February 09, 2006
Eminent Tyranny?
Debra Saunders draws attention to another case of government trying to seize private land.
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Why We Shouldn't Ban Flag Burning
Eugene Volokh explains why the United States shouldn't ban flag burning, applying lessons learned from the Danish cartoon case. It's an excellent post--read the whole thing.
UPDATE: Volokh offers another excellent post here.
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February 07, 2006
The Weirdest Drug Law in the Land?
Jacob Sullum points out another way the War on Drugs is improperly infringing upon civil liberties.
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Why Not Tell Him What You Really Think?
John McCain is mighty angry at Barack Obama!
I would like to apologize to you for assuming that your private assurances to me regarding your desire to cooperate in our efforts to negotiate bipartisan lobbying reform legislation were sincere. When you approached me and insisted that despite your leadership’s preference to use the issue to gain a political advantage in the 2006 elections, you were personally committed to achieving a result that would reflect credit on the entire Senate and offer the country a better example of political leadership, I concluded your professed concern for the institution and the public interest was genuine and admirable. Thank you for disabusing me of such notions with your letter to me dated February 2, 2006, which explained your decision to withdraw from our bipartisan discussions. I’m embarrassed to admit that after all these years in politics I failed to interpret your previous assurances as typical rhetorical gloss routinely used in politics to make self-interested partisan posturing appear more noble. Again, sorry for the confusion, but please be assured I won’t make the same mistake again.There's more here.
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February 05, 2006
The End of the Internet as We Know It?
Jeff Chester is worried about the future of the Internet:
The nation's largest telephone and cable companies are crafting an alarming set of strategies that would transform the free, open and nondiscriminatory Internet of today to a privately run and branded service that would charge a fee for virtually everything we do online.This is the first we've heard about Internet regulations at The Missing Link. If true all this is quite troubling. Expect follow-up posts if they are warranted.Verizon, Comcast, Bell South and other communications giants are developing strategies that would track and store information on our every move in cyberspace in a vast data-collection and marketing system, the scope of which could rival the National Security Agency. According to white papers now being circulated in the cable, telephone and telecommunications industries, those with the deepest pockets--corporations, special-interest groups and major advertisers--would get preferred treatment. Content from these providers would have first priority on our computer and television screens, while information seen as undesirable, such as peer-to-peer communications, could be relegated to a slow lane or simply shut out.
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