Links and Minifeatures 03 27 Monday

Carnivals:



Carnival of Personal Finance Recommended: Debt Hater, Ask Uncle Bill



Carnival of Investing Recommended: Sound Money Tips (Timeshares are an awful investment)



RINO Sightings Recommended: Decision '08, Inside Larry's Head

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Utterly Cool! Researchers Develop Ultra-Thin Plastic



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Sometimes things go right: FEC Won't Regulate Internet Politics (Or at least gives blogs the same exemption as newpapers, etcetera).



Money quote: "There will be no second class citizens among members of the media"



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Mudville Gazette covers Scalia debunking the claim that enemy combatants have the right to a trial. He had a son over there, by the Maureen Dowd test that gives him absolute moral authority.



Captain's Quarters originally thought, with some reason, that the quote was grounds for Scalia recusing himself, but updated with a more balanced "maybe not".



My take on grounds for recusal is that it needs to be higher than that. Taking sides on an issue, publicly or privately, is not cause for recusal. Should Ginsberg recuse herself from abortion cases? She has certainly spoken on abortion, both before and since joining the Supreme Court. Should Rehnquist have recused himself from Casey vs. Planned Parenthood, seeing as he wrote the dissent in Roe vs. Wade, a clearly similar case? The justices are permitted the same first amendment rights as everyone else. They do not give that up when they take the oath of office.



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I've said several times that China's attempt to censor the internet is wasted effort. Once they've got the access, it's not much effort to learn how to find whatever you want with just a little patience.



However, via Dean's World, here's an article at babalu about a Cuban who is on a hunger strike for internet access. He is almost certainly going to die, because the only way the Castro regime can stay in power is to keep the Cubans ignorant of what goes on in the rest of the world. Let them so much as get regular email to their relatives in Miami, and Fidel is done for.



If he is willing to pay that kind of price, the very least I can do is to publicize it.



We truly live in an age of under-appreciated heroes.



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I've got Carnival of Liberty tomorrow, and therefore, there will be no new financial post, but check back in the morning for the Carnival. I'll try to have something new ready for Wednesday.