Below The Beltway

If you could narrow it down to two words, for most of us it would apparently be — you’re boring:
New research that makes creative use of sensitive location-tracking data from 100,000 cellphones in Europe suggests that most people can be found in one of just a few locations at any time, and that they do […]

I posted this about seven months ago over at The Liberty Papers. Given yesterday’s ruling in California, I think a repost is timely:
Historian Stephanie Coontz has an interesting article in today’s New York Times examining the relationship between the state and the institution of marriage. As Coontz notes, the idea that all marriages must be […]

Tomorrow, the California Supreme Court will issue a decision that could have implications for the 2008 Presidential Election:
The California Supreme Court says it plans to issue its long-awaited decision on whether to legalize same-sex marriage on Thursday.
The high court announced the pending opinion on its Web site Wednesday morning. Justices heard oral arguments in a […]

Former Georgia Congressman, and former Republican, Bob Barr points out why all of us should be concerned about the manner in which Elliot Spitzer was caught:
As the Spitzer story has unfolded, it appears that because he transferred his own monies in his own bank accounts for his own purposes, but in a manner that raised […]

The Washington Post has an interesting article this morning detailing how the Bush Administration managed to out maneuver the Democrats in Congress and force passage of a broad warrantless wiretapping law:
For three days, Mike McConnell, the director of national intelligence, had haggled with congressional leaders over amendments to a federal surveillance law, but now he […]

The downside of the anti-immigration ordinance passed by the Prince William County Board of Supervisors is starting to become apparent as the Examiner reports on the massive database that the county will be compiling:
Prince William County residents, legal and illegal, should prepare to be counted.
A controversial resolution passed unanimously by the Prince William board Tuesday […]

I wrote yesterday at The Liberty Papers about the testimony former Department of Justice official James Comey gave about the efforts the Bush Administration made to do an end run around Attorney General John Ashcroft and other DOJ officials who were opposed to the President’s warrantless wiretap program.
Here’s the YouTube video of the testimony and […]

Alan Simpson, a former Senator from Wyoming who once was a strong advocate of the military’s Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell policy, has a great column in today’s Washington Post explaining why he’s changed his mind.
There is alot to like about the column, but here’s the money quote:
Since 1993, I have had the rich satisfaction of knowing […]

From today’s Washington Post comes what can only be called the best argument against the PATRIOT Act ever:
A Justice Department investigation has found pervasive errors in the FBI’s use of its power to secretly demand telephone, e-mail and financial records in national security cases, officials with access to the report said yesterday.
The inspector general’s audit […]

Today’s Washington Post profiles the way in which our daily lives are monitored by a host of seemingly innocuous devices:
The tracking of Kitty Bernard begins shortly after she wakes up. All through the 56-year-old real estate agent’s day, from walking in her building’s lobby to e-mailing friends and shopping and working, the watchful eye of […]