wJeremiads
"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Aldous Huxley

You've stumbled upon the website of Jeremy Lott. (To learn more about me, go here.) I can be reached at JEREMYAL123 -- AT -- YAHOO.COM.


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wFriday, October 31, 2003


HOOKY: I'm taking the day off (e.g., only doing a few minor things at home) and I don't want to pile blogging on top of what minimal work I have to do, so see y'all tomorrow. Before I go, thanks to Kevin Steel and Spectator international woman of mystery Katherine Ruddy for the bang up job on the picture box artwork this week.

posted by Jeremy at 11:02 AM


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UGH: Do not trust Mapquest for directions in D.C. Just don't.

posted by Jeremy at 10:39 AM


wWednesday, October 29, 2003


WHY YESTERDAY PRETTY MUCH SUCKED: Here's my account of a man jumping in front of the Metro train I was taking to work yesterday, and the fallout. I haven't developed Metrophobia exactly but sincere thanks are due to Oprea and Steve-o for the ride home last night.

posted by Jeremy at 8:00 AM


wTuesday, October 28, 2003


I AM BLOGGER, HEAR ME KVETCH: Man, did I ever manage to piss off Brooke Oberwetter. In my latest column, I mistakenly said she'd arrived at the blog bash with Radley Balko (when she actually arrived with Gene Healy), which prompted her to unleash the following:

Nobody knows this blog exists.

Or so implies Jeremy Lott's write up of Blogorama in The American Spectator. No hyperlink on my name. Simply mention of my being a co-blogger on the The Agitator.

And, while I'm at it, a kind of innuendo-laden and factually incorrect description of my relationship with said Agitator.

"Radley Balko and Brooke Oberwetter (both of TheAgitator.com) arrived together and made their way to rear of the room."
Really, it had might as well continue, "where they proceeded to make out for the duration of the event."

I've corrected the error in the piece but I'm not quite sure what to do with that last little flight of fancy. For the record, I didn't observe Brooke making out with Radley, Gene, or anyone else for that matter.

posted by Jeremy at 9:16 AM


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WITH GREAT POWER COMES...VERY LATE NIGHTS: Well everybody and their aunt has been plugging or panning the new Spectator website so I figure, since I was somewhat responsible for the thing -- spent much of last week and all of the weekend planning, prodding, and troubleshooting --, I ought to say something here. Uh, looks better, no? We still have to bump up some font sizes and knock out several dozen bugs but it isn't an eyesore as I feared. Also, I got an extra job title: assistant web editor.

posted by Jeremy at 9:04 AM


wSaturday, October 25, 2003


THIS AND THAT: I've wanted to post some items here for the last couple of days, so, here goes:

Go listen to Kevin Steel's "Six midi minutes for strings." It's computer generated from one end to the other and it's quite good.

Thanks to RiShawn Biddle, Kathy Shaidle, Mark Shea, Paul Cella, Steve Sailer, Steve Martinovich, Jay Currie, and others for helping raise funds to keep Kevin Michael Grace and company from being evicted. Well over a thousand dollars came in.

On Monday, Books & Culture/Christianity Today ran a review by yours truly of Virginia Postrel's new book. It began:

I can't decide if it's a paradox, an irony, or evidence that Virginia Postrel's publisher hates her. In her new book, The Substance of Style, Postrel preaches the importance of aesthetics—the "look and feel" of things—in selling products. She also argues that an author's attractiveness can be a major asset in book sales—see the back cover of works by Michael Lewis. So what did HarperCollins do? It slapped an ugly red-and-green cover on the dust jacket and went with a small black-and-white mug shot of this very photogenic author.

That was unfortunate, because, through a process Postrel calls the "aesthetic ratchet effect," such a cover is … not likely to help book sales. Though it would not have looked out of place in the '70s and '80s, we have lately come to demand more of our goods and services. It's no longer enough that products function properly, we want them to look cool too, to reflect well on the buyers—that is, us.

