A few good links

Nothing says lunch break like a new Stain Club post. Here're a few articles of interest.

I've been saying this for years. While the writer neglects to refer to Dukakis, Gore, and Kerry as "Demo-bots," he still makes a great point.

First time I came across this argument was during a "This Week in God" skit on the Daily Show. They gave an amazing 3 minute run-down of every crazy thing that Scientologists believe, then at the end Jon Stewart deadpans something along the lines of, "Why can't they believe in something sensible like a burning bush that talks to people?" It was incredible. The audience needed an extra second to start laughing.

I know Hitchens is everywhere these days. Being the leader of the recent anti-theist wave of books, he is never far from a television interview. He has perfected the art of combining anger, eloquence, and intoxication. I'm shocked that the arrest surrounding the Quran desecration at Pace University hasn't received more coverage. This controversy is a remarkably simple one to solve. Was it his book? If so, no problem. If it's not then I'm sure there are any number of statutes he could be prosecuted under, theft and destruction of property come immediately to mind. Calling it a hate crime is ridiculous. The story of the boy who cried wolf comes immediately to mind. This guy wasn't burning a giant wooden crescent outside of a muslim's house. There's a difference of degree between those and hopefully everyone can see it is a large one. We, as a society are asking for trouble when we apply our laws so rigidly.

And for the purposes of a strong finish, here's a Malcolm Gladwell article about the rise of Zero Tolerance.