shouting loudly

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 from sardonic or hostile to [...]

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 key conditions.
First, the bill must [...]

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 is not okay. Citing the [...]

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, open a bank account, or [...]

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 on November 26, and the [...]

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 this post add to my [...]

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 speech, privacy as well as [...]

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 of investigative journalism) reported yesterday [...]

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”?

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, Patriot Act: The Home Version [...]