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Gilmore's regional arrest & interstate travel
by Major Variola (ret) 24 Nov '04

24 Nov '04

> John (under regional arrest) Gilmore The feds can't prohibit interstate travel, no? To visit 2 of the states, you must use a boat. Do boats require ID? I understand that trains now do. [Note that driving through a foreign country should not be required. To boat you pass out of US waters, into international, and back into US waters.] ----- Will DCite be greenish like trinitite, or is the swamp iron-poor?

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Suicide pigs fly to support Blunkett's War on Terror
by R.A. Hettinga 24 Nov '04

24 Nov '04

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/11/23/terror_scare_spin/print.html> The Register Biting the hand that feeds IT The Register B; Internet and Law B; Digital Rights/Digital Wrongs B; Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/11/23/terror_scare_spin/ Suicide pigs fly to support Blunkett's War on Terror By John Lettice (john.lettice at theregister.co.uk) Published Tuesday 23rd November 2004 11:44 GMT In an amazing coincidence, news of a thwarted 911-style terror attack on the UK emerged just hours before the Government was due to unveil a legislative programme chock-full of security-related goodies. The strangely fact-free story, available from the Mail, (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id= 328011&in_page_id=1770&ct=5) ITN (http://www.itv.com/news/index_957889.html) and The Scotsman, (http://news.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=1346532004) among others, is attributed to a "senior authoritative source", and Downing Street, the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police "declined to comment." As journalistic constructs designed to distance government from responsibility for the junk the spin doctors are handing out go, "senior authoritative source" is pretty esoteric. It's not 'Home Office sources', nor is 'sources close to the Home Office' - maybe it's not even 'informed sources', and our confidence in it is further undermined by the apparent need to say in the story that the source "who has no axe to grind, said that the threats were real and were not deliberately exaggerated for political purposes." When you have to put in your story, 'look, I know you're all going to think this is junk made up by the Government to coincide with the Queens speech, but it's not, OK?', you are in bad shape.? The Government's intention now will be to let this one lie (as it were), and just smugly decline to comment. David Blunkett, who heads up the newly-merged Ministries of Fear and Truth, has however had trouble controlling his mouth on previous occasions. Earlier this year the man who is not running a fear-inspired campaign to justify his terror measures cited (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3607141.stm) a thwarted chemical bomb plot as justifying them. The chemical in question was, even in the views of the terror rentaquotes, (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3603961.stm) a peculiar choice for a bomb that would do anything apart from, er, inspire terror, and it later transpired that nobody had actually been arrested (http://www.spiked-online.com/articles/0000000CA4C2.htm) and that none of the strange and ineffective bomb-making chemical osmium tetroxide may even have been acquired. There were actual arrests in another chemical bomb scare (http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/11/17/tube.terror/) (although in that report John Prescott seems weirdly off-message). Unhappily, as this valuable sweeping up (http://www.salaam.co.uk/themeofthemonth/january03_index.php?l=52%82%22=0") of terror-scare aftermaths reports, none of them was ever convicted of terrorism-related activities. One of the three was sentenced to three months for possession of a fake French passport. What percentage of fake ID holders are terrorists, Mr Blunkett? But back to today's events. Among the 'sensible preemptive measures' to be announced today we have the ID scheme bill, and just last week David Blunkett was pre-spinning the matter in his speech to the IPPR. The transcript of this now available, (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/docs3/identitycards_041118speech.htm) and we note with some interest that David, who assures us he does not use terror scares to sell repression, says: "Now people say to me that they don't believe for a minute ID cards would actually help in terms of being able to track or prevent terrorist activity and they say 'It didn't stop the terrorist attack in Madrid in March, did it?' And the answer is: 'no it didn't' and I have never claimed that it would have done." A little research provides an example of trustworthy and truthful David not saying that very thing. In the Breakfast with Frost (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/breakfast_with_frost/3657219.stm) interview in April, which is rapidly acquiring 'seminal' status, he said: "Firstly because we've got biometrics, I mean, people say to me you couldn't stop the World Trade Center attack, you couldn't stop the Madrid bombing with ID cards. Well, you couldn't with, of course because the Americans although they have an insurance system, do not have an ID card as you know." "The Spanish do. But it isn't a foolproof biometric card with a database, with the ability to test not only the card vis-a-vis the database, but actually the person and the card they hold. That's what will be potentially possible." Which, we'll grant, is not saying the ID scheme would have stopped Madrid, but it does look a bit like saying Madrid happened because the Spanish had the 'wrong kind of ID card', while we, of course... More later, after the rich lady sings, no doubt... B. - -- - ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 1336 iQEVAwUBQaT7ZcUCGwxmWcHhAQEFOgf/YOsv1LvmnOeC6ArryPqf8qFXY+nl8qVB GuNjg398lnGWuJqWBq9EVf+TILXh1zeO4vOfFBC9agrdqBVsLsl0wFbgm9ylgDA+ +XnOV0oBXhMWWPrXDJn6h8YVHyT96Sd593wKJSTUcs7eQOAXaHMhYQCrg1Kg5hOH TtNIijBHACaWOv9rkt8CczmmAjypmT0zLP/VXB65Q3zwlaLFBZiNzjJUcyr/9vbB VPI1tOGyuqsPm5X1GfVXSmd3Nx96sr2fPcfSwD+huSrlh7MzxLPh9WbMfXGBs/96 k8EO8Hk8cQmBut/8g4ZHTe2nNCWBUp4LQoOnPFiecdSXvuvRf/aNyg== =LcB1 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Homeland Security's Request For Student Data Stirs Concern
by R.A. Hettinga 24 Nov '04

