Category Archives: insecurity

obama does his homework

Had the chance to see Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) speak today on the subject of renewable energy and energy independence. It was a great speech, focusing primarily on the auto industry. He cited examples of Japanese and European automakers getting the point: that hybrid and alternative fuel technologies are for today, and that the demand

unwarranted credit

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) just claimed on Face The Nation that U.S. voters should vote for Republicans because BushCo “has prevented more attacks on us since 2001.” What a claim, given that virtually all of the action in stopping terror has happened due to the efforts of police efforts from Great Britain, Pakistan, Germany and

why u.s. airport security is nothing more than theatre

If you’ve flown in the U.S. in the past few years, you know the drill: Whip out ID and boarding pass Answer five-or-so questions about your luggage Have a TSA agent dust your bags for explosive residue Get in a long line for mag & bag Present your ID and boarding pass again Remove your

two approaches to anti-terrorist intelligence

DailyKos author “Hunter” gets a tip ‘o the hat for this insightful, brief analysis of how the UK is much more effective at countering terrorism without relying on extreme changes in law enforcement: Although we do not yet know the scope or details of today’s announced counterterrorism bust, it’s generally worth noting that the British

more on code red

Y’know, if BushCo had actually followed through in Afghanistan, rather than launch military action against a country that was no threat to us (or to its own region), perhaps we wouldn’t be asked to fly without beverages, books, iPods, etc. As Cory Doctorow points out, what’s happening now with so-called aviation security could easily be

terror alert red = get sick on planes

So the terror alert level is red for international travel (orange for domestic travel) after a major terror cell arrest in London. It was a major operation that targeted airplanes flying from the UK to the USA (specifically three airlines: American, Continental and United). The result? Travelers can’t carry any liquids with them on flights:

no, george, that’s not the way to go

Apparently the Bush administration wants to try and make itself and other U.S. officials immune from war crimes charges, further distancing itself from both the Geneva Conventions and any accountability for its flawed military actions: The Bush administration has drafted amendments to a war crimes law that would eliminate the risk of prosecution for political

just to clarify

I don’t condone what Hizbullah has done throughout this mess, either. I’ve never respected their tactics or their insistence on pedantic arguments to claim legitimacy. Nor do I believe that the Lebanese government’s “stop-or-I’ll-say-stop-again” inaction toward Hizbullah is helping matters. In a coalition government, it’s always possible to utilize the power of other coalition members

when words don’t mean anything

Israel has reneged on its 48-hour cease-fire. I guess that words don’t mean anything to Olmert and his gang of misguided hooligans. Did I mention that I have no respect for them?

keillor’s wit

I’ve always found the humor of Garrison Keillor to be top notch: subtle, yet biting, reflective upon the quirks (good and bad) about the United States and its overall condition. A Prairie Home Companion (and its short-lived intermi version, American Radio Theatre) has never failed to entertain, and Keillor’s books are fun reads on a