tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233772412011-09-12T10:59:09.360-07:00Standing athwart crunchy conservatism, yelling "Nutrasweet!"The Snobnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1001100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-17023456594795844842008-01-04T10:48:00.000-08:002008-01-04T10:55:50.972-08:00

When I tell people I started a blog in 1999, they laugh. When I tell them the URL was www.thesnob.com, they realize I wasn't kidding. I registered the domain for the first time in 1998, and while I had some of the right ideas, I always tried to turn it into a magazine, thinking that there was no way anyone would ever be interested in the solitary and eccentric ramblings of a lone crank slowly

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com46tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-57238447874218576962007-02-09T11:55:00.000-08:002007-02-09T11:54:38.783-08:00

This blog was born for one purpose--to thoughtfully and humorously confront Rod Dreher's crunchy-con hypothesis--and it has long since outlived that purpose. Having written blogs since 1998 (no, really, I wrote my own blogging software), I was so tickled to finally have one that a decent number of people read that I stopped caring why. The time to close the door passed some moons ago, so this is

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1170975415451787422007-02-08T14:11:00.000-08:002007-02-08T16:20:00.953-08:00

What may be somewhat lost is Rod's blogging today is that he has made abundantly clear what values are negotiable when his social conservatism conflicts with his economic, erm, populism: the most important issues to most social conservatives, abortion and marriage.I dunno, this 2008 election is going to be interesting for me as a social conservative. I've got no natural candidate to support --

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1170890714739354292007-02-07T15:02:00.000-08:002007-02-07T15:25:16.306-08:00

20, 27, 22, 30, 30, 24, 14, 9, 11, 17.Those, my friends, are the high temperatures for Pittsburgh, PA, for the last ten days. January 28th was the last time Pittsburgh experienced above-freezing temperatures at a balmy 33. The average high for this time of year? 35-36 degrees.(Source: here and here.)And what's Rod blogging about today? Global warming."It's hot. Get used to it."Because even

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1170863750832719792007-02-07T07:19:00.000-08:002007-02-07T07:55:51.223-08:00

Consider that Rod highlighted an article that argues for "why we need a William Jennings Bryan figure in America today." Consider how often Rod has written about populism, including a post in which he entertains the notion that we are "on the verge of a populist revival." Consider that, as early as June of last year, Rod had kind words to say about the clearly over-hyped Barack Obama. (As we

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1170726966374129762007-02-05T17:53:00.000-08:002007-02-05T17:56:06.583-08:00

Perhaps the problem with the Middle East, commented on most recently here, could be addressed by what Rod discussed in the previous post, here.Maybe the problem is that Islamic architecture doesn't encourage the goal of people reaching their fullest potential living virtuously in community.

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1170691630655420102007-02-05T07:41:00.000-08:002007-02-05T08:07:10.843-08:00

Personally, I have never found all that plausible the idea, recently repeated here, that architecture dictates morality.("I know I'm a lazy, abusive drunk, honey, but we're not living in the right house in a true communitarian neighborhood.")I agree that the individual can become the most virtuous only within a group -- specifically, by playing a specific role both within the organic relationship

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1170380251927950492007-02-01T20:37:00.000-08:002007-02-01T17:37:32.023-08:00

Before Rod praised a priest for criticizing Nancy Pelosi's views on abortion, he should have considered the possibility that, like someone we know on the web, Pelosi has redefined for herself what it means to be "pro-life."Just a thought.

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1170375204764729392007-02-01T19:10:00.000-08:002007-02-01T16:13:24.873-08:00

Apparently we mainstream conservatives never strongly criticized the Bush Administration or the GOP Congress, at least not until it was too late. Responding to something Rich Lowry said at the NRI Summit this past weekend -- and building his entire blog entry around a rhetorical question that sounds clever but makes absolutely no sense in context -- Rod accuses the leading voices of conservatism

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1170114689972643602007-01-29T15:11:00.000-08:002007-01-29T15:51:30.140-08:00

Rod's responded somewhat critically to an article by Jim Schutze in the Dallas Observer, in which Schutze mourns the loss of the "groovy" neighborhood of Old East Dallas, lost not to decay, but to improvements."I am frightened," he writes. "East Dallas, once a funky, diverse refugee camp for people on the lam from the real Dallas and maybe real life, is now well on its way to becoming the one

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1169846362751371332007-01-26T13:02:00.000-08:002007-01-26T13:19:22.803-08:00

Rod Dreher is deeply unsettled by Mark Shea's belief that the Antichrist "seems much more like to come from a Decadent West triumphant over Islam than from Radical Islam triumphant over the West."Me? I'm still trying to see his point. Is he arguing that, because the Antichrist will likely come from the West, our victory over jihad is assured and so we can shirk our personal duties in bringing

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1169845259315358252007-01-26T12:27:00.000-08:002007-01-26T13:00:59.356-08:00

Rod has been commenting on Dinesh D'Souza's controversial -- and, from what I can tell, wrong-headed -- book, which asserts that the radical cultural Left is responsible for provoking 9/11 and other acts of Islamic terrorism. It appears that Rod thinks Dinesh doesn't go far enough: responsibility for provoking the jihadists lies at the feet of both social liberals and economic conservatives.(

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1169843379217187132007-01-26T12:06:00.000-08:002007-01-26T12:29:39.256-08:00

Having given some thought to our exchanges with Mark Shea this past week, I think I'm quite ready to admit that a blog dedicated to frequently satirical criticism of one individual is not the ideal forum for discussing the most serious issues of the day. I'm not sure whether there's a better alternative for what we want to say; the suggestion to "get a life" is essentially to tell us to shut the

