August 04, 2005 | Quick Screenings

Just a couple of pointers to things worth your time:

• Daniel Solove and Dan Markel of the young-blood lawyer hangout, PrawfsBlawg, have a little smart back and forth about irrational fears, rational spending and a touch of the avian flu. Start with Solove's questioning of homeland security spending and then check out Dan Markel's response.

  Solove's one graf:

  Certainly, we should devote resources to fighting terrorism. But programs such as Secure Flight and data mining, which have yet to deliver any benefits, which are costing millions to study and develop, and which pose significant concerns for privacy and civil liberties, strike me as incredibly wasteful. The same is true with the NYC subway searches. It's a waste of money and resources that could be used in addressing the more serious (and often preventable) risks of death in our society . . . like the bird flu.

  Markel's one graf:

  [T]he threat we face is one that would rip apart the stability that is both a precondition for liberal democracy, and its blessing. Cancer, suicide, and heart disease, for all the heartache and sadness -- and death -- they cause, are not the same threat. In our zeal to be rationalists, we shouldn't forget that.

  (Hat tip to Shostack for getting here first)
• The New York Times's Stephanie Strom has a good piece exploring the implications of non-profits employing permanent background checks to make sure their volunteers haven't been convicted of sex or drug crimes. (Hat tip to AF)
• And the story that could have be written within hours after New York City announced random searches for subway travelers: The New York Civil Liberties group is going to sue.
• Reuters has the update on the privacy and civil liberties board that was recommended by the 9/11 commission and created by law 6 months ago.

  A civil-liberties board ordered by the U.S. Congress last year has never met to discuss its job of protecting rights in the fight against terrorism, and critics say it is a toothless, underfunded shell with inadequate support from President Bush.

  Lawmakers including some Republicans, civil-rights advocates, a member of the Sept. 11 Commission and a member of the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board have expressed concerns.

  Lanny Davis, the only prominent liberal among the five people Bush nominated after a six-month delay, said he had not received a call from anyone related to the board since it was formally announced in June. Davis said he could not comment on specifics because the members had not yet met.

Posted by Ryan Singel at August 4, 2005 12:10 PM

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