Kamala Harris wants you to join her cult. But don’t worry: membership is voluntary — that is, unless a plurality of your fellow voters want to join, in which case you’ll be automatically enrolled. You see, Harris’ cult is the “cult of the Presidency.” Coined by Gene Healy, the phrase describes the worship that so often accompanies
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A persistent refrain of conservatives and liberal hawks has been that liberals and leftists are soft on Islam. This theme dominated Nick Cohen’s What’s Left, Andrew Anthony’s The Fall-Out, Paul Berman’s Flight of the Intellectuals, and much of the late life of Christopher Hitchens. There is, of course, a great deal of truth to that contention. It is unimaginable
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The year before she hit it big in the action flick “Speed,” Sandra Bullock played a police officer helping Sylvester Stallone catch Wesley Snipes in “Demolition Man,” a movie set in the crime-free, futuristic utopia of San Angeles. In one scene, as Snipes attempts to construct a gun, lightly-armed policemen close in on him. He proceeds
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It’s mid-September, and I am privileged to spend five nights at a beach house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina at the invitation of a long-time friend, John. Two of John’s other friends, Susan and Franklin, are also here. The weather so far has brought ocean breezes, blue skies, and moderate temperatures. The house
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Jane Eyre is a perennial novel for me. Yes, I teach it every year, but more importantly, I reread it every time. Not just a skim. A full read. And this is why. 1. Jane is a character of such growth. I know, I know. Brontë includes much of her own life and experiences in the
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When people try to explain why the United States is so politically polarized now, they frequently refer to the concept of “echo chambers.” That’s the idea that people on social media interact only with like-minded people, reinforcing each other’s beliefs. When people don’t encounter competing ideas, the argument goes, they become less willing to cooperate
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