24 Nov '04

<http://online.wsj.com/article_print/0,,SB110125761251482555,00.html> The Wall Street Journal November 24, 2004 POLITICS AND POLICY Homeland Security's Request For Student Data Stirs Concern By ALONSO SOTO and ROBERT BLOCK Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL November 24, 2004; Page A4 WASHINGTON -- A Homeland Security Department campaign to make schoolchildren better prepared for terrorist attacks is raising concerns about making them more vulnerable to identity theft as well. The department's preparedness form, which went out as part of the "Ready" campaign in September and October, asks that students in junior and senior high school carry around a form that includes their Social Security number, birth date and home address, as well those of their parents and siblings. The move first caused an outcry in Rhode Island when a consumer fraud investigator brought it to the attention of Patrick Lynch, the state attorney general. Mr. Lynch responded by firing off a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge requesting that he revise the form immediately. "While I do agree that it is important for families to have a plan in the event of an emergency, I believe this particular form is capable of more harm than good," he said in the letter dated Oct. 14. He said he was particularly concerned about the part of the form that exhorts: "Take this out of your agenda, fill it out with family and make copies to keep in your schoolbag and in visible locations at home." Mr. Lynch said that asking children to carry around such information was an invitation to identity thieves because teenagers frequently lose or misplace their backpacks. Mr. Lynch said in a phone interview yesterday that he has yet to receive any response from Homeland Security. Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse denied that the government was encouraging identity theft, saying that people worried about such problems could choose to leave the sensitive entries blank. "People can choose to include whatever information on the forms they like," he said. Several Homeland Security programs have drawn criticism and privacy complaints from civil activists over the past two years. The agency says that such measures need to be taken to protect Americans from terrorist plots. Homeland Security officials declined to say how many student planners with the forms were sent around the country, but say that they have removed the sentence encouraging students to keep copies of the forms in their backpacks from the latest version. However, space for the family Social Security numbers is still included. Mr. Roehrkasse said that forms which will be sent to younger children later this year won't include space for Social Security information. Barry Steinhardt, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union Liberty Project, said Homeland Security was "grossly irresponsible" for the form, saying that it should know that identify theft is an epidemic in the country and their actions would only make it easier for thieves. "I hope this was just a misjudgment by the department and not a concealed attempt to collect data," he said. According to the Federal Trade Commission, the problem of identity theft cost Americans nearly $43 billion last year. Identity theft is also of major concern to federal law-enforcement officials because it could help terrorists disguise their activities. In addition to complaining to Mr. Ridge, Mr. Lynch wrote to Rhode Island's state director of Homeland Security affairs and to the superintendents of each of the state's school systems asking them to disregard the Homeland form. "We don't want children, we don't want adults, we don't want anybody giving up their Social Security numbers," he said. -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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Where Did Arafat Stash the Money?
by R.A. Hettinga 24 Nov '04

