Privacy Archives

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FBI public-private partnership group can use deadly force under martial law?

Alternet isn't exactly known for being that credible, so take alternet.org/rights/76388/?page=1 with more than a grain of salt. There's an FBI public-private partnership program called InfraGard consisting of over 23,000 members from security companies, major corporations, and the like. They receive warnings of terrorist threats and in exchange are supposed to report suspicious activity, potential sabotageurs, and the like back to the FBI. You may recall a case that they were involved in:

On November 1, 2001, the FBI had information about a potential threat to the bridges of California. The alert went out to the InfraGard membership. Enron was notified, and so, too, was Barry Davis, who worked for Morgan Stanley. He notified his brother Gray, the governor of California.

"He said his brother talked to him before the FBI," recalls Steve Maviglio, who was Davis's press secretary at the time. "And the governor got a lot of grief for releasing the information. In his defense, he said, 'I was on the phone with my brother, who is an investment banker. And if he knows, why shouldn't the public know?'"

However, the article takes a turn for the he-said she-said:

...InfraGard members, sometimes hundreds at a time, have been used in "national emergency preparation drills," Schneck acknowledges.

...One business owner in the United States tells me that InfraGard members are being advised on how to prepare for a martial law situation -- and what their role might be. He showed me his InfraGard card...

..."[a meeting the owner attended] started off innocuously enough, with the speakers talking about corporate espionage," he says. "From there, it just progressed. All of a sudden we were knee deep in what was expected of us when martial law is declared. We were expected to share all our resources, but in return we'd be given specific benefits." These included, he says, the ability to travel in restricted areas and to get people out. But that's not all.

"Then they said when -- not if -- martial law is declared, it was our responsibility to protect our portion of the infrastructure, and if we had to use deadly force to protect it, we couldn't be prosecuted," he says.

Denials and partial confirmations ensue. The ACLU is supposedly concerned about the group, which is certainly a much better use of their resources than enabling illegal immigration. Note that InfraGard isn't covered under the Freedom of Information Act due to "trade secrets".

Posted at 12:16 PM

"Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act" (Jane Harman, Hillary Clinton)

The House recently passed Jane Harman's "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act" (HR 1955, link), and it's currently in the Senate. I scanned it after seeing some anti-HR1955 videos (example link), but I didn't see any bright red flags. Now comes the guest editorial "Here come the thought police" (link):

...Not since the "Patriot Act" of 2001 has any bill so threatened our constitutionally guaranteed rights.

...[Harman's] bill tramples constitutional rights by creating a commission with sweeping investigative power and a mandate to propose laws prohibiting whatever the commission labels "homegrown terrorism."

...Ms. Harman's proposal includes an absurd attack on the Internet, criticizing it for providing Americans with "access to broad and constant streams of terrorist-related propaganda," and legalizes an insidious infiltration of targeted organizations. The misnamed "Center of Excellence," which would function after the commission is disbanded in 18 months, gives the semblance of intellectual research to what is otherwise the suppression of dissent...

Although they only mention the current administration, perhaps we should play the inevitable, "would we trust Hillary Clinton with these powers?" game.

And, from this we learn that a related Harman panel ("Terrorism and the Internet") had testimony conflating 9/11 Truthers with terrorists.

It would seem that we're starting down the slippery slope towards criminalizing those who disagree with the official interpretation of events, and I suggest contacting your Senators and/or those in the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (hsgac.senate.gov).

Posted at 11:07 AM

Flashback: Hillary Clinton healthcare plan's national ID card + massive government database

Let's set the wayback machine to HillaryCare, circa 1994:

Under President Clinton's health-care plan, every person in America will be registered by the federal government and issued a red, white and blue "Health Security Card." This includes independent contractors, the self-employed, the homeless, and illegal immigrants who have regular jobs. Babies will be registered at birth.

As 'The Clinton Blueprint: The President's Health Security Plan' (Times Books, 1993) points out, once you are enrolled, you will be assigned a "unique individual identifier." "The unique identifier may be the Social Security number or a newly created number assigned to the health care system." All of your medical information will be collected and stored in a "unified health information system," where it can be accessed via your health-security ID number. And "an electronic network of regional centers containing enrollment, financial, and utilization data is created. The network receives standardized enrollment, encounter, and related data from plans for aggregations in analysis and feedback to plans, alliances, states and the Federal Government."

In other words, everyone in America will be assigned a national ID number, and your medical records will be stored in a government computer, where they can be seen by thousands of bureaucrats. This information could be used to deny you governmental loans or jobs. Or it could be used to force you to get mandatory treatment for alcohol or drug abuse. Or it could put you in a mental hospital or enable the state to take away your children...

I'm sure we can count on Ezra Klein and all the other promoters to disclose whether Hillary Clinton's new healthcare plan contains some of these same downsides.

Posted at 11:24 AM

Watch for the "Clergy Response Teams" (quell citizens after martial law)

The following is an actual news report from Shreveport's KSLA (text here and in extended entry) discussing how the DHS is working with local religious leaders as part of "Clergy Response Teams" who would tell the citizens to give up their guns and abide by any martial law restrictions.



Speculation on this here; note that back in 2006 Prison Planet posted this:

A Pastor has come forward to blow the whistle on a nationwide FEMA program which is training Pastors and other religious representatives to become secret police enforcers who teach their congregations to "obey the government" in preparation for a declaration of martial law, property and firearm seizures, and forced relocation.

In March of this year [2006] the Pastor, who we shall refer to as Pastor Revere, was invited to attend a meeting of his local FEMA chapter which circulated around preparedness for a potential bio-terrorist attack, any natural disaster or a nationally declared emergency.

The FEMA directors told the Pastors that attended that it was their job to help implement FEMA and Homeland Security directives in anticipation of any of these eventualities. The first directive was for Pastors to preach to their congregations Romans 13, the often taken out of context bible passage that was used by Hitler to hoodwink Christians into supporting him, in order to teach them to "obey the government" when martial law is declared.

Full text of the article:

Could martial law ever become a reality in America? Some fear any nuclear, biological or chemical attack on U.S. soil might trigger just that. KSLA News 12 has discovered that the clergy would help the government with potentially their biggest problem: Us.

Charleton Heston's now-famous speech before the National Rifle Association at a convention back in 2000 will forever be remembered as a stirring moment for all 2nd Amendment advocates. At the end of his remarks, Heston held up his antique rifle and told the crowd in his Moses-like voice, "over my cold, dead hands."

While Heston, then serving as the NRA President, made those remarks in response to calls for more gun control laws at the time, those words live on. Heston's declaration captured a truly American value: An over-arching desire to protect our freedoms.

But gun confiscation is exactly what happened during the state of emergency following Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, along with forced relocation. U.S. Troops also arrived, something far easier to do now, thanks to last year's elimination of the 1878 Posse Comitatus act, which had forbid regular U.S. Army troops from policing on American soil.

If martial law were enacted here at home, like depicted in the movie "The Siege", easing public fears and quelling dissent would be critical. And that's exactly what the 'Clergy Response Team' helped accomplish in the wake of Katrina.

Dr. Durell Tuberville serves as chaplain for the Shreveport Fire Department and the Caddo Sheriff's Office. Tuberville said of the clergy team's mission, "the primary thing that we say to anybody is, 'let's cooperate and get this thing over with and then we'll settle the differences once the crisis is over.'"

Such clergy response teams would walk a tight-rope during martial law between the demands of the government on the one side, versus the wishes of the public on the other. "In a lot of cases, these clergy would already be known in the neighborhoods in which they're helping to diffuse that situation," assured Sandy Davis. He serves as the director of the Caddo-Bossier Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

For the clergy team, one of the biggest tools that they will have in helping calm the public down or to obey the law is the bible itself, specifically Romans 13. Dr. Tuberville elaborated, "because the government's established by the Lord, you know. And, that's what we believe in the Christian faith. That's what's stated in the scripture."

Civil rights advocates believe the amount of public cooperation during such a time of unrest may ultimately depend on how long they expect a suspension of rights might last.

Posted at 12:31 PM

"National ID: Biometrics Pinned to Social Security Cards"

From this:

The Social Security card faces its first major upgrade in 70 years under two immigration-reform proposals slated for debate this week that would add biometric information to the card and finally complete its slow metamorphosis into a national ID.

The leading immigration proposal with traction in Congress would force employers to accept only a very limited range of approved documents as proof of work eligibility, including a driver's license that meets new federal Real ID standards, a high-tech temporary work visa or a U.S. passport with an RFID chip. A fourth option is the notional tamper-proof biometric Social Security card, which would replace the text-only design that's been issued to Americans almost without change for more than 70 years.

A second proposal under consideration would add high-tech features to the Social Security card allowing employers to scan it with specially equipped laptop computers. Under that proposal, called the "Bonner Plan," the revamped Social Security card would be the only legal form of identification for employment purposes...

Posted at 11:01 AM

ABC News Person of the Week: America's youngest nanny

ABC News' Person of the Week is 10-year-old Justin Kvadas of Connecticut who, despite his young years, has actually proposed (but AFAIK not yet written for them) legislation for that state's legislature:

"I came up with this idea one day when I was driving home from tae kwon do, and I was looking out the window and it just came to me — if you can't eat, drink or talk on a cell phone while driving, how come you can still smoke? It can be just as dangerous, or more dangerous."

