Archive for the ‘Terrorism’ Category

TSA Has A Blog

Sunday, February 10th, 2008

The TSA blog, Evolution of Security, is an honest-to-goodness attempt to communicate with the public and (here's the shocker) listen to feedback. The bloggers are employees who are free to write in a casual blogging style. One made a joke about heavy drinking in New Orleans on Fat Tuesday. Responses range ...

How (Not) to Do FISA Reform

Wednesday, October 10th, 2007

Here is a letter I just sent to Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ), my elected representative, with added links: Dear Rep. Sires, I am a voter in your district, and I am writing in regards to H.R. 3773, the RESTORE Act. I urge you not to support this legislation unless it meets two ...

Torture: As Seen on TV

Friday, March 2nd, 2007

Much media violence research focuses on at-risk populations, such as the imitation of violent scenes among children. The U.S. Army has recognized its own cadets as another sort of at-risk population, it seems, requesting that Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer on TV's 24) visit West Point to tell cadets that torture ...

Maine rejects federal Real ID Act

Friday, January 26th, 2007

The state of Maine has passed a resolution refusing to implement the Real ID Act. The federal law, passed in 2005, orders states to adopt Department of Homeland Security-approved ID cards. It also requires citizens to have one of these cards or other federally-approved ID, such as a passport, to fly, ...

Man sets himself on fire, barely makes a news ripple

Monday, December 4th, 2006

On November 3, Malachi Ritscher set himself on fire near a Chicago expressway in protest of the Iraq war. Police couldn't definitively identify him for days. A friend later got a package in the mail with an explanation, a will, and a key to Ritscher's apartment. The story hit the AP ...

American travelers to get secret “Risk Assessment” scores

Friday, December 1st, 2006

You think the credit scoring system isn't Big Brother enough? Wait until Monday, when the Department of Homeland Security rolls out its "Risk Assessment" scores for travelers. See this EFF link for more on this nefarious plot. Like the "No Fly" list, you'll be unable to see where you stand (does ...

the NSA wiretapping program ruled unconstitutional

Thursday, August 17th, 2006

This blog is not all about bad news! Judge Anna Diggs Taylor from Detroit is the first judge to rule about the legality of the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping program - it was justified as necessary for battling terrorism but is now found to violate the rights to free ...

New AT&T slogan: “Reach out and tap someone”

Friday, May 12th, 2006

I wish I were the clever person who came up with that quip. Nope, it was Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), who (in an unrelated story) is also the hero of the hour in the network neutrality fight in the House. In case you missed it, USA Today (in a shocking fit ...

Skittish New World

Thursday, April 6th, 2006

In London, a British man was escorted from a plane by police because a tip from his cab driver indicated he could be a terrorist. Who knew it could be so dangerous to sing along to the Clash's "London Calling"?

I Get To Be The Cowboy Hat

Thursday, March 23rd, 2006

Every once in a while, some legislator tries to argue that games are not protected speech because they have no narrative or message. To them, I offer Patriot Act: The Home Version, a parody of Monopoly. The Philly Inquirer reports: Designed by a New Jersey graphic artist and Arab civil-rights advocate, ...