Tag: Your Government Doesn’t Love You

If You Aren’t Doing Anything Wrong

You have nothing to hide. I found some chilling news that everybody already expected from Says Uncle. Apparently the TSA has been searching the electronic devices of travelers and going so far as to copy files and send them to third parties. From the link:

• In a span of just nine months, CBP officials searched over 1,500 electronic devices belonging to travelers. Under the current policy, they were not required to justify a single one of these searches.

• Travelers’ laptops are not the only devices at risk of being examined, detained, or seized by the government. In fact, cell phones were the most commonly searched and seized devices between October 2008 and June 2009.

• Other types of devices that were searched and detained during this time period include digital cameras, thumb drives, hard drives, and even DVDs.

• Between July 2008 and June 2009, CBP transferred electronic files found on travelers’ devices to third-party agencies almost 300 times. Over half the time, these unknown agencies asserted independent bases for retaining or seizing the transferred files. More than 80 percent of the transfers involved the CBP making copies of travelers’ files.

We need to have a chat for a second. When you have sensitive information it should be encrypted. A great tool to created encrypted partitions is TrueCrypt. It’s a great utility that even goes so far as to allow you to create hidden encrypted partitions in such a way you have plausible deniability should you be asked for the encryption key to a hidden partition (You can’t prove it’s there so they can’t hold you indefinitely if you say there isn’t one). On all of my computers my entire home directory is encrypted (Mac OS has a feature called FileVault that allows for easy home directory encryption). Furthermore important files are then put into a TrueCrypt partition.

Another option to consider when traveling with important and secure data is to not have it on any device you travel with. Put the information on a server and download it when you get to your destination. Some companies have started doing this practice. Nobody can get your data if it doesn’t exist.

Either way this is important and scary information. I know almost everybody assumed this was the case but it’s finally been confirmed. Encrypt everything, period.

ATF Beating Up on Legal Gun Shows

Scary but expected news via Snowflakes in Hell. There is an excellent write up over at theGun Rights Examiner. From the article:

Darwin Boedeker is the Texas Gun Shows (TGS) promoter. In a phone interview, he said that last Thursday, January 14, there was a meeting with Austin PD (APD), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the building lessee (HEB) and Andrew Perkel of Austin Market Place, who subleases the building from HEB and supports TGS.

At the meeting, Boedeker said the APD read off a “long list” of nuisance violations to the HEB representative. When Boedeker told everybody that these activities happened while another promoter hosted the gun show at that location–TGS began hosting shows November 2009–nobody else knew this.

Boedeker claimed that ATF and APD “intimidated” HEB into instituting a requirement that only dealers with a Federal Firearms License (FFL) can sell guns. Boedeker said APD invited the HEB representative “knowing he would crack.” That left two choices: cancel last weekend’s show on one day’s notice, or abide by FFL rule. Boedeker said that attendance was “horrible” last weekend, with 50 empty vendor tables and low attendance. He also said that 90% of those complaining about the new rule thought TGS was to blame.

Yes the ATF used it’s weight in an attempt to force a Texas gun show to ban private sales at the event. I guess this adds further credence to the ironic statement, “It’s OK I’m with the government; I’m here to help.”

What the Government Giveth

They taketh away. The government handed banks of this country a lot of tax payer month, wether the banks wanted the money or not. Well the banks are not looking at potentially being taxed by the government to recoup costs. Yes that’s right the banks are in financial trouble so we give them bailout money. If a bank wasn’t in financial trouble they had to take the money anyways. Now those banks are going to be taxed. That’s your government at work everybody.

Don’t Hack Google

Here is something to note, don’t hack Google. Apparently several malicious hackers from Google have been banging on their virtual door. Strangely enough these attacks have originated in China. This wasn’t a bunch of bots or script kiddies, these attacks were targeted at Google and the malicious bastards knew what they were doing. They even managed to run away with some of Google’s intellectual property. But here’s the icing on the cake:

Second, we have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Based on our investigation to date we believe their attack did not achieve that objective. Only two Gmail accounts appear to have been accessed, and that activity was limited to account information (such as the date the account was created) and subject line, rather than the content of emails themselves.

Well apparently this has made Google think about it’s China operation. First they are looking over the “viability” of their China operation. There is even the threat of pulling out of that country entirely (With how much money is at stake I’m betting this won’t happen). But effective already Google is no longer censoring search results on their Chinese page.

It’ll be interesting to watch how this turns how. I believe if you want to sell your toys in a country you need to follow that country’s rules. If you don’t like those rules you simply don’t go there. But seeing as how Google is playing by China’s rules and being punished for it I’d say screw it as well.

