It really is possible to change your attitudes, even in…well, let’s say late middle age. Case in point: Florida. Which is to say, me and Florida. To reverse Dr. Johnson’s remark on free will: All reason is against it, all experience for it. I admit I’ve been a Floridaphobe. The first time I ...

In Seth Forman’s book American Obsession: Race and Conflict in the Age of Obama, there’s a section about the 2009 incident in Cambridge, Massachusetts, when major-league professional black guy Henry Louis Gates was arrested trying to break into his own house. Forman notes: At the time of ...

Macbeth knew what would be coming to him once his domestic enemies had the upper hand. He decided to go down fighting. I will not yield, To kiss the ground before young Malcolm’s feet, And to be baited with the rabble’s curse. The Roman dictator Sejanus was not given that opportunity. ...

One of the schoolmasters in charge of my Anglican religious instruction used to say that a good hymn is one that leaves you feeling absolutely terrible. I feel the same way about Pat Buchanan’s books. By this measure, Suicide of a Superpower is a very good Buchanan book. With chapter headings ...

The most colossally, tsunamically, head-explodingly stupid statement ever uttered on the subject of diversity was made by a military man. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George Casey told George Stephanopoulos on live TV back in 2009: What happened at Fort Hood was a tragedy, but I believe it would be an ...

This week sees the publication of Steven Pinker’s new book, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. Pinker explains his book here. I got the book to review for a fortnightly conservative magazine whose name is an anagram of WIN A REVELATION. So far I’ve only read a ...

The 2012 general election will, we are told by numerous pundits, be exceptionally “bitter” and “divisive.” I guess what they mean is that our Great National Neurosis (GNN)—you know which one I’m talking about—will be on full display. With a deeply unsuccessful and increasingly ...

Did you see this news story the other day? An online game has helped determine the structure of an enzyme that could pave the way for anti-AIDS drugs. The game, called Foldit, allows players to create new shapes of proteins by randomly folding digital molecules on their computer screens. In the ...

If I hear Ron Paul referred to as the GOP’s “crazy uncle” one more time, I may go a little wackadoo myself. Ron’s about 80% good sense and no more than 20% crazy. I’m OK with that. I like Ron, and 80/20 is not bad for a politician. The 20% of craziness is all of a ...

What will you do to commemorate 9/11? The ‘I Will’ campaign has thrown out the question and people from around the country, including a few celebrities, have answered. That’s from the news website The Inquisitr [sic]. I’m pretty sure I don’t count as a celebrity to ...