Political ideas do not exist in isolation. When conservatives argue for strictly literal interpretations of the Constitution, they are responding to concerns that expansive interpretations allow judges to ignore the will of the legislature, and therefore the people. When progressives argue for restrictions on free trade, they are responding to constituents' well-founded fears that their personal jobs will vanish. In the face of such fears, it does no good to argue that free trade is good for the economy, even if it's true. If I can't pay my mortgage or send my kids to college, I don't much care how well other people are doing.

Free trade proponents would be wise to remember that while average citizens don't read much economic theory, there are a lot of them, and they vote. As Paul Krugman puts it, "free trade is politically viable only if it's backed by effective job creation measures and a strong domestic social safety net."

Andrew Sullivan is a conservative columnist. He was, until recently, a strong supporter of the Bush administration. He and I don't agree on much.

But he's also openly gay. His response to the proposed Constitutional amendment against gay marriage is predictable, but still eloquent:

He wants us stigmatized not just by a law, not just by his inability even to call us by name, not by his minions on the religious right. He wants us stigmatized in the very founding document of America. There can be no more profound attack on a minority in the United States - or on the promise of freedom that America represents.

Silicon Strategies has a good overview of the impending train wreck facing MOSFETs. High-k dielectrics, metal gates, and 193 nm immersion lithography are all scheduled to hit production by the 65 nm node. Some company roadmaps add fully depleted SOI and/or strained silicon at that node as well.

That's a lot of changes. Don't bet on all of them happening at once.

(Free registration required.)

I'm accumulating a number of links on immersion lithography over in ThinFilmWiki. Comments and contributions welcome.

Tech support lines are manned by trained experts who specialize in solving problems with the company's equipment. Or not.

(Salon article. Subscription or ad watching required.)

Democrats in Congress have been complaining about misrepresentation of science by this adminstration for a while. When 20 Nobel laureates complain, though, it's no longer a merely political problem. The Union of Concerned Scientists has prepared a detailed report on scientific integrity in policy making. From the Executive Summary:

1. There is a well-established pattern of suppression and distortion of scientific findings by high-ranking Bush administration political appointees across numerous federal agencies. These actions have consequences for human health, public safety, and community well-being.


2. There is strong documentation of a wideranging effort to manipulate the government's scientific advisory system to prevent the appearance of advice that might run counter to the administration's political agenda.


3. There is evidence that the administration often imposes restrictions on what government scientists can say or write about "sensitive" topics.


4. There is significant evidence that the scope and scale of the manipulation, suppression, and misrepresentation of science by the Bush administration is unprecedented.

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Mars Rover missions. The opening page seems low-bandwidth friendly, but there are lots of links to photos, animations, and so forth.