And, sure, I say, why the heck not? Why not just go that extra step, and ban a whole bunch of things? Heck, why not mandate the installation of smoke sensors in each car, perhaps with an automatic ticket dispenser and perhaps even an ignition lock for repeat offenders? Why not just take it to the next level?

Needless to say, the ABC News report was as light as you could get, and didn't discuss any of the downsides of his plan. Nor did it compare him to the son of the 1984 character Parsons.

Posted at 08:23 PM | Comments (1)

Piggly Wiggly, Martin County Florida schools using fingerprint scanners

This article describes how Martin County, Florida will be using fingerprint scanners to let schoolkids pay for lunch, and also mentions in passing that such a scheme is currently used at Piggly Wiggly stores in Indiana. Another county (Indian River) is considering the scheme, but St. Lucie and Okeechobee haven't announced their plans.

To understand the danger of this scheme, let's think about the thoughts of a twelve-year-old quoted near the top of the article:

"It's cool... It should be better because you always have your fingers with you."

What will the world be like when she grows up? Ten years from now, how resistant will she be to even more invasive techniques, such as requiring implanted RFID chips? Won't she continue to think that's "cool" too?

There are basically three types of people who support these schemes: useful idiots, those who hope to profit from them, and those who seek greater control over people. If you have to give your fingerprint or iris scan to cash a check, you may have little choice but to give up that information. If that biometric data can be used to access your other personal data such as credit status or religious or political affiliation or similar, then those who run the machines control your life. And, they may be starting with children with the intent of raising a generation used to lack of privacy.

On the brighter side:

At the September meeting, [Indian River School Board] member Lenora Quimby said she was "very concerned about the whole 'Big Brother' issue."

On the possible conflict of interest side:

Despite concerns about privacy and what data is kept, biometric programs keep personal information confidential, said Joe Clark, an educational technology specialist with the Indian River County school district, who sits on an advisory board for Georgia-based biometrics company Horizon Software International.

And, on the "it would be funny if it weren't so sad" side:

For [Rae Hollenbeck, Martin County School District food services director], this is a program she's been dreaming of for many of her 27 years in school lunch, although she believes it can work well for other departments within the district.

Let's not let lunch ladies lead us into 1984.

Posted at 06:26 PM | Comments (1)

Frisco: license plates scanned for parking ticket scofflaws

San Franciso's scofflaw squad - the team that tracks down those who have five or more unpaid parking tickets - has a wonderful new tool. They can simply drive down the street, and a camera system provided by ACS Inc. automatically scans the license plates of parked cars looking for violators. The system can handle as many as 250 plates per hour, Rachel Gordon of the Frisco Chronicle reports.

Unfortunately, Gordon's article reads like a press release and she completely fails to note any of the possible downsides of this or similar systems, such as what wonderful new systems might be developed in the future. For instance, since some license plates are too dirty or too askew to be read, why not install RFID chips in them? Or, how about simply doing away with the need for the scofflaw squad entirely by giving the State direct access to an override switch in the car? Or, what about using the same technology in surveillance cameras to look for stolen cars and fugitives? The mind simply reels with all the possibilities no doubt to come.

Posted at 06:21 PM | Comments (1)

How implantable chips could become commonplace

The article "A generation is all they need" lays out the possible ways that the public could be sold on implantable ID chips/RFID tags that could be used to make purchases and for other purposes. It gets one thing wrong in the intro:

millions of consumer goods are now traced with tiny radio frequency identification chips that allow satellites to reveal their exact location

As far as I know, there are two types of RFID chips: ones that transmit signals and ones that only respond to transmitted signals. The latter are less expensive, the former are probably only used in higher end items, and I don't think either kind can be tracked from space.

Nevertheless, the scenario presented is probably close to how it will be attempted:

...the first widespread use of human implanting will occur in nations at the periphery of the Western world...

...An increasing array of hypothetical chipping scenarios will also be depicted in entertainment media, furthering the familiarization process.

In the West, chips will first be implanted in members of stigmatized groups... Even accused individuals will be tagged, a measure justified on the grounds that it would stop them from fleeing justice... ...welfare recipients will receive their benefits as electronic vouchers stored on their microchips...

...Civil libertarians will try to foster a debate on these developments. Their attempts to prohibit chipping will be handicapped by the inherent difficulty in animating public sympathy for criminals and welfare recipients...

...Mandated to determine the legality of such initiatives, privacy commissioners and Senate Committees will produce a forest of reports presented at an archipelago of international conferences. Hampered by lengthy research and publication timelines, their findings will be delivered long after the widespread adoption of chipping is effectively a fait accompli. The research conclusions on the effectiveness of such technologies will be mixed and open to interpretation.

Posted at 08:36 AM | Comments (1)

Young Britons want to be chipped?

Could anyone be in so much of a hurry to consume that they would want to have a chip installed subcutaneously in their body in order to make check out so much more convenient? Apparently, if we're to believe an industry-conducted survey, the youth of Britain have been so cowed that they would accept this:

Some customers are willing to have microchip implants as a means of paying in stores, a report out today says.

Teenagers are more open to the idea of having a high-tech shopping experience, the Tomorrow's Shopping World report suggests.

Around 8 per cent of 13 to 19-year-olds were open to the idea of microchip implants while 16 per cent wanted trolleys to be fitted with SatNav systems.

This compared to just 5 per cent and 12 per cent respectively for adults asked the same questions. Two thirds of teenagers and 62 per cent of adults questioned for grocery think tank IGD's report wanted self-scanning systems at shop check-outs.

Some 7 per cent of people in both age groups were willing to use biometric iris or retina recognition payment systems...

As discussed elsewhere in this category, several schools in the U.S. and England use similar schemes for mundane tasks such as paying for lunches. While promoters and useful idiots discuss how convenient it is, or how it's for safety, the bottom line is to obtain control and to make money. And, since those who are now adults would tend to resist such invasions of privacy, they're willing to get children used to the idea so that, as shown by this study, they'll go along with it as they get older.

Posted at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)

Canadian sheep ready to be chipped

The headline is a bit of a low blow, and the article is so short and devoid of facts that I really should look into what the poll actually says, but anyway:

Most Canadians do not understand what biometrics are, but think the government should use them to prevent prospective immigrants from using bogus identity documents to enter the country, according to a poll obtained by the Globe and Mail.

Fraudulent identity documents are a "very serious problem" and biometrics should be used to prevent people from abusing government programs, including the immigration and refugee systems, said more than half the respondents in the Ipsos Reid survey conducted for the agency Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

There are far easier and less intrusive ways to prevent such abuses, so one is forced to conclude that the same forces that encourage immigration in order to make money are encouraging the use of biometrics in order to have better control over the populace and in order to make more money.

Related: RFID implants for "guest" workers?

Posted at 12:18 PM | Comments (1)

EU to begin fingerprinting children (for their safety, of course)

From this:

The EU is planning to fingerprint children from as young as six, and earlier just as soon as it is technically feasible, according to documents obtained by Statewatch. The matter has already caused considerable debate (albeit behind closed doors and with no visible civil liberties concerns) among member states, but is being pushed ahead as part of a broader push towards biometric identifiers, without reference to the European Parliament...

Via this, which despite - or perhaps because of - being a Sun blog says:

[Former Sun CEO and wacky hundreds-of-millionsaire] Scott McNealy was renowned for expressing the view that he'd happily have his kids RFID tagged if it meant be could keep track of them. As a father's prerogative, there may be something in that - but when representatives of the 25 EU member states gather behind closed doors to plan the compulsory fingerprinting of children as young as 6, I tend towards deep unease.

Posted at 11:52 AM | Comments (3)

RFID implants for "guest" workers?

Recently, Mayor Mike Bloomberg proposed a massive biometric database for every worker in the U.S.

In a perhaps unrelated story, VeriChip Corporation has proposed RFID implants for "guest" workers:

"Makers of VeriChip have been planning for this day. They've lost millions of dollars trying to sell their invasive product to North America, and now they see an opportunity in the desperation of the people of Latin America," [Katherine Albrecht, author of "Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track your Every Move with RFID"] observes.

VeriChip's [Chairman Scott Silverman] bandied about the idea of chipping foreigners on national television Tuesday, emboldened by the Bush Administration call to know "who is in our country and why they are here." He told Fox & Friends that the VeriChip could be used to register guest workers, verify their identities as they cross the border, and "be used for enforcement purposes at the employer level." He added, "We have talked to many people in Washington about using it...."

Note that the former head of HHS, Tommy Thompson, sits on Verichip's board. He's apparently said he was going to "get chipped", but has so far refused to follow through.

And, it's not just purported Americans proposing this, but also Alfaro Uribe, the president of Colombia:

...according to Sen. Arlen Specter, (R-Pa.) who said in a speech before Congress (PDF) that "President Uribe said he would consider having Colombian workers have microchips implanted into their bodies before they are permitted to enter the United States to work on a seasonal basis."

And if you think that's going to work, consider what Specter thought of the idea. "I doubted whether the implantation of microchips would be effective since the immigrant worker might be able to remove them," he said.

It's not like he's opposed to them on principle, he just doesn't think they'd work. If something were developed that would be assured of working, have no doubt that a fine American such as Arlen Specter would support it.

Posted at 11:29 AM | Comments (5)

Will Chicago's surveillance cameras come to Los Angeles?

Guess what: they already have. As detailed a year ago, L.A. City Councilman Eric Garcetti - consistently an idiot - together with then-mayor Jim Hahn welcomed Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley to the rollout for new security cameras which were placed on Hollywood Boulevard.

