Dave 's BestNetTech Comments

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  • On the post: Profile Of NSA Boss General Keith Alexander Reveals: He Wants All The Data, And He Doesn't Care About The Law

    Dave ( profile ), 09 Sep, 2013 @ 08:48pm

    Ask the Lawyers Why

    Any time a person in a power position admits doing wrong or making a mistake - however innocently or inadvertently, the land sharks immediately attack with multiple lawsuits and much negative press. I don't blame them for not admitting things. They CAN'T.

  • On the post: Profile Of NSA Boss General Keith Alexander Reveals: He Wants All The Data, And He Doesn't Care About The Law

    Dave ( profile ), 09 Sep, 2013 @ 01:05pm

    While we're all wallowing in conspiracy theories, pointlessly I might add, consider this. If what this article is saying about Herr General is true, and I think it probably is, there's only one answer. He must be fired, along with Mr. Heath and anyone else closely associated with them, IMMEDIATELY. He's killing us, at least economically and politically. Actually I must ask why he's still there after several years of mismanagement. Has he somehow acquired or recreated J. Edgar's blackmail files?

  • On the post: Fake Cable Ad Apparently Hits Too Close To Home; Bogus Defamation Claim Censors Video In Canada

    Dave ( profile ), 04 Sep, 2013 @ 05:07pm

    Re: Re: OOTB

    Objection, Yer Honor! Arguing facts not in evidence.
    .

  • On the post: Court Sides With ACLU On Unconstitutionality Of The DHS's No-Fly List

    Dave ( profile ), 29 Aug, 2013 @ 03:05pm

    Re:

    What percentage of the ticket fees of refused passengers goes back to the TSA? I'd be willing to bet it's at least 50%. The kickback to TSA is what keeps the list active. They have no incentive otherwise.

  • On the post: No, Snowden Didn't Have Any 'Other Avenues' To Blow The Whistle

    Dave ( profile ), 29 Aug, 2013 @ 01:51pm

    Re: Whistleblower Options

    YOU didn't read the Booz-Allen piece. Those protections extent to their employees when reporting ethical or legal violations of Booz-Allen itself. It says nothing about violations of ethics or the law by their clients (NSA!), and probably doesn't protect them against the Government or it's minions.

  • On the post: No, Snowden Didn't Have Any 'Other Avenues' To Blow The Whistle

    Dave ( profile ), 29 Aug, 2013 @ 01:38pm

    Re:

    I'm not so sure I agree with this. The NSA jumped too quickly on the idea of canning 90% of their "system administrators", most of which were (are) civilian contractors not NSA employees. I think Snowden did, in fact, have almost total access to the entire system. He certainly had sufficient access to grab the pile of documents he got.

    No, the real problem here is that the all government branches, Executive, Legislative, and Judicial are in this up to their collective necks and can't afford to "do something about it". Again, follow the money.
    .

  • On the post: Court Sides With ACLU On Unconstitutionality Of The DHS's No-Fly List

    Dave ( profile ), 29 Aug, 2013 @ 03:09pm

    Don't Hold Your Breath

    As usual, the government is appealing this decision. The back and forth will probably take years. You might see a final decision by 2020, maybe. More lawsuits, please.

  • On the post: No, Snowden Didn't Have Any 'Other Avenues' To Blow The Whistle

    Dave ( profile ), 29 Aug, 2013 @ 02:13pm

    The Real Policy

    IMHO, we effectively have NO whistleblower policy, that they say we do is just political snow. As demonstrated by the results of past efforts, the policy, as executed, reads:

    1. Find blower of whistle
    3. Grab him, her, or it FAST
    2. Grab the information and bury IT FAST
    4. Bury blower in the deepest prison
    5. Throw away key, or, better, melt it down.
    6. TELL NO ONE - EVER, and admit nothing!

    Snowden was smart to be out of the country BEFORE the excrement hit the rotating air moving device.

    As it stands, Russia is about the only place he can be relatively safe. I doubt if even our magnificent Gummint is stupid enough to start a war over him - at least I hope so.

    I don't, however, dismiss the possibility of a black-op snatch and grab mission inside Russian territory. I think the US government is arrogant enough to try it. With luck, they'll find out the hard way what a Gulag is all about.
    .

  • On the post: Marcy Wheeler's Favorite BestNetTech Posts Of The Week

    Dave ( profile ), 24 Aug, 2013 @ 12:10pm

    Marcy Wheeler said:
    "Because the stories of the week still focus on NSA's inability to offer credible answers about its surveillance programs."

    Not "inability", unwillingness.
    .

  • On the post: Orders To Destroy Guardian Hard Drives Came Directly From PM David Cameron

    Dave ( profile ), 22 Aug, 2013 @ 11:29am

    Re: Re: Re: Re:

    Roger THAT!
    Absolutely brilliant idea. Too bad it'll never happen. Those that understand are obvious. Those that don't fall back on the usual obfuscation, BS, and snow jobs, and refuse to learn. I mean they can use a smart phone, can't they? Why should they need to learn? That's for geeks.
    .

  • On the post: Orders To Destroy Guardian Hard Drives Came Directly From PM David Cameron

    Dave ( profile ), 22 Aug, 2013 @ 09:41am

    Re: Re:

    That's a very good point. Time was, when technology was in it's infancy or nonexistent, that age signified wisdom and maturity. Turns out that the wisdom was simply hardening of the brain. Maybe their should be a MAXIMUM age for active politicians - say in the mid to late 40's?

