Tuesday: 6/11/13

NSA

The Overview

Keep calm and carry on.  "Both the Internet and virtually all telephonic conversations are capable of being intercepted ... If this sounds onerous and Orwellian to you, it is simply because of the erroneous belief that collecting metadata is intrusive and a violation of privacy rights ... The collection of metadata has been conducted as long as there have been companies willing to do the collecting ... The key to understanding modern data collection is that (1) everyone is doing it and everyone is in the data, and (2) publicly available information about known or potential bad guys collected by both government and non-governmental companies is how modern-day investigators, including the FBI, solve crime."  David Gomez at Foreign Policy.

Security over privacy.  "A large majority of Americans say the federal government should focus on investigating possible terrorist threats even if personal privacy is compromised, and most support the blanket tracking of telephone records in an effort to uncover terrorist activity, according to a new Washington Post-Pew Research Center poll ... General priorities also are similar to what they were in 2006: Sixty-two percent of Americans now say it’s more important for the government to investigate terrorist threats, even if those investigations intrude on personal privacy, while 34 percent say privacy should be the focus, regardless of the effect on such investigations."  Jon Cohen at the Washington Post.

A discussion on privacy and security.  Video.

Traditional American principles, at work since 1798 and throughout our nation's history. "Even the Founding Fathers ... failed on this issue. President John Adams signed into law the Sedition Act of 1798 ... and restricted the ability of its citizens to publish documents or give speeches seen as anti-government -- all in the name of protecting the country from a threat that never materialized ... Indeed, the truth is that we ... do not live in an anomalous time. Rather, history is replete with instance after instance of the U.S. government suppressing or outright violating the rights of its people in the name of furthering national security."  Hayes Brown at Foreign Policy.

Partisan side-taking comes with an asterisk.  "Democrats are more comfortable with NSA surveillance under a Democratic administration, and Republicans are more comfortable with NSA surveillance under a Republican administration. There is, however, one small catch -- it's not an apples to apples comparison.  In 2006, the poll question dealt with a warrantless surveillance program in which the Bush administration exceeded its legal authority with no judicial check or congressional approval. In 2013, the Obama administration, at least given what we know now, appears to be acting within its legal authority, relying in part on the courts, and acting within a law approved by bipartisan majorities."  Steve Benen at Maddowblog.

There's no liberaltarian movement coming.  "Ultimately it’s impossible to come up with any semi-comprehensive agenda that can bind together people of such fundamentally different points of view ... So even if there are 'liberaltarian' moments, there’s no real basis for a 'liberaltarian' movement. Do Jeff Merkley and Rand Paul really have very much in common? What would the 'alliance' platform say about campaign finance reform, health care, collective bargaining, the environment, taxes, civil rights or fiscal and monetary policy? So those who dream of a grand realignment of Left and Right should enjoy the very limited 'Snowden Realignment' we’re presently seeing. It won’t last."  Ed Kilgore at the Washington Monthly.

Intelligence Contractors

The 500,000 contractors statistic.  "Top-secret clearances for outside contractors aren’t necessarily unusual. In fact, roughly 500,000 private contractors had security clearance to handle top-secret material in 2012: But there’s an important caveat here: Clearance doesn’t mean all these workers get to see every classified document out there. And, as various analysts have pointed out, Snowden likely would have needed even higher clearance than 'top secret' to gain access to PRISM and other surveillance programs."  Brad Plumer at Wonkblog.

Miscellaneous

1984 is back.  "The spate of disclosures about America’s surveillance apparatus appears to have spurred not only allusions to Orwell’s dystopian classic, but also a surge of book sales.  According to Amazon.com Inc. sales data posted earlier Tuesday, one edition of the 64-year-old book jumped more than 7,000% in its overall sale rankings since the beginning of the week."  Jacob Gershman at the Wall Street Journal.

Politics

Congress

Another piece of Congressional history has just been made.  "Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) made history Tuesday, becoming the first senator of the modern era to deliver a Senate floor speech entirely in Spanish as he explained his support for a bipartisan immigration bill up for consideration."  Ed O'Keefe at the Washington Post.

