So, is voting behavior inherited? According to three fellow Political Science professors, the answer might — might — be yes…

In the latest issue of the American Political Science Review, James Fowler and Christopher Dawes of the University of California-San Diego and Laura Baker of the University of Southern California, suggest in “Genetic Variation in Political Participation” (download it for free at APSA’s website) that a significant proportion of the variation in voting turnout can be accounted for by genes.

Genetic effects account for around 50% of the variance.  Everything not genetic — whatever they may be — account for the rest.

One thought that we have, considering that only 50% of the variance is explained via genetics: Factor Analysis.

Have a mint julep, son!

Another reason why the American Political Science Association won’t move the 2012 meeting: the soon-to-open Museum of the American Cocktail in New Orleans.  Why Mayor White and the Houston City Council didn’t make a pitch for this thing in the name of economic development is beyond us…

What does your cocktail say about you?  Find out here.

For enlightenment and mixology ideas, visit the Science of Drink Blog…

And finally… we can’t end a post on booze without a link to the Reverend Horton Heat’s “Liquor, Beer, and Wine.”

Heh.

The now-former Seattle Supersonics will move to Oklahoma City immediately and play in OKC’s Ford Center this season under terms of a settlement announced on Wednesday.

The SuperSonics name and colors will remain in Seattle.  A new name and new colors for the Oklahoma City team will be announced soon.

I know that my friends in Norman, Edmond, and OKC are already trying to figure out how to get their businesses and/or law practices to pay for their PSLs and season tickets — even though it will likely be baaaaaaad basketball for a while.  In a few years they may wish that the New Orleans Hornets had decided to permanently move to OKC.

For the Seattle perspective, click here… Ouch.

For my Oklahoma friends, I have two things to say: Welcome to the NBA and Go Rockets!

The PoliSci Department in action…

This clip reminds us how some university committee meetings turn out…  Heh.

According to Steve Lohr of the New York Times, Intel has decided not to upgrade its own computers to Windows Vista.  Heh.  What a wonderful parting gift for Bill Gates that the other half of the Microsoft-Intel partnership refuses to use MS Vista.  Ouch.

As a member of the Cult of Apple, I’ll be smug here and note that my 2.66 GHz Apple iMac has been error free since the day that I bought it.

OS X Leopard rules, baby! 

• Late-Period Limbaugh — Zev Chafets, New York Times
• Bush Can Take Pride in Scorn — Mark Davis, Dallas Morning News
• Why More Jews Won’t Vote Dem This Year — Jennifer Rubin, Jerusalem Post
• What Latinos Want from Their President — Alberto Gonzales, Los Angeles Times
• ’60s Begin to Fade as Liberal Professors Retire — Patricia Cohen, New York Times
• The Three Geographies of This Election — Joel Kotkin and Mark Schill, The Politico
• GOP’s Flawed Attack on Obama — Noam Scheiber, The New Republic
• Attacking McCain’s War Record Not Working — Jay Newton-Small, Time Magazine
• The Return of Thomas Malthus — Robert Kaplan, The Atlantic
• Debating Obama’s ‘Move’ to the Middle — Ed Kilgore, RealClearPolitics
• Area residents seek upgrades from city — Jennifer Friedberg, Houston Chronicle
  
• End of Wes Clark’s VP Campaign — Steve Kornacki, New York Observer
• Dallas Cowboys stadium bonds rise in cost for Arlington — Jeff Mosier, Dallas Morning News
• McCain Not Fundraising for GOP — Aaron Blake, The Hill
• Obama Opposes Gay Marriage Ban — John Wildermuth, San Francisco Chronicle
• Grill Power: Elitist feminism and the New York Times — Heather MacDonald, City Journal
• In Praise of Political Insults — By Joseph Tartakovsky, Wall Street Journal
• Citizen Stupid — Rick Shenkman, Mother Jones
• Guts or a PhD? — The Economist
• The Conservative Welfare State — Peter Ferrara, American Spectator
• Cindy’s fortune: An asset and a liability — Kenneth Vogel, The Politico
• Decades Later, Still Asking: Would I Pull That Switch? — Benedict Carey, New York Times
• Can Barack Buy the Presidency? — Karl Rove, Wall Street Journal
• The Battle for Catholic Voters — Amy Sullivan, Time
• Why I’m Not Patriotic — Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive

About a week ago or so, I posted regarding the American Political Science Association’s (APSA) passion play over a resolution that would keep pro-gay marriage activist members happy by moving APSA’s annual meeting out of New Orleans in 2012.  Ironic, given New Orleans’ reputation as a gay-friendly town.  If you’re not familiar with the story, APSA considered moving the 2012 meeting because the state of Louisiana had the temerity to place an amendment in their state Constitution mandating that marriage is between one man and one woman.  Man, that terrible inconvenience known as federalism really sucks sometimes, doesn’t it?

In an amusing twist, the APSA Council emphasized that “communities hosting APSA meetings will be expected to assure the civil rights and safety of all APSA members.”  So I guess that precludes a meeting in Harare or Pyongyang anytime soon.  Maybe not.  APSA President Dianne Pinderhughes’ statement noting that “conditions at the local level can mitigate these [civil rights] circumstances” would suggest otherwise.  Since APSA is still looking for a 2013 meeting site, perhaps they should consider Myanmar.  I hear that conditions at the local level in Yangon (Rangoon) assure the civil rights and safety of visitors…

Note the key words in Pinderhughes’ statement: “civil rights” and“safety.“  Nice.  So by invoking “civil rights” and “safety” in support of gay marriage, the APSA Council engages in something that is in direct violation of the APSA Constitution — namely, Article II, Section 2, which states that APSA  “… will not commit its members on questions of public policy nor take positions not immediately concerned with its direct purpose,” which, last time that I checked, was the study of politics — not political engagement.

So much for that notion.  Instead, we get a public display of latte liberal piousness masquerading as “concern” over an issue that directly politicizes APSA.  Count me out.  And forget about getting my membership renewal payment…

Hat tips to Professor John McAdams’ at Marquette Warrior Blog and Professor Matthew Franck at National Review’s Bench Memos!

An interesting video discussion from the New York TImes.  Reason Magazine Senior Editor Kerry Howley talks with The Cato Institute’s Will Wilkinson about how elderly voters are distorting American politics.  Click the image above to watch.

• Tyranny of the Old — Will Wilkinson and Kerry Howley, New York Times Video
• Court Will Be Last Bastion of Conservatives — E. J. Dionne, Washington Post
• Obama Faces Netroots Revolt Over FISA — Ari Melber, The Nation
• Hillaryland at War — Gail Sheehy, Vanity Fair
• Do the Math: Obama Won’t Win the South — Thomas Schaller, New York Times
• The GOP’s December Surprise — James K. Galbraith, Mother Jones
• Drill Now as the conservative MoveOn? — Avi Zenilman, The Politco
• Women prefer men with stubble for love, sex and marriage – Roger Dobson, London Daily Telegraph
• Can’t Darwin and God get along? — Vincent Rossmeier, Salon Magazine
• Obama Turns Centrist — Ruth Conniff, The Progressive
• Strange Currencies — Eliza Caney, National Journal
• McCain game plan worries insiders — David Paul Kuhn, The Politico
• Free the Fireworks! Can individual citizens be trusted to celebrate Independence Day with a bang? — Greg Beato, Reason Magazine
• Starbucks to close 600 US stores, rein in growth – Jessica Mintz, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Parliament Hill in Ottawa…

Happy Canada Day to you all! it’s Canada’s 141st birthday today.

We particularly wish a happy Canada Day to our friend and colleague, Dr. Patrick Malcolmson at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, NB as he begins his duties as STU’s new VP Academic!

Food Court Lunch Blog offers some helpful facts about Canada.  Heh.

Party on, eh?