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1169645977907062822007-01-24T05:32:00.000-08:002007-01-24T05:39:37.910-08:00

Since Mark Shea feels so comforable telling others on the blogosphere what to say or do (example, "get a life!" ), I'll take this opportunity to go and do likewise. Here's my prescription for Mark Shea, in return for his to me: Shea should stop reading the contra blog, especially since he's not doing Dreher any favors in doing so. When on his own blog Shea highlights, in bold lettering and

kathleennoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1169588396158752362007-01-23T13:08:00.000-08:002007-01-23T14:36:20.700-08:00

I believe that, in addressing those who comment at their blogs for the supposed sake of civility, both Rod Dreher and Mark Shea are creating the opportunity to change the rules of the debate so as to discount the most credible criticisms against them.Rod supports "disagreeing agreeably," by which he means, in part, preventing in the comments threads an atmosphere "polluted by personal vitriol or

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1169514208027025062007-01-22T16:37:00.000-08:002007-01-22T17:03:28.086-08:00

Rod Dreher doesn't like "24" and has been quite critical of its dialogue. ("The lines were so wooden I thought surely the producers had dragooned The Timbertoes into the writing pool.")(Me-oww.)It's worth noting that he also thinks that Smokey & the Bandit had a contrived premise; that the Three Stooges failed to convey the true harm that can be done with blunt-forced trauma; that MythBusters

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1169168145779584132007-01-18T16:43:00.000-08:002007-01-18T16:55:45.870-08:00

The comic book series Sleeper -- now available in trade paperback form, complete in four volumes -- presents the interesting protagonist of Carver Holden, a sleeper spy embedded in the criminal organization of a villainous mastermind. Trapped because the only agent who knows his real purpose is in a coma, Holden has superpowers that are appropriate for the dark universe of WildStorm comics:

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1168912626110907112007-01-15T17:02:00.000-08:002007-01-15T17:57:06.160-08:00

Dreher has finally moved from bashing Bush to enunciating an actual policy position for Iraq.(He does this in a post where he reveals, "I didn't write about the war in my book because my own views on the war were evolving at the time." That suggests that the book was really more about his own political views than about describing the political views of an heretofore uncategorized group of

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1168648412011413322007-01-12T19:31:00.000-08:002007-01-12T16:33:32.046-08:00

The entire NPR commentary is contemptible, with Rod invoking Andrew Sullivan's theatrical outrage and 9/11 and his children, all the while positioning himself as a Carter-hating Reaganite when he just spent a year praising the "malaise" speech and villifying economic conservatives as godless materialists.Rod continuously sets new lows in making completely asinine comments; I pray it gets no lower

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1168629099599558472007-01-12T14:10:00.000-08:002007-01-12T11:11:40.000-08:00

I'm resurrecting my presence at this blog, perhaps only briefly, for a couple reasons.First, I feel it necessary to point out that, while Rod pontificates about the possible consequences for conservatism if and when there is consensus that our policy in Iraq has failed -- is there an implicit hope that the crunchy-populist-agrarian-neotraditional-distributist strain(s) of conservatism will become

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1166749848768928922006-12-21T15:32:00.000-08:002006-12-21T17:10:48.843-08:00

I would like to direct the reader's attention to this brief blog entry, in which Rod Dreher offers strong praise for an article about hunting and how it encourages masculinity and integrity.Dreher. Hunting. Masculinity. Integrity.The post is incredibly ripe for parody, but to my surprise it has prompted in me a reaction that is a professional writer's nightmare: indifference.Judging by the

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1164391391440341282006-11-24T09:59:00.000-08:002006-11-24T10:08:10.023-08:00

For an excellent synopsis about how aspirers to "crunch" can kill the thing they most want to achieve ... read this article in Vanity Fair by a.a. gill, in which he discusses the monstrous new condos being erected around residential areas of New York. These new glass towers are an outrageous visual insult to the aesthetics of the nineteenth century neighborhoods in which they obnoxiously stake

kathleennoreply@blogger.com53tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1163909071819603212006-11-18T19:54:00.000-08:002006-11-18T20:14:55.220-08:00

...and I'm totally serious, people. Here's something he said in a recent post with which I heartily agree. Excerpt: Of course the concept of "hate" is much abused in our political discourse; when someone accuses a critic of "hate," more often than not it's a lame attempt to shut down an argument the respondent would prefer not to be having.I think there is a lot of wisdom in that. Let's all take

Paulinoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1163734838241917532006-11-16T19:08:00.000-08:002006-11-16T19:40:38.310-08:00

Mark:You don't have the moral high ground in criticizing this blog, as you not only continue to insult us, you are now consistently deleting from the comments at your blog even our most civil attempts to defend ourselves. I'm mentioning this here because you seem unwilling even to note that you're doing this, to say nothing of an explanation why.You do however bring up an argument that deserves a

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1163721084432802052006-11-16T14:50:00.000-08:002006-11-16T15:51:24.523-08:00

Rod Dreher's most recent blog entry is directed primarily at the Contra Crunchies, and he admits that it's all a clever ruse."Oh, I'm just trying to bait them, for fun, just to see if they can stand not to comment. You watch: they won't be able to resist -- and it'll be even less funny than my little tossed-off thing."Well, he's right that we can't resist a response, and he's right that any

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1163699304638445542006-11-16T09:22:00.000-08:002006-11-16T09:48:24.830-08:00