The Economy

The Equal Pay Act isn't powerful enough.  "Fifty years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act, women are earning 77 cents on the dollar compared to men. While this gap is still bigger than it should be - especially since 'breadwinner moms' now support 40 percent of American households - this disparity would unquestionably be worse without the cudgel of equal pay legislation. But as a strategy for the next fifty years, the Equal Pay Act is not enough to close the wage gap for good. To win the battle for pay equality, women will need far more arrows in their quiver than the threat of litigation."  Anne Kim at the Washington Monthly.

Elections

The NSA and the voters.  "What may be just as significant is the way in which attitudes toward the security state could split voters and elected officials within each party — possibly creating a wedge issue in both party primaries in 2016. Politicians who are normally associated with being on the far left and the far right may find common cause with grass-roots voters in their objection to domestic surveillance programs, fighting against a party establishment that is inclined to support them."  Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight.

Fiscal Fights

Welcome to absurdity.  "The shrinking of the budget deficit has made it harder and harder to rationalize the hair-on-fire mania required to justify threats like refusing to raise the debt ceiling ... The latest hang-up is that Senate Republicans are demanding that budget talks use a 30-year timeline ... instead of over the 10-year window used by administration number crunchers, according to attendees … Basically, the crisis they’ve been decrying is looking solvable, so they’re redefining it in a way that it’s not solvable."  Jonathan Chait at New York Magazine.

GOP

Here we go again, for f**k's sake.  "A Republican congressman claimed on the House floor on Tuesday that members of Muslim communities in the United States have not condemned acts of Islamic extremist terrorism against the U.S. and therefore are complicit in those and any future attacks."  Hayes Brown at Think Progress.

Health

The Medicaid hole.  What a sick joke.  "Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance for the poor and disabled, was a cornerstone of the law’s strategy. An expansion of the program ... was designed to enroll some 17 million people—about half of the law’s coverage gains. But the Court ruled that Washington couldn’t force the states to expand their programs, and politicians in most states... have simply said no. That means some 25 states, and some 7 million people, will lose out on access to coverage, leaving low-income residents with no opportunity to obtain affordable insurance in the new regime."  Margot Sanger-Katz at the National Journal. 

Immigration Reform

The Senate votes to open debate on immigration - positive sign.  "The Senate has voted on the 'motion to proceed' on immigration reform by an 82–15 vote ... That 82 votes is a signal that Republicans in the Senate are ... not using every tool they have to block a bill ... This is the opposite of how Republicans have approached the major legislation of the Obama era ... when they did not make any distinction between voting to allow debate and voting on the underlying merits of the final bill. Republican senators today faced a choice to position themselves as fundamentally opposed to the entire process, and most of them decided to stand aside."  Jonathan Chait at New York Magazine.

But, the House is the tricky piece.  "The prospects for real reform turn on whether the House will pass a comprehensive bill with mostly Democratic support. There’s been a lot of speculation that this would cost Boehner his Speakership. But Boehner’s comment — that ultimately this is about “what the House wants” – is telling. If many mainstream House conservatives privately want reform to pass (without voting for it) that very well could happen, with mostly Democratic support, at no real risk to Boehner. The Speaker left the door open to that possibility today, and that’s a big deal."  Greg Sargent at the Plum Line.

The timeline in the House.  "Boehner is likely right that this is ... going to take much of the rest of the year to get passed ... The House would get the bill mere weeks before the traditional August recess, clearly insufficient time to push something about which people are so passionate through the House. That means that House debate on this issue will likely stretch into September, which is traditionally the time that Congress spends most of its time dealing with budget bills before the expiration of the Fiscal Year at the end of the month. So, it’s likely to be October before the House starts dealing with this seriously."  Doug Mataconis at Outside the Beltway.

At the same time, assuming unanimous Democratic support in the Senate might be a mistake. "We shouldn’t assume unanimous Democratic support for an immigration bill. If comprehensive reform becomes unpopular as the debate over it unfolds and the public focuses on it, you could also see retreat from red state and vulnerable Democrats. That prospect would become even more likely if all Republicans, even pro-reform ones in the Senate, end up turning against the proposal, which is still in the realm of possibility, if the Senate debate goes in a bad direction. All of which is to say that the chances of reform passing remain very fragile indeed."  Jamelle Bouie at the Plum Line.