  • On the post: Orders To Destroy Guardian Hard Drives Came Directly From PM David Cameron

    Dave ( profile ), 22 Aug, 2013 @ 09:15am

    "On the specific issue of records held by the Guardian, the deputy prime minister thought it was reasonable for the cabinet secretary to request that the Guardian destroyed data that would represent a serious threat to national security if it was to fall into the wrong hands."

    Did no one think to tell this idiot that the destruction of ONE set of records was absolutely pointless and would serve only to anger the people it was being done to? Something like "Awakening a sleeping Giant", perhaps? As Clemons once said "It's not wise to anger people who buy printers ink by the barrel."

    The "wrong hands"? Meaning someone who would publish it and show the world thet they are somewhat less than honest and forthright? Those "wrong hands"? I soitainly hope so - the sooner the better. IMHO, the only danger is in showing them to be the liars, cheats, and thieves they are. Personal security? Maybe. National security - not so much.

  • On the post: More NSA Spying Fallout: Groklaw Shutting Down

    Dave ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2013 @ 11:04pm

    Re: Re: Not very surprising

    Regarding point 2: The USPS DOES record "metadata", ie who sent it, who receives it, and when it was sent. But that's ALL they can get without a warrant.

  • On the post: More NSA Spying Fallout: Groklaw Shutting Down

    Dave ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2013 @ 10:33pm

    Re: Not very surprising

    Three points:
    1. It was said recently that the nature of mankind is to push limits and possibly break laws in an effort to improve his lot in life. It's part of being human. We all do it to some extent.

    2. One channel that still remains open, and, for now, secure, is snailmail. If you write a letter and send it to someone via the US Postal Service, the government CANNOT open and read it without a very specific warrant. I can foresee a time, in the very near future, when the use of envelopes and postage stamps increases greatly (are you listening Stamps.com?). Of course, that also means there's a hard-copy record of what transpired somewhere. We've just been seduced by the ease and convenience of electronic communication. Back to pen and paper.

    3. Since time immemorial, the people in power have always punished those messengers that bring bad news to them. This, too, is human nature. We haven't changed much in the last 3,000 years or so.
    .

  • On the post: US Still Can't Figure Out What Snowden Took; What Happened To Those Perfect 'Audits'?

    Dave ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2013 @ 09:43pm

    Re: Look out behind you!

    Something else to think about: IF the bad guys ARE raiding the pile as I believe they are, think of what a treasure trove of personal data, card numbers, account numbers, passwords, etc. it is, assuming of course that NSA is collecting what we think it's collecting. If this is true, you can expect a massive identity theft upsurge soon.

  • On the post: US Still Can't Figure Out What Snowden Took; What Happened To Those Perfect 'Audits'?

    Dave ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2013 @ 09:28pm

    Can we afford this?

    I've been asking for a while, and have gotten no answers. In this climate of poor economy, rampant unemployment, and a sequestered Federal Budget, how can we justify a clandestine organization like NSA spending untold billions on a program that's essentially illegal. What, exactly, are they trying to accomplish? How will (or does) this benefit us? Who's getting all of the contracts and money?

    And don't raise the specter of "terrorism". That's pure BS and we all know it. 9/11 was a masterfully orchestrated fluke that probably won't happen again. If it does, are the NSA spooks trying to convince us they will catch on BEFORE it happens? Not bloody likely. They can't even tie their own shoe laces.

    In the mean time this "terrorist" boogyman has the general public so flustered and confused and paranoid that, in effect, the bad guys have already won. This is NOT the America that won WWII and vanquished both the Germans and the Japanese. We couldn't do that now if our lives depended on it, and they just might.
    .

  • On the post: US Still Can't Figure Out What Snowden Took; What Happened To Those Perfect 'Audits'?

    Dave ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2013 @ 09:00pm

    Look out behind you!

    Uncle Mike said: "First off, this shows that the claims of 100% auditability are complete crap. If they can't tell what Snowden took so many months later, they don't have very good auditability at all. Furthermore, this raises serious questions about the NSA's data management capabilities."

    If they don't know what our friend Snowden took, how are they going to keep the REAL bad guys out of the pile? Wanna bet they get raided constantly, without knowing it? Them furrin hackers are pretty smart, ya know. I bet they get in all the time and those cross-eyed idiots in DC haven't a clue.

  • On the post: Latest Leak: NSA Can Spy On Almost Anything, Gets To Set Its Own Filters

    Dave ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2013 @ 08:50am

    Dear WSJ

    While I understand your need to gather funds to continue operation, putting a story like this behind your (somewhat porous) paywall is foolish. These stories need to be in the open and freely accessible. The end result will be lost subscribers and the stories being given to other outlets. Besides, there are many other sources, such as BestNetTech, that make them available at no charge. Not too bright!

  • On the post: North Carolina State University Gets $60 Million To Help NSA Build Bigger And Better Haystacks

    Dave ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2013 @ 08:24am

    A pile of crap, by any other name, still greatly offends the olfactory system.

  • On the post: More NSA Spying Fallout: Groklaw Shutting Down

    Dave ( profile ), 20 Aug, 2013 @ 04:12am

    Re:

    Ninja:
    For once I agree with you. As for Network News coverage of any possible formal protest, IMHO I wouldn't expect to see any of it there. For that reason, I usually get my news from unofficial sources like BestNetTech and Ars Technica. At least I feel I can trust them. I don't have any use for "Real Journalists" who spend their time parroting the "official" news from the government. They stopped being "journalists" a long time ago.

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