Target Yemen

Well Blow Hard the She Bitch *ahem* I mean Hillary Clinton is rattling some sabers over Yemen:

“It’s time for the international community to make it clear to Yemen that there are expectations and conditions on our continuing support for the government so that they can take actions which will have a better chance to provide that peace and stability to the people of Yemen and the region,” Mrs Clinton said.

And:

Speaking in Washington, Mrs Clinton said: “We see global implications from the war in Yemen and the ongoing efforts by al-Qaeda in Yemen to use it as a base for terrorist attacks far beyond the region.”

Translation: “al-Qaeda is in Yemen soon so shall we.” Now I’m not against taking out al-Qaeda, they attacked first. What I’m against is how the United States has been going after al-Qaeda. We seem to have a habit of arriving under the pretense of being after al-Qaeda and then raging war against the country itself or a neighbor.

Remember when the terrorists were in Iraq? Oh wait never mind we sent after them because they had weapons of mass destruction. Oops I mean we went in to free an downtrodden people. Or was it to take down a ruthless dictator? I forget. And of course we have to be in Afghanistan because of the terrorist threat there. Of course Pakistan is close.

And these wars always seem to start with saber rattling such as Blow Hard the She Bitch is currently doing. I’m betting we’re going to be flooding Yemen with troops, hopefully I’m wrong. I just don’t want to see more of our finest being killed needlessly attacking a country and government instead of those actually responsible for damaging our country.

I’m Predicting a U.S. Invasion of Yemen

Put this down as a bet I’m almost willing to put money on. The crotch bomber apparently originated in Yemen. And there has been a lot of talk about Yemen and U.S. involvement there in recent history. Well now the U.S. has shut down their Yemen embassy amid threats of bombings.

I’m betting we’ll be sending a fairly large number of troops or private contractors to that country soon. Of course it will be to fight the terrorists. Well it could be because of Yemen’s weapons of mass destruction.

Because We’ve Done So Well In the Past

So I open up the BBC to get my daily fill or news everybody else cares about (in other words not gun related) and see this story:

President Barack Obama has pledged his administration “will not rest” until all those behind an alleged plot to bomb a US plane are brought to justice.

I’m sorry but I have little hope that we’ll actually nab the people who planned this. We’ve spent over eight years trying to capture Osama and so far haven’t (granted he could be dead at this point). We’re still trying to destroy al Qaeda but even though they are a far inferior military power they’re still around. Iraq is still a mess. Seriously does our government do anything right?

Don’t get me wrong if there were other people involved in the crotch bomber plot we should nail them. I just lack confidence in our government to do the job. I’m guessing this will end up being an invasion of Yemen (where the bomb was apparently from) meaning more of our finest men and women will be sent off to die in yet another pointless war.

Congress Members Trying to Bar Posting of Sensitive Government Documents

Remember the lead of the TSA Standard Operating Procedures document a bit back? Well it appears as though three jackass congressmen want to make it illegal for websites to post such materials. From the article:

In their letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano (.pdf) on Wednesday, Reps. Peter T. King (R – New York), Charles Dent (R – Pennsylvania) and Gus Bilirakis (R – Florida) asked, “How has the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration addressed the repeated reposting of this security manual to other websites, and what legal action, if any, can be taken to compel its removal?”

They also asked if DHS is “considering issuing new regulations pursuant to its authority in Section 114 of Title 49, United States Code, and are criminal penalties necessary or desirable to ensure such information is not reposted in the future?”

That’s right Peter T. King, Charles Dent and, Gus Bilirakis want to bar websites from posting leaked government documents because our transparent government by the people and for the people doesn’t want citizens to see such documents.

Because I’m in a rather prickish mood I thought I’d do my duty and post the document on this site. So here it is everybody a copy of the TSA Standard Operating Procedures [PDF] document. Enjoy.

Alan Grayson is an Asshole

That’s my official stance since Random Nuclear Strikes has reported Florida Representative jackass Alan Grayson has threatened to give fives years of prison time to somebody who dares criticize him.

Well when I see somebody doling out threats to people using the first amendment I like to help by exercising my freedom of speech. Mr. Grayson I provide you with this:

Go fuck yourself with it. Also you’re an asshole.

Because We Don’t Have Enough Prisons

So it looks like the denizens of Gitmo are being transferred to the United States. Where do you hold inmates of such a camp? In one of the thousands of prisons in this country of course. Of course Obama is not one to be frugal with money and seeing another opportunity to waste tax payer money he’s order the following:

US President Barack Obama has ordered the federal government to buy a prison in Illinois to take a number of inmates from Guantanamo Bay.

Yeah not rent, lease, or requisition but buy it. Oh Obama will you ever learn the concept of frugalness? I think not in his presidency.