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May is a treacherous time in Harvard Sq. The Harvard Seniors, confident with their new diplomas and more careless than the day they were accepted roam the streets of the Square with complete disregard for the commercial and residential traffic that has not miraculously paused in awe of the revelation that they have successfully navigated the halls of Cambridge’s westerly college.

Coincidentally I noticed for the first time on my way home a sign posted: “Caution Seniors.” As any fan of “Eats, Shoots and Leaves” will quickly point out, what the fine city of Cambridge intended to do was warn motorists of elderly that may also be roaming the streets of the square. But it is always amusing to take signs at their word, and so without hesitating to appreciate the timing I Caution all newly graduated Harvard College Seniors: “Watch out for that truck!”

On United Airlines flights an inch is apparently worth about $12. For the low price of $60 you can chose a seat with 5″ more leg room. I’m not sure what’s a bigger rip off - this or that Northwest charges $15 for a guaranteed isle seat. I should just fly JetBlue.

I’ve been insanely busy and haven’t had time to post lately. I find myself tonight in the strange position of having caught up on my work and waiting to catch a red-eye back home. Reading through the day’s news I couldn’t help but dive into the details of the recent SCOTUS ruling on partial birth abortions. I don’t know whether it’s because the children of the baby boomers are themselves having children or because I’ve got one of my own that I am noticing more infants and toddlers.

Getting back to the case…I think Justice Kennedy is off his rocker. He actually supported the opinion with the following quotation (via NYT):

“whatever one’s views concerning the Casey joint opinion, it is evident a premise central to its conclusion — that the government has a legitimate and substantial interest in preserving and promoting fetal life — would be repudiated were the court now to affirm the judgments of the courts of appeals”

I’m continuously confounded at the conservative belief that that the government has no business in personal lives….except when it comes to women’s medical decisions concerning pregnancy. Here’s another one (again via NYT…any chance they’re biased?):

“It is self-evident that a mother who comes to regret her choice to abort must struggle with grief more anguished and sorrow more profound when she learns, only after the event, what she once did not know: that she allowed a doctor to pierce the skull and vacuum the fast-developing brain of her unborn child, a child assuming the human form.”

Curious that the only woman on the court disagreed: “this way of thinking reflects ancient notions of women’s place in the family and under the Constitution — ideas that have long since been discredited.”

And that in the most recent prior decision striking down a similar Nevada law the other woman on the court sided with the majority, supporting a woman’s right to choose.

I just found out that I can post to my blog from Word 2007. Very cool.

The Guardian reports that UK Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Ken Macdonald is speaking out against the absurd notion that one can wage war against terrorism.  Some choice points:

“…there is no such thing as a ‘war on terror’, just as there can be no such thing as a ‘war on drugs’.”

“The fight against terrorism…is not a war. It is the prevention of crime, the enforcement of our laws and the winning of justice for those damaged by their infringement.”

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales claimed during recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearings that “there is no express grant of habeas in the Constitution.”

I wonder if anyone has told him that the Constitution does not establish the position of Attorney General either.

The BBC reports that Bush is going to appoint Admiral William Fallon as head of US Central Command.  Quoting the article, “if confirmed, the move would put an admiral in charge of two land wars.”

“Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.” - A. J. Liebling (1904 - 1963)

A. J. Liebling knew why blogs would be important, even if he never lived to see the “press” liberated.

Gustave Flaubert

“The whole dream of democracy is to raise the proletarian to the level of stupidity attained by the bourgeois.”

Sacha Guitry

“You can pretend to be serious; you can’t pretend to be witty.”

Unknown

“Eat a live toad the first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”

Evan Esar

“A husband is like a fire, he goes out when unattended.”

George Bernard Shaw

“I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation.”

John Kenneth Galbraith

“Economics is extremely useful as a form of employment for economists.”

The NYT writes that, according to a senior administration official, the transition in Iraq “is not the United States and Iraq struggling for control of the steering wheel.”  They continue to quote that “this is the United States wanting Iraq to be firmly with the steering wheel in hand, and the issue is, how do we get there are quickly as possible.”

This begs the question - who’s driving right now?  For that matter, whose foot is on the gas?