This blog has been hijacked before and besides, there's talk in a recent combox about turning the whole thing into a music fanblog. So continuing our tour of Louisiana, we move from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.This is what my friends and I called "overbite music" back in our snobby REM days. Youtube commenter "odf14" gives a succinct bio of Redbone (here's the wikipedia entry):"Here's the real

Paulinoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1163661457653987022006-11-15T23:06:00.000-08:002006-11-16T10:11:57.076-08:00

Mark Shea, esteemed catholic apologist (no joke), has said this site "reeks of sulfur", is suffused with nothing less than "hatred", and that I am the Witch Queen of Angmar. Well, I can't figure out why someone who has so much time and treasure invested in his spiritual health would spend time on a site written by and for the damned. Could it be that on some sick, sad, freakish level, he enjoys

kathleennoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1163006694579892612006-11-08T09:10:00.000-08:002006-11-14T15:36:09.883-08:00

Allow me to quote Rod -- positively, for a change -- on the news that the GOP has lost the House of Representatives and perhaps even the Senate:Nemesis always follows hubris.Well said, Rod, and it is perhaps hubris of an especially irresponsible sort that seeks to hand the reins of power to a party wholly unserious about foreign policy during wartime just to punish the ones who are serious about

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com98tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1162847769792941642006-11-06T13:11:00.000-08:002006-11-06T13:16:09.826-08:00

Elton John's song Daniel is a lovely, pensive, sentimental tune about two simpatico friends. How fitting, then, that Benedict Rod should pen his own lyrics to the same tune, in a fitting tribute to crunchy arch-defender Daniel Larison:DANIEL as sung by by Benedict Rod DANIEL IS WRITING TONIGHT ON THE NETHOPE THAT HE'LL ADDRESS THE CONTRAS, CREEPS SAYING THAT I'M ALL WETOH AND I THINK THAT DANIEL

kathleennoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1162762976665369212006-11-05T13:21:00.000-08:002006-11-06T04:51:53.016-08:00

On the heels of Saddam's receiving the death sentence, Rod underscored the brutality of Saddam's regime, writing, "one of the trial witnesses talked of being dragged into a torture center with his family, and seeing a meat grinder with blood and human hair under it."It's funny that the term "meat grinder" would come up, because the last time he used the term, it was as metaphor for the situation

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1162743983407610782006-11-05T07:22:00.000-08:002006-11-05T08:26:23.460-08:00

Personally, I'm glad that, in linking to a an attempt at satire by Clark Stooksbury, Rod again acknowledges the existence of this blog and his most consistent critics -- though I'm personally still waiting for him to acknowledge the bulk of the substance of our criticisms.And in defending his position that staying in Iraq is worse than pulling out, I'm glad to see him acknowledge, "Of course

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1162585109820538422006-11-03T11:49:00.000-08:002006-11-03T15:04:39.133-08:00

One can tell a great deal about a person by finding out what he will not compromise: what lines in the sand he will not cross. For all their faults, I personally will be voting for the Republicans in my district next week, as I believe national security remains the most important issue of the day and I continue to mistrust the Democratic leadership on that issue in particular. I believe that a

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1162177416487553542006-10-29T18:37:00.000-08:002006-10-29T19:38:20.326-08:00

There is an idea out there floating around on the net and in some skulls that the cheap crap Wal-mart sells is really bad for the well-being of the planet, but the crap Ikea sells is a blessing. Who cares? Watch this.

Paulinoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1161736662992342842006-10-24T16:45:00.000-07:002006-10-24T17:37:43.070-07:00

It's really arrogant to claim guidance from above, unless you really have heard God's calling. To wit:You know, whenever someone says, "God called me to do..." or "God told me to do...," my b.s. detector automatically comes on. It's not that I disbelieve that God calls individuals to do this or that. In my life, I got a very clear and even startling call back to journalism at a time I was

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1161095203482599842006-10-17T06:06:00.000-07:002006-10-17T08:51:02.700-07:00

We here at The Contra-Crunchy Conservative may not have always agreed with Rod Dreher, but a lack of full esteem for a man's professional talents and irritation at his sometimes less-than-professional habits is a far cry from outright hate (got that, Mr. Shea?), and we would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Dreher in the birth of their third child, Nora. We would also

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com61tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1160935736894658522006-10-15T10:52:00.000-07:002006-10-15T11:11:00.883-07:00

Yesterday I was down in the outer wastelands of Parma, wandering through a bland strip-mall when I came upon this enormous sign. This was by far the biggest Bingo sign I'd ever seen, boasting of instant gratification and 6-day availability, obviously providing the nearby parish with plenty of funding.I frowned, I scowled, -- then I said to myself, what did you expect? In an area rife with

Paulinoreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1159986140249373902006-10-04T11:20:00.000-07:002006-10-12T16:18:30.256-07:00

"Good grief, this is just a blog where I give my opinions. They're worth what you pay for them." -- Rod DreherUpdate, October 12th: It's worth noting that Rod's stated the obvious again, this time announcing that he's joined the Eastern Orthodox church, in a 5700-word essay that immediately attracted a lot of comments from all sides. I can understand counter-crunchies' wanting to comment in a

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com72tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1159907721753592202006-10-03T13:07:00.000-07:002006-10-03T13:35:21.813-07:00

A blogger named Clark Stooksbury recently took a potshot at Rush Limbaugh, and another blogger -- a friend of Rod's named Daniel Larison -- picked up on it, adding his own idiocy.Dreher has since excerpted Larison's blog entry, saying that Larison "catches Rush Limbaugh out on an astonishingly un-conservative tear." I think a case can be made that, in context, Limbaugh's comments weren't as

