Friday, May 27, 2011

"Why Should State Waste Money Pursuing 'Real ID'?"

BTC -Here are the answers to this week's Real ID quiz. 


Q. Why is Connecticut pursuing the Real ID program on driver's licenses when more than 20 states are opting out ?


A2. State Officials Needn’t Heed Feds’ Threats

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

The Life & Death of HB 1937, a bill to ban TSA pat down procedures

TSA gets cranky over ban to mess with Texan's private parts

BTC -  Here is a loose timeline of how a Texas game of chicken evolved with the TSA.

In January of 2010, the outrage began with the selective installation of the now-notorious naked body scan technology by the TSA following the Christmas underwear bomb attempt. The Rapiscan technology was installed sometime later at DFW airport in Dallas.  Since then, many Texans have been ogled nude by the TSA and if they opted-out they were serially groped thereafter.

One day, Susie Castillo, a former Miss America pageant winner and the pride of Texas, was salaciously and disgustingly groped, making the case that no one should have to go through with this nonsense. Right around that time, a Texas House legislator in mid-session decided that he had about had it with the TSA, the federalism and probably all of the phone calls from his district office.  It probably took about 15 minutes or not that long at all to get a bill introduced; which was then co-authored/sponsored by 95 members of the House, picking up a Senate companion bill authored by Dan Patrick.  From there, Texas became a national hero in firsts as a State telling the TSA they can keep their hands and their technology to themselves.

According to reports by Ms. Smith, Privacy Fanatic columnist, "The Texas legislation proposes to charge TSA agents with a misdemeanor crime, face a $4,000 fine, and one year in jail for any airport inspection that "touched the anus, sexual organ, buttocks, or breast of another person, including touching through clothing; or touched the other person in a manner that would be offensive to a reasonable person."

The TSA does not believe the State of Texas has qualified grounds for any type of complaining or resistance.   They got a letter from US Attorney John Murphy, that the TSA hitherto invokes Ye Olde Supremacy clause and shall have their way with the women of Texas or else their commercial wings shall be clipped.


The support for the House version of the bill dithered and withered in the Senate. At 2:29 PM, CST May 25th 2011 HB 1937 was declared dead.  Speculation about the sudden demise of the bill landed between the desk of Lt. Governor David Dewherst the hands of it's uneasy Senate sponsor Dan Patrick.  

News of the death hit Austin pretty hard.  Protestors arrived with Alex Jones in tow to electro-prod shock life back into any vestigial prospect of the bill and to scourge the "cowards" and "traitors" who snuffed the bill.
"The TSA has now turned into a literal occupying army threatening to completely change the character of American society from a beacon of liberty to a checkpoint-riddled, “show us your papers” Sovietized hellhole."  
--Prison Planet writers Kurt Nimmo & Paul Watson. 
Here's to HB 1937 and all the driving Texans are going to be doing without it.

Big Data, Cybersecurity & You

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

REDUX: G8 vs INTERNET

The news is The G8 vs. The Internet.  You can follow the fight on Twitter: #EG8



Here is second life for news that matters:

EUROPE

Fight back against Sarkozy's EG8 -- an exercise in censorship and control dressed up as a technology summit

Sarkozy to host key internet forum ahead of G8 summit

Francis Maude, minister for the [UK] Cabinet Office, revealed last week that the coalition government plans to develop a national ID database to allow for easy access to online public services.

"TWITTER, FREE SPEECH, INJUNCTIONS AND THE STREISAND EFFECT"
*The effects of Streisand covered in House Duck Sauce here.

DOMESTIC U.S.

Lawmakers Express Optimism, Concerns Over White House Cybersecurity Plan

Obama Cybersecurity Package Praised, Criticized

UPDATE: DHS Cybersecurity chief resigns 

6 major US privacy bills considered, briefings & discussion c/o Tech Liberation Front