The fearmongering strategy

At Newsweek, Daniel Klaidman describes fearmongering as a political strategy:

Americans are historically a tough lot. But the policies and rhetoric of the Bush-Cheney years, which set the tone for the current GOP attacks, are infantilizing: be very afraid, we're told, and let the government take care of you. The tough-guy bluster has led to a permanent state of anxiety—and a slew of counterproductive policies, from harsh visa restrictions to waterboarding. Our politicians rail about apocalyptic threats while TSA officers pat down toddlers at the airport. The irony is that many potentially lethal terror attacks—from United Flight 93 to Richard Reid to the underwear bomber—have been foiled by regular citizens.
Echoes of this.

Continue ReadingThe fearmongering strategy

Investigating people on the internet

A friend recently recommended two sites that aggregate information on people whose names you enter at the sites. If you need to investigate someone's background using only the Internet, these are two good places to start. I tried a few searches at Peekyou and Snitchname, and I am rather impressed at the information that can be gathered by these free sites . . .

Continue ReadingInvestigating people on the internet

The history of the filibuster

Lawyer Thomas Geoghegan, interviewed by Amy Goodman of DemocracyNow, gives an excellent review of the history of the filibuster. What's the best way to get rid of the filibuster (which is no where to be seen in the Constitution)? According to Geoghegan, we should back to the old-fashioned filibuster (a la Jimmy Stewart) until it is mocked out of existence.

Continue ReadingThe history of the filibuster