So, on the one hand, there is a massive amount of money to be made from satisfying customer demand for better-looking things (e.g., designer toasters or the new VW bug). On the other, this creates something like an aesthetic arms race, where products have to look better in order not to be left behind. I fear the look of this book may confine most of the copies to the industry equivalent of the dustbin of history, the remainder bins. [more]

All for now.

posted by Jeremy at 8:28 PM


wWednesday, October 22, 2003


'HAVE THEY GONE UPSCALE OR SOMETHING?': The Spectator gets Strange New Respect plaudits from a reader over at Reason's Hit & Run forums:

The American Spectator? Have they gone upscale or something? This is not the type of commentary I've come to associate them with.

This borders on fair and worthwhile.

The occasion is an article by Kerry Howley ("Big Apple Is Watching") about Mayor Bloomberg's mania for planning and control.

While I appreciate the compliment -- and I mean that, I really do appreciate it -- as someone involved with the production of the Spectator, I'm always baffled by people's preconceptions of the magazine and website. Some non-Spectator-readers have absorbed notions of us as cavemen, warmongers, Bible thumpers, reliable shills for Republicans, and the like. The Spectator is, broadly speaking, a magazine of the right, but in terms of content we're also one of the most catholic periodicals out there.

Hell, the first piece I edited was a sympathetic report on Howard Dean supporters by a San Francisco lefty, and we just published another article, by him, on the joys of an S and M street fair. Today the adorable Theodora Blanchfield makes her debut in an article ("Binge Thinking") that slams a Wisconsin Republican lawmaker for trying to raise the drinking age. Super intern Shawn Macomber has penned pieces praising the Free State Project, dissecting New Hampshire primarians, and defending telemarketers (sort of). We've had utterly unique coverage of, among other things, classical music and antiglobalization protests. On Iraq, we published articles by hawks, doves, and squishes. Really, the Spectator is about as diverse as they come.

posted by Jeremy at 10:20 AM


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HELP: My friend and former colleague Kevin Michael Grace is, at this moment, in a world of financial hurt, much of it stemming from the fallout from our former employer (e.g., them suddenly going under and stiffing employees of all severance, back, and in-lieu-of-vacation pay). If he doesn't raise over a thousand dollars in the next few days, he and his family (including the young Rebecca Grace) will likely be kicked out onto the street. If you regularly read this blog and/or my writing and get some enjoyment out of it, I ask that you follow this link to KMG's site and give as much as you can reasonably afford. If you can't afford to give anything but have a blog, please link to this item and ask readers to help keep the Graces afloat.

Long term, KMG needs a) freelance work and b) a job. I'll vouch for him: He's a hard worker, good writer, and great editor. If you have an opening but are American and thus worried about the importing-a-Canadian thing, don't let that stop you. I've done some checking and it's about five times easier to import hoseheads than you probably think.

Again, here's the link to his site. Please go there and give something to keep the Grace family from being tossed out into the ravages of the forthcoming Canadian winter.

posted by Jeremy at 12:50 AM


wSaturday, October 18, 2003


WHO DAT?:

Horton
Which Dr. Seuss character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla


posted by Jeremy at 10:42 PM


wFriday, October 17, 2003


WHAT IS TRUTH?: Minor flap over my comparison of Jeb Bush to Pontius Pilate in a recent column about the in-progress killing of Terry Schiavo. In the letters page today, one Roger Ross writes

What more would Mr. Lott have Governor Bush do??? To compare him to Pontius Pilate is absurd and obscene in several ways. Get a grip JL, we have laws in this country, including Florida, and unless you've got some better idea leave absurdities out of it, it does your cause no good.

(I pause briefly to note that this is the first time I have been referred to as "JL" by ... anyone.)

Steve Martinovich was likewise put off. Though he refrains from giving me climbing advice, he calls that paragraph "completely off the mark" and "more than a little unfair."

My reply to Mr. Ross followed his complaint. I'll pick up with Martinovich after I reproduce it here:

Not sure how the Pilate comparison hurts my "cause," so I'll bite: Where does the analogy break down? Assuming Mrs. Schiavo's death isn't halted, in both cases you have a governor who reluctantly presides over the taking of an innocent life for the sake of preserving the peace. How is that a get-a-grip worthy statement?

