[LINK] Some Friday links

[rfmcdonald]

• Over at 1948, Nicholas Li writes ("The False Choice of Pacifism") about Sam Harris' perspective on pacifism, arguing that Harris oversimplified the issue far too much.


• Daniel Drezner summarizes a recent Foreign Affairs article that suggests that sanctions against the Burmese regime should be organized by a contact group of Burma's neighbours and major world powers, so as to ensure a united front against the Burmese leadership.


• Joel at Far Outliers has two Burma-related posts up, one examining the question of the difference between the terms "Myanmar" and "Burma," the second
  arguing that the current ZBurma sanctions regime has to include China and India. (That, it seems, is unlikely.)


• Joe My God reports that Mike Jones, a Colorado personal trainer/prostitute famous for having been hired by prominent American evangelical Christian Ted Haggard, claims embattled Idaho senator Larry Craig as a client. (No, Craig's not gay or bi. Really.)


• Over at Language Hat, there's an interesting report on the controversy surrounding poet
  Blaise Cendrars' obscure poem "La légende de Novgorod." Is the claimed text actually a fake?


• Tim Gueguen observes that Dark Horse Comics' republishing of the rather bizarrely misogynistic Gor series seems to have met some troubles. I recommend the parody "Houseplants of Gor" for those people about what Gor is about.

Truly, I believed the plant would be watered. It was plant, and on Gor it had no rights. Perhaps on Earth, in its permissive society, which distorts the true roles of all beings, which forces both plant and waterer to go un happy and constrained, which forbids the fulfillment of owner and houseplant, such might not happen. Perhaps there, it would not be watered. But it was on Gor now, and would undoubtedly feel its true place, that of houseplant. It was plant. It would be watered at will. Such is the way with plants."

• Jeff at the Tin Man writes about the controversy surrounding the United States' proposed Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which if passed would protect gays, lesbians, and bisexuals against most forms of workplace discrimination but doesn't include any protection for transsexuals. It looks like it all comes down to the fact that a lot of people don't see any reason why sexual orientations and gender identities should be grouped together.