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Bah, Humbug!Castigating Christmas at the office.

Compiled by Geoffrey Andersen
Updated Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006, at 4:13 PM ET

(Continued from page 1)

Joe_JP steps in to defend against the mischaracterization of transgenderism as a cavalier choice:

As to transsexuals, it is not just a matter of "feeling." The proposals, for instance, required one to live as the designated sex for a set period, and be found to be psychologically of that sex as well. One could not just one day say "I feel pretty, let me change the 'M' to a 'F'" If one lives as a sex, yes, it might make sense that their id so designate.

And, biological sex is a matter of various criteria. The blunt use of genitalia is a rather messy way to decide thing in various cases. This is shown by those who have some cosmetic sex characteristics at birth, their parents decide to "set" their sex at that, but later the person is mentally of another sex.

New frontier in the fight for equality or a case of identity politics gone awry? Share your thoughts in Jurisprudence. AC … 6:50pm PST

Thursday, Dec. 7, 2006

In his recent piece, Michael Kinsley criticizes the Bush daughters for their lack of moral seriousness and public silence on the Iraq war, citing their status as "independent moral agents." Fraysters disagreed sharply whether and how much scrutiny should be applied to presidents' children for the policies of their fathers.

For some, the hedonistic ways of the Bush twins are hardly legitimate grounds for indictment: Newsflash: 20-somethings like to party! quips RoboTombo, asking "in what moral universe are the sins of the father visited upon the children?" The daughters have the right to abstain from politics, argues Fritz_Gerlich, as "an American's most precious freedom is the freedom to be non-political…if they want to remain airheads till they die, that's their right. It won't make them guilty of anything Britney Spears isn't guilty for." Kija similarly implores us to leave the twins alone:

They didn't choose to be presidential daughters - it was thrust upon them. They are not responsible for their father's infatuation with war and death. They are not responsible for his incompetence.

Politician's kids should be left out of the discussion unless they choose to involve themselves. It would be lovely to see them marching in an anti-war march, but that's got to be their choice.

Pandyora criticizes Kinsley's "bad moral philosophy":

To choose not to serve does not prohibit any citizen from supporting or opposing a war, let alone prohibit them from voicing (or not voicing in the case of the Bush twins) their support or opposition.

Conversely, military service does not entitle one to greater moral clarity. Some percentage of military personnel presumably enjoy to party, while some percentage of military personnel probably opposed the war. Military service does not make their partying any less frivolous or their opposition any more justified.

In no uncertain terms, DavidFlores begs to differ:

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Moira Redmond is a freelance writer and a former Slatester. You can e-mail her at .
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