What's new about this? Well I'll tell you: It used to be that companies and ALEC just wrote the laws for politicians. Now they write the speeches and letters, too.
...and you thought your representatives couldn't do any less.
Wow! Finally, we've found efficiency in government. DOE has hired people specifically for the purpose of more rapidly saying, "No!!"
I imagine a giant piece of paper on the wall, describing the process every FOIA rejection officer is required to follow. No fancy decisions, boxes, cycles or any of that other waste: A lozenge at the top labeled "Start here" and another one just below, connected by a line and labelled "Reject request."
Isn't it truly amazing how on the one hand you can be certain that (as revealed here) every company's network must be under NSA surveillance and any NSA employee (current or former) who interferes with those aims and goals is a traitor...
...and then when you resign you are just as certain that interfering with NSA's aims and goals is "good and profitable business" and that you are a lily-white patriot?
So it seems either he's a dyed in the wool hypocrite, or you can't trust him near any of your company's computers. If I owned a company, and he told me the sky was blue or that hammers released in a gravity field fall, I'd triple-check before I paid him a dime.
Soooo...now let's take a second look at the companies that signed up for his services. Maybe they're hiring him knowingly to set up company (and government) surveillance on their customers? Military-industrial complex in action?
They will no longer have to worry about that guy recording from across the street. Now they can just kill his phone when he's taking inconvenient video.
There is truth in this, which is why we need government.
Conservatives have an underlying "theology" that everything should be privatized, because, "
The private sector can do everything cheaper and more efficiently.
Unfortunately, the private sector must also be able to make a profit, which means that despite the above "theology", the private sector can not do everything.
So if we need a vaccine for Ebola, West Nile, or equine encephalitis, and the private sector cannot do these at a profit, shall we all then simply die?
So I propose a corollary to the privatization "theology":
Those things that the private sector cannot or will not do, that are needful, must be done by the public sector.
So in this case, since the private sector cannot make an Ebola vaccine at a profit, and if we need an Ebola virus (which I think is a given based on its contagiousness and mortality) then it falls to government.
The problem is that the private sector bias overrides in every case, so that even when we desperately need a solution, if the private sector can't do it at a profit, well we just do without.
These crimes were authorized by one or more of: George W Bush, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, George Tenet, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, or John Ashcroft.
This is the only thing they could think of that sounded like...Terrorism!
It's really for surveillance, but that is just so unpopular these days that they needed to find the obligatory terrorism connection to keep the vict*... citizens quiet.
No, no, that's too little. But for 15% more... (Because you know their new estimate will work out to be $380,000,000.01.)
In any case, I'm sure the companies are horrified: The judge is demanding a whole 1.94 hours more of their annual net income (13.14 hours instead of 11.20). How can they possibly expect to make a profit under such conditions?
I'm sure they've learned their lesson and will be much more circumspect about their future blacklisting programs.
On the post: Hypocrisy In Action: Stingray Maker, Who Relies On Secret No Bid Contracts, Whines About Motorola Getting A No Bid Contract
Sour grapes
At least, that's what they would have said about another complainant if they'd received the no-bid.
On the post: Turns Out When Police Act Cordial, Rather Than As An Oppressive Military Force, Things Work Out Better
But, but, but...
On the post: NY Politician's Letter Supporting Comcast/Time Warner Cable Either Written By Comcast Or Plagiarized From Comcast
Representatives do less--news at 11
...and you thought your representatives couldn't do any less.
On the post: State Treasurer Cites Anomalous Kidnapping Case, Office Distraction In Denying Newspaper Access To State Pension Fund Records
Re:
On the post: Specially-Designated 'FOIA Denial Officers' Are Handling The Dept. Of Education's Rejected Requests
Efficiency in government
I imagine a giant piece of paper on the wall, describing the process every FOIA rejection officer is required to follow. No fancy decisions, boxes, cycles or any of that other waste: A lozenge at the top labeled "Start here" and another one just below, connected by a line and labelled "Reject request."