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1159390032895448762006-09-27T13:16:00.000-07:002006-09-27T13:47:13.206-07:00

In a recent blog entry titled "Stuff Happens," Frere Dreher begins by criticizing the supposed nonchalance with which the Bush Administration reacts to failures in its foreign policy, before going on to criticize the administration's idealism.Never mind that Rumsfeld's quote reflects neither idealism nor naivete, but realism in the face of the rather obvious fact that looting often follows in the

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1158350029995273382006-09-15T12:23:00.000-07:002006-09-15T12:53:50.100-07:00

Sorry to hijack the blog for a moment, but I've been thinking...I've never met the man, but Rod Dreher probably smells like corn dogs. Corn dogs that were organically produced by local farmers -- simple folk whose homes are old and funky and smell like a pot of organic corn dogs cooking down on the stove.(Does his beret smell of the corn dog?)For those who don't know, this weekend LSU visits my

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1157762658184765002006-09-08T16:51:00.000-07:002006-09-09T14:33:44.716-07:00

Hey everyone, let's not forget: the fifth anniversary of The Day That Rod Was There is coming up on 9/11. Of course, whether The Day That Rod Was There was also The Day That Rod Saw The Towers Fall Before His Own Eyes depends if you are reading Rod from March 2006 ("I stood on the far side of the bridge watching the tower collapse) and April 2006 ("having been a New Yorker on 9/11, and seen the

kathleennoreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1157677219176424422006-09-07T17:22:00.000-07:002006-09-07T18:00:19.206-07:00

Who could have guessed that Rod Dreher so liked people who define themselves by their affectations? First there was his defense of Dan Rather -- "Courage" -- and now we learn that Dreher loves Borat.(Though superficially similar, one can see a stark contrast between Rather and Borat by noting that Borat's comedic value is deliberate and that even Dreher knows that Borat isn't a real journalist.)

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1156426703820384172006-08-24T06:25:00.000-07:002006-08-24T06:38:23.946-07:00

I always have mixed emotions when someone channels my exact thoughts. My initial reaction is "Great, that's better than I could have put it myself!" Then I think -- wait a second, what else did they see inside me little head? I'm not even sure what's all up there in the ol' noggin attic.Here's a great line in the combox from Mrs. Darwin: "The provenance of one's vegetables is not the best

Paulinoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1154962631117536182006-08-07T07:55:00.000-07:002006-08-07T07:57:11.183-07:00

The definitive report. Not for those who find pornography inherently offensive.

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1153955549890989952006-07-26T15:55:00.000-07:002006-07-26T16:12:29.916-07:00

Rod Dreher has just recently criticized the merchandizing at the annual convention of the Christian Booksellers Association, writing that he "can't stand seeing how Christians who traffic in most of this stuff trivialize the most important thing in the world."I agree, though the juxtaposition of his complaint and his focus on sacramental tomatoes is jarring. More than that, I wonder Rod's

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1153097964413008912006-07-16T15:31:00.000-07:002006-07-16T18:11:15.613-07:00

So I will plead guilty to the charge of tossing some red meat in my last post. It's fun, it's fast, and it's easy, but it makes it a little too easy for other people to put words in your mouth. So instead of engaging in a game of pistols-at-dawn, I'd like to try and focus on the substance of my earlier criticisms.Stegall writes,Folk populism requires people willing to make sacrifices to defend

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1152669522028669082006-07-11T17:06:00.000-07:002006-07-11T19:03:03.796-07:00

Forget about nukes--if you want to destroy Manhattan, just drop a copy of this Casey Stegall essay from the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building. The crater would stretch clear from the Chelsea Piers to the House Ruth Built. Here's a teaser:There's an irony inherent in a system like our own that identifies the individual as the fundamental unit of political, social and

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1151894603029209392006-07-02T18:34:00.000-07:002006-07-02T19:43:23.056-07:00

As the founder, chairman, hizzoner, and El Queso Grande of this blog, I would like a moment of your attention.Some of you may remember a certain piece of "art" by a fellow named Andres Serrano that caused a bit of a stir. Like many, I too was offended--in my case, because it was boo-ring! Epater le bourgeois may have had a point one or two hundred years ago, but really, who cares what artists

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1151798757579716602006-07-01T17:02:00.000-07:002006-07-01T17:05:57.603-07:00

REVIEWS ARE IN for the Supercontras Return, the exciting blog-going experience where Pauli, Bubba, Contra, Diane, Curious, CMW and Kathleen defend Truth, Justice and the American Way. While a deluded narcissist plots to render them powerless once and for all, by calling them "Knotheads" and comparing them to "loud, obnoxious drunks", Supercontras face the heartbreaking realization that Beliefnet

kathleennoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1151618286387030532006-06-29T15:00:00.000-07:002006-06-29T15:09:38.676-07:00

About this time last week, Rod posted to his blog a comment of mine to spur a discussion about sacramentalism. I'd like to take a moment to thank Rod for doing so, even though his contribution to that discussion was much smaller than I had hoped -- one brief comment out of literally a hundred. When he does address critics like Kathleen and me, it is almost always to point again and again to his

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1151259978555443122006-06-25T09:53:00.000-07:002006-06-25T11:27:33.193-07:00

My previous post took on Rod's "Dangerous Question" of whether our society could truly survive in a secular materialist culture. In the discussion that followed, commenter Jeff said,IF it is true that we can't pick and choose, THEN the Society that gave us Penicillin and MRIs (just had one myself) can go straight to hell. The price is too high: all the medical and scientific and technological

