Surprising Times

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The New York Times editorializes sensibly today on the issue of global agricultural protectionism:

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/06/opinion/06mon1.html (link requires registration).

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Predictions (Part II)

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John Locke, an old Subaru, and the ethics of blocking traffic

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By now most people have seen video of a man in a Subaru driving through a crowd of protesters in Minneapolis. The crowd sees the Subaru approaching, and acts to block him from continuing. We don't know what was said, just that the driver honked furiously, then tried edging forward. One young woman who refused to move was bumped and knocked over, at which point, he was mobbed with people pounding on his car. He decided to get out of Dodge and bumped/pushed his way through the crowd to freedom. What of it? Pedestrians traditionally have the right of way when interacting with motor vehicles, even if said pedestrians are stupid. How much of that rule applies when they are illegally blocking a street? If my daughter can't run a lemonade stand without a permit, but people can illegally block traffic (no permit) without fear of any police intervention, we have a strange inversion of law. When you pick your targets based upon likelihood of compliance, you are part of the problem. ...
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Playoff ball

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