2005 December Archive at elwoodicious

Archive for December, 2005

Wow! Tangible Traffic!

Published by james on December 16, 2005 in Site. Closed

It can get lonely out here in the Internets® but every once in a while a stranger will roll through making the vigil worthwhile. This morning I noticed something different, not the usual bizarro comment spam that leaves me scratching my head raw but an actually trackback. The fine folks over at Shanghaiist put together their best of 2005 list–’tis the season for geeks to be organizing–where Ohmega Watts made number eight; the nifty part was they linked to my review. I knew that spell checking it would pay off! Anyway, thanks to Shanghaiist for reading the review and liking it enough to link to it.

Quakers off the hook?

Published by james on December 15, 2005 in Editorial. Closed

The DoD issued a statement yesterday that in effect said they erred by maintaining information on citizens deemed a non-credible threat.

The official said the database included police reports and law enforcement tips in a legitimate domestic security effort, but that it had mistakenly swept up and kept information on people who were not threats to launch terror attacks.

“We held onto things that should have been expunged because they weren’t a threat,” the official, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters.

Defense Undersecretary for Intelligence Stephen Cambone planned to send a letter to Congress explaining the error and promising to clean up the database and protect the privacy of innocent persons, the official added.

I’m much too tired to launch into a tirade calling shenanigans on the whole thing but for what it is worth I don’t believe them.

via Digg

/adjusts tin-foil hat

Person(s) of Interest

Published by james on December 14, 2005 in Editorial. 4 Comments

Occasionally I do take a break from steeping in tech/videogame/music and actually take a look around me and this morning was no different except for the simple fact that it appears the DoD has decided that the Posse Comitatus Act is irrelevant when it comes to guarding against Quakers. What have we become? It terrifies me to even think of the potential for this activity and I curse myself for reading too much history as I am watching the past unfold before me.

Now some of you might say, “Gee, you only have to worry if you are a terrorist!” Well, yes and no. Sure in monitoring the activity of all citizens it is likely that a Terrorist® might be discovered, though I subscribe to a more cynical view of this world. This is about command and control. Monitor and interdict to slow the movement of peoples and ideas–refer to East Germany and China if you have any questions.

Now, before you cry, “You liberal scumbag! Why do you hate America!” put down the Fox News talking points and think. What is the threat of those people mentioned in the article? How are a handful pacifists in their late forties and fifties a threat to our national defense infrastructure? Is it because they do not agree with the status quo and wish to exercise their constitutional right of assembly? Think about it.

I’ll leave you with this thought. I am on that list. Why and how do I know? Simple. I made a post months ago about a Dungeons and Dragons campaign I was running and talked about some codes and ciphers I used as a game play device. Scans from .mil and .gov went through the roof, some 10-20 MB a day. Today, with this post, those scans will start again.

I hear the weather in Egypt is nice this year. I hope I get to keep my fingernails on the trip though.