The Hall of Mirrors

So, Ed Whelan of the National Review Online and the Ethics and Public Policy Center has outed noted political and legal blogger Publius, of Obsidian Wings. Here’s what happened:

Anonymous Liberal and Eugene Volokh called out Whelan for his (apparently to me; I am not a lawyer) ridiculous criticisms of Harold Koh and Sonia Sotomayor. Publius agreed with these posts and quoted them on OW. Volokh blogs under his real name, so there’s no way to punish him. I guess Whelan couldn’t figure out who AL, the original source of the quotation that piqued his ire, was, so he settled for outing Publius.

So, let me state for the record: Ed Whelan is a whiny-ass titty baby. He can’t take any criticism, especially repeated criticism from the same source, so he hopes to negatively affect Publius’s career. Whelan did not reveal a conflict of interest; he simply claimed that Publius was irresponsible abusing his anonymity (actually pseudonymity; I would expect a sharp legal mind such as Whelan’s to be able to grasp the distinction), then claimed the responsibility of punishing him.

Then, after being roundly criticized by pretty much everyone with a brain, he apologized. Sorry about that. I fucked up. Hope you don’t get fired!

Now, I agree that Whelan deserves some credit for figuring out that he did something wrong (with a little help from his friends). But seriously?

Anyway, this whole situation is dumb. Stay tuned for a more interesting post about anonymity and opinion on the internets.

One year ago, Barack Obama gave a speech on the occasion of his having clinched the Democratic nomination for the presidency. Just before the speech, he and his wife Michelle shared a special moment:

Today, take the time to dap the ones you love for National Fist Bump Day.

Also, this:

Via BooMan.

If I’m going to have a blog, I need to abide by the more important blogospheric conventions; chief among them is Friday cat blogging.

I don’t have a cat, but my neighbor does. This is Azazel.

He likes to come into my apartment whenever he can get in, then meow until I let him sit in my lap.

The official video wouldn’t let me embed it, so here’s some awards show or something. They’re lip syncing anyway. Also, Andy Fletcher looks like my grandpa Jay.

A couple weeks ago, I was listening to the radio in the middle of the night. A song I had never heard before came on, and I was immediately intrigued by it. Intending to google it later, I tried to memorize a couple lines of the lyrics; then I noticed that the music sounded a lot like Depeche Mode. Of course, then I recognized Dave Gahan’s distinctive voice, and I remembered that the new Depeche Mode album was coming out soon.

In a nutshell, that’s my reaction to Sounds of the Universe, the 12th  studio album from one of the few 80’s electronic bands to remain semi-relevant after the end of that decade. In many ways, the key to that success has been adapting to the times and new musical trends without sacrificing their simple pop sensibility. Unlike their new-romantic brothers-in-arms the Cure, however, Depeche Mode’s latest material sounds just like Depeche Mode.

The band has always paired a simple song structure with a unique sonic landscape, and this combination is on full display on Sounds. The current wave in rock music is full of acts who are not innovative but are interesting (see: Spoon, MGMT, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, more I can’t think of at the moment); count this decade’s Depeche Mode along with them. Proof once more that one needn’t break with convention to make great music.

Longtime fans of the band will appreciate this latest marker in their career as it approaches its fourth decade; casual observers may marvel at a bunch of dudes in their late forties making such a relevant record. Go buy it for $8.99 at Amazon (or at least download it off the Napster or whatever the hell you use these days).

Album highlights are below the fold.

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This blog will be an outlet for my thoughts on politics, music, art, society, and general bullshit. Welcome.