Another day, another round of the ends supposedly justifying the means.

It's not like the Democrats wouldn't be getting their own lecture. Democrats are marginally less unsavory than Republicans. Marginally. Right now it's sort of like a Freddie vs Jason situation where you side with Jason because he had a bad childhood, but you're aware that both of them have blood in mind.

My trouble with fellow Democrats and the left in general is that we too often believe that the ends justify the means. As a group we are frequently mean-spirited to the point of zealotry and are less interested in inducing change in people than in punishing them. We claim we are pro-change but our goal is to freeze…

Well said.

I wish we could have a parallel discussion with what is going on with men's fitness magazines (particularly Men's Health) for comparison purposes. The photographs in that magazine are shot in the same "car" style as described above, but in this strange way that somehow suggests... jealousy via muted homoeroticism...?…

As a more or less reluctant Democrat I have a lot of respect for Meghan McCain. I actually think people like her probably are more successful at changing minds than most so-called liberal activists. She is working to change her party from within... which is basically how I feel about Democrats, who have coasted by on…

You need to work on your public speaking skills. And also your temper. What in the world did you expect to happen when you called out a stranger in a bar at complete random?

I have had this happen to me on NUMEROUS occasions. Sometimes even in the context of "and an example of my rights being taken away is all these gays trying to marry and suppressing religion." Totally feeling you there.

"Same work, more pay," "People never stare at your chest when you talk to them," "You can never be pregnant," and "You can be President."

I think this is one of those things that really depends on the person you're talking to (male or female). I am a guy and there are some criticisms I'm open to and others I'm not. Calling me fat, as one person did in an unsolicited comment on my Facebook page, is pretty much a ticket out of my social life. If a…

My wires are getting crossed here. Jezebel, high priestess of proclaiming people of color and African Americans in particular bear a disproportianate relationship with the legal authorities (a notion I wouldn't necessarily disagree with) is demanding that these two guys should have been kicked out of programs based on…

Bullshit. The problem is that you have to prove the person who nominally owns the account actually is the one who said it. That's the glaring issue with these internet vigilantism campaigns. There are numerous examples of people creating fake online profiles to troll people. It takes like 30 seconds to do. Just doing…

Hold on there, Nancy Grace. These two teenage girls have been "charged with" making threats. No one here has read the tweets or knows anything beyond that one statement. Let's wait to see what comes of this before drawing any conclusions.

Threatening people is not considered free speech. However, since none of us has actually read the posts in question, it's not clear what was said qualifies. Nor is it necessarily the case that the threatening is related purely to the case.

For some reason I am reminded of this article about teenage girls and slash fiction: http://tomorrowthemag.com/articles/slash-and-burn

This article actually misses the biggest current issue with this game. RCI is busted. As in you need R but not C or I. See example here:

I don't want to take the wind out of your sails but have you realized yet that the RCI formula is so busted that you can skip C and I completely? In the entire region not just the current city. Crime can only happen at C so it eliminates it. I is prone to fires and pollution and this eliminates that too. Just build a…

It's not all sweetness and light. :) I was going to post more about some of the really negative experiences some friends have had but my computer choked. There are some blogs online that offer opinions and advise for sex workers. Interesting reading even if you are just browsing for education value.

This article is missing a few of the other major issues with this game. The most glaring one being:

The media is thrilled she spoke up. This case is paying their bills. The more they rile people up, the more people watch. What they don't particularly care about is guilt or innocence, just on maintaining enough dramatic tension to keep you watching, clicking, liking, sharing, and posting.