Ted Cruz is one tricky operator on the 'path to citizenship'.  "Obama's the 'biggest obstacle' to reform because he 'insists' upon the one specific provision that enjoys the support of congressional Democrats, many congressional Republicans, most of the country, immigration advocates, and the Bush/Cheney administration. It's not some gratuitous, tangential provision -- for the White House, it's the point of the bill.  But Cruz expects Obama to give up on the idea, and if the president disagrees, Cruz wants Obama to get the blame if/when Republicans feel the need to kill the bipartisan legislation."  Steve Benen at Maddowblog.

Prisons

The prison system is failing the mentally ill.  And worse.  "In four states ... the systemic abuse and neglect of inmates, and especially mentally ill inmates, has been investigated, chronicled and disclosed ... The conclusions are inescapable: In our zeal to dehumanize criminals we have allowed our prisons to become medieval places of unspeakable cruelty so far beyond constitutional norms that they are barely recognizable. There were many common themes ... The mistreatment of mentally ill inmates was highlighted. Prison officials have failed to provide a constitutional level of care in virtually every respect, from providing medication and treatment to protecting the men from committing suicide."  Andrew Cohen at the Atlantic.

The State Department

Um.... "U.S. ambassador to Belgium Howard Gutman has been named as the diplomat accused of soliciting 'sexual favors from both prostitutes and minor children,' according to State Department documents obtained by NBC News."  John Hudson at the Cable.

The White House

The White House is delaying too many regulations.  "The Coalition for Sensible Safeguards, a collection of health, labor, and consumer groups ... argues that more than 120 proposed regulations have languished in the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs ... There’s a safety rule on silica dust for miners. There’s an extension of minimum-wage laws to home-care workers. There are new oversight standards for imported food. And there’s a rule to require rear-view visibility technology so that people can see behind their cars and don’t accidentally back over children. In some cases, these regulations have remained at OIRA for years."  Brad Plumer at Wonkblog.

International

Asia

Talks are off, sorry.  "Planned high-level talks between South and North Korean after a six-year hiatus and threats of war were scrapped on Tuesday, South Korean government officials said, over a seemingly minor disagreement over the diplomatic ranks of chief delegates ... The disagreement over the negotiators was reminiscent of seemingly minor details that in previous meetings became sticking points that derailed or delayed progress."  Ju-min Park at Reuters.

Bad to worse.  "Myanmar's Immigration Minister has expressed support for a controversial two-child limit on a Muslim minority group that opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the United Nations call discriminatory and a violation of human rights. Khin Yi, Minister of Immigration and Population, is the most senior official to publicly support the recently announced enforcement by local authorities of a two-child policy in northwestern Rakhine State for Rohingya Muslims."  Jason Szep and Andrew Marshall at Reuters.

Europe

The state of Greek politics.  "The political system has never been more volatile ... Established political parties have shattered into pieces ... and political certainties of the past have been forgotten. Age old sworn enemies are now collaborating, one-party governments ... appear to be a thing of the past, the life of governments rarely approaches the full four year period, and the traditional two-party system is delegitimized. For the first time ... since 1958 – a party on the left is a serious contender for first place ... one of the most extreme right wing parties in Europe is rapidly accumulating power, new political parties are being formed, and the electorate appears to be constantly changing its mind."  Akis Georgakellos at the Monkey Cage.

Not your typical thefts. "With the economic crisis in Spain ... showing few signs of abating, it shouldn't come as a surprise that robberies are on the rise ... This is especially true in Spain's agricultural eastern regions, where the large-scale theft of fruit, garlic, and farm equipment is growing more frequent ... The robberies could cost the region's farmers ... 20 million euros this year ... because of lost produce and damage ... Valencia's Civil Guard - responsible for smaller towns outside the remit of national police - said they had already made 50 arrests related to orange thefts in April, when they began a crackdown."  Park MacDougald at Foreign Policy.

