Regulations.gov
Nice to know that the government keeps public comments as part of the official record. Hope someone of import actually reads them.

One of Iran's most senior dissident clerics, a staunch defender of the nation's opposition movement as well as a learned theologian and pillar of the Islamic revolution 31 years ago, has died. Grand Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri was 87. A prime defender of Iran's protest movement, Grand Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri, dies -- latimes.com

It is sad to see one of the most respected and reasonable voices in Iran pass on. Ayatollah Montazeri was a champion of his people against repression whether by the Shah or by the government he helped create. His absence leaves the green movement without one of their core guiding lights.

It will be interesting to see if his shoes are filled by other Ayatollahs who are "untouchable" by the Republican Guard or whether his passing marks the decline of the spirit of the '79 revolution. And, if the latter, will the green movement be able to develop an independent sense of legitimacy untied to the legacy of the Shah and Cold War interventions?

This is a practice exam for POLS1, exam 4 from Dr. Ahmed Ismail at the College of the Siskiyous. This was created from the study guide provided by Dr. Ismail; but was created without the permission or input of Dr. Ismail or of the College. It is provided for any benefit you may get from it without any warranty whatsoever.

Nate and I [Tom] made a two-part bet. We wagered a steak dinner on whether or not Sarah Palin runs for the Republican nomination, me betting she doesn't. We have a second wager on whether she wins the nomination, with me giving Nate 3:1 odds on a cash bet of undisclosed amount that she doesn't. (The second bet is not conditional on the first: If Palin doesn't run at all, I win the steak and the cash.) FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: Palin Will Not Run for President in '12

Nate Silver and Tom Schaller, the folks behind the wonderful fivethirtyeight.com, have been analyzing and betting on the political future of Sarah Palin. It is a really interesting look at a subject that gets more gut reactions than thought. Below is a summary of their points and my thoughts on each.

Please, go read their postings in full after you have read my take.

There are just over 100 people in the world serving sentences of life without the possibility of parole for crimes they committed as juveniles in which no one was killed. All are in the United States. And 77 of them are here in Florida. Supreme Court to Hear Appeals on Juveniles’ Life Sentences - NYTimes.com

I sometimes wonder whether Lincoln and the Republicans did the United States a favor by reconstructing the Union after winning the Civil War. Perhaps we would have been better off if we had left the Confederacy to it redneck racist self. Reading articles like this is one of the primary motivators for these Yankee-separatist thoughts.

There is a level of evil in conservative Southern thinking that tends to infiltrate greater American society. Without the kind of people who think that having juveniles serve life or retards be executed is appropriate, I doubt that Abu Ghraib would have happened. In fact, I tend to think that the invasion of Iraq was primarily motivated by this line of thinking.

The bad news is that I am not sure if Mr. Obama's coalition will turn out for the 2010 congressional elections. His voters have been curiously lethargic ever since his election; their low turn-out was how Senator Saxy Chambliss in Georgia went from a 3% general victory to a 14% run-off victory. Republicans, then, may do well next year. In fact, I am not even sure Mr. Obama's coalition will re-emerge in 2012, when he goes up for re-election. The president, after all, ran on a campaign of hope, change, and idealism. The difficult compromises forced by governing have tainted this brand, and it will inevitably continue to be diluted over the next three years. Obama's 2008 coalition may go down as unique in American history, much like former President Jimmy Carter's coalition.

But in politics, it's not the proximate cause we're interested in but the ultimate one. Yes: independents went mostly for Republicans in New Jersey and Virginia (we could have inferred this without having to look at the exit poll). Yes, this "caused" the Democratic defeats. But what caused the independents to move against the Democrats? That's what we're really interested in, since that's what will have implications for future elections.
Too often in "mainstream" political analysis, once it is pointed out that independents have swung in one or another direction, the analysis stops. The pundit inserts his own opinion about what caused the independent vote to shift ("Obama's far-reaching proposals and mounting spending", says the Washington Post), without citing any evidence. It's a neat trick, and someone who isn't paying attention is liable to conclude that the pundit has actually said something interesting.
FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: Independent Voters and Empty Explanations

Thousands of opponents of the Democrats’ health care legislation are gathered outside the Capitol, for a noon news conference and rally led by Representative Michele Bachmann, Republican of Minnesota, and the chants are already under way, echoing across the Mall.

“Kill the bill!” they are shouting. “Kill the bill!”

A series of spot interviews suggests that the protesters have come to Washington from all across the country – Texas, Ohio, Oregon and the greater Washington area. It’s a generally older crowd, many in their 50s and 60s, predominantly, white, and many self-identified as Christians. They are fiercely conservative and deeply skeptical of the government, many of them adamantly opposed to abortion rights. On the Hill, Protesters Chant ‘Kill the Bill’ - Prescriptions Blog - NYTimes.com

Bernard B. Kerik, a former New York police commissioner, pleaded guilty to eight felonies in a Federal District Court in White Plains on Thursday morning. Mr. Kerik, who will be sentenced in February, faces 27 to 33 months in prison. ... Mr. Kerik, with a subdued expression, appeared in the packed courtroom and said, “Guilty, your honor,” as each of the charges were read by Judge Stephen C. Robinson. ... two counts of tax fraud, one count of making a false statement on a loan application — the most serious — and five separate counts of making false statements to the federal government. These last charges stemmed from statements Mr. Kerik made to the White House during the vetting process after the Bush administration nominated him to lead the Department of Homeland Security. He later withdrew his name. Kerik Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case - City Room Blog - NYTimes.com