Chicago now has a proposed ordinance to require bars to install security cameras. Who exactly would monitor those cameras is uncertain, but I have no doubt that the government would eventually assume that role.

If Daley's advocacy for cameras on the street lead to Los Angeles installing them, have no doubt that our own leading lights - lead no doubt by Garcetti - will soon come out with a similar proposal.

Also, as pointed out in the other entries in this category, there's usually someone around to say something creepy, and here's the current version:

"The safer we make the city, the better it is for everyone," says Chicago Alderman Ray Suarez, who first proposed mandatory cameras in some businesses. "If you're not doing anything wrong, what do you have to worry about?"

Posted at 09:25 PM | Comments (3)

"Homeland Security:Safe Deposit Boxes Are Fair Game"

Conspiracy Planet? OK, so we're dipping a bit low in the barrel, but:

Homeland Security has begun exercising its new power to 'identify' the contents of your safe deposit box.

This news should be seen in the context of the many rumors floating around on the internet.

The so-called temporary re-authorization of the PATRIOT I and II legislation included the power, which gives the Department of Homeland Security an unprecedented power to 'identify' assets held in citizens' private safe deposit boxes...

Perhaps even lower down:

According to in-house memos now circulating, the DHS has issued orders to banks across America which announce to them that "under the Patriot Act" (whatever that crap means) the DHS has the absolute right to seize, without any warrant whatsoever, any and all customer bank accounts, to make "periodic and unannounced" visits to any bank to open and inspect the contents of "selected safe deposit boxes." Further, these boxes, taken from a DHS list of people who are considered "hostile to the present government, citizens who have visited outside the United States before or after 9/11 to countries now considered to be hostile to this country" " :Russia, Peoples Republic of China, Mexico, Guatemala, Spain, Italy, Egypt, France, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Turkey or the Sudan" or any citizen who has a bank account in any of those listed countries are considered to be of legitimate interest in the "ongoing investigations into foreign and domestic terrorism."

However, from the April 1, 2005 AP report "Government wiretaps, searches up 75 percent":

...Operating with permission from a secretive U.S. court that meets regularly at Justice headquarters, the FBI has used such warrants to break into homes, offices, hotel rooms and automobiles, install hidden cameras, search luggage and eavesdrop on telephone conversations. Agents also have pried into safe deposit boxes, watched from afar with video cameras and binoculars and intercepted e-mails...

Posted at 07:42 AM | Comments (2)

Patriot Search! launched; one week's searches is a gold mine of info

Only terrorists have something to hide, so from now on I suggest using Patriot Search! instead of Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, or Google. (I added the exclamation mark to their name.)

Regarding the previous entry "Feds want Google search data; got search data from other engines", the motion is in this PDF. Of more interest, the original subpoena, together with a letter from Google's lawyer, is in this PDF.

I wonder how much interesting data mining the government could do with all the web searches even for just a week. How many times, for instance, does the string 'george w bush illegal immigration' come up? What about, for instance, 'mike johanns' (our wonderful secretary of agriculture.

What about, say, 'alberto gonzalez raza'. Wouldn't it be interesting to know how many times people search for that?

What about searches for relationships that the searched names would like to remain secret? For instance, let's say an administration figure had a business (or personal) relationship with some shadowy figure (or sexy intern) thirty years ago. Let's say those two names do not appear together on any web page. In that case, if someone is searching for it, that means that someone else knows...

Oh, the wonderful massaging of the data that could ensue.

Note that AOL, Yahoo!, and MSN are the mystery search engines that complied.

Yahoo! responds!

"We are vigorous defenders of our users' privacy... We did not provide any personal information in response to the Justice Department's subpoena. In our opinion this is not a privacy issue."

As for MSN:

"We did comply with their request for data in regards to helping protect children, in a way that ensured we also protected the privacy of our customers... We were able to share aggregated query data (not search results) that did not include any personally identifiable information, at their request."

Posted at 11:45 PM | Comments (1)

Feds want Google search data; got search data from other engines

From this:

The Bush administration on Wednesday asked a federal judge to order Google to turn over a broad range of material from its closely guarded databases.

The move is part of a government effort to revive an Internet child protection law struck down two years ago by the U.S. Supreme Court. The law was meant to punish online pornography sites that make their content accessible to minors. The government contends it needs the Google data to determine how often pornography shows up in online searches.

The feds want "one million random Web addresses" and "records of all Google searches from any one-week period."

Google intends to "vigorously" fight the effort, but, as Daniel Brandt informs us, they're a bit "connected". And, way down in paragraph 10 comes this:

The government indicated that other, unspecified search engines have agreed to release the information, but not Google.

Posted at 01:07 AM | Comments (1)

DailyKos makes alleged White House "Enemies List"

Uh oh:

Spurred by paranoia and aided by the USA Patriot Act, the Bush Administration has compiled dossiers on more than 10,000 Americans it considers political enemies and uses those files to wage war on those who disagree with its policies.

The "enemies list" dates back to Bush's days as governor of Texas and can be accessed by senior administration officials in an instant for use in campaigns to discredit those who speak out against administration policies or acts of the President...

...Those on the list include former Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife, former covert CIA operative Valarie Plame, along with filmmaker and administration critic Michael Moore, Senators like California's Barbara Boxer, media figures like liberal writer Joe Conason and left-wing bloggers like Markos Moulitsas Zuniga (the Daily Kos)...

Now, of course, it's very easy to cheer about the last one. In fact, that almost overrides the very negative implications of this matter, but I'll try to stay focused.

Of course, this report might not be true in whole or in part. It might be an anti-Bush smear. Or, it might have been intentionally leaked: either they have this information and this is a threat, or they want to make their enemies think they have this information.

But, why are we discussing whether this is true or not in the first place? Back on November 1, 2004 I posted "Should conservatives support Kerry?", and if Kerry were president now the conservatives who controlled Congress would come out strongly against this and make sure that it was stopped. Instead, let's see what happens.

VERY ODD UPDATE: They've appended "and Ana Marie Cox (Wonkette)" to the quote above, right after Kos. I'm absolutely positive that she was not there in the version that I linked to. And, note that she linked to this story. That would tend to support the argument that this is partly or completely fiction.

Posted at 01:54 PM | Comments (2)

"Liberals" cracking up over First Amendment?

Remember "Picture posting site busted for obscenity, but there's much more to it"? I hadn't heard of this issue before that happened, but this site says that "liberal" stalwarts RawStory, Americablog, and BuzzFlash lead the charge that lead to the bust and that they have curious ideas of the First Amendment. I haven't researched their postings on this nor do I intend to, but would anyone be surprised if that's true?

Posted at 11:08 AM | Comments (0)

"Pentagon wants new spying powers in US"

From this:

Claiming it needs greater latitude for the war on terror, the US Senate Intelligence Committee has approved a request from the Pentagon for the right to "covertly" gather intelligence on US citizens in order to determine whether they can recruit them as informants, without telling them that they are doing so on behalf of the US government. Reuters reported Friday that the Pentagon said the measure, which is aimed at the Muslim community in the US, could help them fight insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan...

The intelligence committee has backed the request as part of the 2006 intelligence spending authorization bill. The full Senate will take up the bill later this month. The Pentagon's request was not included in the House version of the bill, which was passed in June. The bill will now go to the Senate Armed Services Committee...

Posted at 02:50 AM | Comments (0)

Picture posting site busted for obscenity, but there's much more to it

The site nowthatsfuckedup.com is one of those "post pics of your wives and girlfriends" type of sites, run by one Christopher Wilson out of Lakeland FL. He's a 27-year-old former cop, and the servers for the site are located in Amsterdam. The site has at least one affiliate banner, active forums, and the membership is $10. But, that's waived if you send in a photo.

On Friday he was charged by Polk County officials with hundreds of counts of obscenity.

According to Sheriff Grady Judd:

"In my 33 years in law enforcement, this was the most horrific, vile, obscene material that I have ever seen... It is beyond the normal person's wildest imagination."

He also chimed in with this:

"It is the most horrific, vile, perverted sexual conduct... It is as vile, as perverted, as non-normal sexual conduct, which rises to the level of obscenity, as we've ever investigated"

Dayuumm! That's what I call an endorsement. Now, at this point in time you might think this is just a bunch of Christian Crusaders from central Florida. But, there's much, much more to this tale.

See, that site was also hosting gruesome pictures of war dead sent in by U.S. soldiers in Iraq. In fact, the site's owner had created a special deal for those soldiers: prove you're serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, or send in a gruesome photo (instead of a wife/girlfriend shot), and get a free subscription.

Needless to say, the resulting popularity of these horrific photos didn't sit too well with the Pentagon, leading them to start an investigation. Even the Council on American-Islamic Relations got involved, complaining about this to the military.

Despite that, the local officials claim that the obscenity charges (which, of course, is just for the sex pics) have absolutely nothing to do with the war dead pics, which are in their own section. Even if I went to the National Suckers Convention, I think he'd have trouble finding people who'd believe that one.

In fact:

Judd said his agency will share its findings with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division.

Judd said Wilson... was warned a few months ago about the content of another Web site he operated. No charges were filed at that time, he said.

The sheriff's office began an investigation after news reports about Wilson's Web site and its posting of apparent war zone photos surfaced...

Judd and Polk officials have waged a long campaign against pornography in the Central Florida county.

