PIED TYPE
Law
Bat signal for the Internet
Remember the great SOPA/PIPA blackout on January 18? Remember how good it felt to join hundreds of thousands of other Internet users in protest and in defense of the Internet? Well, one of the original and biggest backers of that day of protest was Reddit, and they’ve come up with a great new idea — … Continue reading
Stay tuned for new TSA search techniques
CNN anchors are currently discussing the possibility that a woman arrested this morning on a flight diverted to Bangor, Maine, had an explosive device surgically implanted in her body. Reportedly an inspection by several doctors on board confirmed that she’d had no recent surgery (although not all surgical incisions are visible externally … ). Any … Continue reading
Super rich, super PACs, super dirt
Less than a month ago I referred readers to a Frank Bruni op-ed piece over at The New York Times. Today I’m going to do it again. “Of Bile and Billionaires” assesses the strategies and proposed methods of big money in the 2012 presidential campaign. Starting with billionaire Joe Ricketts’ super PAC and its plan … Continue reading
What would be an appropriate punishment?
Colorado’s Hewlett Gulch Fire, subject of a previous PT post, has grown to 7,600 acres and is about 45% contained this evening. Several evacuation orders have been lifted and several other areas remain on evacuation standby, but so far there have been no injuries and no homes destroyed. What would be a fair penalty for … Continue reading
Federalism, states’ rights, and gay marriage
Gay marriage. It’s been in the news a lot lately. Who’s for it and who’s against. Politicians taking sides. Vice President Biden saying a few days ago that he’s “comfortable” with it and reporting that Pres. Obama’s view was “evolving.” North Carolina passing Amendment One banning gay marriage and any civil union other than a … Continue reading
Perpetual war, perpetual power
CNN’s Fareed Zakaria is one of the few remaining good things about this flailing, failing news network. He is intelligent, thoughtful, knowledgeable, and in every way professional. His commentary on this morning’s “GPS” was notable for its explanation of just how big our paranoid Department of Homeland Security has grown — even as the U.S. … Continue reading
Cybersecurity Act of 2012: A distinction without a difference
The cybersecurity issue won’t die. But then, who thought it would? The government is determined to save the country from the evils of the Internet by limiting our privacy on it — one way or another. The House passed CISPA, the Cyber Intelligence Security and Protection Act, and Pres. Obama issued a statement opposing it. … Continue reading
CISPA: Full text of bill as passed
The following is the full text of HR 3523: Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, as passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on April 26, 2012. The original .pdf file is available here. __________________________________________________________________ H.R. 3523: CYBER INTELLIGENCE SHARING AND PROTECTION ACT 112th Congress, 2011–2012. Text as of Apr 26, 2012 (Passed the House … Continue reading
CISPA: Will Obama stop SOPA 2.0?
Today I came across a bit of background on CISPA, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, on Congress.org. I really dropped the ball letting something so important get all the way through the U.S. House before I noticed it on my radar — said radar having been focused more on recent legislation threatening women’s … Continue reading
Women will remember in November
An appropriate message for today, tomorrow, and the rest of the year. Remember in November! *Video from the Planned Parenthood Political Action Fund
CISPA: Sacrificing our rights in order to protect them
As an American citizen, a woman, and a heavy user of the Internet, I feel I am under constant assault by my own government. There has been an ongoing stream of legislation and regulation in recent years with the sole purpose of giving the government more rights while whittling away at mine. The latest volley … Continue reading
Carlin on conservatives, abortion, and the war on women
I can’t say it any better than George Carlin did. He’d have had a thing or two to say about the war on women. In fact, he pretty much covered it with this monologue. This Saturday, April 28, join a march or rally near you and protest the ongoing war on women’s reproductive rights and … Continue reading
BP Oil: First criminal charges filed
The story hasn’t garnered a lot of headlines, but the first criminal charges have finally been filed in the case of the BP oil spill two years ago. According to a federal affidavit and as reported by the Huffington Post, Kurt Mix, 50, a senior BP drilling engineer, allegedly destroyed hundreds of text messages sent … Continue reading
RIght to Lifers: You can’t make these things up
Yesterday the Huffington Post ran a story about Planned Parenthood clinics being targeted by suspected members of an anti-abortion group (Live Action) hoping to obtain (or create?) video showing illegal activities. Not to be missed was this declaration from National Right to Life President Carol Tobias, who is concerned about sex-selective abortion: “In 2010, more … Continue reading
Executive orders legal but …
The New York Times yesterday featured an article entitled “Shift on Executive Power Lets Obama Bypass Rivals.” It discusses at some length President Obama’s announced intention to employ executive orders to bypass his obstructionist Republican opponents in Congress. While there is ample precedent for doing so, it dances at the edge of constitutionality. Ours is … Continue reading
Oklahoma GOP kills personhood bill
(Updated April 21, 2012 at 6:21 pm MDT) The Republican caucus in the Oklahoma House of Representatives has voted to kill the proposed Personhood Act and not let it go to a vote on the House floor. The bill sailed through the Oklahoma Senate by a vote of 34-7 earlier this year and was widely … Continue reading
Georgia principal has 6-year-old arrested
Well, it’s happened again. A school principal, rather than dealing first-hand with a discipline problem at his school, opted instead to call the police. The student in this case was 6-year-old Salecia Johnson, a kindergartener! For throwing a temper tantrum, she was handcuffed, placed in the police car, and taken to the police station. A … Continue reading
Arizona: Pregnancy begins before conception
The war on women just took a bizarre new twist. Arizona has sent to the governor’s desk a bill that declares pregnancies in the state begin two weeks before conception. According to the Huffington Post, “‘A sentence in the bill defines gestational age as “calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period of … Continue reading
What’s wrong with this picture?
How ridiculous are Florida’s gun laws? An editorial in the April 5 New York Times provides a great example. The city of Tampa will host the Republican National Convention in August and is hard at work preparing for the event. Security is a top concern. But there’s a hitch, brought about by a new state … Continue reading
Florida revisiting ‘stand your ground’ law
(Updated April 6 at 7:50 am MT) Belatedly, the state of Florida, in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting, is starting to question its “Stand Your Ground” law and lawmakers today convened a task force to re-examine it. Task force members include prosecutors, law enforcement officials, public defenders, judges, law professors, and state tourism … Continue reading
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