“Goldwater’s peculiar version of conservatism rose from the desert like a cactus blooming in the springtime, irrigated by massive federal spending on public works (especially dams and power plants that provided Phoenix with the water and cheap electricity necessary for air-conditioning that made the stifling summers bearable). Suburban-style housing developments were underwritten by federal mortgage …
Vast chunks of Indonesia’s peatlands have been burned, logged, drained, and left vulnerable to fire as part of an effort to feed a rapidly growing population of more than 210 million Indonesians. Tropical peatlands consist of layer upon layer of forest debris too wet to decompose. They cover approximately 50 million acres (20 million hectares) …
Continue reading ‘Epicurean ethics: destruction of ancient environments’ »
Lawyers arguing for the District of Columbia to forego its ban on handguns have made the most extraordinary claim. To quote from a Washington Post article of February 5th: "No doubt or ambiguities arise from the words ‘the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed", the brief contends. "The …
When enough security against other people is achieved, if one has enough power and material wealth as a base, then one can have the safety of a quiet life in tranquility, apart from the crowd. This is a key tenet of Epicureanism. Apply it to today in the United States: On one side you have …
Is this just incompetence or straight thieving, or both? $400 billion has been spent on outsourcing military contracting to companies like Blackwater, half of which was done with out competitive bidding (well, we didn’t know the Iraqis would resist us, see. We are the light of the world but the turban heads didn’t see it …
Continue reading ‘Epicurus would love this! An extension of family values.’ »