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1150849521282489792006-06-20T15:27:00.000-07:002006-06-21T12:02:25.726-07:00

My dangerous idea is that the world has actually become a better place over the past 25, 50, and 100 years.Two of my favorite books are From Dawn to Decadence by Jaques Barzun and Paul Johnson's A History of the American People. Both present history on a grand scale, taking in decades at a time. The great accomplishment is to give the reader a sense of the ebb and flow of history, and how much of

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1150822722940158042006-06-20T09:55:00.000-07:002006-06-21T10:36:44.266-07:00

Here, published in its entirety, is what Rod Dreher posted last night on his blog:Who said this?"It's time to stand up and vote. Is it al Qaeda or is it America?"I would like to tell you it was Homer Simpson, inspiring a mob of Duff-soused poltroons massed outside Springfield City Hall. It would at least be funny. But no. That priceless quote, that ne plus ultra of ersatz demagoguery, was uttered

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1150375071463748982006-06-15T05:19:00.000-07:002006-06-15T06:19:53.633-07:00

Citing the annual question "What's your dangerous idea?" from the "World Question Center" (a group who, by the way, is currently trying to recruit my 4-year-old son), Rod puts forth his dangerous idea, which is "Liberal democracy cannot be sustained in a secular, materialistic culture." IMHO, that's probably true in general, but his minor premise is that we do live in a secular, materialistic

Paulinoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1150129720377738712006-06-12T09:11:00.000-07:002006-06-12T09:28:40.400-07:00

Last week, Rod gleefully referred to "the ongoing Ramesh-Derb smackdown at The Corner." Rod further reported that he "told Jonah Goldberg that those guys make the back-and-forth he and I had over 'Crunchy Cons' look like Skipper and Gilligan." For whatever reason, Jonah was clearly too polite to point out the following:For Rod's edification, let's talk about what a 'smackdown" is. A "smackdown

kathleennoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1149776194053676482006-06-08T07:00:00.000-07:002006-06-08T07:21:53.866-07:00

This weekend sees the release of Pixar's seventh feature-length film, Cars, which Time's Richard Corliss has praised thusly: "Existing both in turbo-charged today and the gentler '50s, straddling the realms of Pixar styling and old Disney heart, this new-model Cars is an instant classic."This begs the question which I'm sure weighs heavily on everyone's mind: how will Rod Dreher react to this

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com87tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1149550414532984372006-06-05T17:00:00.000-07:002006-06-05T17:20:14.426-07:00

(I warn you all that this post is both lengthy and serious; despite the generally satirical nature of this blog, one must make an entirely serious point from time to time.)I picked up my copy of Crunchy Cons from the local library over the weekend, and I find myself reluctant to start reading it. Instead I spent my leisure hours finally reading a book I got last year: Worlds of Star Trek Deep

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1149132622455770982006-05-31T20:21:00.000-07:002006-05-31T20:30:22.476-07:00

Being called "excitable" by Rod Dreher is like Paris Hilton being called an anorexic, coke-snorting whore--by Lindsay Lohan.

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1149105435591731582006-05-31T12:40:00.000-07:002006-05-31T13:37:08.443-07:00

I just noticed that Rod Dreher is highlighting a blog entry in which Clark Stooksbury criticizes our own Pauli for his recent hypothesizing about his (Dreher's) book's revised subtitle.Clark must rather fancy us, because in another blog he has linked to Daniel Larison's noticing Pauli's suggestion that the self-described reactionary radicals and front-porch anarchists may be holding views that

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1149078883701834882006-05-31T05:45:00.000-07:002006-05-31T05:34:43.726-07:00

A few tips of the hat to NRO's Corner, first for pointing out the following New Yorker cartoon:I'll reiterate that I believe that modern technology brings its own problems, but I think those problems are more manageable: by orders of magnitude, childhood obesity is less of a crisis than is a famine.The second hat-tip is for pointing out this New Yorker article by Steven Shapin. I took away from

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1148504516872385432006-05-24T13:23:00.000-07:002006-05-24T14:18:51.290-07:00

So who's to thank for this? The new paperback version of Crunchy Cons is already being advertised on Amazon and is sporting a new, shorter subtitle, "The New Conservative Counterculture and Its Return to Roots". That's about a 75% reduction in words from the original, tedious "Hip Gun-slinging Mamas" or whatnot.I suppose there's not as much real estate on a paperback, but let indulge in some

Paulinoreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1147821134053202932006-05-16T16:06:00.000-07:002006-05-16T16:12:14.070-07:00

From Rod's blog, a comment that I hope does not get lost in the shuffle, from the decidedly uncrunchy sounding "SiliconValleySteve":Beware of wearing rose colored glasses when looking backward. In the good old days, Dillinger was a celebrated folk hero for whom crowds turned out to see in small towns. This was while he was on the lamb.I have no beef with raising a family with strong religious

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1147534759787039432006-05-13T08:31:00.000-07:002006-05-13T16:42:48.043-07:00

Apparently, Rod intends to answer Jonah's critique. He says in today's Corner: "BTW, I'm stuck inside all day writing a new chapter for the paperback version, in which I'll address the main criticisms Jonah made in his magnum opus essay. (I can't do all of them, because his essay is as long as the chapter is supposed to be)." What, no patio lunches? No forays to the neighborhood wine bar? At

kathleennoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1147462263635513482006-05-12T12:25:00.000-07:002006-05-12T12:31:03.656-07:00

