Amnesty?
I keep reading conflicting things about the chances of the amnesty bill passing. Yes? No? Do they have the votes? One thing’s clear—it sure is flying under the radar right now. And that’s unlikely to be an accident.
Continue reading →neo
Mary was merry when she decided to marry
How do you pronounce “Mary,” “merry,” and “marry” in that sentence? Do all three sound different? Are two the same (and which ones), or are all the same? According to this map, it depends where you live: only in Massachusetts, … Continue reading →
Support for affirmative action is down
A new poll: Just 45 percent of respondents said they believe affirmative action programs are still needed to counteract the effects of discrimination against minorities, while an equal 45 percent feel the programs have gone too far and should be … Continue reading →
Snowden’s story: how much veracity is there in “Verax”?
Let me get one thing completely cleared up at the outset of this post: the NSA data-collection story is important. Vitally important. The program exists, and we need to know more about how it works, and whether it is (or … Continue reading →
I wonder…
…about this: [Glenn Greenwald] also wrote he had been “working with” Snowden since February… That’s part of a lengthy article about a feud between Greenwald and WaPo writer Barton Gellman about who spoke to Snowden when and about what. I’m … Continue reading →
Jeffrey Toobin: Snowden is no hero…
…and no whistleblower either. I can’t say I’ve agreed a whole lot with Jeffrey Toobin (or anything political in the New Yorker) in recent years. But for the most part I agree with Toobin about Snowden. In fact, what Toobin … Continue reading →
Michael B. Mukasey…
…does not think Snowden’s any kind of hero, and believes the brouhaha over the NSA program is overblown. I don’t find his arguments all that compelling, although I’m not part of the unequivocal “Snowden’s a hero” bandwagon, either. I see … Continue reading →
A doggie/kitty interlude
We need a break, don’t we? This will do nicely: Masterfully done.
Continue reading →Daniel Ellsberg on Edward Snowden: leaks then and now
Not surprisingly, Daniel Ellsberg thinks Edward Snowden’s a great hero. I’ve written at length about Ellsberg before: a historical look here, and especially this one about his more recent activities (including, interestingly enough, a group he formed a few years … Continue reading →
Where are the Edward Snowdens of yesteryear?
Gone to Hong Kong, at least for now. The plot thickens as Edward Snowden, 29—IT guy, apparent Ron Paul supporter and disillusioned Obama-hoper—declares himself as the leaker of the NSA data-collection disclosure and then hot-foots it to Hong Kong because … Continue reading →
Welcome back, cicada
Here’s the scoop on the little buggers. I remember them well from my youth, circa 1962. In the well-arbored suburbs of New York and New Jersey, they sang in the trees and then carpeted the ground like fallen leaves in … Continue reading →
A shame about that narrative
National Journal‘s Ron Fournier (who used to be Washington bureau chief at the AP), is puzzled and perturbed by the disconnect between his preferred vision and the recent news: I like government. I don’t like what the fallout from these … Continue reading →