Positive Infinity

When Liberals Become Patriotic

me — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:36:19 +0000

When there’s tax money on the table: Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has a status update for Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin: Stop attempting to dodge your taxes by renouncing your U.S. citizenship or never come to back to the U.S. again. It used to be conventional wisdom that liberals were unpatriotic, after their performance during the …

Sharia Courts Under British Rule

me — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:00:11 +0000

I recently came across a fascinating book entitled The Handbook of Palestine by H.C. Luke and E. Keith-Roach. Produced in 1922 by the British Mandate government which had just taken control of the country after a long Ottoman Turkish rule, it’s a fascinating snapshot of the Holy Land beginning its transition to the State of …

The Difference Between Barack Obama and the Communists

me — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:00:26 +0000

I had a hard time properly verbalising this until I saw the following in Peking (This Beautiful World) by the Japanese author Hikotaro Ando. Produced in the immediate wake of the Cultural Revolution and under obvious supervision of the Chinese Communist Party, in a section on education he said the following: Not only university students, …

The Origins of the Palestinian People

me — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:00:17 +0000

It’s Hard to Explain the Desire for Freedom to People Who Have Never Had It

me — Sat, 12 May 2012 15:56:30 +0000

It’s conventional wisdom that we are a deeply divided nation these days. And the conventional wisdom, for once, is right: we are. Where things diverge is the explanation for same. Although day-to-day politics are one thing, the divides we experience these days run deeper that “go along to get along” or the horse-trading of patronage …

The Elizabeth Warren Saga Keeps Getting Stupider

me — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:51:42 +0000

A few days back I commented on Elizabeth Warren’s claim that she’s Native American. Since then we’ve had the piece at Breitbart which shows that a) her claimed Native American ancestor wasn’t and b) another ancestor helped round up the Cherokees for their sad journey to Oklahoma. This has thrown her campaign into a tizzy. …

Jefferts-Schori Should Face the Facts: Diversity Isn’t What She Wanted to Start With

me — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:25:12 +0000

At the beginning of David Virtue’s acid commentary on the run-up to General Convention 2012, he quotes the Presiding Bishop as follows: We need to discover ways to engage in the outside community. The Episcopal Church must embrace change and diversity if it is to move forward. We, er…you had the greatest chance to strike …

Taking a Position on Yoga Isn’t Simple

me — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:18:13 +0000

It’s getting complicated out there: A spate of unsavory controversies in the United States is cracking up yoga’s wholesome image, with accusations of financial fraud, sexual misconduct and copyright issues involving asanas (positions) plaguing the community. As a result, India, the land where the physical, mental and spiritual discipline of yoga began in ancient times, …

Advice to Graduates: Go Where the Future Is

me — Mon, 07 May 2012 05:00:39 +0000

Last week I did a “commencement address” to college students. Today I take on their high school counterparts. I have accumulated a decidedly incongruent academic career, by current standards at least. After enduring the offspring of this country’s premier zip code at the Palm Beach Day School (now the Palm Beach Day Academy,) I went …

Elizabeth Warren Might Be a Redneck, Too

me — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:04:55 +0000

This business about Massachusetts senatorial candidate Elizabeth Warren’s Cherokee heritage is getting out of hand: Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren, fending off questions about whether she used her Native American heritage to advance her career, said today she enrolled herself as a minority in law school directories for nearly a decade because she hoped to …