CapitalistImperialistPig

NPR had a story this morning on the dark and bloody history of nutmeg. Along with some culinary commentary, it detailed how the Dutch committed a massive genocide in their pursuit of profit from this seemingly inoffensive seed. No cause, it seems, is to trivial to provide an excuse for genocide. When we create monsters for science fiction or fantasy, it's wise to remember that they are all images of ourselves - we really can't imagine anything worse. That said, there do seem to be a lot of admirable aspects to our character as well. So it's only logical, I say, to try to organize ourselves so as to maximize the "better angels of our nature" as Lincoln put it. So what do we know about how to do that? Capitalism and Republican government? Those Dutch merchants of death were pioneers in both. Socialism? Can we forget it's incomparably more bloody history in the last century? Appeals to magical realism in either flavor will hardly cut it. There are tr...

A TPM reader explains one reason Republicans lost - they disrespected too many Americans. I am sure that many people (like me) took the insults and disrespectful behavior towards President Obama in a very personal way. Many of us have experienced racism from “non-racists” all too frequently. As an Asian-American, the questioning of Obama’s American-ness really strikes a raw nerve... I would just add that not only ethnic minorities were offended by the Republican's tactics and rhetoric - though they had plenty of excuse to be. The disrespect shown to voters and the institution of the Presidency were also disgraceful, as was the general contempt of the democratic process.

Or maybe not. Catalonia is the wealthiest region of Spain, and they are tired of paying the bills. Call it the Germany of Spain. The voters have rather narrowly returned the main separatist party to power, with a smaller plurality than they held before, but a certain amount of separatist momentum. The incumbent regional president Artur Mas secured a second term and with it a mandate to seek secession from Spain in defiance of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. But his centre right Convergence and Union (CIU) party fell short of the absolute majority they hoped for, winning only 50 of the 62 seats they secured in the 135 seat assembly at the last election two years ago. The separatist left wing ERC party, which also strongly supports self-rule, doubled its share of the vote, securing 21 seats, however. Acknowledging that his support fell in favour of leftist parties, Mr Mas said alliances would have to be sought. If they are smart, they will take this opportunity to get a better deal fr...

In a way, the great polling debacle of 2012 worked out well for everybody. Usually only one side gets to celebrate their victory in an election, but this time everybody did. The Republicans celebrated before the vote, and the Democrats celebrated afterwards.

Richard Cohen, one of our nation's longest serving total editorial doofuses, has identified the critical moral distinction between Hamas and Israel: Of all the points of disagreement between Israel and Hamas, maybe the most profound is this one: Israel cares more about sparing innocent lives — including those of Palestinians — than does Hamas. Not only have Hamas and other militant groups this year sent more than 700 rockets crashing haphazardly into southern Israel, but also Hamas instigated yet another war where the chief loser will certainly be its own people. If hell has a beach, it’s located in Gaza. The Gaza Strip is a congested, fetid place. It is densely populated and in the slums and housing blocks, Hamas has hidden its weapons, explosives and rocket launchers. Israel has gone out of its way to avoid civilian casualties. Its air force has used new, highly accurate ammunition aiming for rocket-launching sites and government installations. For the most part, it has succee...

Every year the peoples of the world (if by "world" you mean the US) gather to celebrate the Lord's deliverance of us and our fellow mammals from the rule of the dinosaurs. In honor of the asteroid that was the hammer in His hand, we celebrate by watching the collisions of massive bodies, especially the Redskins and Cowboys. Then we devour the roasted body of one of the larger surviving dinosaurs, usually a turkey.

Democrats and Republicans, what's the real difference? Via Tyler Cowen: Stunningly, the postponement of marriage and parenting — the factors that shrink the birth rate — is the very best predictor of a person’s politics in the United States, over even income and education levels, a Belgian demographer named Ron Lesthaeghe has discovered. Larger family size in America correlates to early marriage and childbirth, lower women’s employment, and opposition to gay rights — all social factors that lead voters to see red.