This must be one of those times where my background in biblical studies and church history put me at odds with a number of readers. Pilate is viewed as a diabolical figure by some, but that is hardly a monolithic view. The four gospels paint him with varying hues of sympathy (Mark the least sympathetic; John the most), and this ambiguity was reflected in the church. As I understand it, certain Orthodox sects have declared him a Saint. Others have viewed him as an unabashed monster whose cruelty was masked by the gospel writers, who wanted to make nice with Rome.

My view: He was a governor, an effective one, who usually did a good job of imposing Pax Romana on a restive populace. As a whole, he made the best of a bad situation. But, of course, few remember him for how he handled the day-to-day affairs of ancient Palestine. What they remember is that he chose to send a complete innocent to his death.

I wrote in response to Martinovich that the analogy "wasn't meant as a vicious shot" but it was barbed. I believe Jeb Bush can stay what amounts to a state sanctioned execution. I hope, for his sake, that he does.

posted by Jeremy at 1:33 PM


wThursday, October 16, 2003


DON'T PULL THE PLUG: Here' the end of my column today. Rather a downer, I'm afraid, but I didn't see how that could be avoided, given the subject matter:

There is, of course, another aspect of this case that I almost hesitate to mention. Florida Governor Jeb Bush has promised Terri's parents all the support he can muster, but he insists that the courts will have the final word. In a legal sense, he's correct, but I wonder if his decision isn't a bit like Pontius Pilate cleverly washing his hands of what is about to happen.

That is, with the intense interest that the case has aroused, I'm not sure if the courts are ready for the backlash from Terri Schiavo's death. Many would see the courts as an agent of her demise, and rightly so. If I were in Congress, I would view Judge Greer's decision an impeachable offense, as much to avoid the hit the judiciary would take as anything else. The case is a potentially delegitimizing one, which places justice and humanity on one side, and the courts on the other. And the Internet would make this crime nearly impossible to forget. [more]

posted by Jeremy at 7:13 AM


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MINI MEME: James Antle picks up on a meme I started on this humble blog:

Also over at The American Prowler is an article by SUPER INTERN Shawm Macomber on the Free State Project and their choice of New Hampshire as their destination.

Not that the other Spectator interns aren't super.

posted by Jeremy at 7:09 AM


wMonday, October 13, 2003


THEY'RE ALL WRONG: Touchstone has a review by yours truly of Habits of the High-Tech Heart:

Quentin Schultze's new book is blurbed by Mark Noll, Richard Mouw, Lewis Smedes, and Eugene Peterson, among several others. The foreword is penned by essayist and philosopher Jean Bethke Elshtain. Judging by the quotes, these writers all see this book as a trustworthy guide to help readers better understand our hyper-connected future. And they’re all wrong. [more]


posted by Jeremy at 8:28 AM


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THE NETWORKS VS. GRABBING SOMETHING OUT OF THE FRIDGE: Fun Spectator column from Kevin Michael Grace:

It's playoff time again, so I'll be watching a lot of baseball on TV in the next few weeks. I'll take in a lot of ads but I'll also miss quite a few. I will, for example, take advantage of the commercial breaks to channel surf, stretch my legs, or grab something from the fridge. Does this make me a thief? Jamie Kellner, president and CEO of the WB Network, thinks so. May I go to the bathroom, Mr. Kellner? "I guess there's a certain amount of tolerance for going to the bathroom," Kellner told Cableworld last year. Phew!

According to Kellner, "Your contract with the network when you get the show is, You're going to watch the spots." I don't recall signing any such contract. Do you? Perhaps the entertainment industry managed to slip it into the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), but I'm certain I would have heard about this. [more]

posted by Jeremy at 8:25 AM


wSaturday, October 11, 2003


COOL AS A...: A few people have called or e-mailed in response to the last post, and the silence that followed, wondering if I'll be alright. Yes, I'm OK. In fact, there are quite a few things that I would have posted, but I felt that my late night of the soul digressions might be worth keeping up there for a bit.

posted by Jeremy at 9:10 PM


wFriday, October 10, 2003


PUTTING IT ALL OUT THERE: I won't go into the details of the night, but things took a nasty turn toward the end. This threw me into a reflective frame of mind and now, at one in the morning, I find myself unable to shut it all down. And, the problem is, there's just so much to say that I'm not sure how to approach this. I feel that if I don't find exactly the right re-entry angle, this post will burn up. But I have no idea what that angle is, so, please, bear with me.

