Today’s Links: February 3, 2012

OPINION

ADAM SNEED: “The Wrong Way to Monitor Internet Cafes for Terrorists
“If you’ve ever cared about privacy while using the Internet in public, you might be a terrorist. At least that’s the message from the FBI and Justice Department’s Communities Against Terrorism initiative. The project created flyers to help employees at several types of businesses—including military surplus stores, financial institutions, and even tattoo shops—recognize “warning signs” of terrorism or extremism. An admirable goal, perhaps, but the execution is flawed—particularly for the flyers intended to help suss out terrorists using Internet cafes.”

KYLE SMITH: “What If Barack Obama and Paul Krugman Ran a Business?
“So let’s consider how American businesses might be run if Obama and his allies were CEOs. We’ll begin from scratch. What kind of business shall we launch? Clearly it should be domestic manufacturing, because our goal is to create lots of jobs for the middle and working classes. Our company can’t be something hollow like Apple or Nike, which create a few white-collar jobs for engineers, designers and marketers but make their products overseas. Moreover, as we are people of conscience, we will place profit considerations behind doing good for the community.”

THOMAS SARGENT: “An American History Lesson for Europe
“In 1789, the political price for our federal constitution included a bailout of the 13 indebted states. But it was by refusing to bail out the states a second time in the 1840s that the United States preserved its federal system, with substantial fiscal independence for state governments. Facing a similar moment, Europe might learn from our experience.”

NEWS

ANTITRUST – France Convicts Google Maps for Unfair Competition
“A French commercial court has found Google guilty of abusing the dominant position of its Google Maps application and ordered it to pay a fine and damages to a French mapping company.”

FIRST AMENDMENT – U.S. Press Freedom Fell 27 Places Last Year to 47th in the World
“Reporters Without Borders’ just-out World Press Freedom Index, which uses a complex point system to track and compare journalistic freedoms, describes a number of countries eroding those rights in the past year, including the U.S. Our own ranking dropped to 47th place from 20th the year before. According to the report, the decline came as police cracked down on journalists who were covering mass gatherings, often as part of the “occupy” movements. ”

SUPER BOWL – Indiana Sunday Liquor Law Could Crimp Super Bowl Parties
“State law bars liquor and convenience stores from selling carryout booze after 3 a.m. Sunday until 7 a.m. Monday, leaving Super Bowl revelers – perhaps out-of-towners not versed in all things Indiana – in the lurch if they go looking for an 11th-hour six-pack or bottle of wine on game day.”