It’s literally insane how easy it is to hack these votings machines and leave absolutely no trace. And not only can one machine be hacked, but the virus can spread itself to other machines from a single source. A group of Princeton students recently did it and posted a video online. See it here. Seriously [...]

In case any of you despair about the workers who will be supporting you in retirement: Educational doomsayers are again up in arms at a new adult literacy study showing that less than 5 percent of college graduates can read a complex book and extrapolate from it. The obsessive measurement of long-form literacy is once [...]

From the Washington Post: Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell came out in opposition today to White House-sponsored legislation to create special military commissions that would try terrorist suspects, saying he rejects efforts to “redefine” a key provision of the Geneva Conventions. Powell, a retired Army general who formerly headed the Joint Chiefs of [...]

Okay, a lot of people won’t take the UN’s word for anything. But in this case, they seem to have a point. U.N. inspectors investigating Iran’s nuclear program angrily complained to the Bush administration and to a Republican congressman yesterday about a recent House committee report on Iran’s capabilities, calling parts of the document “outrageous [...]

One of my political heroes, former Texas Governor Ann Richards, has died at the age of 73. She was a true leader who knew how to slice through political b.s. and tackle problems head on. She may have only served one term as governor, but her legacy stretched far beyond those four years and reached [...]

You really have to read this to see just exactly why we are losing ground and may have lost the entire war in Afghanistan: U.S. military officials tell NBC News they had “high-level� Taliban fighters in their gunsights during a July reconnaissance flight but decided not to fire. The decision to pass on the target [...]

Yesterday’s primaries were a mixed bag for moderates. In the most closely watched race Sen. Lincoln Chafee defeated a conservative challenger backed by the Club for Growth, guaranteeing that a moderate will be elected no matter who wins in November. But in Arizona, conservative Randy Graf won the primary battle to replace retiring moderate Republican [...]

The House Judiciary Committee today will consider its version of a warrantless wiretapping bill. But if GOP leaders have their way, it will be so watered down as to be a pile of dreck. The main bill already has minimal teeth. It would give the government five days instead of three to seek a FISA [...]

Yesterday, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas reached a deal with Hamas for a unity government, in which the Hamas government would resign and be replaced by a mixture of Hamas and Fatah representatives, as well as representatives from various splinter groups. Most important from the Palestinian viewpoint was the prospect that such a move would mean [...]

Is it reliable? Can we trust it? Well, head-to-head tests may show that the online encyclopedia (even though some dispute it) is just as accurate as its real world, hard-bound counterparts. But why? Because the collective experts in the world can make things right? Can’t vandals make changes? Yes, of course…but still…some change and some [...]

Breaking news…George Bush says that Saddam was not responsible for 9/11. Now, to be completely fair, he’s said similar things before, but they’ve always been couched with notions like, “Well, but he did have ties to Al Qaeda…” or he would mention Saddam and 9/11 in many of the same sentences in the same speech. [...]

I tried to avoid commenting today. I really, really did. Because as sad as this day was five years ago those feelings do not exceed how angry I am now. I am not normally prone to anger. Most people would describe me as a mellow, happy go lucky, funny, thoughtful kind of guy. I have [...]

“We are used to a peacetime system in which Congress enacts the laws, the president enforces them, and the courts interpret them. In wartime, the gravity shifts to the executive branch.” – John Yoo, former Justice Department lawyer and key legal theorist for Bush. So, what do you think? Has this point-of-view worked to our [...]

Five years later, the words “nine eleven” still make me cringe every time I hear them. For many generations, it’s the day that changed everything. So to all of you who lost someone on that day or lost someone who fought the war on terrorism, my thoughts are with you. And for anybody who feels [...]

I’m going to impose on Justin’s kindness and do a self-serving pointer to post to this piece where I follow up on an earlier post: Did We Just Lose? I’ve been a little surprised by the reach of the original post, and equally surprised by the responses. I think there is a fundamental disconnect now [...]

The women’s protection bill of Pakistan — which will dramatically alter the rape laws of Pakistan — has a chance of being passed this coming Monday. The bill is an attempt to reform the draconian rape laws of Pakistan from 1979, passed by then dictator Zia ul Haq under the auspices of the religious establishment. [...]

I hate to do what the media says I should be doing, and to stop doing what I’m doing when the media says to stop. (I hate being seduced into using “media” as a singular word when it’s plural, dammit! One medium, collective media. Even just knowing that is a generational marker, on a par [...]

Yesterday Israel lifted its air blockade of Lebanon. Today, it lifted its naval blockade. Israel turned over monitoring of Lebanon’s coast to Italian naval vessels, who “will continue to enforce the international embargo against the supply of armaments to Hezbollah,” Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin said. It also announced it would withdraw completely from Lebanon [...]

The promised Senate report is out, and the main conclusion shouldn’t surprise anyone who hasn’t shared the White House’s isolation chamber for the last five years. There’s no evidence Saddam Hussein had ties with al-Qaida, according to a Senate report on prewar intelligence that Democrats say undercuts President Bush’s justification for invading Iraq. Bush administration [...]

Five years later, my memories of September 11, 2001 are as crisp and bright as was the sky that day. I remember not just the beats of the day�the unfolding national horror of it and my own personal dramas�but I remember the emotions, the sorrow and fear and rage. If I think too hard of [...]