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Apparently, 'later' in this last one used to read 'Locke', but someone clued Muir in to the fact that Locke was, in fact, Christian, and based his theory of property on our duties to God. But that, of course, isn't the real howler, nor is the bizarre idea that this country was in any serious way "based on" Kant, let alone Schopenhauer, who was just one year old when the Constitution was adopted. What actually makes my head explode is this: Yeeeaaarghh!!! The usual complaint about Kant is that he was too inflexible. (He thought, for instance, that if a murderer comes to the door and asks where to find the person he wants to kill, it's wrong to lie.) To call him a nihilist, or a relativist, or someone who doesn't believe in objective truth, is like -- well, one of LG&M's analogies is "command economy Hayekianism"...
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John Holbo emails about his new book...
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Henry Pulizzi: The White House and its critics on Capitol Hill drew different conclusions from the same set of numbers Friday, as new data on the U.S. job market fired up another round in the debate over the economic-stimulus package.
President Obama sees hopeful signs in the jobs report. (Getty Images)
A smaller-than-expected job-loss last month triggered cautious optimism from the Obama administration, which said the Labor Department’s July employment report is a fresh sign the U.S. economy, bolstered by stimulus funds, is on the mend. But it balanced that view with a warning that the recovery hasn’t arrived and joblessness is still likely to reach 10%.
Republicans, buoyed by polls pointing to public unease over President Barack Obama’s economic agenda, accused the White House of breaking promises.
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Krikorian: Quebecois are a distinct people, a nation, who should have an independent state (though, I hasten to add, it’s none of our government’s business one way or the other). But what they have now seems better than that — all the advantages of independence without any of the responsibility, kind of like Puerto Rico. And the destructive effects of efforts to keep Quebec in the Canadian confederation (official national bilingualism and the attendant rise of bilingual, deracinated elites) should be a warning of the disaster that would result were Puerto Rico to become a state. Vive le Quebec libre! Viva Puerto Rico libre!
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MARTINEZ PULLS A PALIN.... Sen. Mel Martinez (R) of Florida still has a year and a half remaining in his first and only term in office. When he announced his retirement in December, Martinez vowed to stay in office until his term ends. Apparently, he's changed his mind, and will check out of the Senate earlier than planned.... As for why Martinez will only serve four-and-a-half years of his six-year term, the departing senator didn't really say. He issued a statement this morning announcing the move, but in terms of an explanation, Martinez would only say that "it's time" for him to "return to Florida and my family." It's a rather cryptic explanation...
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