Some things must be read to be believed. Rod's writing about conservative political correctness qualifies.I've also noticed in all the public discussion of "Crunchy Cons" that it is very hard on the Right to admit to any questions or doubts about the superiority of free-market economics. Re-reading my own book, I detect a clear sense of punch-pulling out of fear that to speculate about the

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1147458937290967992006-05-12T11:22:00.000-07:002006-05-12T11:35:37.376-07:00

The moonbats are giving three cheers for Rod today, for his not liking the latest NSA controversy (and by "latest" I mean something that was originally reported in December). He just can't trust Bush, he says, and you can almost read his impression of a breathless wife.It's funny how much Rod resembles the moonbats, at least in terms of the war on terror. Watch Rod presume that the war in Iraq

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1147360804340535092006-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:002006-05-11T09:34:19.576-07:00

On the "Pontifications" blog, one finds Dreher's most recent explanation of why he went public with his conversion dance: "I did not want to go public with this struggle, which my wife and I have been dealing with for some time now, but I made the mistake of clumsily evading a Washington Post reporter’s questions about the practice of my faith. He could tell that I was trying to hide something,

kathleennoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1147301932352796942006-05-10T15:38:00.000-07:002006-05-10T15:58:52.376-07:00

I suspect that Rod Dreher still reads our humble blog. If he doesn't, I hope one of his crunchy friends checks in on us and considers conducting an intervention -- for Rod's sake, not ours.I've noticed that the Crunchy Con is very, very sensitive to anti-Catholic bigotry, whether it be a stunt at Baylor that would hardly be out of place in a Monty Python skit or that moronic DaVinci Code movie

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1147229055038262972006-05-09T19:08:00.000-07:002006-05-09T19:50:32.403-07:00

I don't suppose it's completely inappropriate for a given person to be a little afraid of a given chap who, whether by chance or choice, possesses and uses the nickname Bubba, but one would think that if said person was used to gun shots in the neighborhood and finding the occasional syringe in the driveway then said chap who comments on a blog wouldn't be seen as a threat proximate enough as to

Paulinoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1147033437587608402006-05-07T12:54:00.000-07:002006-05-07T16:14:06.786-07:00

Ever since Rod has started doing his "should I convert from Catholicism to Orthodoxy" dance on his new Crunchy Con blog, I can't avert my eyes from the distinct pattern that is emerging. Rod's a conservative, but he's so very troubled by most conservatives. And Rod's a Catholic, but he's so very troubled by most Catholics. Meanwhile, I can't get this song out of my head. That annoying song ...

kathleennoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1146704476905188452006-05-03T17:09:00.000-07:002006-05-03T18:02:03.066-07:00

Greetings all. I am delighted to see Bubba, Kathleen and company keeping up the Loyal Opposition.I received a mail today from one Randy Piper introducing his blog for Progressive Conservatives, which hopes to unite those of us who are "fiscal conservatives, social moderates, international eagles."Randy's blog is here and is a little florid and academic in its prose for my tastes, but that is like

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1146531359357529122006-05-01T17:26:00.000-07:002006-05-01T17:55:59.376-07:00

Part of me admires Rod Dreher's honesty about his personal life, his willingness to admit online to lifestyle choices that perhaps undermine his credibility as a spokesman for a sensiblity that is (we are told) more authentic, more human, and more moral. His obvious humility partially mitigates his repeatedly painting with an overbroad brush; it makes this habit no less indefensible, but it

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1146008988552486262006-04-25T16:45:00.000-07:002006-04-25T19:45:50.153-07:00

In considering Dreher's arguments in Crunchy Cons, I realize his failure to define "crunchy" lies in the fact that if he defined it, the outrageousness and presumption of his ideas about conservatism -- actually about everything -- would be brought to light. For to replace every use of the word "crunchy" in Dreher's writing with the word "sinless", or "virtuous", changes Dreher's points not. a.

kathleennoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1145973602922392682006-04-25T06:35:00.000-07:002006-04-25T13:03:43.790-07:00

BeliefNet has restructured Dreher's blog, adding a permanent link to each entry and a comment thread for each entry.Not content with letting Caleb Stegall suggest that Homer Simpson is crunchy, Dreher has recently asserted that Batman is not a "real superhero" and that therefore gay pseudo-Catholic congregations are "Batman Catholics."(And he dares criticize modern culture for holding nothing

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1145468424006684412006-04-19T09:36:00.000-07:002006-04-19T10:52:04.686-07:00

Wake up, contra crunchies, how did we miss this? On the morning of April 17, with 3-digit temperatures predicted in Dallas and other areas, Rod Dreher linked to "mid-priced air conditioners" at Wal-Mart's website from his blog on beliefnet. Was this mere coincidence or an instance of commissionable product promotion, targeting unsuspecting consumers in their time of need? Questions abound. Like,

Paulinoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1145304322358098912006-04-17T12:37:00.000-07:002006-04-18T05:47:16.856-07:00

George Bush got us into "a bad war on dubious pretenses." Iraq has been a debacle supported by "naïve" Christian conservatives. "I find myself incapable of trusting this bunch who got us into this foolish Iraq debacle to make the right decisions on Iran--and to be honest with the American people. There's no getting rid of Bush and Cheney, but Rumsfeld? Yes."Should Rumsfeld resign? "Absolutely."

