And, while I’m at it, here’s an example of why to me “conservative” is a dirty word.

Over at the American Conservative magazine, long time home of what we label as “paleoconservatives”, one of the top articles is by Ron Unz as tackles a topic that presses buttons:

Race, IQ, and Wealth

It’s an attempt by Unz to show that the average “IQ” of a citizenry is tied to the success (i.e., “wealth”) of that nation, and it is more a cultural, and not genetic, phenomenon. That is, as a nation adopts a certain culture, its people become wealthier, and they also become smarter.

IOW, he’s cultural racist, not a genetics-causal racist.

But… in the comments some of the “race realists” as they are sometimes called take on Mr. Unz for misinterpreting the data.

And, over at the usual sites (such as VDARE) are calling attention to the book that Unz references, IQ and the Wealth of Nations, is a favorite of race realists who derive from it the fact that IQ is driven by genetics.

So there we have it - the big discussion in “conservative” circles is whether blacks and Africans are less intelligent (and relatively poorer) because of genetics, or just because of inferior culture.

That’s what “conservatives” discuss.

And this is the crowd which the GOP courts, including Mitt Romney.