Secure Flight

Bruce Schneier was a member of the Secure Flight Privacy/IT Working Group. He got pretty disgusted when the TSA couldn't even answer:
   What is the goal or goals of Secure Flight?
   What is the architecture of the Secure Flight system?
   What is the oversight structure and policy for Secure Flight?

"So far, however, Secure Flight is being developed without the authorization and guidance of a clear, comprehensive and published policy document issued by a politically accountable senior official, stating the goals of Secure Flight clearly and to the exclusion of other goals, until such time as that basic policy document is amended."

File this one under YTD@W (Your Tax Dollar at Work) -- another fine security product of BushCo Inc., a subsidiary of Halliburton.

Wanted: Flipper. May Be Armed.

File this one under "Too Weird to be Fiction"...

Armed dolphins, trained by the US military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Experts who have studied the US navy's cetacean training exercises claim the 36 mammals could be carrying 'toxic dart' guns. Divers and surfers risk attack, they claim, from a species considered to be among the planet's smartest. The US navy admits it has been training dolphins for military purposes, but has refused to confirm that any are missing.

ADDED 12/5 : Apparently this is a hoax.

Nanowires for detecting molecular signs of cancer

While initial rounds of cancer testing today identify only whether or not cancer is present, nanowire arrays have the potential to immediately fill in details on exactly what type of cancer is present. Nanowires could also track patients' health as treatment progresses. Because the arrays detect molecules suspended in fluids, drops of blood could be tested directly, in a physician's office, without any need for biochemical manipulation.

Images of Rita's Damage

Shots pulled from the AP wire.

NASA's Katrina Images

This site includes satellite products and photos from the International Space Station.

FBI Targets Internet Porn

"I guess this means we've won the war on terror," said one exasperated FBI agent, speaking on the condition of anonymity because poking fun at headquarters is not regarded as career-enhancing. "We must not need any more resources for espionage."

According to FBI headquarters, the war against smut is "one of the top priorities" of Attorney General Gonazalez and FBI Director Robert Meuller. Although law enforcement agencies have always been aggressive when it comes to prosecuting exploitative child pornographers, this new initiative is unique in that it targets Internet pornography featuring consenting adults.

That's Your Tax Dollar, Making You Safe.

Mr. Bill's PSA

"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."
-– George W. Bush, on "Good Morning America", Sept. 1, 2005,

Mr. President, Mr. Bill, from "Saturday Night Live" knew. Over a year ago.

25 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Quotes About Hurricane Katrina And Its Aftermath

Such timeless classics from our President, like:

"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."
-– "Good Morning America," Sept. 1, 2005, six days after repeated warnings from experts about the scope of damage expected from Hurricane Katrina.

Or this classic from Tom Delay:

"Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?"
-– said to three young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston, Sept. 9, 2005

And let's not forget this one, by Wolf Blitzer:

"You simply get chills every time you see these poor individuals...many of these people, almost all of them that we see are so poor and they are so black, and this is going to raise lots of questions for people who are watching this story unfold."
- commenting on New Orleans' hurricane evacuees, Sept. 1, 2005

Yes, you can find these treasures and more, just by clicking on this post's title.

Diebold Insider Speaks Out

One of the greatest threats our democracy has ever known.

I mentioned something about Diebold's now famous quote last year, where the CEO promised to deliver Ohio's vote to GeeDubya. Indeed, he did.

"Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job."

Brownie was deputy director of the agency under Joe Allbaugh -- because he was Joe Allbaugh's college roommate, you see, and Allbaugh was Bush's campaign manager in 2000, which made both of them qualified to manage disasters.

FEMA was faulted a decade ago, after hurricane Andrew tore up Florida, and created what used to be the most costly disaster in U.S. history. That was back when Bush the First ruled the land. Ironic, isn't it? Both Bushes failed miserably in Gulf Wars and Gulf coast hurricanes.

Lessons Ignored

It's now 4 years since terrorists brought home what, perhaps, should have been obvious. Their first attack, from the parking garage, taught them some valuable lessons concerning the design of their target. Their second attack was successful.

Every time I wrecked a motorcycle, a race car, a boat -- every time I ended up in the hospital because of something that I had done -- my father would be the one to come and pick me up when I was discharged (mom generally was too upset). Every time I got in the car with dad he'd always ask the same thing: "Did you learn anything?" The one time I told him I didn't think I had, he pulled the car over and slapped me toothless.

