Crisis Begets Opportunity

Welcome to the Malware-Industrial Complex

"Freshly discovered weakness in a popular piece of software, known in the trade as a 'zero-day' vulnerability because the software makers have had no time to develop a fix, can command prices in the hundreds of thousands of dollars from defense contractors, security agencies and governments. This trade in zero-day exploits is poorly documented, but it is perhaps the most visible part of a new industry that in the years to come is likely to swallow growing portions of the U.S. national defense budget, reshape international relations, and perhaps make the Web less safe for everyone." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWelcome to the Malware-Industrial Complex

Cyber security battle looms after Obama issues executive order

"President Barack Obama’s order aimed at ramping up protection from cyberattacks will address only a small portion of threats and sets up a fresh battle in Congress over legislation. Obama acted this week after two failed attempts in Congress to pass measures to protect critical infrastructure from computer attacks. Because most of the networks in question are in private hands, officials say they must rely on voluntary reporting by industry of any cyber threats or attacks. Legislation would be needed to shield businesses from liability when they do report potential malware threats." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCyber security battle looms after Obama issues executive order

The Strange Moral Compass of Christopher Dorner

"Amid all the endless yabbering about 'gun culture' in the wake of Sandy Hook, little attention is paid to the idea that military and police institutions often create, or at least enable, psychopaths who really know how to use guns. Why should we trust our government with guns when they churn out people like this nutjob? The most poetic ending possible would be for a well-armed civilian to take Dorner out cold." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Strange Moral Compass of Christopher Dorner

Christopher Dorner Becomes First Human Target For Drones On US Soil

"It was revealed that Dorner has become the first human target for remotely-controlled airborne drones on US soil. A senior police source said: 'The thermal imaging cameras the drones use may be our only hope of finding him. On the ground, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.' Asked directly if drones have already been deployed, Riverside Police Chief Sergio Diaz, who is jointly leading the task force, said: 'We are using all the tools at our disposal.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChristopher Dorner Becomes First Human Target For Drones On US Soil

Paul Craig Roberts: It Has Happened Here

"Some Americans claim that we have had police states during other wartimes and that once the war on terror is won, the police state will be dismantled. Others claim that government will be judicious in its use of the power and that if you are doing nothing wrong you have nothing to fear. These are reassurances from the deluded. The Bush/Obama police state is far more comprehensive than Lincoln’s, Wilson’s, or Roosevelt’s, and the war on terror is open-ended and is already three times longer than World War II. The Police State is acquiring 'squatter’s rights.' Moreover, the government needs the police state in order to protect itself from accountability." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: It Has Happened Here

Fugitive Chris Dorner against the LAPD: ‘He knows what he’s doing. We trained him’

"Dorner, 33, who was fired from the LAPD in 2008, is accused of killing three people and wounding two others in self-declared 'unconventional and asymmetrical warfare' against his former comrades, a week-long rampage which terrorised police from San Diego to LA and by Friday had shifted to the icy wilderness of Big Bear. An 11,000 word rambling manifesto he posted on Facebook tried to explain his actions – and listed a 40-person hit list. Schools, stores and hotels were in lockdown and officers in helmets and body armour trekked warily through the snow lest the fugitive, a former navy reservist and trained marksman, a cop killer and a killer cop, had left traps." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFugitive Chris Dorner against the LAPD: ‘He knows what he’s doing. We trained him’

Greek Finance Minister Gets Bullet In The Mail

"Greece's finance minister was sent a bullet and a death threat from a group protesting home foreclosures, police officials said on Monday, in the latest incident to raise fears of growing political violence. The package was sent by a little-known group called 'Cretan Revolution', which warned the minister against any efforts to seize homes and evict homeowners, police sources said. The group sent similar letters to tax offices in Crete last week." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGreek Finance Minister Gets Bullet In The Mail

Judge Napolitano Versus Jesse Jackson On Bringing Homeland Security To Chicago

"Jesse Jackson is calling for Homeland Security employees to be deployed in Rahmaland to help stop the daily murders in that city. Judge Napolitano smacks down Mayor Rahm's buddy in this video. The entire Homeland Security apparatus is very disconcerting. It is for all practical purposes a federal police force looking for a cause that will trigger it to be deployed into the country. Jackson's call for HS in Rhamaland is an early attempt to pull it off. It likely won't go very far, but Homeland's time will come." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJudge Napolitano Versus Jesse Jackson On Bringing Homeland Security To Chicago

Fed Officials Recognized Upcoming 2007 Crisis But Weren’t Worried

"Federal Reserve officials in August 2007 saw the beginnings of the crisis in subprime mortgages and concluded that the U.S. economy would be able to withstand it, even as some Fed members warned that it could trigger a downturn, transcripts from their 2007 meetings show. The transcripts show the committee's slow grasp of the enormity of contagion that was to spread throughout global markets as a result of billions of dollars in low-quality housing assets that had been securitized into bonds and sold to banks and investors worldwide. The FOMC focused on the economy's performance and showed reluctance to alter policy until August." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFed Officials Recognized Upcoming 2007 Crisis But Weren’t Worried

Two Chess Moves Away from Capital Controls

"Is it really so far-fetched to think politicians wouldn't somehow restrict the movement of gold if their currencies and/or economies were failing? Transferring dollars internationally would certainly be tightly restricted as well. Moving almost any asset across borders could be declared illegal. Even your movement outside your country could come under increased scrutiny and restriction. The hint that all this is about to take place would be when politicians publicly declare they would do no such a thing. You could quite literally have 24 hours to make a move. Even the most nimble of us would have a very hard time making arrangements." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTwo Chess Moves Away from Capital Controls