meet the new boss

09Mar09

When the Bush administration asterisked the bill of rights with claims of executive privilege and state secrets they woke many a citizen to the frailty of our system. The so-called city on a hill, that shining beacon of moral authority, the most powerful military state on the planet– a country of more than 300 million people–was ready to sacrifice its constitution for the safety offered up by an unchecked executive branch.

Yes our concept of checks and balances, co-equal branches of government, and the rule of law were nice ideas, but when faced with the hard reality of guys with box cutters it was those in the choir of American exceptionalism (ironically many of the same voices who use American ideals as justification for all sorts of expansionist policies) who were among the first to advocate sacrificing liberty for a little security.

Now it appears the Obama administration is ready to pick up where these self-styled pragmatists left off. For those of us concerned with matters of liberty over partisanship this is nothing if not frustrating. If you haven’t been tracking these issues read on and weigh in:

Wiretapping, FISA, and privacy: Obama vs. Courts, Obama Channels Cheney

Extraordinary rendition: Obama preserves renditions as counter-terrorism tool.

Obama on Surveillance of Citizens: Obama Goes to Bat for Secrecy.

Telecom Immunity: Obama Administration Supports Telco Spy Immunity , Obama loses state secrets argument setting up possible judicial showdown


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a party underwater

10Dec08

party underwaterAs the Republican party finally sinks into that vast ocean of ill-will it has generated over the past 8 years, it’s worth remembering that the elections of 2008 were simply the latest battle in a broader political and cultural war with historical roots reaching back many decades.

While the modern Republican party is apparently looking for a way to escape the toxicity they so adroitly and perhaps permanently attached to their brand, voters would be wise to remember the precedents in Republican governance that led us to this point and be cautious of any re-invention that does not specifically address the historical positions of the party with regards to these particular events:

McCarthyism and the Red Scare, Watergate and Nixon’s use and understanding of executive power, the Vietnam-era anti-war movement, the civil rights movement and the Voting Rights Act of 1964, the Church Committee and intelligence operations conducted by the government upon its own people, the Iran Contra affair and Reagan’s use and understanding of executive power; and George W. Bush’s use and understanding of executive power and the so-called “Bush doctrine” in consideration of the “Downing Street Memos,” the pre-emptive war doctrine, international law and the Geneva conventions, extraordinary rendition, torture, suspension of habeas corpus, warrantless illegal spying, FISA and the granting of retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies who knowingly violated the law.


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CEO logic

25Nov08

CEO Logic

If we learned one thing from last week’s meeting of the well-heeled and the well-jowled, it would that it’s not always easy to tell the two apart. If we learned anything else, it would be that CEOs of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors love their private jets –possibly more than they love their businesses.

“It would be insane if this country stopped designing and building automobiles and trucks,” said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA). “It would also be insane if the top executives from the three automakers came here on private jets. I’m going to ask the three executives here to raise their hand if they flew here commercial. Let the record show no hands went up. Second, I’m going to ask you to raise your hand if you’re planning to sell your jet in place now and fly back commercial. Let the record show no hands went up. I don’t know how I go back to my constituents and say the auto industry has changed if they own private jets which are not only expensive to own but expensive to operate and expensive to fly here rather than to have flown commercial.”

“There is a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, D.C., and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hand, saying that they’re going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses,” Rep. Gary Ackerman, (D-NY) told the CEOs.

“It’s almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo. It kind of makes you a little bit suspicious…couldn’t you all have downgraded to first class or jet-pooled or something to get here? It would have at least sent a message that you do get it.”

Watch full video of CEO testimony before the House here and the Senate here.


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Verizon snoops Obama

21Nov08

Verizon has once again demonstrated that they cannot be entrusted with their customer’s private data. It was revealed today that multiple Verizon employees have accessed President-elect Obama’s cell phone records without authorization. The employees have apparently been put on paid leave until further notice.

According to telecom analyst Michael King of Gartner, the snoops could likely see the numbers Obama had called, how long his conversations lasted and when he made his calls.

Those who argue that such data is trivial might consider the apparent ease of obtaining a position with access to a President-elect’s personal information, and how that access could potentially be exploited. So while the intentions and associations of these employees is for the moment obscure, one thing is clear: Verizon’s existing safeguards on customer data are inadequate.

The incident is reminiscent of a time earlier this year when State Department employees were caught snooping in Obama’s passport records as well as those of fellow presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain.

Data management systems at companies like Verizon should be engineered in such a way as to make unauthorized access of customer data impossible. Customers should have the option of locking their accounts with a password and telecom employees should not have access to those accounts until they are remotely unlocked by the customer.

Obama is no doubt only one of many citizen’s having their privacy violated by cellular companies like Verizon. In fact a 2006 lawsuit filed against Verizon alleges the existence of a third party data center being operated out of Quantico Virginia — home to a Marines base as well as the center of FBI surveillance operations– where eavesdroppers could access “all content and all information concerning the origin and termination of telephone calls placed on the Verizon Wireless network as well as the actual content of calls.” For more on this bit head over to Wired or the Electronic Frontier Foundation.


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a new day

05Nov08

a new dayI walked around today and couldn’t help but think to myself that we are living in a different world. There was impromptu music, dancing, and marching in my city’s streets last night and I could feel a tangible difference in the popular sentiment today.

For today at least, it seemed that people were more polite on the road and strangers more friendly with one another. It does indeed seem like some degree of hope has come back to the people of my town.

Everyone I’ve talked to seems to agree that with Mr. Obama’s election our country has taken one giant step in the right direction. These are truly historic times and it’s really something to be a part of.


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