Middle East

Kuwait doesn't take protests very well. "Kuwait’s courts have sentenced a woman to 11 years in jail for comments she allegedly made on Twitter, the harshest verdict since a clampdown on political comments via social media that started in June 2012.  Human rights activists said that Huda al Ajami was sentenced after being found guilty of insulting the Emir, Sheikh Sabah al Ahmed al Sabah, of calling for regime change, and of insulting a religious sect. She received five years apiece for first two charges and one year in jail for the third charge, they added."  Leila Hatoum at the Wall Street Journal.

But, things could be worse - Turkey edition.  "Protesters and Turkey's prime minister both refused to back down Tuesday in what could become the final battle for Istanbul's Taksim Square, the symbol of nationwide grievances against his government.  Tens of thousands of protesters returned to the square in the evening, in a show of defiance met with tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons, hours after riot police had forced their way past improvised barricades to clear the square of protesters occupying the area for the past 12 days."  CBS.

Sure sounds like things are going well in Iraq.  Not.  "The Iraqi army’s 16th Brigade was once a hopeful symbol of cooperation between Iraq’s rival ethnic groups. Roughly half Arab and half Kurdish, the brigade had provided security since 2008 for an ethnically mixed population in one of the most volatile parts of the country.  Now the brigade has split in two. Amid rising ethnic and sectarian pressure, the Kurdish half of the brigade has stopped taking orders from Baghdad, and Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdistan Regional Government intends to formally incorporate more than 1,200 troops — and the sensitive territory they control — under the authority of its own security forces."  Ben Van Heuvalen and Patrick Osgood at the Washington Post.

North America

Feline mayors in Mexico?  "With the campaign slogan of 'Xalapa Without Rats' a new player has appeared in the electoral field ... Veracruz is preparing for the upcoming local elections ... and in a show of tiredness and lack of belief in the official candidates, two young men have proposed a cat named Morris as the citizen's candidate. Morris says he promises to do what other politicians do, which is sleep and do nothing. He has also stated that while he also messes up, he at least has the decency to cover up his mess and not leave it laying around where people can step on it. Curiously enough, Morris now has more likes on his Facebook page than three of the four main candidates in the running."  CNN.

Polisci

The effect of campaign contributions on state judicial decisionmaking.  "Shepherd finds that the percentage of donations received from business is highly correlated with a judge’s rate of voting for business. Her model predicts that a justice getting 1 percent of his contributions from business would vote for business 46.5 percent of the time. But a justice getting 25 percent of contributions from business would vote in its favor 62.1 percent of the time ... The prospect of money influencing legislative outcomes is troubling enough, but the judicial system is intended to be impervious to this kind of thing. Shepherd’s results suggest that, where judges are elected, that’s hardly the case."  Dylan Matthews at Wonkblog.

Science

Fighting counterfeiting with butterflies.  "A Canadian company is fighting counterfeiters by employing one of the most sophisticated structures in nature: a butterfly wing ... Nanotech Security Corp. ... is using the natural structure of the wings of a Morpho butterfly, a South American insect famous for its bright, iridescent blue or green wings, to create a visual image that would be practically impossible to counterfeit ... Counterfeiting this technology is unlikely, Landrock said. The image would be very difficult to reverse engineer, and expensive because of the equipment needed. The image is much brighter than any created by any other technology, he explained, including holograms."  Joel Shurkin at Inside Science.

5 different ways that carnivorous plants eat their prey.  Michael Mathieson + Videos at the Conversation.

Miscellaneous

Even designated drivers might not be the safest bunch to put in the drivers' seat.  "A new study finds that the behavior of 'designated drivers,' people who at least in theory refrain from drinking at a given social function so that their friends can get home safely, is less than ideal ... A trio of Florida researchers studied drinkers in an unnamed Florida city, and through on-the-street interviews and Breathalyzer tests found that 'approximately 40%' of designated drivers chose to consume alcohol before driving others home."  Doug Mataconis at Outside the Beltway.

LEGO faces are getting angrier.  "Most of us remember the classic LEGO dude. Small, yellow, smiling. He had a few basic poses and a single, smiling face. But as LEGOs have gotten more and more varied, the company has given the little yellow dude more expressions. One recent study looked at those expressions, and found that more often than not the new LEGO faces are angry."  Smithsonian Magazine.

Florida is cray - car-sized hornets' nest edition.  Video.