I do many things badly but I'm a particularly bad witness to my faith, because 1) I'm a hypocrite and 2) I don't understand unbelief. At all. Does not compute. I was raised a Baptist , a non-sacremental mutation of Christianity which emphasizes a personal relationship with God. One is "saved" from one's failings by asking Jesus to come into, er, one's heart (that construction sounds so bloody British but oh well). As critics put it: Say a prayer, go to heaven. Haw haw.

They can laugh all they want but here's the thing: I've seen this work on a massive scale. I've watched people confront their lives, absolutely break down, and become very different people than they were before. And, though one can quibble with the formula and the beliefs behind it, I don't see this as a case of massive self-delusion or the unlocking of one's inner potential, or somesuch. Rather, you have deep crying out to deep; one man's soul finding some relief in his creator.

To be sure, there are rational arguments for and against belief (in God, in Christ, in his church), and I find those in favor more persuasive. But let's get real: You would expect me to say that, wouldn't you? And to the extent that it plays into what you think of as my peculiar needs, you'll discount it, yes? And Iwould expect that you (you being the unbeliever) would reach opposite conclusions because to do otherwise would lead to all kinds of inconveniences. We become two ships passing while the night watchman makes the rounds.

I don't know how to narrow these differences. In fact I wouldn't even know where to start. I can't imagine what it would be like to go to bed at night and not say a few words to my creator; or pray when I am anxious; or entertain the idea that I can determine what is right and what is not (that would be a truly scary world); or carry the burden of my own sins (and they are many and non-trivial). What does the unbeliever do when he wakes up with cold sweats in the middle of the night -- when the weight of his decisions comes crushing down and the future seems like a sick, sick joke? Keep sweating? Brazen it out? Hit the bottle? Distract himself by watching the television? We all have nights and days like this, and I would love to know how some of these people manage.

Some harden themselves. They develop a posture to the rest of the world which screams I am right and you, my friends are all badly mistaken, and ride that for all it's worth. But in my experience with unbelievers, these are a minority. How, I wonder, do the rest find the strength to look at themselves without flinching?

posted by Jeremy at 1:42 AM


wThursday, October 09, 2003


FLATTERY WILL GET YOU...QUOTED: Jay Currie on my most recent party dispatch:

Jeremy Lott, that would be Ascended Master Jeremy Lott, reports from the redesign launch party of the American Spectator.

posted by Jeremy at 8:24 AM


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THAT'S HER IN THE CORNER: Fun piece in the Spectator today by Kathy Shaidle, about a very Protestant Muslim:

TORONTO -- Irshad Manji is still alive. The local press accounts make it sound like there's a contract out on the young author's life. That her new book The Trouble with Islam: A Wake Up Call For Honesty and Change is the next Satanic Verses.

The book is, literally, daring. "I have to be honest with you," Manji writes on page one, "Islam is on very thin ice with me." She ticks off her faith's shortcomings, then continues: "Is that a heart attack you're having? Make it fast. Because if we don't speak out against the imperialists within Islam, these guys will walk away with the show. And their path leads to a dead end of more vitriol, more violence, more poverty, more exclusion."

Fighting words, especially to many Muslims, for whom such self-criticism is foreign and forbidden. But, to date, Irshad Manji hasn't been forced to pull a Rushdie.

True, she's hired a bodyguard, and replaced her home's old windowpanes with bulletproof glass. Her publisher broached the subject of her personal safety with the Solicitor General. And the book's companion website Muslim-Refusenik.com has attracted a rash of angry feedback. To wit,

"Do you think that just because you have a mind, you should use it? Desist and apologize for your blaspheming ways while you still have a chance. People like you should not exist. It is no wonder there is a hell. Enjoy your short stay in this world, for God only knows what is coming for you."

