military industrial complex

A History of Cronyism and Capture in the Information Technology Sector

"Not only does it deny consumers more and better products and services, but they also may pay higher prices or higher taxes extracted by the corporate-government agreement. Moreover, economic growth slows as entrepreneurs pursue unproductive influence and capture activities rather than productive entrepreneurship. Cronyism also raises the specter of greater government control of the Internet and of the digital economy more generally. When policymakers dispense favors, they usually expect something in return. They may also become accustomed to having greater informal powers over the sector receiving favors." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA History of Cronyism and Capture in the Information Technology Sector

Dr. Joseph Bonneau Wins NSA Award, Calls For NSA To Be Abolished

"Engineers and researchers like Bonneau have a unique and important role to play in fighting back against NSA oversteps. As Michael Hirsh noted in the Atlantic last month, tech companies have contributed enormously to wiring up Big Brother -- companies like Palantir Technologies, Eagle Alliance (of Computer Sciences Corp. and Northrup Grumman) and Booz Allen Hamilton. The only way the government gets to spy on everyone is when people who are intelligent and innovative enough to build scalable surveillance technologies decide to help them. Hopefully Bonneau’s example will inspire more cryptographers and security engineers to speak out." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDr. Joseph Bonneau Wins NSA Award, Calls For NSA To Be Abolished

Russia won’t extradite Snowden to US – Kremlin

"Moscow says security agency FSB is in talks with the FBI over Snowden. But the whistleblower will not be extradited to the US, a Kremlin spokesman said, adding he's sure the fugitive NSA contractor will stop harming Washington if granted asylum in Russia. 'Russia has never extradited anyone, and will not extradite,' said Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Meanwhile, the US Senate threatened Thursday that it might impose sanctions against any country that provides asylum to Snowden, including revocation or suspension of trade privileges and preferences." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia won’t extradite Snowden to US – Kremlin

The Manning Show Trial: These Teachable Moments

"I’m shocked — shocked! — that Colonel Denise Lind, the military judge who ruled in February that Bradley Manning could be tried on various charges even after being held prior to arraignment for more than five times the absolute longest time specified in the US Armed Forces’ 'speedy trial' rules, has now also ruled that Manning can be convicted of aiding an enemy that does not exist. Yes, you read that right: There’s only an 'enemy' to aid, in any legal sense, if the United States is at war, a state created by a congressional declaration. There’s been no such declaration since World War II. Lind had only one legal duty as judge in this case: To dismiss all charges." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Manning Show Trial: These Teachable Moments

Fort Hood shooting suspect apologizes for U.S. ‘illegal and immoral aggression’ against Muslims

"Hasan asked for forgiveness and prayers from 'the believers and the innocents' for 'participating in the illegal and immoral aggression against Muslims, their religion and their lands.' Hasan was a army psychiatrist at Fort Hood and was about to be deployed to Afghanistan at the time of the shooting. Hasan is acting as his own attorney in his court martial. If convicted he could face execution or life in prison without parole. Hasan had said at a pre-trial hearing that he opened fire at the base to protect Muslims and the Taliban in Afghanistan from U.S. aggression. The base is a major center for soldiers deployed to Afghanistan." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFort Hood shooting suspect apologizes for U.S. ‘illegal and immoral aggression’ against Muslims

Pentagon considering separate combat training for men and women

"Senior military personnel are considering giving women different military training than men, The Washington Times reports. The effort was proposed by Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Niki Tsongas at a recent House Armed Services Committee hearing because so far, she says training systems do not 'maximize the success of women.' Army Lt. Gen. Howard Bromberg, serving as deputy chief of staff for personnel, considers separate training programs to be more about considering all soldiers as individuals, citing a need to explore how the training process works." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPentagon considering separate combat training for men and women

EU planning to ‘own and operate’ spy drones and an air force

"The European Union is planning to 'own and operate' spy drones, surveillance satellites and aircraft as part of a new intelligence and security agency under the control of Baroness Ashton. The controversial proposals are a major move towards creating an independent EU military body with its own equipment and operations, and will be strongly opposed by Britain. The use of the new spy drones and satellites for 'internal and external security policies', which will include police intelligence, the internet, protection of external borders and maritime surveillance, will raise concerns that the EU is creating its own version of the US National Security Agency." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEU planning to ‘own and operate’ spy drones and an air force

World’s first fleet of marine drones being tested in the Mediterranean

"Under the scrutiny of their masters, whose eyes are glued to computer screens, the world’s first fleet of 'marine drones' is being put through its paces. Five European countries — France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal — have sent prototypes here under a four-year, four-million-euro ($5.32-million) programme to build a squad of unmanned underwater rovers. Deployed from a surface vessel, but communicating among themselves and using artificial intelligence, the wireless scouts would spread out in a surveillance network." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWorld’s first fleet of marine drones being tested in the Mediterranean

Pentagon to deploy huge blimps over Washington, DC for 360-degree surveillance

"A pair of high-tech Army blimps is coming to the greater Washington, DC area, and soon they will be able to provide the military with surveillance powers that spans hundreds of millions of acres from North Carolina to Niagara Falls, Canada. The airships are part of Raytheon’s Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System, or JLENS, and when all is said and done they’ll offer the United States military what the defense contractor calls 'an affordable elevated, persistent over-the-horizon sensor system' that relies on 'a powerful integrated radar system to detect, track and target a variety of threats.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPentagon to deploy huge blimps over Washington, DC for 360-degree surveillance

Senator Wyden Warns Against the Surveillance State

"There are only two limitations to the growth of the surveillance state: practical and economic. From a practical standpoint, just who is going to sort through the nearly immeasurably large amount of data being collected? At present, as smart as computers are, and as sophisticated as the software that drives them is, it ultimately is going to take a human being to find the dangerous needle in thousands of haystacks. The manpower required to do that is incomprehensibly large and infinitely costly. The second limitation is economic: at some point deficits will become so large that funding them through debt will no longer be an option." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSenator Wyden Warns Against the Surveillance State