Lafayette Growth & Economic Diversity

When discussing Lafayette growth, people assume we are an oil town. We are not; we are unique in Louisiana for our economic diversity. Oil Town? There are various ways to look at Lafayette growth. For instance, the petroleum industry is a critical component of Lafayette’s local economy and infrastructure. But there is a misconception that … [Read more…]
Intolerance of Intolerance

I remember a friend of mine who had earned his PhD at the University of California once saying that he thought Lafayette was more tolerant than Berkeley. That seemed unlikely to me, so I asked a mutual friend, another scholar who read constantly about politics and social issues, and who also traveled widely. “Certainly,” she … [Read more…]
Bleeding Heart Moderate

For many years, I tried to identify the key differences between liberals and conservatives, the functional definitions, beyond the hot-button issues. I have not completely given up on that, but I have decided that the division between left and right is secondary, that there are more important considerations. To start, one of the things I … [Read more…]
Scalia v Affirmative Action

In the oral arguments of Fisher vs. University of Texas, Justice Antonin Scalia raised some questions about Affirmative Action: There are those who contend that it does not benefit African Americans to get them into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less-advanced school, … [Read more…]
When the Strongest Isn’t the Strongest

The government has declared that women will be added to all military positions, including special forces. This is clearly a victory for women who have worked for such changes. Critics, people who insist they know better about such things, say that women slow down units, they aren’t as strong, they aren’t as mentally tough. I … [Read more…]
Why did God Create the Fossil Record? or, Mommy, Where Did You Put My Tail & Gills?

In the previous post, we continued with the argument that many religious adherents assert, that God created the universe and all life, with only some minor changes coming from evolution thereafter. Given those premises we then asked, Why did He leave clues to suggest something else is going on? Let me offer a solution for … [Read more…]