Things I like (yes, it happens)

1. Dave Weigel has a new blog up at The Washington Post, "Right Now" covering "the conservative movement and the Republican Party." I read a lot of Weigel's stuff when he was over at Reason and was generally favorably impressed. If you're reading this, you're also probably curious about the intellectual history, theory, and practice of libertarianism and conservatism. So check it out.

2. Here are two excerpts from posts by Ta-Nehisi Coates that I liked. The first:

I haven't seen Brooks' stats, but I strongly suspect that they don't tell us much about some people, they tell us something about most people. But if you're the kind of person who would single-mindedly devote yourself to pursuing an academy award, isn't it possible that you aren't like most people, and that stats like this are less indicative of your life? In which case, are you really crazy? Or is that your life, with all its nuances, and all its specifics, simply can't be folded into the square mind of the average pundit?

Sociology is porn for public intellectuals--or rather we seem intent on making it so.

The second, regarding Dana Perino's comment that there would be fewer sex scandals if there were more women in politics:

Let me chime in with a deep and heartfelt "Probably not." I think it's likely that a woman would like face a penalty in degree and kind that men don't. That probably serves as a deterrent. But it's not absolute. As Matt notes, there's a serious sample-size problem here.

I would suggest that the lack of sex scandals among women is more a marker of a kind of immaturity around women's issues in our politics. This nobler than thou approach is also a dangerous line of reasoning and (I hate to say this again) a kind of attack on the humanity of women.

3. It's beautiful in Washington! Unfortunately, I can barely enjoy the early summer because of my allergies. Hey, sometimes anti-histamines are the food of the gods.

This weather also makes me want to walk down the street eating ice cream cones. This is why I will never be a Leon Kass adherent.