Not a Brain-Dead Liberal

That's how David Mamet, playwrite and screen writer, describes his transition in thinking.

Best of the Web Today - WSJ.com: "'I took the liberal view for many decades, but I believe I have changed my mind. As a child of the '60s, I accepted as an article of faith that government is corrupt, that business is exploitative, and that people are generally good at heart.... [Now I] question my hatred for 'the Corporations' -- the hatred of which, I found, was but the flip side of my hunger for those goods and services they provide and without which we could not live. And I began to question my distrust of the 'Bad, Bad Military' of my youth, which, I saw, was then and is now made up of those men and women who actually risk their lives to protect the rest of us from a very hostile world.... I began reading not only the economics of Thomas Sowell (our greatest contemporary philosopher) but Milton Friedman, Paul Johnson, and Shelby Steele, and a host of conservative writers, and found that I agreed with them: a free-market understanding of the world meshes more perfectly with my experience than that idealistic vision I called liberalism' -- Playwright David Mamet, writing in the Village Voice on why he is no longer a 'brain-dead liberal.'"

Three cheers for Mamet for learning to think for himself and for having the guts to "come out" as a conservative.

His work includes: Wag the Dog; The Verdict; and Glengarry Glen Ross.

Other Links:
The Village Voice article where he drops the bomb
Article by Jonah Goldberg about reactions to Mamet's revelation, ranging from "Ignore him and maybe he'll go away" to "He was never that good anyway."
Wikipedia page about Mamet's work, resisting efforts so far to include this.

Clarence Thomas--My Favorite Justice

I've always admired Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Now, thanks to this excellent article about him in the Wall Street Jurnal, I have even more reason to love him:

Commentary: The Weekend Interview - WSJ.com: "Upon entering his spacious office overlooking the Capitol Dome in Washington, D.C., the first thing to catch your eye is his Nebraska Cornhuskers screen saver. Mr. Thomas never attended the University of Nebraska, or even lived in the state. He's just a fan."

Justice Thomas, if you ever read this, I would love to take you to a Cornhusker game. Just drop me a note.