security theater

Washington Post: U.S. $53 billion ‘Black budget’ details leaked by Snowden

"U.S. spy agencies have built an intelligence-gathering colossus since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, but remain unable to provide critical information to the president on a range of national security threats, according to the government’s top-secret budget. The $52.6 billion 'black budget' for fiscal 2013, obtained by The Washington Post from former intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, maps a bureaucratic and operational landscape that has never been subject to public scrutiny. The Post is withholding some information after consultation with U.S. officials who expressed concerns about the risk to intelligence sources and methods." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWashington Post: U.S. $53 billion ‘Black budget’ details leaked by Snowden

How to Fix the Army: Sack All the Generals

"Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis, a seasoned Army colonel who has already earned a reputation for being something of a whistleblower by tracking leadership failures from the field in Afghanistan, describes a system where underserving leaders 'received prestigious medals, promotions to higher ranks, and plum follow-on jobs; others retired and went to work for defense contractors, often with companies that had profited from the failed acquisition effort.' Davis worries about the decade of the Army and Marine Corps obsessed with counterinsurgency and small-unit warfare while a 'a new generation of Chinese military leaders has deepened its understanding and application of conventional warfare.'" Continue reading →

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TSA-Type Drama at U.S. Open

"The USTA has implemented new safety procedures for this year’s tournament. All fans will have to go through metal detectors for the first time. As WCBS 880′s Peter Haskell reported, the additional security checks had some fans lined up waiting to enter the grounds for up to two hours earlier Monday. The Associated Press reported that the lines snaked for a quarter mile or more — from the exit point of the No. 7 train to the east entrance of the Billie Jean King Tennis Center. 'This is terrible, this is horrible. I’ve been going to the US Open for the last 10 years, I’ve never seen it like this,' one fan told Haskell." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTSA-Type Drama at U.S. Open

Don’t Fly During Ramadan

"No matter how I’ve tried to rationalize this in the last week and a half, nothing can block out the memory of the chilling sensation I felt that first morning, lying on my air mattress, trying to forget the image of large, uniformed men invading the sanctuary of my home in my absence, wondering when they had done it, wondering why they had done it. In all my life, I have only felt that same chilling terror once before - on one cold night in September twelve years ago, when I huddled in bed and tried to forget the terrible events in the news that day, wondering why they they had happened, wondering whether everything would be okay ever again." Continue reading →

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300-pound fake corrections officer gets 10 years for sneaking into jails

"Jail fetishist Matthew Matagrano, 36, was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for posing as a correction officer and sneaking into the Manhattan Detention Complex earlier this year. The 300-pound convicted sex offender waddled into Manhattan Supreme Court in a bright orange jumpsuit looking sullen as Judge Ronald Zweibel handed down his punishment for the bizarre July 27th crime. The former counselor for at-risk-youth spent seven hours gleefully strolling through the White Street facility where he strip searched an inmate, stole a $2,500 walkie talkie and handed out cigarettes. It wasn’t a first for the Yonkers prison enthusiast – he’s been accused of sneaking into jails in four boroughs." Continue reading →

Continue Reading300-pound fake corrections officer gets 10 years for sneaking into jails

Bar Shares Scanned ID Card Data with Cops

"Across the country, citizens are surprised and sometimes outraged by increasing demands by businesses and government to submit to the instant capture and downloading of all of the data contained on their driver’s licenses and ID cards as a condition for access. You might wonder what your data is being used for after it is taken. The article below gives one example of how your once lowly driver’s license that is now empowered with machine readable technology (RFID or 2D barcodes) and your facial biometrics, is performing exactly as designed. These technologies are designed to make you easier to track, monitor and control." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBar Shares Scanned ID Card Data with Cops

Second British man jailed for selling fake bomb detectors to governments

"The boxes cost less than £5 ($7.85, 5.85 euros) to make, but Gary Bolton claimed they could detect explosives, narcotics, tobacco, ivory and even cash. They were sold for between £2,500 and £10,000 in bulk or up to £15,000 if bought individually. The court heard Bolton’s company, Global Technology, had a turnover of almost £3 million. In May, British businessman James McCormick was sentenced to 10 years in jail for selling fake bomb detectors to the Iraqi government and other countries. McCormick, 57, made an estimated £50 million from selling the devices, which prosecutors said were based on a novelty golf ball finder." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSecond British man jailed for selling fake bomb detectors to governments

UK: Greenwald’s partner had ‘highly sensitive stolen information that would help terrorism’

"The government has embarked on an aggressive offensive to justify the detention of David Miranda by suggesting that the partner of the Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald possessed 'highly sensitive stolen information that would help terrorism'. Amid calls from across the political spectrum for a fuller explanation, the Home Office made clear that his nine-hour detention was fully justified on the grounds that he was carrying leaked documents. The statement by the Home Office, including a challenge to critics to think about condoning the leaking of sensitive documents, marks a significant change in tone by the government." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUK: Greenwald’s partner had ‘highly sensitive stolen information that would help terrorism’

Ammo Envy?

"Perhaps jealous of the DHS with its immense stockpile of ammo, the TSA also 'intends to purchase almost 3.5 million rounds of .357 SIG caliber training ammunition, according to a solicitation issued by the agency on August 16.' Yep, imbecilic, incompetent LaWanda shooting up a rodeo, concert or airport is the stuff of nightmares. Why does anyone consider freelance criminals a bigger threat than the official ones Our Rulers send against us? And no, the Thieves and Sexual Assailants do not currently carry. But of course the corporate media accuses those who ask why an agency of unarmed nincompoops needs ammo of being conspiracy nuts." Continue reading →

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Bieber and entourage searched by sniffer dogs at Florida airport after drug ‘tip’

"Plain clothes officers and a dog squad swooped on the singer and his crew's luggage as they unloaded on the curb of the airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. TMZ reports law enforcement did not decide to randomly search the luggage but were instead responding to a tip off. According to the site: 'The reason cops searched the bags is because they received an anonymous tip someone in Justin's party had drugs in their luggage. 'Justin's bags, along with the bags of his entourage, were searched. Cops found nothing.' This is not the first time police have searched Justin and his crew." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBieber and entourage searched by sniffer dogs at Florida airport after drug ‘tip’