Jamesian Philosophy Refreshed

Fascinating stuff. Most social science studies show that opinions on social/political matters have a lot of inertia behind them. Adults don't change their mind quickly and, when a mind does change, it is liable to snap back into the earlier position. But there was one study not long ago that seemed to show that gay marriage is an exception. Now, that study turns out to be a fraud. There's a great story on all this in NEW YORK .

Villamaino's pre-trial hearing date, last I knew, was set for December 3. Whether it will actually generate any news, I have no idea. Unless you keep up with the news of certain suburbs of Springfield, MA, you likely have no idea who Enrico ("Jack") Villamaino is. The chap pictured above. Splashy voter fraud case, though., With an odd twist -- but we'll get to that. Villamaino was a Selectman in East Longmeadow, Mass. He wanted to move up the political ladder and become a state representative (as a Republican.) The state alleges that he sought to do this through an elaborate scheme for tampering with ballots. He had help from a town employee, Courtney Llewellyn. In a Hollywoodish touch, Villamaino was actually arrested on October 16th with a passport and a bag with personal effects. He had apparently told witnesses his planned destination was Switzerland. Dude! That sort of thing makes it tough for your lawyer to argue for low bail. Here's the neat twi...