Outside the Beltway

My favorite sports team employs a thug.

While a brilliant and accomplished man, he’s absolutely clueless about politics and world affairs.

The American people don’t believe that liberty should be sacrificed in the name of security, but their leaders largely don’t care.

Lee Siegel takes to the NYT to explain “Why I Defaulted on My Student Loans.”

This is perhaps the silliest idea ever.

Does an individual’s changed gender identity alter history?

Apple CEO Tim Cook has officially revealed an open secret.

When I saw the entry at memeorandum proclaiming that “Wikipedia Is Now Trying To Eliminate The Federalist’s Online Entry,” I was flummoxed.

Alabamians like to exclaim, “Thank God for Mississippi.” Perhaps it’s time for that slogan to cross the Pond.

The Copyright Office says that works not “created” by humans are not entitled to copyright protection.

The United States is, in fact, doing the exact opposite.

Wikipedia is refusing to recognize a photographer’s copyright claim because a monkey took the picture.

A new Gallup poll finds widespread support for individual choice when it comes to end of life decisions.

The so-called “right to be forgotten” created by Europe’s highest court is unworkable, and ultimately absurd.

Staff Sergeant William Guarnere, made famous by the “Band of Brothers” miniseries, has died aged 90.

President Obama is rewarding unqualified hacks who raised huge sums for his campaign with ambassadorships.

Can you still buy batteries there, though?

Some 2000 veterans of World War II were lobotomized by the VA. That’s awful but not outrageous.

Rand Paul used word-for-word excerpts from Wikipedia in two speeches in Virginia.

One of the nation’s papers of record is changing owners for the first time in 80 years.

There is either a military government or an Islamist one in Egypt’s future.

A generation of kids with massive student loans and no prospects is bad news for the status quo.

Critics are assailing Disney for turning “Brave” protagonist Merida into just another princess.

We’re actually not speculating about who might be running any more than we used to.

The filibuster is now so commonplace that it’s baked into the expectations.

Many of our cabinet secretaries are independently wealthy.

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul won a completely meaningless straw poll.

Today is the anniversary of a significant turning point in the Civil War.

The real story of Bain Capital is impressive. Mitt Romney chose instead to present an origin story that’s utter horseshit.

Charges that the Obama administration leaked classified information about the Osama bin Laden raid for political gain are bunk.

Nicholas Kristoff figures that, if we can’t ban guns, we can at least make them safer.

Farhad Manjoo is trying the demo version of Microsoft Word 2013—which he likes—but notices something out of place.

Rush Limbaugh made perhaps one of the dumber comments I’ve seen from the right about the entire Bain Capital story, and managed to display an apparent inability to use Google to look things up.

Looking back on the GOP nomination fight, it’s rather obvious that the media overplayed the idea that there was ever a real race going on.

Gas prices are falling nationwide but that’s mostly because the economy kind of stinks.

The heady days of revolution in Egypt have been replaced with the cold light of political reality.

In March, Janet Wolfenbarger became the first female four-star general in Air Force history. Now, she’s assumed command of all Air Force weapons programs.

Alan Dershowitz thinls the charges against George Zimmerman should be dropped. With due apologies to the good Professor, he’s wrong.