a new direction but hasn't yet taken the step. I'm actually more interested in Yorke's solo work. The new pieces he debuted a year or two ago with his new band in LA were amazing.

In terms of the distribution method, I think that the "pay what you want" model (which they aren't using this time) payed off for In Rainbows, and the direct download release followed up with physical releases (I assume with XL Records, the same label that put out In Rainbows on CD) for King of Limbs, work well for Radiohead. But for a band without Radiohead's massive, devoted following? I think we're going to see most artists sticking to iTunes and Amazon MP3 for digital releases.

I'm really torn on how to view this story. There are two possibilities. One is that the principal is a moron who is trying to find raaaaacism where there is none, probably out of some desire to be a moral crusader. The other is that the school system itself is so overzealous about stamping out raaaaacism that the principal reported the student lest the higher ups come down on the school like a ton of bricks.

Either way, this is absurd.

No. Animals do not have any immaterial component to their soul which is not the act of a physical organ. Thus there is nothing which would persist after death.

Aaron, you hit the nail on the head. A brief point about virtue. Since virtues are not merely abstract habit but apply to particular situations, we must always consider the particulars and determine what action is virtuous. I think there would be no question that a church would not allow a group of Hindus to worship in their church. The ambiguity with Islam comes from the common claim which Christianity and Islam lay to the Abrahamic tradition along with the perceived need for developing a better relationship between adherents to both faiths. These particulars do not change the basic facts underlying this case. Inviting in Muslims doesn't mean you are practicing openness by eschewing prejudice and hatred. It means you are being open by not treating the tenets of your faith seriously. As a Catholic, I agree with Aaron. But, if the for the members of this church, it has no particular sacred character, i.e. It is not consecrated and contains no sacred objects, it would seem to be sacred only insofar as there is a weekly 10 am Sunday service. If the church would allow secular, completely nonreligious events to occur in their facilities, then I can see why they would welcome prayer services by other faiths. The multipurpose use of the space somewhat trivializes the religious charachter.

Two basic points. First, if the Muslims are asking to use a gymnasium or a parish hall, i.e. a building not actually used for worship, then it's not as much of an issue. In that case, it seems to me that the choice is less clear. I would say no, but that's me. If it's the actual sanctuary, then the answer should be no. The divergence of faiths is a serious issue. This isn't the Rotary Club asking the Lion's Club if they can use their hall for meetings. It involves worship. A Christian church is for Christian worship. To open one's church to members of other faiths for worship degrades the significance of the worship space which one uses. It's not "sacred" because it's generically used for prayer to any old god. It's sacred because it is specifically used for prayer and worship of the Christian God. Openness isn't always a virtue. Heresy and paganism shouldn't be treated with open invites just as NAMBLA Wouldn't be invited.