Things That Make You Go Hmmmmmm. Disturbing on many levels.

The FBI can place a wiretap on almost any telecommunication device with the click of a mouse.

But the documents show that an internal 2003 audit uncovered numerous security vulnerabilities in DCSNet -- many of which mirror problems unearthed in the bureau's Carnivore application years earlier.

In particular, the DCS-3000 machines lacked adequate logging, had insufficient password management, were missing antivirus software, allowed unlimited numbers of incorrect passwords without locking the machine, and used shared logins rather than individual accounts.

The system also required that DCS-3000's user accounts have administrative privileges in Windows, which would allow a hacker who got into the machine to gain complete control.

Columbia's Bellovin says the flaws are appalling and show that the FBI fails to appreciate the risk from insiders.

In spite of the security flaws, the government is spending massive sums of money for this network. You can follow the money trail right to ATT and the other telecoms. They make ten times as much money per wiretap

I'm getting pissed. Isn't anyone else? Paul Newman sent me a letter today asking me to send money to elect Democratic senators. I'm going to contribute. But..I'm giving my money to the ACLU and the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) because of their proven track record.

Don't worry, Paul. I'll chip in my fifty bucks. But I think that we all are being duped. Because, this spy network isn't a partisan issue.  ¶ 10:22 PM 0 comments

  Happy Full Moon. The next one is on September 11.  ¶ 8:00 PM 0 comments

  The Social Security Funds Of Illegal Aliens. Or The Case Of The Dirty Hands. This issue is really a no-brainer, unless you happen to be a conservative, concerned with conserving your own money.

According to the Senior Citizens League, the amount of Social Security funds that do not match government records almost doubled in the last five years when compared to the 63 previous years since 1937.

So, let me see if I got this straight. Our country has allowed the big agribusinesses and just about anyone to hire illegal aliens without any legal consequences. Large corporations have benefited from cheap labor by making tidy sums for themselves and their shareholders. Individual Americans have stolen jobs from their fellow Americans by knowingly hiring illegal aliens. Let's see now. Just what are we going to do with the social security money that the government took out of the workers' pay checks?

Illegal aliens are illegal, but so is hiring them. These illegal employers are not just corporate entities, but also individuals who invited these foreigners into their homes to clean their houses and take care of their children. How big of a problem would there have been if the legal Americans had followed the law? These cheapskates placed a huge security risk on their fellow Americans, while at the same time taking good paying jobs away from their fellow citizens. Illegal workers can't claim workman's comp, and their employers don't have to pay their bills either. Illegal workers don't have to pay taxes, not that they are at the high end of any pay scale, but still. Illegal workers are subsidized by illegal employers.

I'm sick of the immigration debate. I think we should go after the crooks, all of them, on a case by case basis. There are names on all of those checks, and the checks were signed by someone.

The no-brainer is that the money that went into Social Security accounts initially belonged to the workers, not the government. Who defrauded whom here? We live in a global society, and it would take an international court of law to decide this case impartially.   ¶ 7:55 AM 0 comments

  Fidel Castro Is Dead. Or he will be. One thing is for certain. Castro doesn't pay taxes.

There's some serious rl melodrama going on this weekend. Fellow third world leader (vague grammar intended) Manuel Noriega just might be keeping a secret about the Bush family. This could be even more entertaining than a Spanish novela.  ¶ 12:42 PM 0 comments

  Politics Is Boring Me. I'm sure that there is a perfectly good reason why Al Gore tells me just how much he wants to save the environment, while at the same time, he maintains that being the most powerful political leader on the planet just isn't the right place to do it. He must know that I would never use harmful chemicals to erase the stupid sign that's stamped on my forehead.

Hillary Clinton, up until this week, had done an outstanding job in keeping me from thinking about just how unelectable she really is. Did I really think that the prospect of First Man, Bill, in the White House was a non issue? I hadn't really thought about it until Hillary made some galactically stupid statement about the American people, the GOP, and terrorism. She was speaking at a house party in Connecticut, of all places.

And Barack Hussein Obama, after collected more money than any of his opponents, is floundering. What's up with that?

Cheney has a gun and some secret documents. I thought that this was comical. Meanwhile, in Washington, Wonderland, the ACLU appears to be getting more accomplished in the name of justice than Patrick Leahy. As head of the Senate Judiciary Committee and one of the most powerful men in the United States, you'd think that Pat could do more than issue threats and get a role in a Bat Man movie.

Wan J. Kim, head of civil rights in the justice department, just quit. Ho hum. Hell, Karl Rove quit, and it barely made a headline.

On a similar note, the Feds will have to pay Jeff and Nicole Rank $80000. They got arrested for wearing an anti Bush t-shirt. I could write a book - Close Encounters With The Fourth Branch Of The Government, Or How I Learned To Love Fascism. There's a list of close encounters with Cheney here somewhere.

This weekend, I'm busy working on my hurricane preparedness list. I spent the morning looking into back up power for my house. I'm going to buy a 1500 watt power converter. I have an old sears diehard battery which I can use as a trade-in to buy a high grade marine battery. When there's a hurricane warning, I can just charge the battery and hook it up with the converter. My ceramic stovetop got busted, so I'm replacing it with a small natural gas range. In the event of an emergency, I will need to power a small fridge, air conditioner, tv, laptop, and light. I hate generators. It is sooooo quiet when there is no power for miles and miles and that loud hummmmm just gets on my worse nerve. However, when I get enough money, I plan on buying a small propane generator. It's hell going through a major hurricane without adequate back up power.  ¶ 10:01 AM 0 comments

  The Eclipse Is Over.
The eye held together and the hurricane did actually get stronger as the storm hit land (Mahuacan (sp)?) for the first time. A historic storm. And now I'd better get to work!