But, wait, there's more:

Judd said none of the 20 films and 80 photos that brought about the charges involves pictures of war dead. But Judd confirmed that his detectives did speak with officials with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division before arresting Wilson on Friday.

At this point in time, I think it's worth pointing out that I opposed the reelection of George Bush because I thought he'd be far worse than divided government under Kerry. I believe that at some point in time just about everyone else will admit that, yes, I was right.

It would be nice if the ACLU would spend their days handling cases like this, rather than defacing historic city seals and trying to keep the borders as open as possible.

Posted at 02:06 AM | Comments (0)

Don't send fake letters to newspapers: it's California law

Here's a little bit of wackiness from the California Penal Code:

538a. Every person who signs any letter addressed to a newspaper with the name of a person other than himself and sends such letter to the newspaper, or causes it to be sent to such newspaper, with intent to lead the newspaper to believe that such letter was written by the person whose name is signed thereto, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

Obviously, we don't want impersonations of other people, but at the same time this might impact people who are playing harmless pranks using completely made-up names. Of course, in that case the defense might be that if there's someone by that same name it was just a coincidence.

In any case, my foray into the morass was occasioned by the story "Consultant used others' names in letter-writing blitz to local newspaper":

Activist and political consultant Richard Salzman liked to sound off about his causes in letters to the editors of Eureka-area newspapers. Other local residents, like R. Trent Williams, Dick Wyatt, and R. Johnson, often backed him up, praising Salzman's points and echoing his jabs at political foes.

Salzman made a name for himself last year by helping Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos defeat a recall attempt backed by the timber industry. Salzman also worked on other successful campaigns in the area.

But his star quickly dimmed when a newspaper revealed that all of those like-minded letters penned over several months actually came from Salzman himself. Now, he's under investigation by local authorities and could face criminal charges for violating a state law that makes it a misdemeanor to send phony letters to newspapers...

On a slightly related note, see "In letters to the editor, too many copycats?"

Posted at 02:33 AM | Comments (2)

Former HHS head Tommy Thompson on board of Verichip Corp.

Last year, I took a long look at the flu vaccine shortage and the incompetence I found was quite shocking. Even after all the other incompetence displayed by the Bush administration in the past year, I still find it hard to believe.

Another story I've covered here concerns a company called VeriChip, which produces a grain-of-rice-sized implantable RFID chip. Their slogan is "Get Chipped[TM]", and they even have a ChipMobile that drives from town to town encouraging Citizens to undertake the quick, painless procedure.

As it turns out, back in July, the former head of Health and Human Services Department, Tommy G. Thompson, joined their board:

VeriChip is a subsidiary of Applied Digital and the only company to provide both implanted and external RFID security solutions for people, their assets, and their environments. From the world's first and only FDA-cleared, human-implantable RFID microchip to the only patented active RFID tag with skin-sensing capabilities, VeriChip leads the way in next-generation RFID technologies. Today, over 3,000 installations worldwide in healthcare, security, industrial, and government markets benefit from both the protection and efficiencies provided by VeriChip systems. For more information on VeriChip, please visit www.verichipcorp.com.

Posted at 08:09 AM | Comments (1)

Porn sicko Max Hardcore raided by FBI

Finally! The FBI raided the headquarters of porn producer Max Hardcore earlier today, and I fully welcome this move.

What's that? This has nothing to do with him making crap movies featuring heavily-spraypainted dumbed-down dumb bimbos who wear socks and streetwalker-grade high heel shoes doing things that aren't exactly in my own personal kink inventory? You say it looks like they're trying to get him on featuring underage starlets? Somehow I don't think that's likely considering all the onerous paperwork requirements those who make erotic cinema must endure.

While I don't know the charges, and whatever they are they may turn out to be true, MH isn't exactly a back-alley (so to speak) producer. So, I'm highly skeptical, especially since they involved five titles and one might not think that MH would make the same mistake five or more times.

This is just another example of how the Bush administration is wrong on so many levels.

UPDATE: There's a little more here.

Posted at 11:04 PM | Comments (0)

Mark of the Beast phobia revisited

The old post "Dispel your Mark of the Beast phobia, citizen!" discussed a company that wants to replace credit cards with fingerprint scanners. One old coot Old Testament reader balked, something about the Book of Revelations or something. A company marketeer noted, "Must continue to educate the public on how biometric technology works to dispel the 'Mark of the Beast' phobia."

Now, that phobia is back as another company is trying something similar. WaPo reports in "Cash, charge or fingerprint? Retailers experimenting with biometric payments."

And, from "Activists flood board meeting for news shows":

AMITE [Louisiana] -- Nearly 200 Christian activists attended the Tangipahoa Parish School Board meeting Tuesday night where they prayed and protested the fingerprint scanners at two schools that some liken to the biblical end of the world...

Apparently that report has since been edited, because google news shows it as having once contained the phrase "mark of the beast." Obviously the lizardian masters got to this small town TV station and forced them to change their report. There really is nothing to worry about, citizen.

Posted at 08:42 AM | Comments (0)

Naperville: Anti-self-fondling library measures taken

In order to make it easier to identify those who fondle themselves in front of public library computers, the Naperville (Illinois) library will now require computer users to sign in using a fingerprint scanner.

Apparently, the scanner will record 15 measurements from a finger, which will then be stored away. Each time the user wants to use the Internet there, they'll sign in using said finger. They say the daily log-ins will be deleted each day.

This was prompted in part after someone was caught fondling himself in front of teenagers will viewing porn. Yes, there was just one instance, but you never know when that could turn into a huge trend, with tri-state pervs driving to Naperville to use the 'Net.

Details in "Library card? Check. Fingerprint? Really?"

...U.S. Biometrics [the scanner vendor] President Dave Delgrosso said his company's technology is seeping into the mainstream, popping up in banks, hospitals and other institutions where exact identifications are important.

Posted at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)

Today in propaganda watch

What, one might ask, could be wrong with a clearly upstanding organization like Empower Peace? Look at the bright splashy graphics, the happy smiling schoolchildren and teachers, and read the scrolling news ticker. Watch the news ticker, read the news ticker, just stare at the news ticker, let your mind wander as you read the news ticker...

Snap out of it!

Don't you know Empower Peace is a Pentagon front? From this:

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking records under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA"), 5 U.S.C. ' 552, from the Department of Defense concerning Pentagon funded programs engaged in "strategic influence, perception management, strategic information warfare and/or strategic psychological operations" through media consultants, "think tanks," foreign expatriate political organizations and Internet sites...

Judicial Watch is seeking, among other matters; information on a "peace movement" Internet site that reportedly was funded and established by the Pentagon called "Empower Peace." The site was developed by The Rendon Group, a media consultancy firm the Pentagon has paid more than $40 million dollars to since 2001, and targets participation of American school age children, teachers and schools in what appears to be a "grassroots" peace movement. The Rendon Group's relationship with the Pentagon has been reported in the New York Times and public relations trade magazines. "Empower Peace" offers "cultural awareness," interactive web broadcasts between New York and Jordan, as well as Boston and Bahrain, and interaction with school age children of Islamic countries. There is no indication on the site that it is a project of the U.S. Defense Department.

(Via this)

In loony leftie paranoia news, the Captain alerts us that Garance Franke-Ruta is tying all the loose ends together: Blogged Down. In Part 2, I fully expect coverage of the ties between RedState.org, the Grays, and Majestic-12.

Posted at 12:31 PM | Comments (1)

"Fat police lock up Chris"

From this:

SOBBING 31-stone [~420 lbs.] Chris Leppard was dragged off to a mental hospital against his will by meddling social workers and police.

Chris, 23, has been forcibly detained for a month because he cannot stop eating [due to a physical, not mental disorder --LW]...

She said: “Four people turned up and after some questions, said they were taking him away. Chris was really upset, crying, saying he didn’t want to go and that he wasn’t mental.

“We didn’t know they were coming to take him. He is being punished for being ill. He has a physical problem. He was working well towards losing weight...

...the authorities shipped him off to a specialist eating disorder unit at the Eastbourne Clinic where he will be assessed for up to 28 days...

...East Sussex County Council said “all proper procedures have been followed” — and such orders were “in the interests of that person’s health or safety or to protect other people”.

At this point you're perhaps thinking of an amalgamation between Orwell and the Simpson's:

Burns: But, where are you taking me? What's happening?

Wiggum: Relax. You've gone off your nut, so we're stuffing you
into an old folks' home. Those, uh, store guys signed the
commitment papers.

UPDATE: He's was released yesterday, and he's going to sue.

Posted at 01:38 PM | Comments (1)

"States Mull Taxing Drivers By Mile"

Br'er Drudge is linking to the CBS News report "States Mull Taxing Drivers By Mile", which apparently was on or will be on CBS's national broadcast. The report is pretty vapid.

For a more detailed story, see this blog's "Pop the top and blue sky with me". That's from three months ago.

Posted at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)

"Sometimes when you are on the cutting edge, you get caught"

SUTTER, Calif. (AP) - The only grade school in this rural town is requiring students to wear radio frequency identification badges that can track their every move. Some parents are outraged, fearing it will take away their children's privacy.

The badges introduced at Brittan Elementary School on Jan. 18 rely on the same radio frequency and scanner technology that companies use to track livestock and product inventory. Similar devices have recently been used to monitor youngsters in some parts of Japan...

