Author Archives: David Hume

The end of the Reformation

Am I the only one to note the relative lack of salience of the Catholic-Protestant divide in the Republican primaries? Commentators routinely ignore the fact that the two candidates with the greatest appeal to evangelical Protestants are Roman Catholic. Not … Continue reading

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72% of Egypt’s parliament is Islamist

Islamists Win 70% of Seats in the Egyptian Parliament: Egyptian authorities confirmed Saturday that a political coalition dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, the 84-year-old group that virtually invented political Islam, had won about 47 percent of the seats in the … Continue reading

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Everyone is a racist and an anti-Semite

It looks like the Left-leaning Center for American Progress is under fire for “anti-Semitism.” The issue at hand is the use of rhetoric such as “Israel-Firster.” CAP’s problem is that it fancies itself a mainstream organization which endeavors to effect … Continue reading

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Defend monogamy, not “happiness”

The New York Times reports on a confrontational interaction between Rick Santorum and people who support same-sex marriage: “If you’re not happy unless you’re married to five other people, is that O.K.?” he asked. That angered the audience, which booed … Continue reading

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The symbolism of the nonexistent

A few years ago I listened to Brad Stine, who happens to be a conservative Christian, make a joke to a sympathetic audience about how funny it was that some non-Christians were offended and objected to the image of a cross … Continue reading

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Why Ron Paul will not run as a third party candidate in 2012

Will Ron Paul kill the caucuses?: The most troubling eventuality that Iowa Republicans are bracing for is that Paul wins the caucuses only to lose the nomination and run as a third-party candidate in November — all but ensuring President … Continue reading

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Gay marriage and polygamous marriage

Rod Dreher asks: If same-sex marriage, why not polygamy? I think an excessive legalistic focus in this area confuses. Rather, if we focus on the ends then the distinctions are obvious: – Same-sex marriage is not the human norm. Polygamy … Continue reading

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Why are you a conservative?

This is addressed to people who consider themselves fundamentally conservative, and not libertarian, and, also reject the supernatural. By this, I mean that if you do support libertarian policies (I often do) it is not necessarily because you are at … Continue reading

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Libertarianism as ends and means

I haven’t had time to follow up my post below on libertarianism. But my friend Jim Manzi wrote something similar, at much greater length, in 2009: The Paradox of Libertarianism. I endorse it, though you may not!

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Why I am not fundamentally a libertarian

I agree with libertarians on many specific issues. But on a deep level I no longer am in sympathy with libertarianism. Why? The issue can be encapsulated by a conversation with a friend recently. He posited that so long as … Continue reading

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