Monthly Archives: April 2014

Speak softly and carry on with your shtick

Posted on April 20, 2014 by hessd

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) lectured Secretary of State John Kerry recently on the Obama administration’s conduct of foreign policy.  One of McCain’s heroes, he said, is President Theodore Roosevelt, who is identified with the maxim, “Speak softly and carry a … Continue reading →

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“I will never be able to forgive myself.”

Posted on April 18, 2014 by hessd

I don’t remember ever saying that myself, but I’ve heard actual people say it and I’ve seen it in a lot of movies.  There are two reasons why a person might say this sentence.  One is that he or she—I’ve … Continue reading →

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A school stabbing. Everyone lived.

Posted on April 13, 2014 by hessd

A student goes wild in a crowded school and attempts to kill as many of his fellow students as he can.  That’s not even an unusual story anymore.  Here’s what’s unusual: nobody died.  Not yet, at least. So what’s going on?  … Continue reading →

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How to be a Beta Person

Posted on April 11, 2014 by hessd

The previous post was my best shot at how to be an Alpha—a person who, in the seemingly random distribution of resources, gets a card marked A.  Today, let’s consider how to be a Beta person—someone who got a card … Continue reading →

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How to be an Alpha Person

Posted on April 8, 2014 by hessd

Some years ago, I wrote a short essay on the providence of God.  Here is the scene with which that essay began. Let’s imagine that each of us is on a team with a special skill and that the teams … Continue reading →

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Is the free speech of rich people guaranteed?

Posted on April 5, 2014 by hessd

Yes.  It is.  And it will continue to be guaranteed until one of the five justices who gave that answer drops dead or retires and is replaced by a liberal.  That would be the first and last in the top … Continue reading →

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What to wear to the commons

Posted on April 2, 2014 by hessd

  “Nobody washes a rental car,” runs an oft-repeated conservative lament. “Farmers don’t prevent their cattle from overgrazing and killing the commons” runs an oft-repeated liberal lament. You can’t exactly say either of these is false, but I think we … Continue reading →

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