UK's Rimington on World Affairs & Dystopic Backslides

UK TELEGRAPH

“It would be better that the Government recognised that there are risks, rather than frightening people in order to be able to pass laws which restrict civil liberties, precisely one of the objects of terrorism: that we live in fear and under a police state,” she said.

Dame Stella, 73, added: “The US has gone too far with Guantánamo and the tortures. MI5 does not do that. Furthermore it has achieved the opposite effect: there are more and more suicide terrorists finding a greater justification.” 

-  Dame Stella Rimington, the former head of MI5, warning that the fear of terrorism is being exploited by the Government to erode civil liberties and risks creating a police state.

NAIS & The City of San Marcos

THIS WEEK ON WAKING UP ORWELL : 

JUDITH MCGEARY OF NAIS 

NewStreamz San Marcos reports:
http://newstreamz.com/2009/02/07/ceti-vs-city-in-final-animal-ordinance-session

"The emotionally charged matter of mandatory microchip registration for pet dogs and cats in San Marcos reached another boiling point Saturday afternoon at City Hall, where city staff gave its last of three information sessions about a new animal control ordinance.

Outside City Hall, a group calling itself “Citizens for Ear Tatooing Identification” (CETI) protested before the meeting.

Inside City Hall, CETI members and others pelted city staff with numerous complaints in the form of questions, touching on such worries as the new ordinance’s enforceability, over-reaching government, the risk of cancer from microchipping, religious objections, and the city’s dismissal of tatooing as an alternative." -  Andy Sevilla, associate editor

As aired 2-19 on WAKING  UP ORWELL on KOOP 91.7 FM

2-19-09 will be speaking with Judith McGeary from NAIS and the National Farm Ranch and Freedom Alliance.

Judith McGeary is an attorney in Austin, Texas. She has a B.S. in Biology from Stanford University and a J.D. with high honors from The University of Texas at Austin. She began her legal career by clerking for the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Since then, her practice has focused on environmental law, commercial litigation, and appeals. She and her husband also run a small organic farm, with horses, cow, sheep, and poultry, based on the principles of holistic resource management.

Christ Paget RFID Hacker Part 2

"The goal of [Chris Paget's] research from the beginning was to show that RFID is unsuitable for security situations like this[U.S. identity]. Passport cards assign a unique identifier to each holder. This id can be read from a distance and coordinated with the holders other rfid items like their credit card. Any party can track someone holding these cards, and they don’t make border crossings any faster, since the cards still have to be checked in person.

The usa is now tracking its residents with the same respect given to items in walmart." -  HACK A DAY

For 57 minutes of your time, here it is.

BAD NEWS: 2.2 Billion in Federal Real ID Funds

 FEMA GRANTS STILL INTACT FOR REAL-ID

Provides grant support. $2.2 billion in support, primarily in the form of grants, to the Department's State and local partners in homeland security. The Budget continues to emphasize programs that distribute grant awards on the basis of risk, and this year introduces a grant program to help States implement Real ID requirements and provide a more efficient, merit-based allocation of limited resources.

Merit based?  Does that mean if our State government is "good" then we get the facist financial cookie?  

It's time to check out New Hampshire's federal "reality" bill.  I, for one, have had more than enough of the hard power tactics and am ready for some change with bonafides vs. globalist lip service.  Thanks for the tip off  from AND I STILL RISE.

GOOD HUMOR for BAD NEWS

Not like I'm into Glenn Beck, but here's some news on this:

Here's  Steven Colbert, a favorite, on Glenn Beck.

The Colbert ReportMon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Truth From the Gut

Colbert Report Full Episodes
Funny Political News

Christian Bale Parody
Joke of the Day

TWIC Goes Wireless

"Breaker, breaker 1-9..this TWIC card is giving me the cannonball runs..." - A dramatization of Trucker identity dissent.

Identify that muther-Trucker with Transport Worker Identity Credential by wireless remote control?

Si se puede. Codebench says they have the technology.