24 Nov '04

<http://online.wsj.com/article_print/0,,SB110124561472582236,00.html> The Wall Street Journal November 24, 2004 WORLD NEWS Where Did Arafat Stash the Money? For Palestinian Authority, Credibility Could Depend On Tracking Down Funds By FARNAZ FASSIHI Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL November 24, 2004; Page A11 RAMALLAH, West Bank -- As the Palestinian Authority enters the post-Yasser Arafat era, the tracking down of funds controlled by the deceased leader -- rumored to be in the tens of millions of dollars -- will affect the authority's credibility at home and abroad and the potential for clashes among its factions. Some Palestinian officials already have called for questioning of Mr. Arafat's closest aides, and now interim successors, Mahmoud Abbas and Ahmad Qurei, and his wife, Suha Arafat. Officials have pledged to determine exactly the amount and location of the money. This week, a statement issued by the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a militant group in the West Bank, warned the new government of corruption among some top officials and vowed to take the law into its own hands if action isn't taken within a month. "Officially, the money is supposed to be with the Finance Ministry, but millions of dollars are invested around the world and no one knows where they are," said Hassan Khreisheh, first deputy speaker of the legislative council who has led several probes into government-corruption charges. "This is unacceptable to any Palestinian." Over the decades, as Mr. Arafat carried the flag of the Palestinian struggle, he accumulated money donated by countries, businesses and individuals to support his movement and help the Palestinian people. Until the Persian Gulf War in 1991, Gulf countries donated millions of dollars a year to the Palestinian cause, and Saudi Arabia alone sent an annual check of $50 million, or about $38 million, a year to Mr. Arafat. He used this money to support Palestinian refugees in Arab countries, as well as to fund some of the security groups within the Palestine Liberation Organization, the umbrella organization headed and controlled by Mr. Arafat. Aid from Gulf countries slowly diminished after Mr. Arafat backed Saddam Hussein's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, but Mr. Hussein stepped in to make up for lost income. The money was stashed in foreign bank accounts, with some invested in commercial entities around the world. The International Monetary Fund in a September 2003 report said that from 1995 to 2000, the Palestinian Authority's assets may have exceeded $898 million. That report concluded that much of its revenue from taxes was invested in a variety of commercial enterprises that nominally belonged to the authority, but that the "substantial revenue" they generated was being diverted, as was revenue from monopoly contracts for cement and petroleum. The report said the enterprises operated "with no transparency or accountability." Under the arrangement worked out through the 1994 Oslo Accord, Israel collected value-added and excise taxes on purchases by Palestinians, and was to remit the money to the Palestinian Authority. But money -- particularly from excise taxes on petroleum, tobacco and alcohol -- was diverted, some to an account in a Bank Leumi branch in Tel Aviv, the report said. Mr. Arafat and his financial adviser, Mohammad Rachid, controlled the account, according to the IMF. A major overhaul launched in 2002 by the new minister of finance, Salem Fayyad, succeeded in transferring control of the bulk of assets from Mr. Arafat to the government. Since January 2003, all funds have been separated into two categories: the Palestinian Authority's assets of $300 million to $700 million in 79 commercial ventures, the largest being a telecommunication company operating in Algeria and Tunisia, which is now considered public money; and the PLO's money, whose sum remains a mystery but is estimated in the tens of millions of dollars by independent auditors who investigated the funds. Under political pressure from donor countries, Mr. Arafat agreed the authority's money could be tracked down throughout the Arab world, registered and secured in the Palestinian Investment Fund, which requires at least three official signatures for any withdrawal and is audited by the Democracy Council, an American nonprofit group hired by Mr. Fayyad. But no watchdog was ever hired to monitor the PLO funds, and according to James Prince, who leads the American auditing team, "the PLO funds are totally opaque." According to some officials and investigators, Mr. Arafat used that money to buy loyalties, and this stash came from the authority's presidential budget of close to $40 million -- as well as various illegal cuts Mr. Arafat allegedly was receiving from petroleum smuggling and from fees paid by trucks crossing the Gaza Strip border. "They took away his political and physical power, and all he had was financial power," Mr. Prince said. "He went around with cash and threw money around." -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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Blair's Legislative Program To Focus on Crime, Security
by R.A. Hettinga 24 Nov '04

