If the aftermath of 9/11 taught us anything, it is that centralized governments slouching toward totalitarianism never let a crisis go to waste. And, in a corollary, citizens are far more credulous and trusting when they have just experienced a trauma. So, in the wake of the Paris attacks, it doesn’t surprise me at all […]
Continue reading →In a recent speech regarding a $16 billion shot in the arm to the VA, Obama recently had these words to say about whistleblowers: If you blow the whistle, you should be thanked. You should be protected for doing the right thing. You shouldn’t be ignored and you certainly shouldn’t be punished. Great words. I […]
Continue reading →Michael Daniel, the White House Cyber Chief, spoke recently to some Navy Academy midshipmen about the horrible consequences of Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing revelations. In Daniel’s own words: Make no mistake: We are going to be dealing with the fallout from that for all of your careers, and the impact that has had on our national […]
Continue reading →Paris-based organization Reporters Without Borders produces a list of which countries in the world they think enjoy the most and least freedom of the press. Given the fact that the US has enshrined freedom of the press in the First Amendment, it would make sense if we were near the top every year. But we’ve […]
Continue reading →Pirates and privateers engage in the exact same kinds of actions. In fact, the only difference between a pirate and a privateer is which side you’re on and which side is defining the law. Wikipedia points out the nice difference between the two: “The actual work of a pirate and a privateer is generally the same (raiding and plundering […]
Continue reading →Oh, the NSA. What a pack of ghouls they have become. Among their myriad shady dealings, a recently revealed/purported practice should give all of us even further pause. In fact, you might just want to hit the stop button. The NSA is apparently intercepting shipments of computers and electronic devices and implanting surveillance hardware and […]
Continue reading →The NSA is utilizing its extensive surveillance network and mind-boggling technological resources to collect data on your porn habits. It should probably go without saying that I don’t think you should have any porn habits. But if you do have any, the NSA knows about them. Aside from the fact that the NSA collects anything […]
Continue reading →Apparently, the world’s most sophisticated information collecting and sorting organization doesn’t have the technological wherewithal to search within its employees emails. Well, at least, that’s what Freedom of Information Act officer Cindy Blacker said. She is one of many agents in the NSA responsible to make sure that non-classified information is readily available to American […]
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