“I have another question, the most popular name in the United Kingdom, Great Britain, this was in the news this week, was Mohammed. Am I a racist to feel that I’m alarmed by that? Because I am. And it’s not because of the race, it’s ’cause of the religion. I don’t have to apologize, do I, for not wanting the Western world to be taken over by Islam in 300 years?” [ThinkProgress]

Nazi sympathizer drag queen reenactor Rich Iott defends his naughty cosplay Monday night to Anderson Cooper. “I don’t think we can sit here and judge that today,” says Iott, digging himself a hole faster than the camera can follow him. “We weren’t there the time they made those decisions.”

Rich Iott Defends Nazis He Dresses Up As: ‘They Were Doing What They Thought Was Right’ [TPM]

“House Republicans just released a draft of their legislative agenda for the next Congress, a 21-page ‘Pledge to America’ that they will formally unveil Thursday morning at a Virginia hardware store.” [CBS, via Political Wire]

Our guest columnist is the most clueless admissions office in the land.

At Drake, learning doesn’t just take place in a classroom. Nor is traditional learning the only goal. Sure you’ll get an excellent education here, but you’ll also be transformed by an experience that puts opportunity into action and gives purpose to your passion.

When we talk about D+, that’s what we mean. Every moment at Drake is one that has the power to educate, to transform, to open minds and to unleash potential – to introduce who you are, to who you hope to become.

Drake University Admissions

Great moments in collegiate marketing: Drake University’s ‘D+’ campaign [Yahoo]

The archive of psychiatrist Fredric Wertham — who famously crusaded against comic books in the 1950s — is now open at the Library of Congress:

Despite his humane interests and broader concerns with violence and protecting children from psychological harm, Wertham is best known for his book “Seduction of the Innocent” (1954) and its resulting fallout. The book was the culmination of a decade-long campaign against comic books…

Read more »

It’s not unusual for a candidate to run toward the middle after a primary, or to obfuscate his positions. But Libertarians are principled politicos, unafraid to stand up for their philosophy, no matter where the chips fall.

Or so we thought:

Paul, 47, an ophthalmologist by profession, says the kerfuffle has changed the way he campaigns. “After the primary, I really wanted to jump right into the national debate,” he says. His civil-rights remarks, he admits, “have made doing that a little more difficult.” However, “No one [in the GOP] is forcing me to do anything. I do exactly what I want, but I am also realistic about what it takes to run a campaign and get elected.” For instance, instead of calling for the elimination of many federal departments — as his father, Ron Paul, the libertarian Republican congressman and former presidential candidate, regularly does — Paul says he is trying to “nibble around the edges,” to “not be the person who says he will eliminate every department in the federal government. My dad freely will say that, that he would eliminate at least half of the departments, but he is just more forthright.”

Meet the new generation of Pragmatic Libertarians: Boldly lying through their teeth if that’s what it takes to win.

The Reeducation of Rand Paul [NRO]