24 Nov '04

<http://online.wsj.com/article_print/0,,SB110125411107782447,00.html> The Wall Street Journal November 24, 2004 3:28 a.m. EST WORLD NEWS Blair's Legislative Program To Focus on Crime, Security Associated Press November 24, 2004 3:28 a.m.; Page A11 LONDON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair put the fight against crime and terrorism at the center of his campaign for a third term, pledging to fast-track plans for national identity cards and a new police agency similar to the FBI. With parliamentary elections expected in May, the government wants to appear tough on law and order, and security lies at the heart of the legislative program it unveiled yesterday. "This is a big change, but frankly with terrorism, illegal immigration and organized crime ... identity cards in my judgment are long overdue," Mr. Blair told the House of Commons. Political opponents accused his government of seeking to frighten voters - similar to a charge Democrats leveled against President Bush. Despite widespread public opposition to British participation in the Iraq war, Mr. Blair's Labour Party is comfortably ahead in opinion polls and expected to win a third consecutive term. Queen Elizabeth II outlined to Parliament plans for a Serious Organized Crime Agency to crack down on drug gangs, people-traffickers, major fraudsters and Internet pedophiles. The agency has been dubbed Britain's equivalent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. But the government's legislative priority is a law allowing a national database of names, addresses and biometric details of everyone in Britain. The information would be linked to ID cards. Ministers hope to phase them in for voluntary use by 2007, then make them compulsory by 2012. Such cards are mandatory in many Western European countries, but the idea alarms civil-rights activists. -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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SSRN- Deworming the Internet by Douglas Barnes
by R.A. Hettinga 24 Nov '04

24 Nov '04

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- <http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=622364> SSRN Deworming the Internet DOUGLAS BARNES University of Texas at Austin - School of Law Texas Law Review, Vol. 83, No. 1 Abstract: Both law enforcement and markets for software standards have failed to solve the problem of software that is vulnerable to infection by network-transmitted worms. Consequently, regulatory attention should turn to the publishers of worm-vulnerable software. Although ordinary tort liability for software publishers may seem attractive, it would interact in unpredictable ways with the winner-take-all nature of competition among publishers of mass-market, internet-connected software. More tailored solutions are called for, including mandatory "bug bounties" for those who find potential vulnerabilities in software, minimum quality standards for software, and, once the underlying market failure is remedied, liability for end users who persist in using worm-vulnerable software. Keywords: Worms, viruses, software, market failure, network externality, negative externality, perverse incentives, tort liability, lemons equilibrium, regulation JEL Classifications: K29, K13, L86, 031 Accepted Paper Series Abstract has been viewed 392 times Contact Information for DOUGLAS BARNES (Contact Author) Email address for DOUGLAS BARNES University of Texas at Austin - School of Law 727 East Dean Keeton Street Austin , TX 78705 United States 512-689-1875 (Phone) Suggested Citation Barnes, Douglas A, "Deworming the Internet" . Texas Law Review, Vol. 83, No. 1 http://ssrn.com/abstract=622364 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 9.0 (Build 1336) Beta - not licensed for commercial use: www.pgp.com iQEVAwUBQaTwysUCGwxmWcHhAQEAnAf5AQO9G8LuuKg1CFYHOnRflT68YX9w6xhp nt0csgWW0dxso9n7T1kMtGzZRDr/G5kdz+IVqHg2qjjzQajf7Ni50/mjRN48tJko vr3TeSWU4cX2yKTPJE56tc27uY534IHc5eBWxtprLagMIGfokNQeGZPT8S4OLzxL H/a9lTIQknHMtOA1HoRXodX252xn5II3AwLOZrC4gnap1R9mfkXOtdB6ChlXD11n hpN7g1A1CTkWE/74NiSEROJdk2oeJS2K0aks2dqMK59tI5KLteePpJGN8DfP0yUv 0HaFKUPFiS1yAzNtTj/J4VLog84Lofel6+rwaKIHCEXvB6nHvFN5SA== =xwLk -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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The Fall of Reason
by R.A. Hettinga 24 Nov '04

