Let's be clear about something: counterfeit goods are, indeed, a problem, do, in fact, have ties to organized crime, and are, as a rule, fairly crappy and worthless, so you shouldn't buy them.

Um, all that praise we heaped on the Obama administration for their effective use of the web and social media -- we take it all back.It started Friday morning when Obama, during a live address from the White House Diplomatic Reception Room about the debt ceiling deadlock, urged the public to call, e-mail and “tweet” their Congressional representatives to urge a compromise plan.