Manji is quite accustomed to being talked about. Ms Magazine called her "a Feminist for the 21st Century." In fact, the 35-year-old is Canada's most famous Muslim lesbian feminist. [more]

posted by Jeremy at 6:44 AM


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MEA SORTA CULPA: My column this week addresses the fact that I was wrong, wrong, wrong about the outcome of the California vote:

The recall election was at least an 8.5. Forty-three of 58 counties voted to send Gray Davis packing, and many of those counties that voted to keep the governor did so with clothespin firmly fastened. Recall was only narrowly defeated in Los Angeles, and the rest of the no vote hugged the central and northern coastline (Davis' strongest support, unsurprisingly, came from San Francisco). The voters were determined, Network-like, to tell Sacramento that they were mad as hell, and not... oh, but let's not start with the clichés.

and

Finally, there is the issue of this column's repeated -- and, it turns out, wrong -- prediction that the Democrats would win. As one reader wrote, "You've got a lot to answer for!" The accusation, as I understand it, is that I got carried away in the anti-Arnold fervor of this fine publication and allowed it to cloud my political judgment. More likely, my analysis tried to be too clever, and ignored the real anger of Californians. In other words, I failed to feel their pain. [more]

posted by Jeremy at 6:38 AM


wTuesday, October 07, 2003


SPECTATOR SPORT: Man, it was a good crowd tonight at the "unveiling" party for the redesigned American Spectator, in the First Amendment Lounge of the National Press Club. Several reporters with cameras were milling about the room, so I'm hoping the shots of Pat Buchanan chatting it up with Nick Gillespie make the papers tomorrow. In his brief remarks, Bob Tyrrell gave us an update on the recall results: "A hundred and sixty three more women have come forward." I'm happy to report that the dirty old men kept their distance from my date tonight, though one guy did shake her hand so vigorously that she spilled a glass of wine.

posted by Jeremy at 10:33 PM


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GIVE US BACK OUR SEX ED!: Remember the students of Marysville, Washington? They're the students about whom Heather Roscoe wrote this immortal paragraph a few weeks back:

For the children of Marysville, school ought to have started on Tuesday, September 2nd. Something feels inexplicably wrong now, more than a week later, when one drives through the main hub of the city. In much of the state, kids are busy in school learning their ABC's and how to put condoms on bananas, but in Marysville, in the middle of the day, a curly haired high school boy darts through traffic on his bike. A startlingly purple, dual exhaust Chevy truck, complete with hack-sawed suspension crammed with pimply high school boys, growls down State Street past a teenage couple stopped on a bridge for an impromptu make out session. These kids are bored.

The cause of their boredom was the teachers' strike, which is stil in force. But, as Roscoe's piece today makes clear, it only gets better:

Putting their parents to shame, the students at Marysville-Pilchuck High School decided that, after a month of striking, enough was enough. They kindly requested that their teachers return to class. The teachers refused.

So: The annoyed students held an all night sit-in to protest the work stoppage. The media was notified, the students blasted Pink Floyd's "We don't need no education" from loudspeakers (it's called irony), and the teachers continued to strike.

Frustrated young scholars, led by the senior class president Dustin Dekle but by no means limited to the senior class, begged governor Gary Locke to intervene. Locke said there was nothing he could do but he would talk to some people, which led precisely nowhere.

The exasperated students then made good use of their media-saturated upbringing. With the support of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation (EFF), they called a press conference. The union responded by calling the EFF an "evil band of zealots." [more]

posted by Jeremy at 6:51 AM


wMonday, October 06, 2003


A PRIEST, A RABBI, AND A…: From the sermon this Sunday:

A middle aged couple learns that the husband has an incurable disease which will claim his life within the year. After it's sunk in, the husband clears his throat and asks his wife if she thinks she'll remarry.

"Well, I don't like the idea of living alone, so, yes, I may remarry at some point," she says.

The husband thinks about this for a minute and then asks if she thinks they'd live in the couple's home.

"Well, it's a nice home and it's paid for, so, yes, we might live here," she replies.

He then asks if they'd drive the same car.

"It's a nice car and it has low mileage, so we might keep the car," she says.

Long pause, then he asks if she thinks this new guy would "use my golf clubs."

