Month: November 2009
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The Gun Wasn’t Smoking Until Hasan Pulled the Trigger
I’m reconsidering my declaration that it’s "silly" to debate "whether Hasan’s rampage could have been prevented. But I still believe it’s unrealistic to think atrocities can be prevented by flawless foresight based on evidence that seems screamingly significant in hindsight.
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Fort Hood Reminds Us That We Can’t Consistently Anticipate Evil
Hasan’s political beliefs are clearly significant in hindsight — but it’s absurd to think the Army somehow should have known he was dangerous. Our society doesn’t take action against people for thinking wrong thoughts, or for giving voice to them.
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Count One Lackluster Vote for Corzine
Ex-prosecutor Christie pledges tax cuts and clean government in a corrupt, high-tax state, and I’ll count that as a silver lining if he wins. But there’s no guarantee he would actually be effective at cutting taxes and fighting corruption, whereas he undoubtedly would follow through on his anti-gay veto threat.