24 Nov '04

<http://www.daralhayat.net/actions/print2.php> The Fall of Reason Paul Forest Dar Al-Hayat 2004/11/23 Condoleezza Rice is the latest cabinet member to gush out of the oil patch. She is an obvious choice as Secretary of State for President Bush, who is disenchanted with General Powell's ability to mouth the words given to him by the White House spin barons, and yet, convey the impression that he is not really comfortable as a bearer of false tidings. With Dr. Rice, President Bush will be admirably served. Obviously an extremely articulate illusionist, at the time of the Iraq justification period, she was in the foxhole shooting back at all proponents of factuality and, actually, did get in some good shots, when judged more on intellectual acrobatics than accuracy. Of her many masterful quotes, one stands out: "Whoever's fault it is, it is certainly not mine, unless you think it's the President's, in which case it's mine." It is doubtful that the international world of diplomacy will understand her nomination and doubtlessly accept credentials, which they can so clearly identify as that of a studious perpetrator of deceit. She is unlikely to abandon her credo of: "Our truth above all," and while trying to outdo herself, she will preside over the destitution of what remains of U.S. integrity. Few people doubt, that her assertions that this administration's sole objective was to surgically remove Saddam Hussein, would have received ample support from the majority of Arab states. It seems self-evident, however, that despite the U.S. air strike success in Kosovo, the Bush Administration nurtured a hidden agenda that required massive intervention by ground forces, and the establishment of a loyal and friendly new controlling block in Iraq. This machination was conceived as a manner of controlling a sufficient amount of world oil reserves, for the U.S. to be a significant factor in the world price for oil. In modern history, as well as present times, there are numerous examples of dominant powers and individuals, venting their anger on the innocent when the true culprits are beyond their reach. The U.S. military and the current administration at some point, must have decided that using a surgical knife is not time effective when seeking to carve out for itself a sizable niche in the world's most desirable geography. It is truly amazing that when a despicable act is perpetrated by the U.S. military, whether in a prison or as recently, in a Mosque, a camera appeared to have been pointed at the malefactors. We may ask ourselves, is this the superior work of talented embedded cameramen, or could the camera have been pointed anywhere with matching results? These barbarian acts have considerably traumatized much of the world community of Arab and Muslim nations, which are now firmly convinced that the President's "war of vindictiveness" may have been intended to dislodge Saddam Hussein and his regime, but as much thought went into humanitarian concerns for the population, as in the governance of a post-war Iraq, very little. The shortsighted view is that terrorism will once again strike U.S. soil, and recent utterances by the Sultan of Terror confirm that this is in fact their intent. Should a disastrous terrorist act again occur on U.S. soil, the fear mongers in the White House will then feel vindicated by the tangible validation of their long-held views, and they will point fingers at their detractors. These, in turn, will likely respond that a more conciliatory attitude by the administration towards the Arab and Muslim people, replacing the current militaristic course of action, might well have prevented that which by then will have taken place. The longer-term implications, however, are that Arab investments in the U.S., which are now valued near 2 trillion dollars, will dry up, and may in fact be downsized in favor of investments in the growing, potentially friendly and peaceful European Community, whose currency appears destined to supplant the Dollar as the principle world currency. The U.S. treasury and financial markets have been surviving on a steady influx of outside capital, and will be caught in a war of financial attrition which they are not in a position to win. Israel's well-being is directly linked to American benevolence and the Israeli Government may discover the wisdom of having a greater array of able and willing supporters. A considerable concentration of American Jewish wealth and influence has been creatively positioned in the American National Media, and this condition does not exist in any other nation. This was unmistakably exhibited recently in a promo on itself by CNN, in which they present, as most trustworthy, six of their regular hosts, of which four are of Jewish legacy. Simple calculation reveals that since American Jews represent 2% of the total American population, the selected hosts amounted to 33 times the proportional representation within the American population. True friends of Israel, mainly Americans of Jewish heritage, must demonstrate to Israel's fanatic right that the citizens of the world other than North Americans, are not conditioned to readily endure the economic, human and traumatic sacrifices that the U.S. experience clearly indicates are to be expected, when fully committed to the exclusive support of Israel in the relentless pursuit of its political expansionism. The dire consequences previously described, have stealthily begun, and may be experienced by anyone approaching a Foreign Exchange counter. Graver concerns may occur sooner than we might normally expect, at the current rate of irresponsible deficit spending, gargantuan trade deficits and progressively increasing labor outsourcing, unless a total policy reversal is implemented. First, the U.S. must, somehow, find a way to express their support for Israel, without openly exhibiting hostility towards the Arab and Muslim community, their culture, and their leaders. To that end, Israel, whose only derived benefit in the Middle East conflict has been the ephemeral inflow of U.S. capital and military resources, must join the U.S. in this resolve. There has always been, and there continues to be, an unwritten rule among journalists in the U.S., that you do not make a connection between the U.S. total support of Israel in everything of concern to them, and the bottommost esteem of the U.S. and Americans by most of the world and particularly Arab/Muslim descendants. Yet, it is clearly obvious that this is a fact. We must ask ourselves: "What other reason could there be?" No one can now reverse the momentum of militant intervention by Muslim terrorists, without a complete agreement between warring parties in Israel and Palestine. The economic and military support freely given to Israel by the U.S. is the breath of life that is keeping the Middle East conflict alive and well. Any potential solution to this basic Middle East conflict must take the form of an agreement acceptable to the Palestinians of their own free will. For this to happen, perhaps new lines must be drawn in the sand, which would provide a restated Palestine with a significant Mediterranean shoreline, a united West Bank and Gaza and all Palestine lands south of the West Bank. In a dream-like state, one might visualize a peaceful Israel, clearly separated from the equally peaceful states of Palestine, Syria and Lebanon, not by a wall, but by a multilane highway, perhaps to be appropriately known as the "Jerusalem International Highway," under the watchful supervision of the UN. George W. Bush has yet to exhibit any capacity for reversing himself on matters before him, and unless he becomes a born-again rationalist, we can logically conclude that the developing crisis will inexorably degenerate into the colossal tribulation that it appears headed for. Colchester , Vermont PolForest(a)aol.com )2003 Media Communications Group -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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Government watchdog to investigate election
by R.A. Hettinga 24 Nov '04

