On OKC anniversary, don't forget domestic terror

Let's not forget the thoughts of a couple who lived there. Let's not forget a president dealing with domestic terrorism in the face of nationally elected conservative zanies almost as bad as what Obama faces.

Let's not forget Tim McVeigh's connection to some of today's militia groups.

Could Lib Dems win UK?

After Britain's historic first-ever television debate between prime ministerial candidates, it's certainly possible, with the Liberal Democrats moving into a polling lead.

But, with thinness on the ground, and other factors, Nick Clegg's party could finish first in total votes amassed but second or even third in number of parliamentary seats won. For possible MP breakouts, here's a good interactive page.

That said, the "surge" by Clegg, after what is widely considered him having a solid win in the debate last Thursday (the first of two) has put both Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labour and David Cameron's Tories on the attack against Clegg.

Meanwhile, the debate and post-debate Lib Dem surge seem to reflect a few things:

1. Both "incumbent/mainstream" parties still have significant loathing over the expenses scandal.
2. The Lib Dem opposition to the Iraq War isn't useless with British withdrawal there; there's still Afghanistan, and broader foreign policy issues.
3. If Clegg can finesse Eurozone issues in the second debate, the Tories' bashing of him will boomerang, and the party's "old" and "new" wings will glare at each other.
4. If the Lib Dems can take half of those still "undecided," the party could have a clean win. If not, it's coalition time.

But, with whom?

I really can't see a Lib Dem-Tory mix. The Conservatives, in such a case, will be splitting more and more into "old" and "new" factions, and the "old" faction might not want to stay in coalition very long.

Lib Dem-Labour is more likely, but with more serious wrangling over portfolios, the amount of "reform" and more. Given that current election inequities most favor Labour, this could also be a sticky wicket.

That leaves two possibilities.

One is a minority government. However, in contradistinction to Canada, for example, I don't see that happening in Britain.

The other? A la Germany, a "grand coalition" of Labour and Tories, cutting the Lib Dems out.

Don't laugh. Cameron is almost alcoholically thirsty for something he can call a win, even if Brown gets to stay as PM. Brown wants a win in his own right. Simple enough.

Can a college discriminate against a religious group?

Even when the religious group itself has anti-gay policies? And, it's a public university which has anti-anti-gay policies? California's Hastings College of the Law is about to find out the Supreme Court verdict.

That said, given one previous case, won before SCOTUS by the lawyer now representing Christian Legal Society, says that Hastings is probably up a creek without a paddle.

That all said, Hastings has an easy answer: Refuse to give official recognition to any on-campus group. The flip side is that many groups don't have the financial backing of conservative religious organizations.

On a more serious note yet, contra what some atheists might think, and even without previous SCOTUS ruling, I don't think this is a cut-and-dried issue. If anything, I learn toward the side of the religious organization.

Meanwhile, Dahlia Lithwick notes that SCOTUS is a "fine" place to learn about the realities of free association. At the same time, it looks like both sides botched their oral arguments pretty badly.

Update: SCOTUS, on the "normal" 5-4 count in the Kennedy era, ruled for Hastings.

Junior philosophers at work

Can 8-year-olds learn and discuss the elements of philosophy? Contra Jean Piaget's age-level theories of learning, some philosophy professors working with charter school students say yes, they can.

And, it's not that they're looking at terminology and such as much as debating principles of things like ethics. Too bad the philosophy is primarily focused on that, though; we need to start 8-year-olds onto critical thinking about metaphysics, to really get some young skeptics going.

Why you shouldn't use Internet coupons

It's called zero privacy PLUS tracking your purchasing habits far more than Google does.

There's also some sneakiness:

The coupons, for companies as diverse as Ruby Tuesday and Lord & Taylor, are handled by a company called RevTrax, which displays them on the retailers’ sites or on coupon Web sites, not its own site.

It's even worse if you fan a company on Facebook, use their Web-based coupons, and a company like RevTrax is the coupon originator/handler:
“When the consumer redeems the offer in store, we can track it back, in this case, not to the Google search term but to the actual Facebook user ID that was signing up,” he said. Although Facebook does not signal that Amy Smith responded to a given ad, Filene’s could look up the user ID connected to the coupon and “do some more manual-type research — you could easily see your sex, your location and what you’re interested in,” Jonathan Treiber, RevTrax’s co-founder, said. (Rob O’Neil, director of online marketing at Tag New Media, which works with Filene’s Basement, said Filene’s did not do this at the moment.)
If you've been a cyberclipper, read for yourself and perhaps think again.

I had yet to use any Web coupons before reading this, and I sure as hell won't now.

Tom Friedman – even dumber than usual

So, Mr. Earth Head is Flat, how is a medical device made in Uruguay, at least in prototype (and why would it move here if successful) whose U.S. company has the white/tech collar expertise scattered around the world, not just in the U.S., supposed to be an exemplar for future American jobs?
If EndoStim works out, its tiny headquarters in St. Louis will grow much larger. St. Louis is where the best jobs — top management, marketing, design — and shareholders will be, said Bevil Hogg.
Color me skeptical. Given the input from foreigners on design, who says that much if it will be in St. Louie? "Shareholders"? All they do is make manipulate money, rather than actually building anything.

Marketing? Can also be done elsewhere, from any country with a reasonable supply of English speakers. Good effing doorknob, Friedman.