culture wars

Broadly, conservatism vs progressives / social liberties vs authoritarianism / social justice vs elitist marginalisation.

Deleting blog comments: exercise of Property Rights vs Free Speech

This accusation of suppressing speech online keeps on coming up (it’s a fundamental plank in the ongoing FTBullies smear campaign): the allegedly terrible awful no-good horrible “crime” of deleting comments on a blog. To which I say bah humbug pish tosh harrumph and quote a 2010 comment here: you have a right to access the Internet, not to access my audience via my resources.

Creeping secularisation

All over the news in Australia today: the Girl Guides of Australia have removed references to God and the Queen from their pledge.

Somewhat in the news in the USA last week: a new activist network for Secular Women was announced.

Media Circus: asylum seeker impasse

Everything about the way that our pundits are demonising boat-arriving asylum seekers while pumping out crocodile tears over drowned families is disingenuous,the way that most of our politicians are pandering to them is despicable, and the debate this week is framed around not even asking the right questions. Please share your bouquets and brickbats for particular items in the mass media, or highlight cogent analysis elsewhere, on any current sociopolitical issue.