Homeland Stupidity

U.S. eyes high-tech security boost at Canadian border

"A U.S. senator said a low-cost, high-tech sensor system could be installed along the U.S.-Canada border to increase security without harming business. Blue Rose, based on fiber-optic technology, is an in-ground perimeter defense and security system developed by the Naval Undersea Warfare, CBC News said. The system detects sound and vibration of intruders moving near the sensor. Surveillance technology could monitor who's approaching the border, helping to prevent drug smuggling and terrorism, Tester said, and could be particularly effective in areas such as Montana." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. eyes high-tech security boost at Canadian border

Decorated, wounded Marine treated ‘shamefully’ by TSA screeners

"Kemnitz, severely injured in 2004 in a roadside bomb attack in Fallujah, has limited use of his right arm and cannot lift it above his head. So when security guards at the state capitol building in Sacramento, Calif., asked him to remove his dress blue blouse 'because he was wearing too much metal,' and TSA asked him to raise his arms above his head for the full-body scanner at Sacramento International Airport, he could not comply. At the state capitol, the Marine’s refusal to remove his uniform top grew into a heated exchange between Kemnitz, a friend who was accompanying him and security officers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDecorated, wounded Marine treated ‘shamefully’ by TSA screeners

Sen. Schumer: ‘Stop and frisk’ Ray Kelly should be new Homeland secretary

"New York Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) said in a statement on Friday that President Barack Obama should nominate controversial New York Police Department chief Ray Kelly to fill the vacancy left by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. In a statement obtained by the New York Daily News, Schumer said, 'The Department of Homeland Security is one of the most important agencies in the federal government. It’s [sic] leader needs to be someone who knows law enforcement, understands anti-terrorism efforts, and is a top-notch administrator, and at the NYPD, Ray Kelly has proven that he excels in all three.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSen. Schumer: ‘Stop and frisk’ Ray Kelly should be new Homeland secretary

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano resigning to lead Univ. of California

"Reports on Friday revealed that an administration official said Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano will resign, according to reports from Reuters, the New York Times and the Associated Press. The AP reported that Napolitano is leaving to take a senior position in the University of California system and told senior staff about her departure at a meeting Friday morning. CNN confirmed that Napolitano will take over as president of the UC system. According to Foreign Policy magazine, Napolitano’s resignation means that now the top 15 posts at the Department of Homeland Security are now vacant." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHomeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano resigning to lead Univ. of California

Microsoft Gave NSA Backdoor Access To Skype, Outlook, and SkyDrive (Default In Windows 8.1)

"The company has reportedly helped the NSA 'understand' certain alias and encryption features in its software, allowed it to intercept chats passing through the Outlook.com servers, and been so helpful that the NSA has described working with the company as a 'team sport.' Access to SkyDrive files is handled via PRISM and NSA documents praise Microsoft for simplifying this process over the past 12 months. This is particularly pertinent given that in Windows 8.1, SkyDrive is a default storage location for files and created documents. Now we know that the NSA has carte blanche to peer into Microsoft's servers virtually at will." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMicrosoft Gave NSA Backdoor Access To Skype, Outlook, and SkyDrive (Default In Windows 8.1)

Anonymous Person Posts $500,000 Bond To Free Texas Teen

"Justin Carter, the 19-year-old who was arrested and jailed in February after making a Facebook comment about a school shooting, is out of jail. An anonymous donor posted the $500,000 bond to allow Carter to go home. Carter plans to stay near New Braunfels, Texas, to await his trial on a felony terroristic threat charge. Carter, who was indicted by a Comal County grand jury in April, has gotten global attention because of the First Amendment questions raised by his case and the high bail that kept him behind bars for nearly five months. His lawyer told NPR last week that he had represented 'murderers, rapists, terrorists' and none had had such high bail." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnonymous Person Posts $500,000 Bond To Free Texas Teen

The Myth of the Efficent Government Organized First Responders

"As critically injured passengers lay on the tarmac near the wreckage of Asiana Airlines Flight 214, other passengers pleaded with emergency dispatchers to send ambulances to help the victims, according to 911 tapes released Wednesday.[...] 'There are no ambulances here. We've been on the ground 20 minutes,' one woman said on the tape, which was obtained by NBC Bay Area. 'There are people laying on the tarmac with critical injuries, head injuries,' the woman continued. 'We're almost losing a woman here. We're trying to keep her alive.' Another female passenger told a dispatcher that there were not enough medics to treat the injured." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Myth of the Efficent Government Organized First Responders

Yahoo wants to make its NSA PRISM fight against U.S. FISA court public

"Yahoo has called on Fisa, the secretive US surveillance court, to let it publish its legal argument against a case that gave the government 'powerful leverage' in persuading tech companies to co-operate with a controversial data-gathering program. In a court filing first reported by San Jose Mercury News the company argues the release would demonstrate that Yahoo 'objected strenuously' in a key 2008 case after the National Security Agency (NSA) demanded Yahoo customers’ information. Yahoo’s move comes as its rivals have also pushed for the government to provide more public clarity on their surveillance of people’s online lives." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingYahoo wants to make its NSA PRISM fight against U.S. FISA court public

UPDATE: Adam Kokesh SWAT Raid Yields Multiple Felonies

"A SWAT raid on the property of Adam Kokesh was conducted late Tuesday night on July 9, resulting in the detainment of Adam until his next scheduled hearing where he faces multiple felony charges. Months prior to this year's 4th of July, Marine Veteran & Libertarian activist Kokesh has called for supporters of the right to armed self-defense to gather in Washington, D.C. to conduct a peaceful armed march. Thousands have reportedly signed up for the protest, which Kokesh says would be a non-violent exercise of the right to open carry." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUPDATE: Adam Kokesh SWAT Raid Yields Multiple Felonies