Monthly Archives: February 2008

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“Battling bin Laden”

He and his followers hate us because of specific aspects of U.S. foreign policy. Bin Laden lays them out for anyone to read. Six elements: our unqualified support for Israel; our presence on the Arabian peninsula, which is land they deem holy; our military presence in other Islamic countries; our support of foreign states that oppress Muslims, especially Russia, China and India; our long-term policy of keeping oil prices artificially low to the benefit of Western consumers but the detriment of the Arab people; and our support for Arab tyrannies who will do that.

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“Bill Cosby may be right about African-Americans spending a lot on expensive sneakers–but he’s wrong about why.”

What’s troubling about the message of this study is that Cosby and others may not be battling against a black culture of consumption, but a more deeply seated human pursuit of status. In this sense, Cosby’s critics may be right–only when black incomes catch up to white incomes will the apparent black-white gap in spending on visible goods disappear.