Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it. ~~Mark Twain
By John on Apr 12, 2008 in Legislature, Places, Politics, Travel | 1 Comment
We now have “take your gun to work” here in Florida…not just on a specific day, but everyday, and we’ve got airline pilots shooting through the cockpit with their TSA issued handguns due to another idiotic TSA procedure.
By John on Feb 1, 2008 in Crime, Society | 1 Comment
This is a round-up of minor and fun news items for the week ending Friday, February 1, 2008. We have a guy at the airport with 99 fake IDs, and speaking of the airport, CNN shows how a TSA inspector got a bomb past security there. We’ve got a story in a brain vaccum (I think the prototype might have been tested on George Bush), and the price of chocolate is going up.
By John on Dec 30, 2007 in Crime, Culture, Society, Travel | 0 Comments
The New York Times has a great Op-Ed about the foolishness of the TSA security screenings at airports. It points out, as most thinking people have to come realize that this is mostly feel-good theater that does no actual good at preventing another terrorist attack.
By John on Nov 5, 2007 in Corruption, General, Politics, Presidency | 0 Comments
Well, by now most of you have heard the story of the fake FEMA press conference. Apparently, a couple of weeks ago during the height of the California wildfires, Deputy Secretary, Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson, was asked questions by other FEMA employees posing as reporters. Real reporters were notified of the conference only 15 minutes before it started, and were only allowed to listen via a listen-only conference line.
By John on Oct 31, 2007 in Politics | 1 Comment
According to a report in the USAToday, the Terrorist Watchlist now contains 755,000 names. Approximately 200,000 names have been added each year since 2004. Obviously this raises a ton of concerns by those interested in civil liberties. The list is quickly headed to a million, and it’s shear size makes it impossible to use it effectively.
By John on Jul 13, 2007 in Politics, War | 1 Comment
We’re pumping billions into the new Homeland Insecurity Department, yet it appears we’re relying on DHS Secretary Micheal Chertoff’s gastric rumblings for our intellingence. Suddenly he’s appearing on the news circuit saying he has a gut feeling, we’re going to be attacked again.
By John on May 9, 2007 in Congress, Crime, Politics, Society, Travel | 2 Comments
The Department of Homeland Security will move forward with plans to implement the REAL ID Act despite widespread opposition from citizens and state legislatures. But DHS spokesman Russ Knocke said Tuesday that even the states which have already passed laws or resolutions against the act would eventually come around and implement the national identification standards, because the citizens who now oppose it would start demanding it.
By John on Apr 9, 2007 in Constitution, Politics, Society, Technology | 2 Comments
The master list the federal government keeps of known and suspected terrorists, from which other government agencies derive their own watch lists, already hundreds of thousands of names large, is growing out of control, filling with “fragmentary,” “inconsistent” and “sometimes just flat-out wrong” information, a top counterterrorism official said.
By John on Apr 2, 2007 in Places, Politics, The Courts | 0 Comments
In Boston, the state is trying to shut down a lawsuit brought by the family of Milena Del Valle, who was killed last July when 12 tons of Boston’s Big Dig tunnel fell on her husband’s car. The excuse they’ve given this time is that if they turn over relevant documents to the family, the nation’s transportation security could be compromised.
By John on Oct 17, 2006 in Congress, Constitution, Crime, Politics, Society, Technology | 0 Comments
I’ve seen several articles about this over the past day or so. I’m linking to a brief article on Wired News. Apparently U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is laying the ground work for the more agressive government monitoring of the web, if not outright control. Disaffected people living in the United States may develop radical ideologies and potentially violent skills over the internet and that could present the next major U.S. security threat, Chertoff said on Monday.
By John on Apr 13, 2006 in Congress, Crime, Politics, Society | 0 Comments
After reading of a Marine Reservist placed on TSA’s no-fly list because gun powder was found on his boots, I wrote the following to my congressional delegation. I would invite you to take action as well.
By John on Mar 3, 2006 in Constitution, Politics | 0 Comments
A couple in Rhode Island decided to pay off their J.C. Penney credit card, so they mailed in a $6,500 payment. They later learned their payment was being held until reviewed by Homeland Security because it was more than their usual monthly payment.
Loading ...
RSS
