Eric Umansky

Finally

I make the New York Times' Style section.

P.S. I'm pretty sure I never said, "I wanted to marry a Jewish woman from a family like mine." C'est la vie.

Our (flawed) anti-terrorism laws

I have a feature story in the new issue of Mother Jones exploring the U.S.'s "material support" laws", which have become the U.S.'s most frequently used anti-terrorism laws.  They have also served as the basis for many of the government's most questionable terrorism cases, for instance that weird purported plot by the "Seas of David" to blow up the Sears Tower. 

Basically,  these laws (there are two) are far more expansive than  most people realize. And I argue that one of the reasons these questionable cases keep getting prosecuted is that the material support provisions give prosecutors a shot at conviction even when the evidence adds up to quite little.  In any case, if you're interested here's the piece.

P.S. I've been on a couple of radio programs plugging the article. You'll eventually be able to hear the first show here (about one hour and 20 minutes in).  I was also on Air America last night but can't seem to find  that online, which, ahem, is just as well.

Why I Vote Republican

From a recent Dallas Morning News chat with  chief White House flack Dan Barltett:

Which blogs are most important for you to watch?

The ones I think have the most influence on the Washington press [are] Mickey Kaus, Slate's summary of the papers, [which] every morning sets the tone, and Andrew Sullivan. For conservatives, Powerline, Instapundit, National Review Online's blog and others have a lot of influence. ABC's political unit has The Note, which has a lot of influence. Wonkette.com causes enough stirs that she forces me to check it every day.