Self-control is best response to sadistic trolls

"Don’t feed the trolls" is essential advice in the digital age.

Those nasty online commenters live to inflict cruelty, and new research suggests that they are not just mean, but mentally disturbed. These "everyday sadists," as social scientists described them, rate high for narcissism, psychopathology, Machiavellianism and sadism.

Reacting to their vile comments — feeding the trolls — only whets their insatiable appetites.

Health Connector easy target, but not this time

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, the Republican California congressman who has been the head of the House Committee on Oversight and Governmental Reform, has butted heads with one former Capitol Hill colleague.

The Hawaii Health Connector was one of the state insurance exchanges Issa and crew tagged for potential security risks. But state officials countered that, no, Hawaii passed the certifications required before launch, and got a time extension to get those certifications confirmed by an independent third party.

"A classic case of ‘ready, fire, aim,’" flung back Gov. Neil Abercrombie, who served in the U.S. House for two decades.

There have been valid ways to target Hawaii’s online exchange, built at enormous cost and delivering relatively few new subscribers into the market. Issa really just picked the wrong one.