Too many secrets. Looks like we need (vetted) wikis to analyze and publish reports about the companies that are holding us hostage for monthly ransoms. One side-effect would be a total lack of credibility for government critiques of things like wikileaks. Keep the consumer in the dark and milk him/her as long as possible.

While in a courthouse in New Jersey for a civil trial I noticed that there were many, many open Wi-Fi networks available. It was impossible to find a public area that didn't have excellent signal. So they've spent a fortune equipping the courthouses with wireless networks and are surprised when people use them without thinking.

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Irony? Hey this is the state that has Newark Liberty Airport.

I'm glad that you said, "We were attacked from Afghanistan" rather that the more usual "we were attacked by Afghanistan". We've managed in our usual provincial way to walk into a problematic situation and ratchet it up to impossible. We've managed to do almost everything we could to help recruit revolutionaries who vow to destroy us. Not satisfied to recruit enemies abroad we are marginalizing and alienating American Muslims to create a hidden domestic threat. Well, when that happens all those who have been speaking against American Muslims will have their evidence. Reminds me of our treatment of Americans of Japanese descent at the beginning of WWII.

I think we're ready to rename Newark Liberty airport which serves the NYC area.

The technology exists to prevent texting if the phone is traveling at more that 5 MPH. But what if it's being used by a passenger? On a bus?

How about having the police automatically log the time/location of any accident or infraction and having the info cross-checked against the driver's cell phone billing. Just remember not to allow your spouse to text with your phone while you're driving. My wife was nearly killed in an accident where another driver left his lane for no apparent reason. I'd love to know if he had a phone in his hand.

It used to be "what's good for General Motors is good for the USA". Now it's generalized to "what's good for business...". Those in power are aligned with those in business. There are few differences between the American Senate and the Roman Senate. Except clothing and language.

We saw how well that happened with AIG... When you're "too big to fail" you've got nothing to worry about. The poor putz who owes $50,000 goes bankrupt. The corporation that owes $50,000,000,000 gets bailed out. A mandatory negative bonus for execs sounds good, though.

The issues aren't strictly mechanical. Most roads have fixed limits. These limits don't change when traffic does or when weather conditions do. 70 /= 90 and using mechanical safety as your measurement is misleading. Even if I accept your assumptions, which I don't for a number of reasons, I don't accept the implied conclusions. Now go check the temperature ratings on your sidewalls.

These were the engineers who said "leave one car length for every ten MPH". First of all, we don't. Many roads have drivers leaving ten feet or less between cars at 60 - 65 MPH. Furthermore, distance isn't directly proportional to speed. Double your speed and you more than double your braking distance. Additionally, the number of cars on these roads far exceeds the number projected at 100 MPH. With all due respect to those highway engineers of the Eisenhower administration, they were designing roads for military transports, not high numbers of fast drivers. In the 50's they were still looking forward to flying cars.

Regarding German drivers... You will NOT get passed on the right on an autobahn. Drive slow on the left and you will be honked and flashed but other drivers will not break the law because of your rudeness/ineptitude. Compare that to the US where cars switching lanes and passing on the right can often be seen four or more times within a single mile. Many American drivers think they're terrific and are actually hazards. Allow them to bump their speed up by 30% isn't just foolish. It's reckless endangerment.