24 Nov '04

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 <http://news.com.com/2102-1028_3-5464969.html?tag=st.util.print> CNET News http://www.news.com/ Government watchdog to investigate election By Robert Lemos http://news.com.com/Government+watchdog+to+investigate+election/2100-1028_3… Story last modified Tue Nov 23 13:47:00 PST 2004 The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, will investigate anomalies in the November election at the request of five Democratic representatives. In two letters, sent Nov. 5 and Nov. 8, Reps. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and Robert Wexler, D-Fla., asked that the GAO investigate various complaints about election machine technology and procedural issues preventing some votes from being counted. Two other members of the House of Representatives, Robert Scott, D-Va., and Rush Holt, D-N.J., signed the Nov. 8 letter. "On its own authority, the GAO will examine the security and accuracy of voting technologies, distribution and allocation of voting machines, and counting of provisional ballots," the five members of the House said in statement Tuesday. "We are hopeful that GAO's nonpartisan and expert analysis will get to the bottom of the flaws uncovered in the 2004 election." The lawmakers provided to the GAO some 57,000 incident reports that had been received by the House Judiciary Committee. While most observers have concluded that election technology performed reasonably well in the last election, a variety of anomalies have cropped up. In Ohio, President Bush received a boost of some 4,000 votes in the preliminary tallies due to a transmission error. Data from Florida has raised eyebrows and led to at least one analysis that claimed the result of voting there is statistically implausible. The congressmen asked the GAO to move quickly while there was still evidence from the election to analyze. "There is substantial concern that much of the primary evidence needed to evaluate these allegations will not be preserved without immediate action," the representatives argued in the Nov. 8 letter. Eight other members of the House of Representatives gave their support to the GAO request as well, the congressmen said in their statement. - -- - ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 1308 iQA/AwUBQaSqrcPxH8jf3ohaEQIs7gCggMXVNNT/qU2IW6QGs5O1plHS7kMAoISG qEH7cKYcjS3taS4nvAKdQp/N =hdbe -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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U.S., Europe still tweaking anti-terror tech
by R.A. Hettinga 24 Nov '04

