With nothing to do with science, I feel compelled nonetheless to post this link to a fine contribution over at McSweeney's today. A great piece, on politics and whatnot. Sort of. Or, rather, entirely. The intro:
Ladies and gentlemen. Friends, relatives, dear ones, and patriots. Especially patriots. And especially that fidgety little jerk right there in front. Yeah, you, Pigtails. Eyes up here ... All right, then. Like I was saying ... We must never forget whatever happened here today.
If whatever we're talking about was some sort of horrible genocide, then, by God, it is our duty as Americans--nay, as human beings--not to forget it. And by "it," I mean this. I mean whatever we're talking about.
More like this
It's not uncommon these days to hear someone on the right side of the political spectrum refer to people on the left side as "America haters." It's a nice way to dismiss any criticism of the United States' policies or behaviors, and current administration in particular, because instead of address
OK, today I'd like you to superimpose a couple of very different articles that all look at the difference between patriotism and nationalism, but each from a different angle and see if, and how, they inform each other.
A repost from July 6, 2006:
Brad surveys the nation (at least the flying public), and writes:
Wow. That is indeed nicely done. You know the guy?