links for 2010-08-22

The rise of the diversity rationale for affirmative action has not been costless, but it has ensured that appreciable numbers of racial minorities are in strategic positions, while dampening certain side effects that attend any regime of racial selectivity. Unlike affirmative action based on grounds of compensatory justice, the diversity rationale is non-accusatory... Everyone can be a part of diversity....Unlike other justifications for affirmative action that seek to make exceptions to meritocracy, the diversity rationale is consistent with meritocratic premises. This is the most striking and historically significant aspect of affirmative action: It enables racial-minority status for the first time in American history to be seen as a valuable credential. Instead of the presence of blacks and other racial minorities constituting an expiation of past sins, the diversity rationale makes their presence a welcome and positive good.

I will point out that Microsoft and Intel were both accused of all sorts of monopolistic business practices in the 90’s and Intel mostly worked with the government and Microsoft mostly didn’t. Seems to me that Intel’s approach worked better. ...

Sometimes they’re right – Despite the rather venal and self serving communications strategies, the issues that the Attorneys’ General take on usually have some set of consumers who have brought it up in the first place. While I think I have every right to offer an expedited review system, it pissed off enough people to enter the issue intot he realm of the political, and it’s probably better for us to take it off the site. Likewise, it was probably good for us to give law enforcement a more straightforward way to communicate with us (people like to post about crimes they commit or see).