UHMET .  ¶ 3:37 AM 0 comments

  Dios Les Bendiga.
I'm listening to LoveFM in Belize. You can feel the love in English and Spanish. No sat feeds until after Dean makes landfall. However, you can still catch Dean make landfall here.

At 8:35 p.m., Dean was officially declared a Cat 5. I started blogging Dean when he hadn't even reached hurricane status. Now, he is the most powerful force on the planet, bearing down on Chetumal, Mexico. David vs Goliath. If Dean maintains his present track, this will be the 4th hit Chetumal has taken since 1940.

Cat 5 = total destruction. Even worse, Dean will be strengthening as he makes landfall. Only the third such cat 5 storm.  ¶ 9:53 PM 0 comments

  Dean's Track. UHMET.  ¶ 7:32 PM 0 comments

  Total Eclipse. Check it out and pray for a west wobble. You can get power 106 here.  ¶ 6:04 PM 0 comments

  The Eye.
is 26 miles offshore. May Pen is at about 17.9N and the eyewall is at about 17.8N
  ¶ 5:41 PM 0 comments

  Time To Pray.
The link to power 106 FM Go Jamaica just went dead and then went back up again. Jamaica's on the verge of getting hit by the northern eye wall. The winds are coming in from the N and aren't that strong right now. When the hurricane gets under the island and those winds start battering the coast from the south it is going to get rough, especially for the eastern portion of the island.

There was too much static on Power 106, so I switched to NationWide Radio.  ¶ 1:50 PM 0 comments

  Oklahoma. Where The Tropical Storms Go Sweeping Down The Plain.
Holy Smokes. Erin is regaining strength. Does that mean that there's a cat 1 hurricane forming over Oklahoma? Storm2k has all the snark.   ¶ 12:03 PM 0 comments

  Feed Me.

UW
NOAA(flt1)
NOAA(pr)  ¶ 9:17 AM 0 comments

  Holy Mother. Eyewall replacement is nearly complete. Dean is cranking it up and only Jamaica is standing in his way. The only thing we can be doing now is praying.

The models are showing Dean hitting the Yucatan at 192 mph! And while I'm talking about models, how about giving a huge shout out to the NHC. They nailed it.  ¶ 7:50 AM 0 comments

  Hurricane Dean.
Click on the eye of hurricane Dean to see an interesting eye formation. And don't forget to click on the title.

Dean appears to be headed for the Yucatan Peninsula and then is expected to end up somewhere along the Texas-Mexican coast. He took only four days to reach cat 4 status, soon to be a cat 5. The storm will impact Jamaica in 36 hours. At least three people have already died. My heart goes out to the islanders as this monster makes its way across the Caribbean. Warm waters, no wind shear. Deja vu ... Gilbert.   ¶ 1:46 AM 0 comments

  Hurricane Blogging. Things in the tropics are heating up. 91L is now a TD and appears to be headed toward Texas. Dean is expected to be a major hurricane by the time it reaches the Lesser Antilles. Hurricane status is indicated in 48 hours. The track is quite clear. WNW through 5 days.

I broke up with the guy in the pic. I'm sure he thinks I am having second doubts, considering the fact that he's a roofer. Maybe I should have waited until after hurricane season. Not!

In any event, I predict that most folks will be very well prepared. After Wilma every, I repeat every, there wasn't one traffic light functioning. It was quite remarkable, a four way stop sign at each and every traffic light. People learned fast and behaved. My city has been putting up huge hurricane proof (we'll see) traffic lights. They have managed to cover all the major intersections. Preparedness is down to a science.

I buy my supplies early and never have a problem getting my non perishables and water. I have have learned what tastes good coming out of a warm can. FEMA did a nice job assembling the food packs. The applesauce was very good, and the chicken and dumplings were quite memorable. I didn't much care for the Beefaroni, but the macaroni and cheese wasn't bad.

My local Dunkin Donuts opened up the day after the storm. I will forever be a loyal customer. There is nothing like getting out for a cup of hot coffee and and mingling with the neighbors, when your electricity and phone are out for two weeks. It took me a half an hour to drive to Dunkin Donuts and and a half an hour to drive back (it's two traffic lights away.) My next door neighbor made a run to a Cuban restaurant in Hialeah every day. I had to force her to take the money even though she wasn't well off. I received someone's FEMA check by mistake. I hand delivered it to the check's rightful owner myself. She was so grateful, but everyone was like that. Helping out each other.

Those two weeks were quite an experience. I'm dreading another Wilma.
  ¶ 11:25 PM 0 comments

  The River Of Grass. Holylands in the dry season. That's me (in the spotlight, losing my religion.) And, yes, we don't venture off the levees and we take the beer cans with us.
Our country has successfully persuaded the UN to take the Everglades off the international list of endangered wildernesses. Now, can anyone tell me exactly why one wouldn't want the wilderness to receive as much protection as possible?  ¶ 11:58 PM 0 comments