Monthly Archives: August 2002

I think your empirical points

I think your empirical points are right, Deacon. Capital punishment could deter crime as it has at various times in the past, but it would have to be applied much more consistently than we do currently, and there would have to be some possibility of the crime and the execution occurring in the same decade. I would call the issue a moral rather than an aesthetic one, however. There was »

Following up on the topic

Following up on the topic of capital punishment, I tend to view the issue almost as an aesthetic one — a matter of taste — albeit an important one. Abolitionists cannot show that innocents are being executed. Proponents (to my understanding) cannot show a significant deterrent effect at any level of use that is likely to occur in this society. They can point to killers who have been released and »

The National Review’s John O’Sullivan

The National Review’s John O’Sullivan provides his views on the capital punishment debate. I agree with much of his analysis, but I’m skeptical of a statistical study O’Sullivan cites showing that each execution deters between eight and twenty-eight murders. Most studies do not find a significant deterrent effect under the current regime. But that is almost surely because, under the current regime, the death penalty is not carried out often »

The September issue of Commentary

The September issue of Commentary contains a review of Jacques Steinberg’s book The Gatekeepers. The book is an account of the admissions system at the ultra-liberal Wesleyan University. The author covers education for the ultra-liberal New York Times. The review is by Dan Seligman, and I rely on it for this rendering of the book. Steinberg was given unlimited access to the Wesleyan admission process, including the conferences during which »

Swedish investigators report that the

Swedish investigators report that the Muslim from Sweden who was caught with a loaded handgun in his carry-on luggage intended to hijack the airplane and fly it into a US embassy somewhere in Europe. It seems clear that this guy is just a goofball and not part of an organized, competent group like Al Qaeda. It is unlikely the pistol could have escaped even the most rudimentary inspection; he never »

It’s good to see that

It’s good to see that your memory is still sharp, Deacon. It’s hard to be a fanatic when you don’t have a home team. The Washington Times said this morning that the baseball deal could be good for Washington because, with no contraction, teams may be up for sale. Who knows, maybe the Twins could become the Senators again. On a more sober note, Thomas Sowell, one of the greatest »

Rocket Man, thanks for reminding

Rocket Man, thanks for reminding me about our excursion to Fenway Park in June of 1971. It’s a game that many New Englanders of a certain age still remember, and not just because of the near riot. The Red Sox were in first place, as were the A’s. Sonny Siebert hadn’t lost all year (I think he was 8-0). Vida Blue hadn’t lost since early April, to my Washington Senators »

This summer Gabriel Ledeen joined

This summer Gabriel Ledeen joined many outstanding college undergraduates at the Marines’ Officer Candidate School. Ledeen recounts several vignettes from his experience this summer on National Review Online. We previously took note of our meeting with Yale senior Peter Sommerville following his attendance at Marine OCS over the summer. Peter told us that he attended with three other Ivy Leaguers, two from Dartmouth and one from Princeton, all having signed »

The silliness of many airport

The silliness of many airport security measures doesn’t need to be belabored, but I can’t resist noting an absurdity I encountered yesterday flying out of Milwaukee. As a traveler approaches the security screening area, there is a sign identifying “prohibited items.” The sign contains a long list of such items, but four (e.g., a pair of scissors) are singled out with large illustrations, each with a red line drawn through »

Today’s Star Tribune reports the

Today’s Star Tribune reports the result of an extremely important Minnesota Supreme Court opinion upholding the constitutionality of Minnesota’s statute providing for the aggravation of criminal sentences on defendants convicted of crimes committed for the benefit of a gang. The argument against the statute was that the statute disproportionately affects blacks, which of course happens to be true. The Court’s lone black justice, Alan Page, dissented. I intend to read »

Wesley Pruden’s weekly column is

Wesley Pruden’s weekly column is devoted to taking the measure of various countries with respect to their position on the coming war with Iraq. As to our dear friends the French, Pruden states that they last helped us during the French and Indian War. I don’t know about that, but Pruden is a shrewd observer and the column is worth reading. »

I’ve seen several headlines like

I’ve seen several headlines like this one: “Pearl Harbor sub may show U.S. fired first.” I wondered what on earth the point was…is someone seriously trying to claim that the U.S. started the Second World War (at least in the Pacific)? It turns out that is precisely the agenda, at least in some quarters (The U.S. Navy has long said that it hit an enemy sub just before the attack »

Americans are notoriously prone to

Americans are notoriously prone to over-simplification, moralism, unilateralism and forceful solutions. For those who think this is not such a bad thing, check out this merchandise, link courtesy of InstaPundit. »

By the way–speaking of baseball–when

By the way–speaking of baseball–when Deacon and I were college juniors, we had an argument about which was better, baseball or football. I argued for football, and got whipped. That rekindled my interest in baseball, and in the spring of 1971 Deacon and I went to Boston to see Sonny Siebert and the Red Sox take on the Oakland A’s and their rookie sensation, Vida Blue. There was more or »

You can tell I’ve been

You can tell I’ve been on the road when I start linking to USA Today, but this article summarizing key intelligence gathered on al Qaeda as a result of the capture of Abu Zubaydah is excellent. It restores some faith in our investigative agencies, and poses some fascinating questions, among them: Why did Mohammad Atta and his confederate travel from Boston to Portland, Maine, on September 10, only to get »

In today’s WorldNetDaily, Jon Dougherty

In today’s WorldNetDaily, Jon Dougherty reports that the Palestinian Authority press outlets are suddenly portraying Saddam Hussein as at the forefornt of Arab support for attacks on Israel. Saddam has long been in that forefront, but Dougherty notes that until recently the PA press has kept this quiet. Maybe Saddam is calling in some debts, as he scrambles for support on “the Arab street.” »

Trunk, Keegan’s column certainly is

Trunk, Keegan’s column certainly is powerful. Thanks for posting it. I enjoyed your baseball blog too, Rocket Man. I guess the players figure that pursuing the traditional labor union model has worked well for them in the past. But, you’re right, they are irrational to the extent that applying it going forward will prevent changes that are needed to keep the game viable, or will result in a strike that »