This was great as always, I just take a little exception at the idea that Cambridge is a hotbed of anti-Americanism. After the bombings, the building where I work, the tall building on MIT's campus,was lit up like the American flag for 2 days, and there have been US flags scattered around the campus since then. It might be because we had more than our fair share of trouble from these guys, but I have not heard anyone even question any of this.

https://twitter.com/Tochtli_exe/status/324001764833644545/photo/1

I completely agree with everything you said. I'm basically the only right wing person in my entire circle and it's exhausting. I especially agree with number 7, the few times when I care to engage it's rewarding and it bolsters my own convictions.

Generally I preclude political discussion as soon as it starts by loudly exaggerating my positions, like calling for an overtly regressive tax policy, or annexing the entire middle east and giving it to Israel. I use the momentary shocked silence when they try to figure out how serious I was to change the subject.

4. 25

I certainly don't hate belief, I'm Catholic. I'm also a geophysicist. I also have done a whole lot of geology. I also have used Uranium and Lead isotopes to date rocks, many of which were older than 100,000 years old . I also have seen the world's oldest dated rock, it resides in the same building where I study, and it is over 4 billion years old. I don't know if it is fair to say that I'm ridiculing people, I just find it difficult to accept that people ignore scientific reality, geologists agree that the world is 4.54 billion years old based on a host of evidence.We're finding more and more evidence every day in geoscience and planetary science.

If we are talking about politics, then I would find it difficult to vote for someone who ignores something that scientists have actual consensus on, because it challenges his preconceptions. I hope that doesn't offend or make me Richard Dawkins Jr.

I don't because I don't appreciate it when people bore me with their leftist politics so I won't do the same to them. It also doesn't help that most of my friends are on the left so my political posts would just be wasted.

Yay! Ricochet is hip and new!

I was in Paris last year, so we pretended that the eiffel tower bright lights were fireworks

I'm a fairly recent convert, I used to watch Colbert every night, and I bought the book. Now can still appreciate some of the interviews but the show itself just annoys me.

Oh I'm definitely a fraud. I'm in grad school and everyone else is brilliant and knows what they're doing. They all say that they feel like frauds and that everyone else is brilliant, I keep thinking "NO! You're not the fraud, I am! What's wrong with you?" Basically we all work ridiculous hours hoping that no one realizes that they made a mistake in admissions, and so we end up looking like we actually know what we're doing after all, adding to the insecurity of the next batch of "frauds". I think there is a vicious cycle in there somewhere.  

Actually in the book Rue is described as having dark brown skin and eyes, it just never matters for the rest of the series. Her district is also one of the first to riot in the book because they are treated more harshly than in district 12 and because Rue was only 12 years old. All in all I think you're seeing something that's not there.

I read that article expecting to find that it was a storm in a teacup and that it was just overly PC people whining about the truth. Unfortunately the whole thing read read like a screed, a completely unfair, offensive rant. Even if I ignore his advice to avoid places where black people might turn up, the rest of it was worse.

Assume black people are stupider than everyone else in ordinary encounters (Life is an IQ test), some of them are smart, but not too smart obviously. It felt like he just had a trip to the DMV and wanted to get something off his chest.

I don't think NRO is distancing themselves out of hope for mainstream approval, I think they're distancing themselves because it was a horrible piece.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/burns-haberman/2012/01/perry-mitts-company-just-vultures-who-eat-the-carcass-110316.html

This is how Perry's campaign ends, not with a bang but a burp.

What would happen if William Hague tweeted "West Indians love playing "divide & rule". We should not play their game." and then refused to properly apologize? For some background, Diane Abbott is the same horrible woman who goes on and on about how terrible private schools are, then sent her children to one of the most expensive ones.

For me Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Nelson Mandela and Pope Benedict are the most inspirational, but as for the best? Probably someone I never heard of.

Exactly. Also if he said that in the context of sodomy laws in Texas, then that makes it even worse for me. How would the law be executed? The only way to ensure that people do not engage in illegal sexual behavior is to kick down the front door.

I am Catholic as well so I understand where Santorum is coming from (I think he's wrong but I understand), I just think that he is trying to impose his morality on the rest of us using government force.

I would go further, my understanding was that the tea party was formed partly as a rebuke to George W. Bush and the Republican establishment (whatever that is). The complaint was that they grew government almost as badly as the Dems through legislation. Santorum was not only in the senate passing said legislation (voting for Medicare expansion, department of education expansion, etc.) but was in the leadership so he actually was the establishment (not like Romney who just looks the part). The only reason he is no longer in the establishment is that he lost his re-election really, really badly.

In terms of ecomomic policy, he is George W. Bush without the personality, charm or gravitas.