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It makes sense to have cameras in places where terrorism and crime are of particular concern - such as in Times Square or near major bridges and tunnels. It would be more troubling to learn, however, that the government has focused cameras on the front doors of our homes just to keep track of our comings and goings.
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Amazon is holding its own because the service it provides - offering millions of books and other items quickly and easily from home at any hour of the day or night - is a real one, and one that was impossible before there was an Internet.
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Voting in presidential and congressional elections is a national right - and the national government should protect it.
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Voter ID laws have a disproportionate impact on groups that lean democratic - including blacks, hispanics and students.
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Congress needs to toughen the laws protecting elections and make clear that anyone interfering with democracy will pay a stiff price.
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The remarkable thing about 'Avatar' is the degree to which the technology is integral to the story. It is important to show Pandora and its Na'Vi natives in 3-D because 'Avatar' is fundamentally about the moral necessity of seeing other beings fully.
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As self-driving cars become more common, there will be a flood of new legal questions.
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As long as there have been elections, there have been attempts to keep eligible people from voting.
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A key reason that elections are run so badly is that in most states, political partisans are in charge.
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Liberal judges tend to be expansive about things like equal protection, while conservatives read more into ones like 'the right to bear arms.'
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Escapism makes a lot of intuitive sense - whisk people away from their cares with stories of a better life.
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The United States may be a religious nation. But it is also a nation with a strong commitment to separation of church and state.
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Age discrimination is illegal. But when compared with discrimination against racial minorities and women, it is a second-class civil rights issue.
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If the Supreme Court rules that rent control is an unconstitutional taking of property, it would put all sorts of zoning rules in danger.
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Mass layoffs produce big winners and losers. Most workers who remain are financially unscathed, even though their employer is struggling.
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Civil lawsuits do two important things: they compensate people who are injured by the bad acts of others, and they penalize people and companies for bad behavior.
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When the gun lobby fights gun-control legislation, its logic is clear: it does not like laws that prevent people from owning or using guns.
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When tulip mania dies down, all that remains are pretty flowers. When bubbles burst, nothing is left but soapy residue. But the Internet revolution, for all its speculative excesses, really is changing the world.
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It is not hard to see why the FBI wants wiretapping backdoors. It would certainly make its job easier. But rejiggering the Internet so government can conveniently monitor everything we say and do online is too high a price to pay for making law enforcement more efficient.
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There is a lot of talk in conservative circles about judicial modesty and deferring to the political branches. That view of judging often overlooks the important role that courts have in protecting people's rights. But if there was ever a time to defer, it is when Congress is protecting voting rights in the exact way the Constitution directs it to.
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Defending Congressional authority should not be a partisan issue.
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It is one thing to say that there is a constitutional right to keep a gun at home for protection. It is quite another to say there is a constitutional right to bring a hidden gun into a daycare center.
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A federal Voters' Bill of Rights could press the states to put non-partisan managers in charge of elections.
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After you pay your E-ZPass bill, there is no reason for the government to keep records of your travel.