News and politics

The State Department is suffering massive computer break-ins Investigators believe hackers stole sensitive U.S. information and passwords and implanted backdoors in unclassified government computers to allow them to return at will, said U.S. officials familiar with the hacking. Are these people for real?  At my unclassified university, our network administrators are continually upgrading security–from firewalls… Read more

…to recognize folks like this.  Something along the line of pictures in the Post Office captioned "Not Wanted!  This person is a flag-burning horse’s ass." Tip from the Drudge Report. Read more

At last, one of our long national nightmares is over — Norm Minetta is retiring.  AND, we finally find out why he’s been such a lame-o:  like every other shiftless layabout soaking up government checks, he’s got a bad back! Read more

I’ve often felt that affirmative action was an idea whose time had come…and gone. It was a great quick fix, especially in jobs where common sense and hard work were the true talents needed. What I’ve long wondered was, what do we do for an encore? Affirmative action is a band-aid, but what’s our plan… Read more

I’m always a bit irritated when some biologist wraps up a perfectly good article about critters, forests, or coral reefs with an offhand suggestion that such a valuable resource be placed under the protection of the United Nations. The ongoing Oil-for-Food scandal, the inaction in Darfur, and the abuses by UN peacekeepers in Africa all… Read more

From Michael Barone: I haven’t seen a defense of pork barrel spending in the blogosphere recently, so let me make one. The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan used to argue that pork barrel spending was politically benign because it was one way for an administration or for the congressional leadership to hold together a majority… Read more

Philip Klinkner has a simple and neat example of regression used to analyze the results of a recent election in Ohio.  Check it out. Tip from the Mystery Pollster. Read more

The blogosphere has been abuzz since USA Today got caught publishing a doctored photo of Condolezza Rice.  I’ve always been intrigued by the gedanken experiment of having Rice for President.  After seeing the picture, I’m convinced.  I want someone that intense! Read more

This is taxpayer money down the toilet–I can get the same energy-saving advice at my garage or hardware store.  When President Bush was channeling this guy in the War on Militant Islam, I was with him.  But now he’s channeling this guy because we have a temporary gasoline shortage.  Where’s my old Whip Inflation Now… Read more

Justice Thomas ain’t just whistlin’ Dixie here. Read more