From the Department of For Pete's Sake, Really?

FBI Director defends NSA surveillance on phone records, saying it could have helped derail 9/11 plotters
— Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) June 13, 2013

Uh huh. Too bad there wasn't anything else available to warn the U.S. against the terrorist attack on 9/11. Something like a security briefing entitled Bin Laden Determined to Strike in the US.

UN Weapons Treaty and Political Astrology

U.S. Fails to Join Allies in Signing UN Weapons Treaty

Here's my WTH? for the morning:

Even if the treaty wouldn’t affect U.S. domestic sales or impinge on the constitutional right to bear arms, it would be a political minefield at home. The accord wouldn’t muster enough votes for approval by the U.S. Senate, and the influential National Rifle Association, which says it has more than 4.5 million members, has lobbied against it.

At what point would the NRA having anything to say about the illegal weapons trade? We're not talking handguns or riffles, we're talking about missiles and tanks and bombs. What on earth could the NRA possibly have to say about it? Keeping long-range missiles out of the hands of dictators is one step on the slippery slope of a gun ban in the United States? Someone please explain this one to me, I apparently haven't had enough coffee yet this morning. 

At least there's one bright spot:

For now, the U.S. is happy to lend its symbolic seal of approval while reiterating that in practice much of the regulation outlined in the treaty has already been put in practice by the U.S. in its overseas sales of small arms, missile launchers, tanks, warships and attack helicopters.

We're already practicing what we're afraid to preach and we plan on signing in the future, just not right now. Apparently the political stars aren't aligned closely enough and critical thinking is in retrograde. Or something like that.

Reading List June 2, 2013

We Are Not Having A Serious Discussion, Obamacare Edition
No, we are not. We are running ourselves ragged talking about (and defending against) inane things like death panels and the evils of socialized medicine. Where is the discussion about how our healthcare system broke in the first place?

Chicago Sun-Times Lays Off Entire Photo Staff, Will Give Reporters iPhoneography Training
I'm not sure what to think of this. On the one hand, hopefully that'll make it easier to report events as they're happening but it doesn't say a whole lot about our ability to analyze those events.

Reading the News Is Fun and Patriotic, But It Sure Can Make You Anxious
I thought this was funny considering the amount of news I watch or listen to in a day.

Facebook Sexism, YouTube Attacks On Feminist Frequency, And How Hate Speech Make Tech Take Sides
Part of a larger debate on freedom of speech, at what point do we define hate speech and regulate against it. And in the context of community self-policing, is it even possible to have people agree what speech is considered harmful?