The resident faculty usually mutter amongst themselves as they make their way from the wine cellar library where they spend the weekend drinking thinking on our motto of Magis vinum, magis verum ("More wine, more truth") to the hot tub faculty lounge for their weekly game where the underwear goes flying planning conference. This morning they weren't muttering. They were seething.
More below the fold....
First our usual thanks to last week's guest diarists. Last Tuesday, Professor of Neuroholdemology Caractacus explored Sources of news and how we choose them. Last Wednesday, Professor of Mediamaternity theKgirls asked why so many are willing to Fire, Ready, Aim at diagnoses of ADHD. Both evoked good discussions.
This Tuesday Professor Caractacus continues his Things We Learned This Week series with a story of personal improvement involving "a chess game, misconstrued assumptions, Pez dispensers, and the Tetris theme song." This Wednesday, newly tenured Professor of Transborderpeerism senilebiker will offer an overseas perspective on America's criminal justice system. As always, Chef will be around with bagels and coffee, and the Professor of Astrology Janitor will be aligning his buffer and the stars.
Note: We have guests lecturers for the next two weeks, however we have openings starting Wednesday, March 17th. We also still have no one to post the "Top of the Morning" featurette on Wednesday mornings. If you would like to guest host Morning Feature or post TotM on a Wednesday, please volunteer in the Tuna Can, below.
So what had the resident faculty seething this morning? Glenn Beck defending your "right to fail." That bizarre "right" is the (im)moral core of modern conservatism, both religious and economic. It extols the virtue of suffering as a purifying rite. Well, suffering for the rest of us. Those who are comfortable have already been purified; otherwise they would be suffering too. Their not suffering is definitive proof of their moral worthiness.
This week we'll discuss how modern conservatism is an ideology of sadism, from the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops' decree that Catholic health care providers must employ feeding tubes and other measures because "patient suffering is redemptive and brings the individual closer to Christ," to Bush speechwriter Marc Thiessen's claim that torture "help[s] the terrorist do his duty to Allah, so he then feels liberated to speak freely," to American Enterprise Institute claims that higher income inequality is better for the nation because it proves that good life choices are rewarded.
So as you wonder whether to pay the mortgage or buy the prescription medications for your loved one, remember ... suffering is good for you and progressives would take away your "right to fail."
I think that's an argument we progressives can win with, and more importantly for, Fred.
Keep digging, Glenn....
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Happy Monday