"Sometimes when you are on the cutting edge, you get caught," [principal and superintendent of the single-school district Earnie Graham] said, recounting the angry phone calls and notes he has received from parents...

"This is not Mayberry. This is Sutter, California. Bad things can happen here," said Tim Crabtree, an area parent.

Wired has a better article on this issue here. There appears to be an incestuous financial relationship involved. The SJ Merc editorializes on this in "Big Brother herds sheep".

(Via this)

Posted at 02:17 PM | Comments (0)

L.A. Daily News, Drudge follow Lonewacko's lead

Three days ago, this blogger posted "To protect, serve, and constantly monitor" about the City of L.A.'s new surveillance cameras in Hollywood and their new system that can scan 1000 license plates an hour. It was also posted here.

Now, three days later, comes Andrea Cavanaugh of the L.A. Daily News with her Drudge-linked article "Who's got an eye on you?"

... Police say surveillance cameras, whether installed by businesses, homeowners or local governments, act as a powerful law-enforcement tool and crime deterrent. Law-abiding people have nothing to worry about, said Lt. Paul Vernon of the Los Angeles Police Department.

"When people start talking about Big Brother, I say, 'I've got nothing to hide.' Those cameras aren't looking into my home, and if they were, it would be pretty boring..."

...In Los Angeles, surveillance devices increasingly are used by government to patrol public places. Several recently installed cameras along Hollywood Boulevard scan stretches popular with tourists and criminals alike.

And, buoyed by the success of a surveillance program at crime-plagued MacArthur Park west of downtown, the LAPD recently unveiled a camera system capable of scanning thousands of license plates per hour and employing controversial facial-recognition software to pinpoint known criminals...

Posted at 10:52 AM | Comments (0)

"Akron gives fingerprint meal system high grade"

From this:

A controversial cafeteria system that identifies Akron Public School students from their fingerprints has proved beneficial for the district, school leaders say.

More middle-school students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches now are taking advantage of them. That helps both the students and the district.

``What we've accomplished is taking that stigma away,'' Debra Foulk, coordinator of the Akron schools' Child Nutrition Services, said last week.

The high-tech system, dubbed iMeal, is being used in every Akron middle school [and three high schools...]

Further on, we learn they spent $700,000 on this system. Students can use a PIN instead, but only 4% have chosen that option. To add a capper, the more free lunches the school gives away, the greater their chance of receiving federal money.

And, we're told that the original prints are discarded, and only a "template" of "binary numbers" is kept. Even middle schoolers could see through that, but neither that reporter or the AP reporter of the next report did. If that "template" is detailed enough to distinguish between students, it's basically an electronic fingerprint. It might not be as detailed as a very high resolution scan of a fingerprint, but it's still an electronic fingerprint. Ergo, a print found at a crime scene at the school could be "templatized" just like the original prints of the students in order to find the perpetrator or at least narrow the search. And, a rough fingerprint could no doubt be recreated from the "template." Sell it to someone else.

The AP report on this is here. They go the extra inch and get this quote:

"Fingerprinting is for felons, not for 5-year-olds," said Christine Link, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio. "We're setting up for children that surrendering your fingerprints or other parts of your identity for school lunches is a good idea."

Suspiciously, many of these privacy related stories involve children: retinal scans or fingerprints to get lunches or ride the bus and so on and so forth. Could this be part of a broad plan to get our citizens of tomorrow used to reduced personal liberty?

Posted at 12:04 AM | Comments (0)

Leticia van de Putte gets MSM attention

Today NBC broadcast an interview with Texas Senator Leticia van de Putte about her recent cry for nannyism and attention. From another report:

A Texas lawmaker filed a bill Tuesday that would require school districts to measure the body mass index of students and include the information in regular report cards, 1200 WOAI news reported today.

"We should be just as concerned with students' physical health and performance as we are with their academic performance," said Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio...

You can add your own comment about this: nannystatism, a cry for attention, privacy concerns, bullying concerns, etc. etc.

However, the only reason this is here is because Leticia van de Putte seems to be somewhat of a real piece of work. Here's what she said when Texas' Democrats fled to the safety of Albuquerque's "plush" Marriott to avoid a redistricting vote:

"It is unconscionable that these white Republicans would attempt to hurt
our constituents, even while we are making our stand to defend Texas."

Posted at 07:35 PM | Comments (0)

Life is about to get a lot safer!

WND:

Once inserted into a human, [the RFID chip from VeriChip] can be tracked by GPS technology and the information relayed wirelessly to the Internet, where an individual's location, movements and vital signs can be stored in a database for future reference...

Previous VeriChip coverage is here. Get Chipped[TM]!

Posted at 05:37 PM | Comments (0)

Have you rented a Mr. Bean movie lately?

In what may be a publicity stunt, or may be something he actually believes in, Rowan "Mr. Bean" Atkinson:

...is to warn MPs that a Bill outlawing the incitement of racial hatred could undermine free speech and stop comedians making fun of religion.

Atkinson will head a coalition of comedians, writers and academics at the launch of a campaign against elements of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Bill tonight.

The Bill, due for its second reading this week, will create a new offence of incitement to religious hatred to protect faith groups - particularly Muslims - from hate attacks...

But a Home Office spokesman defended the Bill, insisting it would not interfere with the right to free speech.

She said: "There is a clear difference between criticism of a religion and the act of inciting hatred against members of a religious group.

"The incitement offences have a high criminal threshold and prosecutions require the consent of the Attorney General."

Based on recent actions in this area, I'd say they're wrong.

Posted at 04:22 PM | Comments (0)

But, wouldn't implants be better?

In the same spirit as the last post, I somewhat support the system described in "In Texas, 28,000 Students Test an Electronic Eye":

In front of her gated apartment complex, Courtney Payne, a 9-year-old fourth grader with dark hair pulled tightly into a ponytail, exits a yellow school bus. Moments later, her movement is observed by Alan Bragg, the local police chief, standing in a windowless control room more than a mile away.

Chief Bragg is not using video surveillance. Rather, he watches an icon on a computer screen. The icon marks the spot on a map where Courtney got off the bus, and, on a larger level, it represents the latest in the convergence of technology and student security.

Hoping to prevent the loss of a child through kidnapping or more innocent circumstances, a few schools have begun monitoring student arrivals and departures using technology similar to that used to track livestock and pallets of retail shipments.

Here in a growing middle- and working-class suburb just north of Houston, the effort is undergoing its most ambitious test. The Spring Independent School District is equipping 28,000 students with ID badges containing computer chips that are read when the students get on and off school buses. The information is fed automatically by wireless phone to the police and school administrators...

To me, this sounds like a great idea with a poor current implementation. After all, badges can be removed or lost. They could be placed on household pets or even accomplices. Children could trade badges or drop them down a sewer.

What's obviously need here for the utmost in security are implanted chips. And, not to be morbid, several implants should be made in various random and undetectable parts of the body.

For the utmost in safety and security, everyone - not just impressionable children - should go and Get Chipped [TM].

Posted at 11:01 PM | Comments (0)

Pop the top and blue sky with me

Have you ever "blue-skyed" about an uninvented technology, or thought of a way that a current technology could get even better?

Even if you aren't "technical", please read the following press release from Siemens and imagine the possibilities:

The Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services Group (I&S) has received an order from Puget Sound Regional Council, Seattle, in the U.S. state of Washington, to implement a satellite-supported road pricing system as a pilot project, during which around 500 vehicles are to be fitted with on-board units (OBUs). With the help of the Global Positioning System (GPS), the position of the vehicle is detected in real time. The OBUs use GSM technology to communicate with a management control center where the user accounts are kept. The aim of the pilot project is to assess the feasibility of a use-dependent electronic pricing system. Another objective is to investigate the levels of acceptance encountered by the new system among motorists and the American public. Introduction of this system, unique in North America, is scheduled for the middle of 2004.

Using this system, drivers could be charged by the mile depending on how they use the roadways. States currently have gas taxes, but new, more fuel-efficient cars mean less gas tax revenue. Plus, there's a difference between driving a gallon's worth on an uncongested freeway and driving the same distance on the same freeway during rush hour. And, heavy trucks pay the same gas tax as small passenger cars, yet they cause much more damage to the roadways. Why shouldn't they pay their fair share?

This new system could allow a true, fair, level playing field for drivers. Those drivers who spend a lot of time on a freeway downtown during rush hour will pay more; those who drive during off-peak hours will pay less. Drivers could start allocating how much time they spend on each type of street. You don't leave your tap running all day because you don't want to pay a high water bill. In fact, some utility companies charge a higher rate for peak usage. Why shouldn't driving be the same?

Bear in mind this isn't "rocket science". GPS and GSM (cellular) are both here now and they're very widely used technologies.

And, it's only going to get better! Insurance companies could use this system to lower rates for safe drivers. The GPS could be used to determine how fast a driver goes and even if they change lanes too often. Coupled with data from computerized traffic signals or central traffic control centers, the insurance company could determine whether someone frequently runs red lights or commits other traffic infractions. If you're a safe driver shouldn't you pay a low rate even if you happen to live in a certain zip code? After all, fair's fair, right?

In fact, the police could even use these systems to automatically fine those who speed or park in handicapped parking spaces. And, what if a heinous crime is committed in your neighborhood or against a loved one? The police would be able to subpoena the records of all those drivers who were in the area at the time. The innocent would be eliminated from their list of suspects, and the guilty would be quickly caught. These systems could lead to a very sharp decrease in crime and make our streets very much safer.