 

PIVCheck Mobile enables compliance officers to verify cardholder identities and check revocation status using a wireless verification unit. PIVCheck Passage then gives the compliance officer the option to wirelessly open a door or gate using the cardholders’ Wiegand access card ID.

The card ID is transmitted to the access control panel where it is validated and logged as an access event just as if the card had been presented to a directly attached reader. PIVCheck Passage supports most legacy Wiegand formats such as HID’s Corporate
1000 as well as the 48-, 64-, and 75-bit FASC-N based formats.

This combination of a mobile PIV/TWIC authentication appliance with wireless PACS link provides agencies with the ability to converge PIV/TWIC validation requirements with legacy access systems over dispersed operating areas.

Biometrics Pop Quiz: Digimarc or L-1

BTC Exclusive

TRUE OR FALSE ?

Digimarc technically has the contract with Texas for driver's licenses, through a sub contract for  biometrics. Last year L-1 Identity Solutions purchased Digimarc's licensing division. What this means is now L-1 controls 95% of the U.S. state driver's license [biometrics] market. L-1 will switch to using their own biometrics when Digimarc's current contract with Texas expires.

L-1 produces [biometrics for] enhanced driver's licenses and passport cards. They also are involved in the production of  [biometrics in]US passports. - Mark Lerner

It's True. L-1 one bought Digimarc's license division in March of 2008.

"L-1 has state-of-the-art biometric recognition and authentication capabilities that are integral to making our credential production process for national and international customers more secure and complete," said Bruce Davis, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Digimarc. "Furthermore, our combined knowledge in international markets will enable us to reach more potential customers with an expanded portfolio of innovative credentialing solutions, including national ID cards. The combination of the two will also help speed adoption globally by introducing a more streamlined and cost effective process into the international marketplace." -  L-1 Identity Solutions

Who is Mark Lerner?  This guy.  Yeah.. the Stop Real ID Coalition biometrics whistleblower guy.  

VIRGINIA BEATS THE CHIP!!

HEY  TEXAS AND NORTH CAROLINA ... YOU'RE NEXT!!

Virginia’s General Assembly rejects REAL ID provisions

By David Sherfinski
DC Examiner Staff Writer 2/12/09

The Virginia House and Senate have overwhelmingly passed legislation rejecting elements of the federal government’s Real ID law, which requires states to issue federally mandated drivers’ licenses or similar forms of identification that would become part of a national database.

The House approved Del. Robert Marshall’s, R-Prince William, bill 88-10 on Tuesday, and the Senate passed legislation from Ken Cuccinelli, R-Fairfax, 30-9.

“I was obviously pretty pleased with that,” said Cuccinelli, noting that the bill survived a close 8-6 vote in committee. “Right and left were aligned on this thing. Consistent, steady, grassroots support for it, combined with no opposition … paved the way.”

Critics of the program argue that the law is an invasion of privacy.

“There’s [absolutely] no reason that we should link our data to another database that’s going to be broken into,” said Mike Stallenwerk, chairman of the Fairfax County Privacy Council. “That’s happened time and time again.

“This is fake security,” he added. “It’s not real security.”

The Virginia law, if signed by Gov. Tim Kaine, would not overtly reject Real ID. Rather, it would prohibit the state from complying with any element of the act that would compromise economic privacy, such as residents’ tax returns, financial transactions and investment transactions, or the security of biometric data, like fingerprints, retinal scans and DNA samples.

“This is not only a very important step forward for privacy rights in the state, but it looks as if Virginia will soon join 21 other states that have expressed opposition to some aspects of the federal Real ID law,” said Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Virginia chapter.

Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005 in response to the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that the U.S. improve its system for issuing ID documents.

“I’d like to see them repeal it straightway,” Cuccinelli said.

The program, whose purpose is to make it more difficult for terrorists to obtain fraudulent state-issued identification, is run by the Department of Homeland Security. Calls and e-mails placed to the agency were not immediately returned Wednesday.

Find this article at:
http://www.dcexaminer.com/local/Virginias-General-Assembly-rejects-REAL-ID-provisions-39457287.html