New Zealand, defy your government

It is astonishing to me that New Zealand’s parliament, by a vote of 107-10, today increased the powers of the SIS, or Security Intelligence Service. They used the World Rugby Cup as a catalyst for this. The powers include improved ability to deal with high-tech communications like computers and mobile phones. In short, they have…

Armchair complainers take note

I ran into this story on Wired today and was encouraged by 21-year-old Aaron Tobey’s sense of resolve. Honestly, I am encouraged by any ordinary person in the U.S. who does not appear to be domesticated by federal and state policy (they are legion). When we’re young and educated, we tend to be dreamers, activists,…

Notes from Branson

I’m sitting in my grandmother’s living room in Branson, MO, trying to stay awake during my usual mid-afternoon nap slump. Grandma is napping in stereo; she’s directing people to do her bidding, something to do with shoes, I’m trying not to listen lest I hear something scandalous from her 85 years of memories.

At last, election peace

Anybody reading this blog knows I’m a left-leaning libertarian and that, despite my contributions to and primary-election support for Barack Obama, I’ve now abandoned him because of his post-primary decisions to support FISA and conditionally embrace Bush’s faith-based initiatives. And because — as much as I like and admire him — he is a textbook…