Wednesday, December 30, 2009

RING IN 2010 with Waking Up Orwell Archives

HAPPY NEW YEAR from Waking Up Orwell -
NO NEW YEARS EVE PROGRAM

We want to wish all of our listeners a happy, safe and prosperous 2010.

Our hearts and minds go out a real hero and cvil liberty champion, Michael Bednarik and to his family at this difficult time recovering from a Christmas health emergency. At last report he is doing much better.

We also want to alert listeners to have your caution lights on. Technology security hawks are looking to boost domestic intelligence gathering (ATS, backscatter body scanners) since the Christmas terrorist attacks at airports.

The problem with this scenario is the terrorist boarded and entered US airspace from Amsterdam via Yemen. The terrorist didn't board a domestic US flight. Extra screening of American passengers won't change boarding procedures overseas. The Nigerian only succeeded in making Dick Cheney high on the scent of neo-con prospective contract entitlement.

Cheney and neo-con politicists are so high on the fresh terrorism they are saying things like 9-11 didn't happen on Bush's watch. Please ignore any partisan attempt to get you to surrender any of your few remaining freedoms. Make no fast moves. Everytime you point out that the 9-11 attacks succeeded due to National Security incompetence during the Bush administration, a war criminal loses their power. So keep tellin' the truth.

Among reports of possible psy-ops is a TSA worker in Oakland airport who bears a striking resemblance to Cindy Sheehan. Not her fault. Coincidence? Maybe.

See you soon.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Nullification and Real ID

c/o Examiner.com

Nullification has a long and rich history, beginning in 1798 with resolutions in Virginia and Kentucky passed to protest the original Alien and Sedition Acts, according to the Tenth Amendment Center. Arguably, States have taken effective nullification action as recently as this decade, when multiple States passed their own legislation expressly forbidding their respective Divisions of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to upgrade drivers' licenses in accordance with the REAL-ID Act of 2005. In response, the Obama administration recently announced that it would quietly drop the Act. In addition, thirteen States have passed legislation allowing State residents to use marijuana (Cannabis sativa) for medicinal purposes. (Tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in marijuana, is a powerful antiemetic that, some say, can greatly alleviate the nausea that plagues patients who undergo chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer.) :::MORE HERE:::

Countrywide settlement over ID theft gets initial OK

c/o Privacy Regulation

A federal judge has given preliminary approval to a settlement between Countrywide Financial and millions of customers whose detailed financial information was exposed in a security breach.

Under the terms of the settlement, Countrywide, now owned by Bank of America, would give free credit monitoring to up to 17 million people whose information was exposed during the security breach.

That group includes anyone who obtained a mortgage and anyone who used Countrywide to service a mortgage before July 1, 2008.

The settlement entitles a person to receive up to $50,000 in reimbursements from Countrywide per instance of identity theft, provided they actually lost something of value, were not reimbursed and that it was likely the theft stemmed from the Countrywide breach.

via Seattle Times Newspaper.

GAO Reports on TWIC Challenges

c/o Castle Diver

To TWIC or not to TWIC, that is the question? For those of you who are looking at this acronym twice and thinking it’s a chocolate bar, read on.

The Transportation Security Administration defines the TWIC card as “a common identification credential for all personnel requiring unescorted access to secure areas of Maritime Transportation Security Act-regulated facilities and vessels, and all mariners holding Coast Guard-issued credentials.”

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued its report on challenges relating to the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program. Issuance of TWICs to maritime workers was delayed, but is now largely completed.

A significant source of delay was the power failure at the government facility processing TWIC data. Full recovery from that incident pends and the cost is estimated at $26m. Development of the electronic card reader faces challenges
due to inadequate planning. GAO-10-43 (12/10/09).

Source: Bryants Maritime News