Today’s Links: October 22, 2012

OPINION

NICK GILLESPIE: “George McGovern, Libertarian Hero”
“[W]hen you take a longer view of his career — especially after he got bounced from the Senate in 1980 during the Republican landslide he helped create — what emerges is a rare public figure whose policy positions shifted to an increasingly libertarian stance in response to a world that’s far more complicated than most politicians can ever allow.”

JOHN WHITESIDES: “In Ohio, ‘fracking’ boom a delicate issue for Obama”
“With the presidential campaign focused on jobs, the economy and the need to cut U.S. dependency on foreign oil, Obama’s administration has walked a fine line in trying to impose environmental rules on the growing fracking industry without stifling badly needed jobs or a vast supply of domestic energy. It is a particularly delicate issue in Ohio, a politically divided state that may play a key role in determining whether Obama or presumptive Republican challenger Mitt Romney wins the presidency in the November 6 election.”

CADIE THOMPSON: “Here’s Why Google Could Disappear in Five Years”
“Google may be on its way out as the dominant player in search, according to one analyst — and could even “disappear” in as little as five to eight years if the competitive pressures that ultimately claimed other search giants start to take root.”

NEWS

CYBERSECURITY – “Live-fire” cyberwar-in-a-box tests mettle of military, IT pros
“[S]ome of the participants were put through a separate, more hostile test—Cyber Endeavor, a full-on “live fire” cyberwarfare exercise focused on protecting information in a collaborative environment, ‘with both innocent bystanders and hostile attackers.'”

INTERNATIONAL – Japan Trade Hit By Europe Crisis, China Tensions
“Japan’s trade deficit widened in September as exports plunged 10.3 percent from a year earlier, weighed down by Europe’s debt crisis and a surge in antagonisms with China that have damaged close economic ties.”

SAFETY – Cheerleading Needs Sports Safety Rules, Docs Say
“Cheerleading isn’t just jumping and waving pompoms – it has become as athletic and potentially as dangerous as a sport and should be designated one to improve safety, the nation’s leading group of pediatricians says.”