The EFF reports that the Copyright Office has in it’s third review of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s Circumvention clause granted six new exemptions.

If you missed it, Bruce Schneier wrote about the Library of Congress’ request for comments back in October of last year.

Drop me an e-mail and I’ll send you pictures of our pet person.

Why do we, the voters choose to allow our politicians to accept campaign contributions that originate out of state?  What business does a non-Kentucky resident have contributing to the campaign of a one of Kentucky’s citizens who wishes to represent her or his constituents?  It has been argued that money is equivalent to speech but that doesn’t mean states have to accept outside input of any form.

What would happen if states chose to disallowed campaign contributions that originated from out of state?  What if state campaigns (i.e. all campaigns except for President) could not accept donations from any person or organization not a resident of the state.  Would there be loopholes?  Probably.  But the spirit is to keep the RNC and DNC from running around tromping over congressional battlegrounds and let the people pick their own representatives.

Money is not only a form of speech it is also a source of power.  There’s something to be said to balancing the power of the people who govern and those who elect them.

Interested?  Talk to your state campaign finance office or board of elections.

Keeping tabs on Voter Fraud this fall.

Glitches cited in early voting

Jefferson County Voters Continue To Raise Concerns About Voting Machines

 Schneier on Security: How to Steal an Election

Question: is the average American at a higher risk of being killed by a terrorist or of his or her vote being improperly counted?

Care urged when voting

Justice Department Preparing for Election Problems

Poll watchers expected across SC to prevent voting problems

VoterStory.org Launched to Tackle Election Day Voting Problems

Primary and early e-voting problems point to gathering storm

Are Electronic Voting Systems Ready for Tuesday?

Last-minute ugliness in your church parking lot

A bit more info on the robocall scam…

Repeat calls not from Hodes

There is the political side and the ethical side to campaigning and focusing on one does not justify disregarding the other.  There is also blind zealotry which is deceptive at best and has no place in democratic discourse.

Electronic voting irregularities reported. How much impact?

E-voting glitch roundup: 5 states with biggest probs

HBO’s “Hacking Democracy” doc on Diebold e-vote problems

12,300 Complaints of Voting Irregularities

Problems Lead 8 States to Extend Some Voting Hours

Was There E-Voting Fraud?

David Gagne recounts his encounter with the TSA at LAX.  When my wife and I flew out of LAX we ran into similarly grumpy people who insisted we could only have two bags each.  Unlike David we didn’t have the time to have some fun with them and received some repacking assistance form the friendly Delta staff.  I wonder whether all the non-TSA workings at LAX get together at night and make fun of the TSA.

Over the past few years, several political scientists have found that the way the GOP managed to get the Kansans of the country to vote against their own economic self interest is by talking up wedge issues (or as the media and GOP like to call them, value issues).  These are issues to which traditional Republicans pay lip service but often do nothing about (often because they are actually socially liberal).  One stand-out issue that has garnred Republicans a lot of headway during the rein of George W. Bush is gay marriage.  Interestingly, as reported by Frontline, gay marriage is Karl Rove’s favorite wedge issue.  Though with the recent New Jersey Supreme Court ruling (pdf) the New York times speculates that the GOP, in moving to energize voters over a fundamental values issue, have run out of steam.

After security researcher Christopher Soghoian create a boarding pass generator, Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) spoke out calling for the site to be shutdown and Soghoian arrested.  Wire has the details.  Unfortunately Markey, a 15 term Congressional Actor from Massachusetts 7th district is running uncontested.

Teresa over at Making Light writes about the “convential wisdom” that publishing is a “winner-takes-all-contenst” where only the best sellers matter. “It’s not true, and it’snot becoming true.”

I was up late with some old West Wing in the background when a phrase caught my ear.  Season 4, Episode 17 while Sam Seaborn is running for Congress he is sparring verbally with Toby Ziegler who has just taken over running his campaign:

SAM: I can just cut any change I have for victory.

TOBY: No. The story’s going to be that you actually stuck up for what you believed in, you didn’t cut and run.  And people are gonna remember that, I’m gonna make sure of it.

This thought crossed my mind: does Karl Rove watch West Wing?

This wired article should put our priorities in perspective.