"As one of the conditions of considering publication of this article, Ron Unz has required me to personally apologize to commenter Rurik for having previously threatened to "dox" him based on our private correspondence. I am therefore providing that apology, and also sincerely promising to make no such threats nor take such actions against him... Read More

The Brawl that Wasn't A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. Mark Twain Sometime a bit over a year ago, I came across an article describing a big brawl that occurred in, of all places, Murmansk, way north in Russia. The story, in the Daily Caller,... Read More

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em Perhaps the greatest historical archetype when we think about religious fanaticism and intolerance is the Spanish Inquisition, in particular the fearsome figure of Tomás de Torquemada, the first Grand Inquisitor. The historical backdrop is that, in the wake of the Reconquista, centuries of back-and-forth conflict between Muslims and... Read More

A Night at the Theater One evening a gentleman decides to go to the theater. There is a play showing that is reputed to be a very funny comedy. It's hilarious, people are raving about it. At various points in the middle of the performance, hecklers disrupt the play, shouting disparaging insults at the actors... Read More

I believe I first read George Orwell's essay, Politics and the English Language, as part of the reading list for an English 101 college class. I was a teenager at the time and I don't believe I really understood what Orwell was getting at. I think my understanding was at the superficial level. I mostly... Read More

In 1999, a big hit movie was The Matrix. I went and saw it but I don't recall it making much of an impression on me. At the time, my understanding of the world was pretty conventional. I believed the things I was told -- for example, that a lone nut by the name of... Read More