Food for thought

Though as usual there is plenty going on the world worth commenting on, I haven't had time to write anything substantial myself. Instead I'm providing links to some interesting articles and opinion pieces that have appeared over the last month.

Perhaps not surprisingly, I am at least mostly in agreement with nearly all the opinion pieces I link to here. This might lead some to think that I only read things I agree with (as many people do). While I wouldn't deny that I am somewhat more likely to read something with a slant that I find sensible, I do fairly often read things I disagree with, sometimes quite strongly. In fact in some instances it's probably fortunate that I don't have high blood pressure -- at least not yet. As it is, I do try to steer away from commentary I strongly disagree with, since it is rare that those with more extreme views make any points that I find logical, and it irritates me to read them. On the other hand, I don't mind reading commentary that I mildly disagree with, if it's rational and well-argued. Even if I am not completely persuaded by it, I will come away with food for thought. But in any case, if I included any links to anything I mostly disagreed with, however well thought out, I would fell obligated to rebut the key points. I don't have time for that, and so, this time around at least, I'll just link to things I don't feel compelled to argue against. As my opening comments indicated, this doesn't mean I agree with every little thing these writers say, or that none of the supposed facts that are presented here are at all contestable. It just means that the problems are minor enough that I have no problem passing over them.

Here's the longest and the most recent of the articles, one which paints a scary picture of the power politically active wealthy people have in the US, especially ones who don't mind bending the rules a little:
Covert Operations
The billionaire brothers who are waging a war against Obama.
by Jane Mayer
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/30/100830fa_fact_mayer

A couple of informative pieces on Social Security (I was actually half inclined to think Social Security might need substantial changes until I read these, now I think the only change warranted is raising the cap on the payroll tax):
The myth of the Social Security system's financial shortfall
August 08, 2010 Michael Hiltzik
http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/08/business/la-fi-hiltzik-20100808

Attacking Social Security
By Paul Krugman
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/opinion/16krugman.html

An interesting editorial by the guy who was budget director under Reagan (that's right -- he's definitely no radical lefty):
Four Deformations of the Apocalypse
By David Stockman
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/opinion/01stockman.html

Some biting pieces on the US Senate's failure to act on climate change (Friedman's not exactly far left either, btw):
Who Cooked the Planet?
By Paul Krugman
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/opinion/26krugman.html

We're Gonna Be Sorry
By Thomas Friedman
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/opinion/25friedman.html

Some interesting pieces about the intersection between Christianity and politics/society (the first article also contains a link to an article on Woodland Hills Church in Minnesota that's worth reading, and the second proves that I do sometimes look at Fox...):
Congregations Gone Wild
By G. Jeffery MacDonald
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/08/opinion/08macdonald.html

Anne Rice Quits Christianity -- 10 Thoughts On Jesus and the Church
By Rev. Bill Shuler
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/08/08/rev-shuler-anne-rice-christianity-quit-christ-pharisees-god-love-forgiveness/

And finally a little bit of history about conspiracy theories and other nonsense:
Why Obama is not first 'imposter' president and won't be the last
By John Blake, CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/08/09/president.imposter/index.html#fbid=7J0H26K4R0s&wom=false