Give 'Em an Inch...

Bullies in the Marketplace of Ideas

In the wake of the horrific shooting in Charleston a few days ago, the public square has been taken over by people demanding that we Do Something. One of the downsides of the Digital Age is the ease with which people can form cyber-mobs agitating for...well, that part is not entirely clear to me.

Initially, of course, the usual suspects began clamoring (again) for "common sense" gun control laws (whatever that is supposed to mean). Within hours, of course, it became clear that the racist asshole who murdered nine innocent people could not have been deterred by any sort of gun law short of an outright ban on handguns, and since gun control types know that is a non-starter both politically and legally, they've resorted to lying about the issue, as they always do. And, sadly, there are enough stupid people out there who buy that nonsense that we have to waste time wrangling about it, to the exclusion of debate on other more pressing concerns...

Meanwhile, the urge to Do Something has also produced a quixotic push to banish the Confederate battle flag from polite society. Regardless of the merits of either side's position in that controversy (and I do tend to side with folks who think that flag isn't just a symbol of redneck racism), this ongoing wrangle is NOT about removing "offensive" symbols from the public square, or repudiating the legacy of slavery, or any of the other pithy-sounding excuses we have been hearing from progressives for the last several days. It is, purely and simply, about power. It is about progressives getting their way. It is about bending others to their will. Getting the State of South Carolina, or Amazon, or eBay, or Walmart, or whomever to knuckle under to pressure from the progressive mob.

The desire of such people to control what it is permissible to do, say, or even think is absolute. They simply will not stop until they have achieved Total Victory, as they define it. If you disagree with the way they view things, you are not merely mistaken, but nefarious. You are not merely misguided, you are pernicious. And thus, whatever measures are required to regulate you and (if possible) punish you for your wickedness are not only politically justified, but morally imperative as well.

Progressives hate John Stuart Mill's "marketplace of ideas," because the ideas they favor don't tend to succeed in that marketplace. It can't be their ideas that are faulty, of course; it simply must be the fault of the marketplace itself. These people are bullies, and no matter how much lip-service they pay to the idea of freedom of expression, in the end nothing short of the complete absence of dissent from their preferred orthodoxy can be permitted...

Things That Make Me Happy: Comfort Food Edition

It has been a bumpy ride the last few days. At times like this, comfort food is what is called for. Last night, it was tuna noodle casserole to the rescue...

...and not a moment too soon.

How I Resolve Most Modern Political Controversies

"I'm guessing that approach saves you a lot of time."

You have no idea...

Say "Hello" to Cora

Not long after returning from a national speech competition just after Memorial Day weekend in 2011, I found myself wanting to add an acoustic guitar to my harem. And so I began to shop...

My debate partner and best friend in high school had owned an Ovation acoustic, a Standard Balladeer, that he bought not long after the company introduced them in the late 1960s. The revolutionary rounded bowl (made of a high-tech substance Ovation called Lyrachord) was definitely appealing to us, since we were both suckers for all things technological. On the occasions when he let me play it, I was impressed by the guitar's action and light weight. And so Ovations were on my list of acoustic instruments to check out when I began to shop in earnest.

I had no luck finding anything that appealed to me, Ovation or otherwise, at the various shops I visited in Council Bluffs and Omaha. There was a Yamaha in one of those stores that would have been okay, but it didn't really inspire me, so I kept looking. And, on a trip to the Guitar Center in Des Moines, I happened to see Cora hanging on the wall. Unlike any of the Ovations I had seen online, she had a beautiful figured koa top and gold hardware, which was very unusual for Ovations in the Celebrity series. I later discovered that this particular model was a limited run. Even though the store didn't have a hardshell case that would fit her, I bought her the same day I found her. I was later able to order a genuine Ovation hardshell case from an online vendor.

2010 Ovation CC24 in Figured Koa

She plays as smoothly as my friend's Ovation did nearly 45 years ago, she has that unique "Ovation sound" that I associate fondly with my high school days, and she is visually stunning. I'm lucky to have her...

"Considering how you play, I wonder if she feels lucky."

That's not a very nice thing to say...

Until Next Time...

No, I'm still not over the shock of losing film composer James Horner so suddenly and unexpectedly on Monday. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that he was just a year younger than me...

Today's send-off is another medley of themes and motifs, this time from Horner's Oscar-nominated score for the motion picture Field of Dreams in 1989. Enjoy...and remember...