What could be more efficient than that?
On the post: Snowden: NSA Was Building 'Automated' System To Hit Back At Perceived Cyberattacks
Re: Check this out, fellas:
On the post: Snowden: NSA Was Building 'Automated' System To Hit Back At Perceived Cyberattacks
Why are we hiring Alexander again?
...and then when you resign you are just as certain that interfering with NSA's aims and goals is "good and profitable business" and that you are a lily-white patriot?
So it seems either he's a dyed in the wool hypocrite, or you can't trust him near any of your company's computers. If I owned a company, and he told me the sky was blue or that hammers released in a gravity field fall, I'd triple-check before I paid him a dime.
Soooo...now let's take a second look at the companies that signed up for his services. Maybe they're hiring him knowingly to set up company (and government) surveillance on their customers? Military-industrial complex in action?
On the post: Los Angeles Police Develop Sudden Privacy Concerns When Someone Flies A Drone Over Their Parking Lot
Accountability
On the post: Bad Idea: California Legislature Passes Bill To Mandate Mobile Phone Kill Switches
Police take a huge sigh of relief
On the post: Is It A Shakedown When The Gov't Does It? SEC Much Less Likely To Prosecute You If You're A Big Campaign Funder
Not a shakedown
On the post: DOJ Report Details The Massive Amount Of Violence Committed By Rikers Island Staff Against Adolescent Inmates
It's all relative
On the post: Judge Gives DOJ Until The End Of The Month To Submit Declassified Opinion Containing FISA Court's Justifications For The Section 215 Program
Opinion withheld due to budgetary concern
On the post: Why Is The FCC Only Holding Net Neutrality Meetings In DC?
Who knew?
On the post: Ebola Cure Not Fully Developed Because Big Pharma Not Interested In Saving Lives Of Poor People In Africa
Re: Where's the cure for confirmation bias?
Conservatives have an underlying "theology" that everything should be privatized, because, "
Unfortunately, the private sector must also be able to make a profit, which means that despite the above "theology", the private sector can not do everything.
So if we need a vaccine for Ebola, West Nile, or equine encephalitis, and the private sector cannot do these at a profit, shall we all then simply die?
So I propose a corollary to the privatization "theology":
So in this case, since the private sector cannot make an Ebola vaccine at a profit, and if we need an Ebola virus (which I think is a given based on its contagiousness and mortality) then it falls to government.
The problem is that the private sector bias overrides in every case, so that even when we desperately need a solution, if the private sector can't do it at a profit, well we just do without.
It should not be that way.
On the post: About Freaking Time: New York Times Will Finally Start Calling CIA Torture Practices 'Torture'
Re: Conspiracy to Torture
What penalty should they receive?
On the post: Reagan Biographer Claims 'Copyright Infringement' Because Another Biographer Used The Same Facts
Re:
On the post: Reagan Biographer Claims 'Copyright Infringement' Because Another Biographer Used The Same Facts
Bad ol' infringer me
On the post: San Jose Police Dept. Spends Two Years Denying Any Interest In Drones Before Apologizing And Handing Over Documents
Re: Yeah, now it has a specifc use...
It's really for surveillance, but that is just so unpopular these days that they needed to find the obligatory terrorism connection to keep the vict*... citizens quiet.
On the post: DailyDirt: Transporting Your Fast Food
Food bad as ever
(Mandatory disclaimer: I am a junk food junkie.)
On the post: Big Silicon Valley Firms Aren't Going To Get Off That Easily For Their Anti-Poaching Agreements
A pittance and a bit...
In any case, I'm sure the companies are horrified: The judge is demanding a whole 1.94 hours more of their annual net income (13.14 hours instead of 11.20). How can they possibly expect to make a profit under such conditions?
I'm sure they've learned their lesson and will be much more circumspect about their future blacklisting programs.
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