Free Speech

Wow! If you are an aquatic plant gardener, I woud suggest you avoid doing business with the company described in this story. Free speech and the Internet: A fish story By the sounds of it you could be sued by them if you post criticism of them on the Internet.

You might not lose the lawsuit, but could still be out of pocket your own legal defense costs. On the otherhand if you want to take a chance that they will meet your expectations and/or not view your criticism as libelous, then please do feel free to use them. Me myself, I am glad that I do not have any hobbies that call for me to make this judgement.

Free Speech

I am normally well on the conservative side of many policy debates, but free speech is one are where I tend to shift sides. This article scares me a little because it really does seem ripe for abuse. Most Far-Reaching Gag Order In 1st Amend. History?

Feedback, nothing is more powerful and subtle

I found this article to be fascinating: The Atlantic | April 2002 | Seeing Around Corners | Rauch

I think that it shows that our intuition has a hard time correctly guessing the outcome of feedback loops.

It takes two to compromise

While the current state of affairs in the middle east doesn't reflect well on any of the participants, I have a hard time arguing with this assessment:
InstaPundit.Com

" The moral state of things is this:

1. If the Palestinians unilaterally lay down their arms and renounce
violence, they will be given peace, dignity, and their own state.

2. If the Israelis unilaterally lay down their arms and renounce
violence, they will be slaughtered.

3. As far as most of the world is concerned, either outcome would be
satisfactory."

That said, I find it hard to understand why Israel is finding itself so alone. Even so, I think unilateral reversal of some of the settlement policies is inevitably a key step. I only fear that it will be many years before this comes to pass and that more will die before then. In that sense, perhaps, I have a biased view in believing that only Israel has the political capability to make a sacrifice of this magnitude. I can't even imagine the Palestinian Authority doing anything other than talking and allowing the status quo to continue.