Or, imagine if there's a possible terror attack. The police or other authorities could focus in on those drivers in affected areas, and tell them to evacuate immediately and what routes to take. Traffic could be routed on various roads to make sure everyone was safe. The cars of suspected terrorists could be monitored without the need for costly and error-prone physical surveillance.

But, bear in mind, the data recorded by these devices would only be used by those authorized to receive the data. The computer systems can be programmed to only give out information to the various departments of transportation or law enforcement agencies. It's only a few "Nervous Nellies" and "Worried Wilberts" who care about things like "usage creep." To be frank, while some people are concerned about civil liberties, most people are not. Let's face it: if the government wanted to track you, they have other ways to do it.

This is simply a smart - and cost-saving - use of technology that's already available. I applaud its use and I strongly encourage everyone to do the same.

For further reading, see:

"[CA] DMV Chief Backs Tax by Mile"

"At 87, [WA] state's transportation guru still a driving force"

"Travel Value Pricing: Better Traffic Operations Management and
New Revenue for the Puget Sound Region"

"Speakers say value pricing could ease Twin Cities congestion"

You can also contact the CA DMV and tell them you fully support this proposal here or by calling their Executive Office at 916-657-6940. Or, call Arnold Schwarzenegger at 916-445-2841. While he hasn't yet seen the light and come out in favor of the wonderful new proposals of his new DMV appointee, it can't hurt to tell him what you think.

Posted at 10:23 PM | Comments (1)

"Now we have eyes everywhere"

Br'er Drudge alerts us to "Surveillance targeted to convention":

An unprecedented number of video cameras will be trained on Boston during the Democratic National Convention, with Boston police installing some 30 cameras near the FleetCenter, the Coast Guard using infrared devices and night-vision cameras in the harbor, and dozens of pieces of surveillance equipment mounted on downtown buildings to monitor crowds for terrorists, unruly demonstrators, and ordinary street crime...

An unspecified number of State Police cameras are also being installed, and more than 100 previously existing MBTA cameras will be used to monitor area subway and bus stations. Law enforcement officials will have as-needed access to as many as 900 cameras that have been operated for months or years by the Massachusetts Port Authority, the state Highway Department, and the Big Dig...

Live digital video from the State Police's new high-resolution, helicopter-mounted camera will be sent to the Multi-Agency Command Center, where law enforcement agencies will be coordinating their efforts. Boston, MBTA, and Coast Guard camera feeds will go to the command center. Several RV-sized mobile command vehicles also will tap into portions of the camera network.

On the water, the "hawkeye" technology is a vast improvement over the Coast Guard's old monitoring system, which relied heavily on what its vessels in the water were able to detect, said Andrew Shinn, a Coast Guard spokesman and petty officer. "Now we have eyes everywhere," Shinn said...

The picture is from a real ad campaign by the (London) Metropolitan Police. More on that here.

Posted at 08:47 PM | Comments (0)

"[Japanese] Schoolchildren to be RFID-chipped"

Relax! They aren't implants, they're just putting RFID chips on "kids' schoolbags, name tags or clothing in one Wakayama prefecture school":

RFID is more commonly found in supermarket and other retailers' supply chains, however, companies are now seeking more innovative ways to derive value from the tracking technology...

Indeed.

UPDATE: Drudge alerts us that CNET is basically reprinting this article in "Japan: Schoolkids to be tagged with RFID chips."

Posted at 12:20 PM | Comments (0)

Local yahoo sheriffs get fun new toy

The Army has donated armored personnel carriers to local sheriffs in Georgia. It weights 10 tons and can crush a house.

Please feel free to make up your own satire about this wonderful event.

Bonus points for the use of the words and phrases "Citizen," "Citzen ID," "retina scan," "security camera," "Posse Comitatus," "if you aren't a criminal you have nothing to fear," "we're from the government and we're here to help," "Waco," "Ruby Ridge," "black helicopters," "U.N. mandate," and "but, it's for our safety."

Posted at 04:02 PM | Comments (0)

Is there really a "campaign against fat people"?

I don't know, let's go to SeattleBBW.com and find out. "Whoa, hold up a minute there pardner," I hear you saying, "isn't that a porn site?"

Relax. It's not a porn site. Although the sight of those lovelies promoting the Summer Pajama Party at the Wild West VFW in Tacoma are shore enough raising my blood pressure!

No, what you want is the link right under "WELCOME MATT DRUDGE LISTENERS!" You know, the one that says 'More about the REAL story on ConsumerFreedom.org':

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago when it comes to any political
lobbying organization, before you accept what they say as gospel to
FOLLOW THE MONEY!

What is the REAL goal of the efforts of ConsumerFreedom.org? It is
actually what is called a "front group"...

It actually appears that he is a hired gun trying to make you believe
that the government wants to limit your freedom ... when in effect
he's trying to keep his clients free from having to justify turning a
blind eye to the country's obesity problem so they can keep selling
fatty burgers without scrutiny.

More about Berman's real agenda at
http://www.prwatch.org/improp/ddam.html

Posted at 03:14 PM | Comments (1)

Canada: The Bible as hatespeech?

Sexual orientation has been added as a protected category to Canada's hatecrime law:

Some members of Parliament have called it a "dangerous" law that muzzles free speech, including Liberal Party member John McKay, who dubbed it a "chill bill."

"Anybody who has views on homosexuality that differ from Svend Robinson's will be exposed rather dramatically to the joys of the Criminal Code," McKay said last fall.

Posted at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)

Is there a way to boycott Manalapan, Florida?

The city of Manalapan in Florida will soon begin automatically taking photos of every car that drives through town. They'll run a check on the plates, and store that information together with a photo of the driver. Cops cars will be dispatched after suspect cars...

There are only 321 residents of this wealthy community, so it's probably not possible to boycott them, and protesting would probably be a bit difficult. This might be a good thing: after a few months of constantly living in a surveillance zone they might decide to give up a little safety for a lot of liberty.

Posted at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)

"FCC Gets S-Word Complaint"

Holy S! Check out this major proof-reading error:

Looks like the S-word might be the next profanity in the sites of indecency foes.

Can you believe that? Spelling errors like that are in my 'sites.'

As for the rest of the article, it goes into how decency maven John/Jack Thompson has complained about 60 Minutes airing the "S-word:"

Attorney John Thompson, whose complaints about Howard Stern helped prompt Clear Channel to banish the jock and the FCC to fine the company almost half a million dollars, says he has faxed a complaint to the FCC about Sunday night's 60 Minutes broadcast, in which singer Mary J. Blige uttered an under-her-breath "shit."

60 Minutes? Holy s!

For more on Thompson's wacky quest, see this, this, this, this, and this. Maybe one way to get this guy out of our hair would be to make him Minister of Decency in Iraq.

Posted at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)

Get Chipped[TM]!

Hey kids! Look what we've got in store for you:

VeriChip, the world�s first subdermal personal verification technology, announces a special, introductory pre-registration program. Sign up today to be among the first in the world to �Get Chipped.�

Why, they've even got a ChipMobile that's coming to a town near you!

It's quick, it's easy, and it's subdermal:

VeriChip is a subdermal, radio frequency identification (RFID) device that can be used in a variety of security, financial, emergency identification and other applications. About the size of a grain of rice, each VeriChip product contains a unique verification number that is captured by briefly passing a proprietary scanner over the VeriChip. The standard location of the microchip is in the triceps area between the elbow and the shoulder of the right arm. The brief outpatient "chipping" procedure lasts just a few minutes and involves only local anesthetic followed by quick, painless insertion of the VeriChip. Once inserted just under the skin, the VeriChip is inconspicuous to the naked eye. A small amount of radio frequency energy passes from the scanner energizing the dormant VeriChip, which then emits a radio frequency signal transmitting the verification number...

VeriChip definitely needs to get chipped and with feeling.

Posted at 03:30 PM | Comments (1)

"Have your thumb ready to ride the bus"

Via Drudge comes this report:

The Pinellas school system is ready to approve a new technology that uses student fingerprints to keep track of who is riding school buses.

Beginning in the fall, the fingerprint system would identify students as they board and leave. The goal is to ensure they are getting on the right bus and getting off at the right stop.

School officials say the $2-million project will save money and dramatically improve safety for students, whose fingerprints will serve as authorization to board and disembark...

"This is Management 101 in transportation. Now we will have good, factual information that we can use in a very timely manner to make our services as good as humanly possible," said Terry Palmer, the district's transportation director...

"If my child was in elementary school, I would welcome this with open arms and say, "please, please, tell me my kid got on the bus and got off the bus,"' said School Board chairwoman Jane Gallucci...

Superintendent Howard Hinesely said the district also plans to apply for a federal Homeland Security grant that could reimburse some of the cost. [LW: Holy shit!]...

"I wouldn't be concerned about a privacy issue, because I know the School Board is very concerned about not letting anyone get hold of that information," [concerned parent Michelle Bianco of St. Petersburg] said...

But school officials say the safety benefits of the project far outweigh concerns about civil liberties.

"I think that's just another safety factor so we know the child was on the bus and got off the bus," said School Board member Lee Benjamin, who supports the project but said he wants to consider it further.

Who the hell are these beings saying these things, pod people? Have they been paid by our alien masters to lull us into thinking that constant surveillance is acceptable? Are they shills? Is this a complicated and expensive Swiftian satire? A performance of a hitherto undiscovered George Orwell play?