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1144168117547098632006-04-04T09:30:00.000-07:002006-04-04T09:28:37.560-07:00

Crunchy Conservatism continues to make convivial, lovingly handmade waves on the web. In addition to Jonah Goldberg and Rod Dreher having an exchange in the pages of National Review (see previous blog entry below), other blogs are weighing in. The initial entries and the subsequent comment threads may be worth checking out.Here is a blog entry by one Maxwell Goss, what Rod called a "mixed

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1144111667243221662006-04-03T17:33:00.000-07:002006-04-03T21:37:30.990-07:00

I just LOVE this from Dreher's letter to NRO complaining about Jonah Goldberg: "But the fact that he [Goldberg] dismisses a neo-traditionalist critique of the contemporary Right and of American life as mere 'popular liberal-Left assumptions' and even 'narcissism' says more about him [Goldberg] than it does about my book." Umm, who was dismissing whom here? Talk about dismissive - here is the

kathleennoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1144084906353312012006-04-03T10:09:00.000-07:002006-04-03T10:53:13.033-07:00

I was prevented by circumstances from contributing something timely for the finale of the CC blog last week. But for the stragglers yearning for another dose I thought I should at least give something "back to the community", trifling though it be. So here's a Letterman-style Top 10 list that should suffice as kind of a "cliff-notes" for the many, often self-parodic, retorts delivered in the

Paulinoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1143849148332050072006-03-31T15:17:00.000-08:002006-03-31T15:53:15.923-08:00

I'd really like to say more but as soon as I finish this post I'm heading to one of Boston's most convivial alehouses, the 21st Amendment, and treat my liver like Marv Albert's girlfriend, so bleep this. Anyway, I'd like to thank Bubba, Rayne, Jape, Kathleen, Pauli, and the rest of the regulars for making me feel like I wasn't spitting into the wind alone. I'd like to thank K-Lo, John Miller, and

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1143827582210425462006-03-31T09:48:00.000-08:002006-03-31T09:53:02.243-08:00

"We are a nation of Prufrocks. In our rush to chase the latest thing, to have the shiniest gadget, to think the newest idea, to be first in the lock-step march of progress, we grow old … we grow old." -- CS March 31Ah yes, T.S. Stegall. And April is the cruelest month indeed, for we will no longer hear anything from you starting tomorrow ... April fool's day ... such a "Prufrockian" day,

kathleennoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1143760231522342092006-03-30T14:20:00.000-08:002006-03-30T15:14:27.696-08:00

Soccer moms, angry white males, security moms, Nascar dads... these trends come and go faster than Eurovision acts. But it's a measure of the man that 25 years later we're still talking about those Reagan Democrats. Kerry and Bush both pleaded their cases in 2004, and these legendary Bud-swilling, Ford-driving, Winston-smoking factory workers are a (the?) leading reason for the candidacies of

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1143737878584163582006-03-30T08:28:00.000-08:002006-03-30T08:58:38.760-08:00

Rod Dreher is worried for our country -- Katrinaand the spectre of suitcase nukes and EMP's. He doubts that we could survive a Depression with the courage of our ancestors, "soft as we are."The 9/11 attacks changed him -- so he's the one whose worldview was changed by that non-event! -- and he worries about our continued refusal to take Islamism seriously.(But, gosh, defeating Islamic

Bubbanoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1143666346726048092006-03-29T12:57:00.000-08:002006-03-29T13:05:46.726-08:00

I'm way behind on the email here, but Greg of the Hobbesian Conservative wrote me last week with his own contribution to the oeuvre. He wrote, "I can't decide whether I got a little too mean with it or not." We repost, you decide:RE: What's wrong with Yurts [Rod Dreher 03/23 4:30PM]I think the problem is that people read that email and thought "Hey, Rod's saying that I can't be a good person

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1143665756204211382006-03-29T12:50:00.000-08:002006-03-29T12:55:56.226-08:00

To my regular commenters: in celebration of the impending finale of the CrunchBlog, I'd like to invite you to join the masthead so we can all post together on the main page just like our friends Rod, Caleb, Bruce, and Frederica. Just send your email address and the name you've been commenting as to concrunchy@gmail.com and I will send you an invitation.Jape, you're invited too, in the spirit of

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1143588003650574662006-03-28T15:14:00.000-08:002006-03-28T15:20:03.690-08:00

Thank you your thoughts, Contra. If I may be the Frederica to your Caleb: I too have been pondering the highly extended life expectancies that we have come to expect in this country, while in other parts of the globe life remains nasty brutish and short -- but REAL. So often, Americans under misguided notions of "charity" seek to extend our health expectations to those of other societies/

kathleennoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1143572080035931142006-03-28T10:34:00.000-08:002006-03-28T10:56:38.916-08:00

We have spent a lot of time talking about First Things, and that is all well, but as we close up this week we should focus on what truly matters, and those are Last Things: death and judgment, Heaven and Hell. In an earlier age a small cut could bring about a blood infection that would in a matter of days take the life of even the richest man, and old age and dotage were gifts bestowed only by

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1143217837141305782006-03-24T08:24:00.000-08:002006-03-24T08:30:37.160-08:00

Only one thing can adequately explain the bull-headedness of Rod Dreher and his compadres in the face of devastating criticism. This is a question of product placement. Whole Foods and Birkenstock were getting tired of the same old marketing ploys to attract liberals (for example, Birkenstock's disproportionately high ratio of brown suede birks as opposed to other colors in the rainbow ... Yoga

kathleennoreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1143062553082949292006-03-22T12:29:00.000-08:002006-03-22T22:27:14.006-08:00

Broadcasting live from Crunch Central, Caleb Stegall quotes yours truly from my comment on the previous post. He writes,I described the need to preserve, protect, and in some cases, revive, a truly social sphere distinct from either the state or the individual which can create a sense of home — which I hear echoed in the comments about Boston above — that is “not just four walls and a roof” but