"Oh heavens no. He's left handed."


posted by Jeremy at 9:40 PM


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THAT'S NOT FUNNY! REDUX: Mark Shea writes:

Some people are offended that I wrote, "Prostitute yourself, expect to die of AIDS." By some mysterious process of thought I don't comprehend, this is taken as "insensitive" to AIDS victims, whereas in reality, it is only insensitive to prostitutes

posted by Jeremy at 8:26 AM


wSunday, October 05, 2003


SILENT SMILE: Spectator super intern Shawn Macomber reports from the, uh, trenches of the pro-life movement:

WASHINGTON -- In a town rife with protests, I shouldn't have been surprised. The other day, as I was walking along the National Mall, a bright yellow school bus pulled up with billboards of butchered babies adorning both sides. I happened to glance up at the driver, who decided I was looking for a confrontation.

"That's right, keep walking sodomite!" he shouted at me over a loudspeaker. "Ignore the truth. Ignore the babies' cries. Your flesh will rot away with the Godless judges, just before you all burn in hell. How do you like that, sodomite?"

Well, in truth, I didn’t like it much at all. I'm not sure which part I liked less: that, out of a crowd of 200, I was pegged as the "sodomite" or that my eternal vacation was booked in a place much too tropical for my taste. [more]

posted by Jeremy at 11:30 PM


wSaturday, October 04, 2003


OCCASIONALLY TETCHY GERMAN UPDATE: This is too funny. Last Friday, I wrote here about a run in with a certain German atheist the night before. We talked, we teased, we, uh, traded barbs.

I guess he reads the site, because, last Saturday night, at the AFF crabfest, he was going on about this strange American he had met the other day -- me -- who wrote about him on his blog. I'm told he started trash talking me, which was unfortunate for him because, while I wasn't there to defend myself, a certain ladyfriend was ("shut up, Eurotrash!").

Now, I thought this hilarious, but I didn't blog about it for a few reasons, the most important of which is that I am not an obsessive.

That, apparently, makes one of us. Last night, he was at Cato's Octoberfest, dressed in lederhosen, holding forth on the politics and culture of his native land and comparing them with the politico-cultural landscape of the U.S. To contrast attitudes about religion, he cited (you guessed it) an encounter he'd had with a rude American at a cocktail party. He also used the crabfest experience to take a slap at the very "incestuous" assocations that D.C. is lousy with. The funny thing, to me, is that he said all of this in the presence of one of my old roommates.

posted by Jeremy at 7:23 AM


wThursday, October 02, 2003


TAC PARTY: Fun one-year celebration for the American Conservative at the Top of the Town last night. Saw a few people I knew, along with dozens -- nay, hundreds -- of others whose handles I only occasionally recognized from their nametags. During the toast part of the evening, Taki lamented that "our good friend David Frum" couldn't be there because he had to attend a small penis support group in New York. Pat Buchanan joked that Bob Novak was running late because the government couldn't decide whether or not to indict him in the Valerie Plame affair. My date was the best looker at the party, which was cool, but, I tell ya, beating off dirty old men with a stick sure can get old.

posted by Jeremy at 7:10 AM


wWednesday, October 01, 2003


THANKS:

At the end of the day
When you look around you
And the sun sets
Deep inside you
Dust off your breeches and say
'Oh well'
Say goodnight to the man in the moon
The sandman's on his way

posted by Jeremy at 10:54 PM


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MISERY AND DESPAIR: Well, it's my birthday again. Though, as my column today explains, there's only a small chance it'll be a happy one:

Not to sound like Henry Higgins, but I am not a dour man, really. Catch me at the right hour and you might even call me pleasant. But you wouldn't know that if you met me close to October 1 of any given year. I'm a birthday-phobic or, to be only slightly hyperbolic, a birthday hater.

Birthdays, for birthday haters, are like the Fourth of July for dogs: a time when the whole world conspires to give you a crashing headache. My powers of observation, normally focused outward, turn in like daggers, and I get suddenly and sickeningly introspective. It's usually a bad scene all around; one year, I spent much of the night wandering aimlessly through a parking lot. [more]

posted by Jeremy at 12:17 AM