Or, are they "normal" Americans who just have no idea how bad they sound?

And, why the hell would our venerable Department of Homeland Security give a grant for this program? Is one of their mandates to get people used to Big Brother? Nothing like starting them young.

The company whose system is featured in the graphic is Geospatial Technologies.

They worked with the school bus operator Laidlaw to develop the system.

Laidlaw and Pinellas are mentioned here and here.

If someone can find, say, a link between Laidlaw and one of the school officials that would be just peachy.

Also, based on the many other articles about privacy encroachments from my Privacy category, the pod people who speak out in favor of systems like this just don't know how bad they sound:

• "From a security standpoint, this provides a great advantage to assure that there is a safe environment at all times." (multiple cameras on planes; tapes would be stored for a decade.)

• "It's just mind-boggling what the possibilities are," said Sam Bonasso, who runs the Department of Transportation's Research and Special Programs Administration. It is overseeing the Ohio drone research. (drones to fight traffic jams)

• "We are research and development people. We think about what's possible, not what the government will do with it. That's somebody else's job. And this isn't a weapons system." (analyzing peoples' gait)

• "We're fortunate to live in a small, safe town. But in this day and age, you can't take safety for granted," (from 'N.J. Schools Testing Eye Recognition')

• "We think we are the first (school) in the country to use this," [the schoolmaster said of iris scanning his students so they can get their lunches]. "But this is not a James Bond school for spies. ... This is not science fiction. This is technology that exists."

Posted at 12:41 AM | Comments (0)

Senator Boxer On Computer Privacy

Received via email:

TO: The Lonewacko Blog
FROM: Sen. Barbara Boxer
SUBJECT: Senator Boxer On Computer Privacy

Dear Friend:

I recently joined my colleagues, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) in introducing legislation to better protect the privacy of American computer users. Our bill would prohibit spyware, adware, and other invasive software from being secretly installed on Americans' computers.

Our SPYBLOCK (Software Principles Yielding Better Levels of Consumer Knowledge) Act would prohibit installing software on somebody else's computer without notice and consent, and requires reasonable "uninstall" procedures for all downloadable software. Spyware, adware and other hidden programs often secretly piggyback on downloaded Internet software without the user's knowledge, transmitting information about computer usage and generating pop-up advertisements. Frequently such software is designed to be virtually impossible to uninstall.

This legislation will give consumers control over the programs that are downloaded onto their computers. As more and more people use the Internet, privacy violations become a greater threat, and we want to give computer users the power to protect themselves from spyware and other hazardous software.

The bill also prohibits programs designed to trick users about who is responsible for content a user sees, such as causing a counterfeit replica of a company's Web site to appear whenever the consumer attempts to navigate toward a legitimate company's Web site. These types of programs have been used to fraudulently obtain personal financial information from users confused by dummy Web sites.

I'm sure most software developers want Barbara Boxer telling them how to do things. How do I make sure my uninstaller complies? Will installer software companies have to produce Boxer-approved versions?

What about ActiveX, which, unless the user (like me) turns notification on, is installed behind the user's back? Does javascript or other executable content that runs in the browser and stays in the cache count as "installed?" How do we tell a "legitimate" website from one that's not? What of the many programs that remove spyware? Hasn't Barbara ever heard of them?

This is one of those things that might sound good to some people, but is impracticable. The solution is not more bureacracy and laws, the solution is education. EBay and other companies already spend money advertising the fact that there are scams out there. The DOJ and various attorneys general investigate complaints and prosecute criminals, and they don't need this legislation to help them do their jobs. Let things continue as they are, and keep Barbara Boxer as far away from software development as possible.

Posted at 11:55 PM | Comments (0)

That's what the telescreens are for

The New Mexico House of Representatives wants to require ignition locks on all cars in the state in the state to prevent drunk driving.

In the unlikely event that this passes, I'm sure that thousands of people would attempt to find "work-arounds."

Those might include things like: having another occupant of the car blow into the device, carrying a canister of compressed air, overriding the unit's electronics, etc. etc.

I hope that New Mexico's worthy legislators have considered this possiblity as well. The way to prevent misuse of this system is clear: in addition to ignition locks, telescreens will be required in all New Mexico cars. That way, the driver's identity and their participation in the program can be quickly and safely determined, and violators can be punished.

UPDATE: The bill never made it out of committee. Don't worry, the nannies will be back stronger than ever.

Posted at 12:48 AM | Comments (0)

"Film records effects of eating only McDonald's for a month"

From this:

NEW YORK - Normally sane actors have been known to gain or lose huge amounts of weight for their art. Think of Renee Zellweger in Bridget Jones's Diary. Directors, of course, never have to undergo such torture. Or so it used to be, until Morgan Spurlock had a bright idea for a film project.

The first clue to his particular misery comes in the title of his documentary, which has become the darling of this year's Sundance Film Festival. It is called Super Size Me: A Film of Epic Portions and it is a sometimes comic but serious look at America's addiction to fast food.

Spurlock, a tall New Yorker of usually cast-iron constitution, made himself the guinea pig in this dogged investigation into the effects of fast food on the body. He ate only at McDonald's for a month - three meals, every day - and took a camera crew along to record it. If a server offered to super-size his order, he was obliged to accept - and to ingest everything, gherkins and all...

[Spurlock] saw a news item about two teenage girls in New York suing McDonald's for making them obese. The company responded by saying their food was nutritious and good for people. Is that so, he wondered? To find out, he committed himself to his 30 days of Big Mac bingeing...

It sounds like a real scientifically-based film, except for the cheap effect of pigging out at McDonald's three times a day.

How many of their chicken salads did he eat? Aren't some McDonald's items healthier than others?

Add in the fact that his girlfriend is a vegan chef, and the picture of an elitist prat who brings to food what Michael Moore brings to politics is complete.

Posted at 09:22 PM | Comments (0)

What goes on in Vegas... Stays in your FBI file

From the article "Casinos, Airlines Ordered to Give FBI Information":

LAS VEGAS -- Las Vegas hotel operators and airlines serving McCarran International Airport are being required by the FBI to turn over all guest and passenger names and personal information, at least during the holiday period, several sources said Tuesday.

FBI spokesman Todd Palmer confirmed the federal action and said the requirement that the companies surrender customer information is a "normal investigative procedure."

However, Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel for the Nevada Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the program "clearly is not part of a normal investigation.

"What we seem to be witnessing at this point is a move on the part of the government to keep tabs on what everyone is doing all the time, which has serious civil liberties implications," Lichtenstein said.

"It's one thing to have some specific security concerns and a targeted investigation with some basis in fact, but to ... try to follow everyone goes beyond what is called for."

Hotel operators who asked not to be identified said the information being provided to federal officials includes guest and passenger names, addresses and personal identification information, but not casino records or guest gambling information...

Posted at 11:32 PM | Comments (0)

"A Net of Control... How the Internet could become a tool of corporate and government power"

From this:

Issues 2004 - Picture, if you will, an information infrastructure that encourages censorship, surveillance and suppression of the creative impulse. Where anonymity is outlawed and every penny spent is accounted for. Where the powers that be can smother subversive (or economically competitive) ideas in the cradle, and no one can publish even a laundry list without the imprimatur of Big Brother. Some prognosticators are saying that such a construct is nearly inevitable. And this infrastructure is none other than the former paradise of rebels and free-speechers: the Internet...

...Freedom was allegedly built into the very bones of the Internet, designed to withstand nuclear blasts and dictatorial attempts at control. While this cyberslack has its downside—porn, credit-card fraud and insincere bids on eBay—it was considered a small price to pay for free speech and friction-free business models. The freedom genie was out, and no one could put it back into the bottle.

Certainly John Walker believed all that. The hackerish founder of the software firm Autodesk, now retired to Switzerland to work on personal projects of his choosing, enjoyed “unbounded optimism” that the Net would not only offset the powers of industry and government but actually restore some previously threatened personal liberties. But in —the past couple of years, he noticed a disturbing trend... In September Walker posted his fears in a 28,000-word Web document called the Digital Imprimatur...

How could the freedom genie be shoved back into the bottle? Basically, it’s part of a huge effort to transform the Net from an arena where anyone can anonymously participate to a sign-in affair where tamperproof “digital certificates” identify who you are... The best-known implementation of this scheme is the work in progress at Microsoft known as Next Generation Secure Computing Base (formerly called Palladium). It will be part of Longhorn, the next big Windows version, out in 2006. Intel and AMD are onboard to create special secure chips that would make all computers sold after that point secure...

The Internet’s pre-eminent dean of darkness is Lawrence Lessig, the Stanford University guru of cyberlaw. Beginning with his 1999 book “Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace,” Lessig has been predicting that corporate and regulatory pressures would usurp the open nature of the Net, and now says that he has little reason to retract his pessimism. Lessig understands that restrictive copyright and Homeland Security laws give a legal rationale to “total control,” and also knows that it will be sold to the people as a great way to stop thieves, pirates, malicious hackers, spammers and child pornographers...

Posted at 01:02 AM | Comments (0)

The State's revenge against media hoaxsters

From "Vegas officials charge Hunting Bambi promoter in'hoax'":

A promoter who city officials said created a hoax about selling paintball safaris to hunt naked women is being charged with operating without a license, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said Friday... "I'll do everything I can to see this man is punished for trying to embarrass Las Vegas as a result of a lie and a scam,"Goodman said.