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1143041220306275642006-03-22T07:13:00.000-08:002006-03-22T07:27:00.340-08:00

Some people might consider it onanistic but I like to re-read my old posts as I find I often discover new insights in doing so. Well, I just noticed a lacuna a camel could walk through in that Bruce Frohnen quote I posted below. Bruce says,Lest we forget, corporations are granted by the state huge advantages that often harm innocent investorsNow, far be it from me to judge (that's Caleb's job)

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1142972042254863522006-03-21T11:50:00.000-08:002006-03-22T07:10:34.306-08:00

Bear with me while I explicatea very subtle and important aspect of the crunchy approach to contract law and responsibilities. Bruce Frohnen writes, Lest we forget, corporations are granted by the state huge advantages that often harm innocent investors and even bystanders seeking to recover damages. The current code allows lawyers to hide behind limited liability even inpartnerships, and allows

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1142950767000841132006-03-21T06:12:00.000-08:002006-03-21T06:19:27.026-08:00

Sometimes love is like a bag of manure: you gotta spread it around if you want it to do any good. That's why I'm pleased to double our counter-crunchy capacity by adding regular commenter and house lyricist Kathleen to our no-star lineup.

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1142918762607457672006-03-20T21:17:00.000-08:002006-03-21T05:49:18.920-08:00

I'm terribly flattered to have been asked to post on this blog. I would like to introduce my sophomore effort, which premiered in the comments belowmy followup effort isTHE CRUNCHY GRANOLA SONG (sing to tune of Pina Colada song) I was tired of the mainstreamWe'd been together too longLike a worn-out recordingOf a favorite songso after drinking a six pack I took my laptop to bedAnd at the NRO

kathleennoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1142908023531853362006-03-20T18:22:00.000-08:002006-03-20T18:27:03.546-08:00

Commenter Kathleen was kind enough to send a submission last week in response to my plea for help. I'd like to keep this site fresh but I'm buried in my highly unsustainable 16-hours-a-day-on-my-butt job trying to start a new company. Kathleen, thanks for your contribution to the good fight!Isn't it awfully nice to be a genius?Isn't it frightfully good to have a book?It's swell to join the fray,

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1142530177413887202006-03-16T09:08:00.000-08:002006-03-16T09:29:37.426-08:00

Do you people have any idea how hard a job this blog is? Exaggeration is usually the easiest way to parody someone, and Rod recently suggested that Maggie Gallagher needs to get her religion up with a straight face. Meanwhile, the Crunchys' dime-store Savonarola just blew the lid on the whole thing.People, I want to keep the mockery flowing, but I need help. Even Ionesco would have a hard time

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1142482543990971832006-03-15T19:53:00.000-08:002006-03-15T20:16:40.446-08:00

To the tune of The Lumberjack Song by Monty Python (Click for MP3)I'm a crunchy-con, and I'm okayI sleep all night and I work all dayFarmers: He's a crunchy-con and he's okay, he sleeps all night and he works all dayI compost greens and I eat my lunchI go to the lavatoryOn Wednesdays I go to Whole Foodsand pick up some Pouilly-FuisseFarmers: He composts greens and he eats his lunch, he goes to

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1142301552408470612006-03-13T16:38:00.000-08:002006-03-13T17:59:12.423-08:00

Sunday afternoon I hopped in my seven year-old Ford econo-$@%!box car and drove over to the Whole Foods in Cambridge, Mass. to stock up for the evening meal. "Air chilled" free range chicken, carrots, celery, onions, $4/pound locally-grown mushrooms and two bottles, one Rhone, one Alsace, one for the pot and one for the glass since my dining companion doesn't fancy reds.Being Cambridge, the store

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1141846449928085392006-03-10T18:15:00.000-08:002006-03-11T09:49:09.146-08:00

Ahh, for the yeoman farmer! Unlike Office Man, preoccupied with his "TPS Reports" and allergic to plaster, toner, and crabbing about his red Swingline stapler, the rural gentleman is the aristocrat of our bedrock agrarian class, indeed the rock on which the ship of state sinks or swims.Yes, I come to praise the farmer, for in him alone resides the great and lasting values of free men. As Victor

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1141759727547154102006-03-07T10:09:00.000-08:002006-03-07T11:28:47.560-08:00

I've received some mail from readers concerned because they want to live their life in a more Crunchy fashion, but are confused by what seem like an arbitrary set of rules. In order to illustrate these more clearly, I've put together a bunch of examples which I hope will serve to clarify matters:Food: This one is very simple. You should buy organic, but it's OK to complain about the quality and

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1141592439253701082006-03-05T11:16:00.000-08:002006-03-05T13:03:17.243-08:00

Apropos Caleb's post on ur-crunchyism in the Economist, I can only say he doesn't go nearly far enough. Why stop at "crunchy" versus "soggy," when granola comes in so many more varieties? In the interest of turning a relatively unified right wing into as many squabbling cliques as one sees on the Left, I would like to revise and extend Caleb's thoughts:Salty-cons: A salty-con always tells it like

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23377241.post-1141423506446055212006-03-03T13:46:00.000-08:002006-03-03T15:03:38.016-08:00

ConCrunchy blog secretly surveyed the contributors on the Crunchy Con blog to answer the question: How many Crunchy Conservatives does it take to screw in a light bulb? Their answers, in no particular order:Angelo Matera: We really need to get practical here. Light bulbs should be taxed by the number of lumens consumed per household family member, which would serve to incentivize the building of

The Snobnoreply@blogger.com53