You thought maybe the TSA was the fedgov’s worst example of idiotic “security”? Hey, at least the TSA puts on an impressive pretense. OTOH, it appears that the Office of Personnel Management actually gave root access for all those now-hacked personnel files to contractors in Argentina and … yes, here it comes: China. How Orange is the New Black misrepresents women’s federal prisons. Yes, but it’s a good show. And the memoir it’s based on is even better. More lesbian sex in the Netflix version, but the horror of petty people in power comes across even more strongly in the…
Category: Privacy and self ownership
Owning our own information and telling Big Brother to get lost
Yes, Schadenfreude is so ignoble. But: Former N.J. police chief gets a SWAT visit. Over a “personnel issue.” (H/T DB) And since David Codrea doesn’t seem to be doing them at the moment: here’s another “only one” for ya. Tragic one. Who hires creeps like this? Oh, any old PD looking for a good intimidator. Geronimo: birth of a resolute leader. Paul Bonneau finds a use for the U.S. Constitution after all. Oh, Texas! You are making some interesting moves. Yes, you are. Why is the media ignoring a “cyber Pearl Harbor”? The disposable life of a confidential informant. Only…
Hastert may be a criminal. But other feds are worse. (Never mind that Hastert and his ilk made them worse.) I admit it. Maeve Binchy, the mega-selling Irish author of simple domestic tales, is one of my guilty girly pleasures. Binchy died in 2012 of heart problems. While looking for something completely unrelated to her health, I stumbled upon this nice article about how she made the best of her initial diagnosis. Inspiring. The fedgov has recently made it 5x more expensive to do. But Americans are again surrendering their citizenship in small but record-setting numbers. (Tip o’ hat to…
Failing direct means, this is typical of how the ‘crat class will try to curtail firearms. And, of course, free speech. OTOH, sometimes in their zeal to control they squeeze so hard that … well, you know how that works. TSA: there’s just no excuse for the groping any more. Edward Snowden is cautiously optimistic. Man. Talk about fangrrl journalism. “Why Beau Biden’s death is devastating to the entire country.” How come nobody ever told Jesus that a $65 million jet was absolutely necessary to spread his word? So you already know that the FBI is creates most domestic terrorist…
PayPal wants to have a little robo-chat with you. (H/T MJR) This one’s weird. Turns out there could be a correlation — no known causation, but an enormous correlation — between using painkillers and committing homicide. Even ordinary OTC products like ibuprofen (Gotta be some anomaly in that study. Gotta be.) Don’t let the Wookie win when the Wookie is brute superstition. Sacred Rage. “It would be foolish indeed for a government that has lost a string of wars in “backward” foreign lands to think, even with its military and police power and surveillance apparatus, that it could suppress an…
Deep Web. Looks like an intriguing documentary. (H/T GL) Why does Google want to harvest and store your media for “free”? The four most dangerous words in the English language. (Tip o’ hat to MJR) And 24+ words that ought to be in the English language. (Ditto — and not all the words are SFW.) As usual, The Onion has the best commentary on our newly granted “FREEDOM” from NSA snooping and scooping. (H/T jed) Well, maybe. Millennials are destroying banks and the banks are to blame. Dunno if it’s worth $100k to learn the dreadful details of the secret…
“How Baltimore Became Pottersville.” Bovard riffs on the glories of HUD. Why Mozilla’s decision to attempt to push all sites from http to https
The case against modern science. Fom the editor of one of the world’s most eminent medical journals. (H/T SC) It’s the time of year for dragging up old commencement speeches. The best ever, of course, was from J.K. Rowling at Harvard in 2008. But two years ago, Joss Whedon gave one as only he could give it. Senate panel gives the okay for medical marijuana for veterans. It’s a step. And at the fed level where steps are badly needed. But oh! The horror! We’ll soon all be home-brewing heroin. The government! Must! DO SOMETHING! About this! (Tip o’ hat…
So … how much impact, if any, do you think Obama’s ban carefully structured limitation on further cop militarization will have? (H/T MJR) Only in the 21st century: Social Network Dysmorphia. Incoming Boston University professor Saida Grundy first made news with a series of racist, sexist, and historically ignorant tweets. But that was so last week. It’s even hard to find those tweets now, since news came out that she also trolled and taunted a white rape victim. And acted like a generally arrogant ass, besides. Teach your children well, folks. ‘Cause “higher education” is increasingly unlikely to do it.…
The Boy Scouts: doing their best to close the gender gap. (Yeah, don’t ask me how that became their mission.) By Eagle Scout Jim Bovard. And don’t even get my friendly local Scout leaders started on the Michelle Obama-inspired (recently) new requirements for the cooking badge. Where’d the fun go? Any kid who had to learn cooking that way would probably avoid the kitchen for the rest of his life. You want to be treated with dignity? Behave with dignity. (Via ML who, like me, doesn’t agree with all Ringer’s points but thinks the overall piece is spot on.) Six…