The World Around You

Paul at Wizbang should be ashamed of himself. The tsunmai was a horrific event and it is being covered well all over the blogosphere, the coverage of a non-political event cannot and should not be scored on a post-by-post basis. Does having ten posts on the subject as opposed to nine make you a better human being. How childish can you get?

Thanks to Henry at Crooked Timber for the tip.

UPDATE: Just in case you have been out of the loop and would like to help the victims of this horrific tragedy, CNN has a comprehensive list of agencies accepting donations.

UPDATE: And the navel gazing goes on… Paul continually says, “I was just pointing out…” That is a huge load of BS, he was making broad accusations against lefties for their inaction and now wants to criticize others for criticizing the President for the same reason. This once again reminds me why I stopped reading Wizbang a long time ago. Way too much idiotic nonsense for my taste.

UPDATE: Paul is spineless to boot. He posts saying that the left is overreacting to his outright attack and then turns the comments off on that post. What a gutless weasel. He was wrong to begin with and now he is backpedaling by saying the accused are overreacting.

UPDATE: Mark Matson effectively picks Paul apart.

UPDATE: I’ve added Kevin back to the list of the ashamed, because he now wants everyone to shut up, when it was the freaking imbecile who posts on HIS SITE that made the idiotic argument in the first place!

You have to have priorities when you’re an elected official. Several Alabama legislators are showing their prioritry of fixing something that isn’t broken.

The legislation, House 1 and Senate 4 and 5, are identical measures to solidify the illegality of same-sex marriage in Alabama. Legislators say they are responding to the desire of constituents while opponents say the constitutional amendment, which would have to be ratified in a statewide vote, is unnecessary because it is redundant.

“It’s already illegal for same-sex couples to marry in Alabama,” said the Rev. Robert H. Flanders of the Montgomery Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

Still, Flanders said he’s done a handful of marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples since coming to Montgomery in September of last year.

Flanders said those against same-sex marriage are driving the issue, not gay people who want to marry.

Every time Rev. Flanders is quoted in the press I find myself agreeing with him 100%. Conservatives in the national media like to say that the Massachusetts Supreme Court started this fight, but no one has explained how that decision impacts on any other state. These Alabama bills are an effort begun by those who oppose recognition of same sex couples in the same way that interracial marriages were opposed by their forebearers. It is wrong, but I have full confidence we will move in the direction of full rights for all people in due course.

Parents bribe kids to stay away from drugs, alcohol

So many things bug me about this. It’s just sooo Hoover circa 2004.  I’m not a parent, and I suppose bribing your children is better than having them overdose or drive drunk, so I’m sure someone will tell me to shut up on that account. But I do have children in my life that I love very much, and I would hope that their parents (my sisters) would pursue an alternative to this. There are alternatives to this nauseatingly self-serving and mercenary system, right? (So mercenary, in fact, that two mothers have even built up a cottage industry around it, though they donate a dollar from each sale of their ‘kits’–which include a contract to sign and bracelets for the kids–to DARE).

What if I’m not wealthy enough to bribe my child? What if I’m so wealthy that $1000 wouldn’t be sufficient motivation? What if my children are morally bankrupt and they’d do drugs and drink and simply say they abstained? Speaking of abstaining, are anti-sex bribes next? (for girls only, I guess).

Conventional wisdom (well, this article and this one) says that abstinence pledges (which promise self-respect and/or God’s approval, not money) are relatively effective in the short term. Kids who sign them tend to have sex later. But when they do, they often don’t use birth control (i.e. they don’t exercise appropriate precautions). Could a similar phenomenon result from these bribes? Say the kid stays on the wagon until prom night his senior year, but since he’s never been taught ideas about moderation in drinking or using a designated driver (i.e. taking precautions) he does neither?

I think I’d prefer an ‘honesty’ pledge, that reads something like "I promise to be honest with my parents about my use of alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs and about instances when they are offered to me."  In return, the parents could explain rationally (without their checkbook) why reckless behaviors aren’t appropriate and how they can be harmful. The parents would know with which friends these experiences occurred, and take appropriate action. Yeah, that’d be a lot of work, though.

Anyway, as I said, I’m not a parent and I know these parents are acting out of love for their children, but I’d appreciate some other views on this matter–from parents and nonparents.

Crossposted at Local Tint