It's OK to screw up. Everyone does, everyone will. But if you don't learn from it, and take action to keep that from happening again, well, that's just plain stupid and unforgivable.

Read Bruce Schneier's essay, printed in today's "Minneapolis Star-Tribune". You can read it HERE

San Fransisco Quake

Comparing the government reaction this past week to the
government reaction the last time an American city was destroyed

- San Francisco, April 18, 1906.

The earthquake struck at 5:13 AM.

By 7 AM federal troops had reported to the mayor.

By 8 AM they were patrolling the entire downtown area and
searching for survivors.

The second quake struck at 8:14 AM.

By 10:05 AM the USS Chicago was on its way from San Diego to
San Francisco; by 10:30 the USS Preble had landed a medical
team and set up an emergency hospital.

By 11 AM large parts of the city were on fire; troops
continued to arrive throughout the day, evacuating people
from the areas threatened by fire to emergency shelters and
Golden Gate Park.

St. Mary's hospital was destroyed by the fire at 1 PM, with
no loss of life, the staff and patients having already been
evacuated across the bay to Oakland.

By 3 PM troops had shot several looters, and dynamited
buildings to make a firebreak; by five they had buried dozens
of corpses, the morgue and the police pistol range being
unable to hold any more.

At 8:40 PM General Funston requested emergency housing -
tents and shelters - from the War Department in Washington;
all of the tents in the U.S. Army were on their way to San
Francisco by 4:55 AM the next morning.

Prisoners were evacuated to Alcatraz, and by April 20 (two
days after the earthquake) the USS Chicago had reached San
Francisco, where it evacuated 20,000 refugees.

In 1906, the technology was primitive.
Why did it take five days for the cavalry to get to the Battle of New
Orleans last week?

NOLA's Fate Was Sealed

*CHRONOLOGY....Here's a timeline that outlines the fate of both FEMA and
flood control projects in New Orleans under the Bush administration.
Read it and weep:*

* • January 2001: Bush appoints Joe Allbaugh, a crony from Texas, as
head of FEMA. Allbaugh has no previous experience in disaster
management.*

* • April 2001: Budget Director Mitch Daniels announces the Bush
administration's goal of privatizing much of FEMA's work. In May,
Allbaugh confirms that FEMA will be downsized: "Many are concerned that
federal disaster assistance may have evolved into both an oversized
entitlement program...." he said. "Expectations of when the federal
government should be involved and the degree of involvement may have
ballooned beyond what is an appropriate level."*

* • 2001: FEMA designates a major hurricane hitting New Orleans as one
of the three "likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing this
country."*

* • December 2002: After less than two years at FEMA, Allbaugh
announces he is leaving to start up a consulting firm that advises
companies seeking to do business in Iraq. He is succeeded by his
deputy, Michael Brown, who, like Allbaugh, has no previous experience
in disaster management.*

* • March 2003: FEMA is downgraded from a cabinet level position and
folded into the Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is
refocused on fighting acts of terrorism.*

* • 2003: Under its new organization chart within DHS, FEMA's
preparation and planning functions are reassigned to a new Office of
Preparedness and Response. FEMA will henceforth focus only on response
and recovery.*

* • Summer 2004: FEMA denies Louisiana's pre-disaster mitigation
funding requests. Says Jefferson Parish flood zone manager Tom
Rodrigue: "You would think we would get maximum consideration....This
is what the grant program called for. We were more than qualified for
it."*

* • June 2004: The Army Corps of Engineers budget for levee
construction in New Orleans is slashed. Jefferson Parish emergency
management chiefs Walter Maestri comments: "It appears that the money
has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security
and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay."*

* • June 2005: Funding for the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers is cut by a record $71.2 million. One of the
hardest-hit areas is the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control
Project, which was created after the May 1995 flood to improve drainage
in Jefferson, Orleans and St. Tammany parishes.*

* • August 2005: While New Orleans is undergoing a slow motion
catastrophe, Bush mugs for the cameras, cuts a cake for John McCain,
plays the guitar for Mark Wills, delivers an address about V-J day, and
continues with his vacation. When he finally gets around to
acknowledging the scope of the unfolding disaster, he delivers only a
photo op on Air Force One and a flat, defensive, laundry list speech in
the Rose Garden.*

Levee Breach WAS Predicted

"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."
- President Bush, September 1, 2005

Well, he got the first three words right.