We live in a morally ambiguous complex world! And people whose set of ethics is different from mine do things that I think are unethical! Who knew?

What this article could use would be some analysis of the ethical bases of animal rights and whether there's something inherently contradictory in animal rights groups using sex to sell their cause.

Ms. Lloyd pieces seems to assume either that such a contradiction exists or that sex (or, at least, sex-as-commodity) is always exploitative. Either assumption should be delineated or explained.

Isn't it Keynesianism?

If we nationalized Bear-Stearns (i.e. a Federal "buyout" rather than a bailout) it would be socialism.

Arendt spoke of the banality of evil. I've coined a new term describing the attitube of the Cohens, McArdles, and Drezners of this nation: The Frivolity of Evil.

Case in point from Cohen, "This is not an entirely trivial matter since government officials should not lie to grand juries, but neither should they be called to account for practicing the dark art of politics. As with sex or real estate, it is often best to keep the lights off. As with sex or real estate, it is often best to keep the lights off."

Cohen - like so many other commentators - loves clever turns of phrase more than justice or truth. It's sickening that these public "intellectuals" can speak about torture, treason, and war using such glib witticisms. Even more sickening is when they deny that their what they've written meant what it meant, or that it contributed to commission of the crimes for which they so casually advocated.

If I were of a more charitable mind, I'd say their talk of "dark rooms" and "toolboxes" is a psychological defense to keep themselves from feeling the full moral weight of the more transparent terms "torture" and "terror" - but I'm not longer feeling charitable toward these torture enablers.

These folks are grown ups. They're professional writers, so if they write of government sponsored torture, terror, and treason so wittily, and with such grace and élan, then I can only assume that they think such topics are likewise light, breezy, and not at all worrisome.

To quote Rush Limbaugh, "Words mean things." If you write in favor of torture, and do so with style and grace, then don't complain when people say you're pro-torture, pro-terror, and pro-treason.

I had the same response to MoDo's claim re: San Fran.

First, what kind of elite are we talking about? The cultural elite (Hollywood), the economic elite (New York), or the power elite (Washington, DC) ...

I don't think the pundits know (or care to know) (or can bring themselves to know) what the word "elite" means in real world terms. For the pundits and pontificators, words are deployed in a sort of code or cant with only the most tenuous connection to the real-world referents.

If they were to employ Orwell's principles laid out in "Politics and the English Language" in their writing, they would learn that up is up, down is down, and that what people DO is a truer mark of character than what they say.

Alas, these folks are the modern Sophists and will gladly let Socrates die for their sins than admits that they've sinned in the first place. Hell, they've serve up hemlock in person telling him its Chardonnay.

Then they'd write a column about what an elitist he was for drinking it.

You seem to be operating under misapprehension that Clinton can marshal and command her delegates like her own personal army. It's simply not so.

I understand that you possess a fervency of loyalty and devotion for Sen. Clinton usually reserved for the likes of Chairman Mao, but I doubt that a single delegate or super delegate or elected Democrat would back her in an independent run.

Of course, the idea that a party animal like Sen. Clinton would desert the Democrats (and all their money and machinery) for an indy run is ridiculous (worthy of ridicule) on its face - a sad little fantasy dreamt by a sad little troll with nothing left to dream.

You hooked me like all those hapless swimmers hooked Jaws.

This disturbed individual will be a born-again Christian, lamenting all the babies she murdered as she goes on FoxNews for the anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

They'll show all the footage, of course in order to roundly condemn it.

Has Cary ever written a column w/o using the word "I"?

Athens OH & GA, plus every high school and college sports team calling themselves "Spartans."

The $500 million lawsuit against Matt Groening for denigrating the good name of Homer.

I object to the use of the term "homo" and "homosexual!" Keep your hands off our prefix!