24 Nov '04

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 <http://www.menafn.com/qn_print.asp?StoryID=CqAld0eidDxmTzxuTCgfZC3bVCNrZ> MENAFN - Middle East North Africa . Financial Network U.S., Europe still tweaking anti-terror tech UPI - UPI - Tuesday, November 23, 2004 Date: Tuesday, November 23, 2004 7:28:15 PM EST By DONNA BORAK WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- U.S. and European officials said they may encounter more problems implementing new anti-terrorism measures, including the "no-fly" list of passengers banned from U.S. airlines and biometric passports, but are working together on the issue. The viability of such anti-terror technology is important to the U.S. travel industry, which was dealt a severe blow after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In fact, the Travel Industry Association of America said Monday that as part of the fiscal year 2005 omnibus spending package Congress had included $10 million to promote the United States as an international travel destination. Last Saturday an international flight from Paris to California was diverted to Bangor, Maine because a Moroccan passenger was discovered to be on the U.S. "no-fly" list after the plane had taken off. Senior Department of Homeland Security officials warned on Monday that problems with the "no-fly" list would likely continue even when their new computerized screening system was put in place next year. "Obviously, you want the system to work perfectly. I don't know that when you have systems built upon human information and human responses that you are ever going to have a perfect system," said Asa Hutchinson, DHS undersecretary for border and transportation security. Hutchinson faulted the current advance passenger information system, human error and ineffective technology for the security failure. "We have to build a better system design that will greatly reduce and minimize these types of incidents from happening ... You also have to build a system that is capable of responding, (has) good checks and balances, and has layered defenses that is not reliant on one particular system," Hutchinson said at a joint press conference with John Faull, the European Union's director general for Justice and Home Affairs. Expected changes include a revamp of the current advance passenger information system. Currently, airlines are not capable of matching passengers with terrorist-watch lists until 15 minutes after takeoff. The obvious goal is to prevent suspect individuals from boarding at all. In addition to faster matching against terrorist-watch lists, the new system would integrate U.S. and European anti-terror efforts. Hutchinson suggested that the new biometric passport and multilateral efforts among nations would be the solution to alleviating further security failures. Biometric devices were among the 9/11 Commission recommendations. Passports of people entering the United States would be required to contain a special type of computer chip, known as RFID or radio-frequency identification. The chip would contain a digitized facial image of the bearer. Current rules would require them by October 2005. Such biometric passports and visas will help government officials authenticate documents and potentially identify terrorists, officials said. Hutchinson explained that the United States would be aggressively working with its European allies to meet the deadline, but the emphasis on testing would be first priority, before any passports were issued. "Obviously, that has to be completed before production is implemented," said Hutchinson. Last month, the DHS was granted a yearlong extension till the October 2005 deadline. It initially requested two years. "We are working very hard to meet the deadline," said Hutchinson. The European Union agreed in October to use biometric passports. EU Director Faull said that the decision to utilize biometric passports was not the result of pressure by the United States, but a common-sense decision in the face of a common threat. "These are problems that cannot be solved unilaterally," said Hutchinson. It is expected that the United States will demand visas from 27 countries if they do not have biometric passports by October 2005. According to Faull, production has already started on biometric passports and it is expected that the first will be ready in 18 months. Faull explained that there were a number of challenges facing the two parties, but that both were working together to resolve any issues. At the press conference, Hutchinson characterized talks with European Union officials as "frank and open." "In our discussions it is clear to me, that the European Union has accelerated their counter-terrorism efforts and we are grateful for that," he said, adding that the United States and the EU share "common concerns" about terrorism. - -- - ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 1308 iQA/AwUBQaSqqcPxH8jf3ohaEQLXJQCdE8Wj8/8bibK1fGThO0F4G387udcAoNO7 dSvgDVi8kQl+UEkuLlmg4g/s =WgYi -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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[osint] How al-Qaeda's London plot was foiled
by R.A. Hettinga 24 Nov '04

