What message does the diversity rationale send to White people?

Drawing on the collective hive-mind of the blogosphere, I have a favor to ask. For a summer fellowship project, I’m collecting editorials on the recent school desegregation cases. I’ve already got the Washington Post, New York Times, LA Times, Seattle Times, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, and the Louisville Courier-Journal, as well as several commentary pieces in The National Review. If you have a moment, dropping a link in the comments to your home newspaper’s editorial on the decision...

Yesterday’s school segregation decisions were not all that surprising. But today the Court announced a bombshell: Reversing an earlier decision, it was reviewing two critical detainee rights cases it had earlier declined to hear. The rarity of the announcement makes most Court watchers think that there will be a reversal–which could be a huge victory for detainee rights.

I’ll be moving this post to the top as I write more on the subject *** 7:30 Eastern Reaction to Justice Thomas’ concurrence–where’s the originalism? 6:21 Eastern: My thoughts on Breyer’s dissent–it long, it’s well-written, and it’s a doozy. 3:30 Eastern: Blog and media round-up is live. 2:28 Eastern: I just want to report that I’m going to be taking a break from opinion-reading to do a round-up post of blog and media reactions. That’s coming...

A new study out of Israel suggests that raising children in diverse surroundings can almost completely mitigate own-face racial bias and preference.

After Morse v. Fredrick, we have no right to complain about educational performance in our country again. Treat students like idiots, and idiots you will receive. Oh, and ask me about the intellectual abilities of the Supreme Court Justices who have turned the war on drugs into a constitutional super-amendment while we weren’t looking.

It’s wrong. It’s equally wrong regardless of which side wants it–be it the “greater Israel” right or the “binational state” left. And people who press for it should be forced to say, exactly, what it is they are standing for.

The evidence that they are a farce and a sham continues to grow unabated.

I know, I know, it sounds redundant. But Kendrick Meek is considered a Democratic rising star–he is precisely the type of representative the leadership did not want to see attached to a story like this.

The outgoing UN envoy for the Israel-Palestinian conflict thinks he’s figured out where the UN is going wrong: it’s too “tender” towards Israel and allows them to make “unrealistic” demands of the Palestinians like…recognition.

Is there any linkage between the old “agitator” accusation and the contemporary “race-baiter” one?

“Women of the IDF”? As an official PR campaign? Because that’s Israel’s best contribution to the world–hot Jewish women. If only I had known. Incidentally, this would make an excellent test case for if it is, in fact, possible to criticize Israel without being called anti-Semitic.

Spc. Alex Jimenez is currently missing in Iraq. The US is in contact with his wife. About deporting her.

Today in news about Israel: The UNHRC decides Israel needs constant monitoring, but Cuba and Belarus can go free….Hamas thinks all of Israel is “occupied” and thus all of its strikes (including, presumably those on civilians) are against “forces” within the theater of occupation–this is supposed to persuade America to engage with it….BBC apologizes for accurately calling Jerusalem the capital of Israel, apparently agreeing with Hamas that Israel does not...

Happy Juneteenth, everybody!

What can The New Republic–a venerable political institution, struggling to right itself after its colossal misjudgment on Iraq–do to re-establish itself in the emerging progressive discursive sphere?

How can we balance between celebrating the virtues of America, while seriously dealing with our grave sins?

The Debate Link is turning three! Head on over and wish the blogger/toddler (in blog years, of course, three is practically geezer-dom) a happy birthday!

The anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment went down in flames, failing to garner even the bare quarter of the legislature needed to send it back to the voters. This crushing defeat gives gay marriage an undeniable democratic stamp of approval, and is a milestone all by itself. Congratulations to the Bay State!

A friend forwards me the following email: **** Please take the time to read this article about the plight of the Hadzabe in Tanzania. The Hadzabe are one of the few remaining “bushmen” tribes in the world. They are nomadic hunters and gatherers who still remain mostly untainted by the trappings of the modern world. I had the good fortune to have several interactions with members of the tribe while I was in Tanzania, most significant of which was the help of one of their trackers with...