The seller created a media hoax. As far as I know, he did not commit fraud (i.e., by taking someone's money and not delivering). If the seller had taken money for a video but had not delivered, that would be a case. That's not what he's charged with.

He's charged with a ticky-tack charge of not having the proper license. This is clearly an attempt to use the power of the State to punish someone solely "for trying to embarrass Las Vegas as a result of a lie and a scam."

Here's one possible way it got to this point: the prosecutor thought it was for real. They wanted to charge him with assault or something similar. They spent hours investigating it, only to find out it was a hoax. They were pissed, and decided to seek revenge.

Anyone who promotes their business using creative but legal means, as well as anyone who's participated in pranks (that's my arm circled in red) should consider this an assault on their rights.

Hopefully the seller will fight this and it will in the end prove to be a big embarrasment to the prosecutor.

(Via TalkLeft)

Posted at 07:38 PM | Comments (1)

Florida flights now triple-plus safe

According to "Videocams will monitor plane passengers":

Passengers who fly Southeast Airlines will be under the constant eye of digital video cameras providing a live feed and recordings of their faces and activities for security purposes.

Wired News said the Florida-based charter airline plans to store the video for up to 10 years and could use face-recognition software to match faces to names and personal records.

"One of the strong capabilities of the system is for the corporate office to be able to monitor what is going on at all times," said Scott Bacon, Southeast's vice president of planning, according to Wired. "From a security standpoint, this provides a great advantage to assure that there is a safe environment at all times."

Here's the press release:

"Conditions of the [Letter of Intent] call for the installation of the Sky Way Aircraft System on the entire fleet of Southeast Airlines aircraft. The Sky Way Aircraft System shall include high-speed wireless Internet, advanced In Flight Entertainment (IFE), Flight Management Avionics Data Links (FMADL), in-flight security and archiving of monitored information, air filtration system monitoring and, upon approval, cellular micro-cells to facilitate passengers personal cell phone use."

To make me feel triple-plus safe, I hope Southeast not only records the video, but the WiFi and cellular traffic as well. Now that's what I call triple-plus safe!

Of course, if you want to boycott Southeast, be my guest.

Posted at 10:37 PM | Comments (0)

Homeland Security: it's For The Children

According to this:

The U.S. federal government launched a new initiative Wednesday aimed at cracking down on child predators.

The program -- dubbed Operation: Predator -- is designed to protect children from pornographers, child prostitution rings, Internet predators and other criminals.

Homeland Security Chief Tom Ridge announced the program along with the host TV's "America's Most wanted" John Walsh in Washington, D.C.

They deserve each other.

Glenn tries to make this out to be mission creep; an attempt by the DHS to justify its existence. To a certain extent it is; I for one would love to join in a jolly game of DHS-bashing.

However, note that this program is going after illegal alien pedophiles et al., and that it's administered by the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of the DHS. As this page informs we people:

On March 1, 2003, functions of several border and security agencies including the U.S. Customs Service, Federal Protective Service (FPS), and former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) were transferred into the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security within the Department of Homeland Security. As part of this transition, these agency functions were reorganized into the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

So, in other words, to a certain extent this is within the DHS's purview.

Posted at 07:32 PM | Comments (0)

Eugenics means good genes!

Every child born in the UK could be genetically screened and the data stored to plan their future healthcare under government proposals for a massive expansion of genetic testing.

Links to my previous "Mark of the Beast" posts start here.

Posted at 11:32 PM | Comments (2)

"What's the Joint Terrorism Task Force Doing in the Tiny Town of Rachel?"

Drudge links to this story about the FBI etc. raiding the house of a desert-rat-Area-51 type of guy:

He's prowled the hills and deserts of Lincoln County for several years now, has photographed exotic aircraft in the skies, and keeps an eye on the top secret base known as Area 51. He's even written a book about the place. Over the past few months, he's discovered that the military has been installing secret sensor devices on public lands surrounding the base. Using a frequency counter device, he can tell when his vehicle trips a sensor. When that happens, he looks for the hard-to-spot wire atop the device, and then he digs them up, takes pictures, and puts them back.

Because of this - or perhaps not because of it, no one's talking - the FBI and Friends seized his computer etc.

Strangely enough, just a few weeks ago I was perusing the website ufomind.com, which includes a page about Chuck Clark, the guy whose house was searched.

Posted at 08:56 PM | Comments (1)

Passports are about to get a lot safer!

From this:

The passport office has begun digitizing the photographs of millions of Canadians whose mugshots may end up in a United Nations-sanctioned global facial recognition database. The move is to meet standards set by the UN's International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which requires a tiny computer chip with a person's picture and basic information be input into every passport from its 188 member states...

The UN body said the global database can be used to nab or monitor terrorists, fugitives and others sought by police...

"At some point every Canadian passport will have a chip inside," [Jacques] Perron [of the Canadian Passport Office] said. "There is nothing to prevent nations from collecting data and putting them on a database..."

...officials are using facial recognition to screen people applying for passports to curb fraud.

ICAO spokesman Denis Chagnon said facial recognition will increase air security and speed up the flow of passengers.

"If police are trying to find someone their face can be flagged on a database," Chagnon said. "Anyone who holds a passport will become part of a global database."

Ain't nuthin like a giant global database with everyone's picture in it. This will definitely sharply increase everyone's safety. And, the fact that the UN is involved just gives it that extra bit of legitimacy.

Links to my previous "Mark of the Beast" posts start here.

Posted at 03:24 PM | Comments (0)

A young girl's diary is a private thing

I blogged a couple days ago about the high school student whose blog entry had triggered a visit from two "FBI agents."

Eugene Volokh (whose web site has recently moved to volokh.com) has some comments, interspersed with comments from an anonymous reader.

I have absolutely no idea who this anonymous reader might be. However, were I to provide information supporting said reader's points, I might point out this passage from "The FBI has been reading my diary":

The two lawmen held a sheaf of paper. "They had my journal printed out," Carter says. "A good stack of it, and I could tell that there were a lot of things highlighted."

Now, assuming she's telling the truth, why would they highlight so much of it? I just scanned google's cache of her diary, and the hacking part isn't in there. But, besides her hacking comment, what else caught their eye? Her bad poetry? Her song lyrics? Her chat transcript? Her longing to finally "get some?" Why would they highlight something other than the hacking comment? Perhaps some of her leftie comments caught their eye.

Further defending the anonymous reader:

Who else did they interview? If everyone knew about the rumors, did they interview others about the rumors?

As for the bug, they should have investigated that at least a little first. I'm sure there have been several cases which were investigated as murders only to find out that the "dead" person wasn't really dead. Did they attempt to determine whether a crime had actually been committed, or at least there was a strong likelihood of it? Shouldn't they have, for instance, called in a computer expert to see what was going on? Maybe they did this, or maybe they just took the school administrators' word for it that the system had been hacked and jumped in with the questioning. Maybe this was just a dry run for when they were to become real FBI agents.

Posted at 02:52 PM | Comments (0)

"Blog Entry Triggers Encounter with Phony FBI Agents"

Insty links to this report of a blogger getting a visit from Chapel Hill cops posing as FBI agents, when in reality they were still in the process of being assigned to FBI duty.

It links to the article "The FBI has been reading my diary".

Posted at 03:45 PM | Comments (0)

More on the "safety" drones

As an update to the previous post, the January 1, 2003 article "Drones at Home: Big Market, Big Concerns" has more. Unfortunately, it's in their "TechNews" section, and almost all of the "Big Concerns" involve the safety of other aircraft, not the privacy issues. The only mention of privacy is this:

Already, some in Congress are beginning to consider the idea. "I have long supported the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) by the U.S. military, and I believe that the potential applications for this technology in the area of homeland defense are quite compelling," Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a prepared statement.

Warner called for a White House study on the use of drones by domestic federal agencies, acknowledging that there could also be privacy concerns -- drones are used by the military for surveillance in a way that might not be acceptable to American civilians at home. "We must . . . meet our national security needs without unduly sacrificing the privacy rights of our citizens," Warner said.

Posted at 12:17 PM | Comments (0)

"Drone research looks at traffic applications"

Via Drudge comes this neato article in the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Pilotless planes, which the U.S. military has used to snoop out Iraqi tanks and assassinate an al-Qaida terrorist, will be tested in Ohio to see whether they can battle a more down-to-earth hazard: traffic jams.

Ohio transportation officials and university researchers believe that unmanned aerial vehicles, sometimes called drones or UAVs, hold promise as a way to keep an eye on traffic, route trucks and fix stoplights so traffic flows better...

"It's just mind-boggling what the possibilities are," said Sam Bonasso, who runs the Department of Transportation's Research and Special Programs Administration. It is overseeing the Ohio drone research.

Indeed. Heh.

Huh? Why didn't the Enquirer's reporter bother to insert a few contrary opinions in what reads like little more than a neato press release? Like, do we really want a bunch of UAVs flying overhead watching traffic patterns, people and cars moving in and out of various stores and locations, recording license plates (for our safety), recording where we go and what we do (for our safety)?

On the border, the drones are a good idea. Not so in the interior of the U.S.

Unfortunately, what will probably happen is that the drone's use in the interior will be approved with barely a whisper of discontent, while their use on the borders will be blocked after having been assailed by the usual suspects.

Posted at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)

[cue peppy music] LifeLog! LifeLog!