While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.The White House • In an official response to the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT-IP, written by three officials with key views on the law: Intellectual property czar Victoria Espinel, US Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra and Special Assistant to the President Howard Schmidt. Another key line: “We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet.” It sounds like Obama wouldn’t sign either law in its current form, though he’d be open to changes. The official response was written in reaction to an online petition in the White House’s “We the People” section. Read the whole thing over this-a-way.
This is a remarkably harmonious place.White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, rebutting the new book “The Obamas” • Writer Jodi Kantor’s latest book, “The Obamas,” is all about life inside the White House, with a focus on Michelle Obama’s experiences. There have been quite a number of critics coming out, claiming that she got a lot wrong. Thanks to BuzzFeed, we learned that (excepting some smaller errors on her part) many of those criticisms haven’t held weight. source (via • follow)
And the award for best handling of White House Chief of Staff William Daley’s resignation goes to … @HuffPostHill.
Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, the man apprehended as the suspected source of the gunfire directed at the White House last week, will face a charge of “attempted assassination.” This is a curious case for reasons of proximity — President Obama wasn’t in the White House, or even on the East Coast, when the shots were fired. That said, whether or not this qualifies as an assassination attempt in a legal sense (we’re not lawyers, so any clarification would be helpful) may have to do with whether Ortega-Hernandez actually knew that, or believed the President to be sitting in the White House when he opened fire. source
A law enforcement source says that shots were fired at 9:04 p.m. at Constitution Ave. and 16th St., near the ellipse. The Secret Service saw it and put out a description of two vehicles. One was abandoned and recovered at 23rd and Constitution. An AK-47 was recovered. Witnesses also reported seeing someone running across the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge. The source does not believe it was directed at the White House — he speculated that it was probably an issue between the two vehicles.(Via the Huffington Post)
Wrote a thing.
Hat tip to this headline writer.
Congrats Tumblr!
Don’t screw this up Yahoo.
In 2007, I was...
I started tumblr when I was at one of the lowest points of...
Also on our radar tonight: Shots were reportedly fired near the White House tonight. Details still coming out, but the gun recovered (after a car chase) was an AK-47. The president was not at the White House this evening — he was in North Carolina California for the Carrier Classic, an NCAA basketball game taking place on a freaking boat.
EDIT: Via our friend inothernews, here’s a Washington Post story on the incident. Also, we mixed up a detail on the basketball game. Apologies.
Simply put, [marijuana] is not a benign drug.Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy • In the official White House response to a number of petitions calling for weed legalization. This is part of the Obama administration’s “We The People” program: Anybody can submit a petition on a topic of their choosing, and if it gathers enough signatures, the White House will issue an official response. It’s cool that they’re actually following up on the promise to address the petitions, though we imagine proponents of medical marijuana won’t be pleased at the response. source (via • follow)
Just tested the “expensive homes along highways” theory in Google Maps. Think the results speak for themselves.
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