Category Archives: Friggin’ Politics

The costs of compliance

The backplot here is simple: I was, uncharacteristically, in a law-abiding mood and looking into what it would take for me to get a non-profit Access Copyright license to help with some of my teaching. I thought, hey, wouldn’t it … Continue reading

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That's good/that's bad: Connecticut Democratic Primary edition

So Joe Lieberman went down in flames last night to Ned Lamont, every progressive blogger’s favorite candidate. I don’t know anything about Ned, except that he’s not Joe, and frankly that’s more than enough for me to hope he wins. … Continue reading

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My goodness

Is this ever funny. More election crankiness later.

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"This is indefinite dictatorial power. And I don't use that term lightly."

Are you starting to sense a trend? This isn’t about the spying, although that’s a major issue in itself. This is about the Fourth Amendment protections against illegal search. This is about circumventing a teeny tiny check by the judicial … Continue reading

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Decoherence

The latest spin, overheard in a couple of different places, is that this domestic spying stuff is just Echelon in drag. And really, if you’re not bitching about Echelon (and really, who is?), there’s no sense in getting upset about … Continue reading

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"… and our nation will fall into despotism. I mean that sincerely."

At the risk of channeling my old blog, Perry Metzger hits it out of the park: The FISC may be worthless at defending civil liberties, but in its arrogant disregard for even the fig leaf of the FISC, the administration … Continue reading

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Indecision 2005^H6: Stop making sense

I can’t stand the present election campaign, and I really can’t stand it when the Traitors say something that not only makes sense but is good politics too: Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe noted that the House of Commons had … Continue reading

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ow ow ow ow ow

I followed a couple of links that lead me back into the deep, dark recesses of the blog past, back when words like “fisk,” “idiotarian,” “objectively pro-[whatever],” and “fact-check your ass” were employed widely and indiscriminately, much as words like … Continue reading

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