We're Losing More Tech Jobs Than Socks Jobs to China
Some of the more amazing stories about China's domination of manufacturing these days pertain to the cities in China that make most of just one of the world's consumer goods, like socks.
But a new study from the Economic Policy Institute…
Should David Petraeus Be Replaced With a Computer?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX4A-iSoDiU[/youtube]
Today's Washington Post brings an update on the work being done by the Pentagon to develop artificial intelligence to the point that a drone can be automated in its decision on…
11th Circuit: Padilla's Torture Doesn't Merit a Big Downward Departure, Just Because We Said So
Here's how an 11th Circuit panel of Judges Joel Dubina, William Pryor, and Rosemary Barkett dismissed Jose Padilla's objection to his conviction because of the abuse he suffered while in government custody in the South Carolina brig in the years…
The Cost of $100 Million Prison Expansions and Other "Civilian-Led" Blowback
In addition to green-lighting debt collection calls to cell phones, another of the deficit plans Obama rolled out today is basically claiming credit for military withdrawals.
The plan also realizes more than $1 trillion in savings over the…
No, Class Warfare WILL Create Jobs!
A number of people are talking about the spectacle of Representative John Fleming complaining about tax cuts on the wealthy him, suggesting that it will lead him to cut jobs. [my transcription]
Chris Jansing: With all due respect, Congressman,…
The $648 Monthly Fine for Not Having a Job
As part of the President's deficit reduction plan, he proposes changing the rules to allow debt collectors to call people on their cell phones.
Allow agencies to contact delinquent debtors via their cellular phones. The Administration also…
A Gang of Deficit Fairy Phantoms
Over the weekend, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's GA politics section published an article claiming that Saxby Chambliss' Gang of Six has become a Gang of 38.
Saxby Chambliss’ Gang of Six has grown to 38 U.S. senators from both parties,…
Despite Accuracy Improvement, Huge Increase in Afghan Night Raids Detains More Innocent Civilians
In Friday's post, I noted in passing the recent revelation that only about 50% of night raids had accurate targeting. A new report (pdf) released today by the Open Society Foundations and The Liaison Office informs us that targeting…
Cheney's War Plan for Afghanistan? Deny Safe Haven To--But Not Destroy--Al Qaeda
[youtube]ywIqvCojtsQ[/youtube]
According to Dick Cheney, our objective in Afghanistan was, from the very beginning, not about defeating al Qaeda, but rather, defeating the Taliban, while denying al Qaeda a safe haven in Afghanistan.
At…
Trash Talk: NCAA Shame, Ephs and Jeffs
Marcy is correct, the article this week in the Atlantic magazine by Taylor Branch is an absolute must read. Entitled The Shame of College Sports, the article opens with a 2001 investigatory hearing in front of the Knight commission, a NCAA oversight…
The CIA Hates Us for Our Freedom
As I've noted a couple of times, there's the suggestion that the CIA likes the NYPD's CIA-on-the-Hudson because the NYPD, unlike the CIA, is diverse enough to have people with the linguistic and cultural background to infiltrate Muslim communities.
So…
Dick Cheney Made No Mention of Millenium Plot in His Book
I'm still slogging through Dick Cheney's awful book--I will write some more comprehensive things when I finish.
But I found this passage particularly curious given recent claims by Ali Soufan and Richard Clarke that we might have been able…
State Department, DoD Argue Over "Rules" for Drone Targets Outside Pakistan
Ed: Now that he's on the mend from heart surgery, Jim is going to do some posting at EW. Welcome, Jim!
Charlie Savage notes in today's New York Times that the Departments of State and Defense are engaged in an argument over the choosing…
The Chief of Staff Who Might Have Been
There are a number of details from Ron Suskind's new book revealed by an AP and a NYT preview of it, the most alarming (but not surprising) that TurboTax Timmeh Geithner managed to save Citibank by basically ignoring Obama's order to break it…
Teaching Christian Moderation
A retired Navy guy decided to treat Spencer's reporting on the dangerously bad training the FBI is giving its agents by offering a justification for that training with his own theological argument for why Muslims are dangerous.
For my own part,…
John Brennan, the Intelligence Community's One Man Justice Department
Matt Apuzzo has a story describing three different responses to growing concerns about the CIA-on-the-Hudson.
There's Rush Holt, who unfortunately is no longer on the House Intelligence Committee and therefore has limited ability to look…
Maybe Iraq Should Just Replace Idaho as Our 50th State
Back when Tony Fratto was arguing that we should shut down post offices because he uses the InterToobz and therefore only ventures into an actual post office once a year, I noted that we would effectively be kicking huge portions of our rural…
Bill Daley Preparing to Ruin Another Democrat's Election Chances
The environmental community is beginning to worry that the Obama Administration is preparing to cave on greenhouse gas emissions, just like it did on ozone emissions.
Hard on the heels of the Obama administration's decision earlier this month…
FBI's Problem with Mohammed: Torture and Assassination
Spencer has a must read story on the FBI's recent training program for counter-terrorism agents on Islam.
I'm going to have a few points to make about it. But for the moment I wanted to (in addition to recommending you go read the whole thing)…
It's the Bush Record on Jobs (and His Role in the Deficit) Cheney Should Be Embarrassed About
Amanda Terkel has most of the story of Dick Cheney's flip flop on the deficit: speaking to Rush Limbaugh today, Cheney expressed "embarrassment" about the debt limit fight.
"Now, these last few months have been pretty messy," said Cheney. "I…