Remember a few years back, when then Attorney General John Ashcroft introduced the TIPS program? You know, the nationwide law enforcement initiative technically known as the Terrorist Information and Prevention System, whose stated purpose was to recruit “American workers who, in the daily course of their work, are in a unique position to see potentially unusual or suspicious activity in public places.” Remember the willies some of us may have gotten at the prospects of…

This week, the big story for political minded DCers is Inauguration. Now that the big event is days away, the complaints of those who think the massive party is in poor taste with regard to the recent tsunami tragedy and the gripes of local commentators that Washington’s getting stuck with a massively unfair chunk of the bill have started to fade from the newspapers, soon to replaced by those who ask more immediate questions: Can…

– With the Election Day a week away and fears of voting machines failing, channel your “Pre-Election Anxiety Disorder” by visiting some election-inspired exhibits at the National Museum of American History. “Vote! The Machinery of Democracy” examines the evolution of voting techniques and includes the ill-fated butterfly ballot from the 2000 Florida presidential election. Stop by their permanent exhibit “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden” to pay homage to our fearless leaders of the executive…