Politics: David Brooks submits a good challenge to Kerry voters ... is he really a nuanced thinker, or is his nuance just a now and then sort of thing, while his liberalism stands out over time? I find his columns usually dreck, but this one had a more balanced tone and is worth pondering. And challenging ... just the sort of thing you want from the other side.

Blogs: Jack Balkin (1/23) provides some interesting thoughts on blogging in honor of his first anniversary. He was about five months ahead of me, but I mostly agree with his comments. This blog actually is a sort of companion to my fraying, that is, discussions on the Slate fray/discussion boards. As to diversity, the discussions and the stuff I post/link to are clearly slanted to a certain point of view (though complex enough to not be stereotyped too much), but if anything, the Internet allows me and others a greater chance to interact with opposing points of view. I also get a chance to share a tiny part of the ton of interesting stuff on the web. Some of which others actually care about as well.

Stupid Local Editorial: This one led me to write a letter to the editor. It involved an otherwise liberal sort (she co-wrote a book with Al Sharpton) going overboard demanding that we shame people more, this time high school girls. We have hyperbole like "There is no longer a stigma attached to teen pregnancy" and "There should be some consequence to having a baby out of wedlock." Also, she is upset that words like "bastard" and "loose" are in disfavor.

What brought upon this tirade? A new policy allowing teenage moms to have maternity leave, largely because the alternative tends to be that they drop out. Ms. Hunter wants them segregated (I admit this word might be offensive, but so is her views in my opinion, and it is exactly what she wants -- a badge of dishonor, the suggestion what they did is so horrible that they "taint" the rest of the school so much they should be educated elsewhere) to night schools and "alternative" schools. The realization many (especially if they are of age) will drop out is mostly ignored. Tough love is important, but they still will be required to meet all educational standards and so forth, and their life will be far from pleasant in various ways. So why the need to rub their noses in it? The desperation voiced by such sentiments is evident, but it remains both sad and wrongheaded.