24 Nov '04

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 - --- begin forwarded text To: "Bruce Tefft" <btefft(a)community-research.com> Thread-Index: AcTRvPl/4TehnAnvQQGTeYb2oxIivgAaHPCg From: "Bruce Tefft" <btefft(a)community-research.com> Mailing-List: list osint(a)yahoogroups.com; contact osint-owner(a)yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list osint(a)yahoogroups.com Date: Wed, 24 Nov 2004 08:00:08 -0500 Subject: [osint] How al-Qaeda's London plot was foiled Reply-To: osint(a)yahoogroups.com http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1372124,00.html November 24, 2004 How al-Qaeda's London plot was foiled By Michael Evans and Sean O'Neill AL-QAEDA terrorists had to abandon a plan to fly hijacked airliners into Canary Wharf, the London skyscraper, and Heathrow airport after being "rumbled" by British and European intelligence services. The plot was made public this year but senior Whitehall sources gave further details yesterday of the intelligence work involved. Reports on ITV News and in a newspaper implied that the attacks had been thwarted recently. But, the sources said, the intelligence operation was in fact completed at least two years ago. Plots against Canary Wharf, in London Docklands, and Heathrow were confirmed in July when intelligence officers in Pakistan found incriminating files on computers that belonged to one of al-Qaeda's members. Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan, 25, a suspected terrorist arrested after a raid in Lahore, Pakistan, was at the centre of al-Qaeda's computer communications hub. He encrypted and distributed messages between the network's leadership and agents around the world. Among the files on Khan's computers were a plan of the layout of Heathrow and information from reconnaissance of the Canary Wharf complex, including vehicle height restrictions for the underground car parks there. There were also suggestions for "picture postcard" targets, such as the Houses of Parliament and Windsor Castle, and discussions of potential assassination targets. But the plots referred mainly to planning that pre-dated the attacks in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. Whitehall sources said that a huge intelligence operation was also mounted after Sept-ember 11 when it was feared that al-Qaeda would try a similar hijacking over Britain. The sources said that there was credible intelligence that al-Qaeda planners were preparing to send a hijacking team to the UK. To foil the terrorists, checks were carried out at airports and flying schools in Britain and also in countries in Central and Eastern Europe, from where it was believed that al-Qaeda members might set off. Further checks on flying schools have been carried out in the past six months as part of continuing anti-terrorist operations. "They were rumbled," a source said. "We believe that al-Qaeda recognised that aviation security in the UK was too tight for a repeat of the September 11 attacks in this country and that it was too difficult to hijack an aircraft in our airspace. "Our firm belief is that the Heathrow and Canary Wharf plot is no longer extant. There is absolutely no evidence of any recent plotting against either of these targets. All the intelligence we had dates back at least two years." Some of the key people who were involved in planning the Heathrow and Canary Wharf plots were also by now either "deceased or arrested". The arrests had taken place outside Britain. Anti-terrorist agencies also said that there was no intelligence of any current suicide hijacking plot against targets in Britain. Scotland Yard sources were "bemused" by suggestions of a current plot. Downing Street and the Home Office, stinging from reports that ministers are trying to create a climate of fear before next year's election, distanced themselves from the story. A police source said: "If there was information that Canary Wharf was to be attacked, then I think that we would know. There is no credence to reports of any current threat." [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] - ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> $9.95 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything. http://us.click.yahoo.com/J8kdrA/y20IAA/yQLSAA/TySplB/TM - --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> - -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, discuss-osint(a)yahoogroups.com. - -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor bisoldi(a)intellnet.org http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint(a)yahoogroups.com Subscribe: osint-subscribe(a)yahoogroups.com Unsubscribe: osint-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: osint-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ - --- end forwarded text - -- - ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/> 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 1308 iQA/AwUBQaSfrMPxH8jf3ohaEQJinACgwztafW90l8TRK3yJbt3eBA1VvQwAmQGl dG4kvo9Hart9c8hudMIuGMH4 =FJ44 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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