Posts by Wzrd1

Re: It's Not The Laws, It's Their Interpretation

"The US, just like any other country, reserve the right to control their borders and to only admit those that they approve of."

Erm, being invited by the NSA somewhat hints that he is well approved of. Indeed, the US government rather *likes* his algorithms, especially the RSA one. His last name initial is the S in RSA.

Acceptance of such boorish behavior on the part of a government, especially one's own, has frequently lead to unfortunate events.

As Germany how well a certain fascist regime turned out for them from the 1930's.

It all started out with ultra-nationalism, not questioning odd behaviors of the state, non-questioning of the state and accepting whatever the state does as good.

It ended up, in case you never learned WWII history, in two cities incinerated, many more largely converted to rubble and overall not a good time for the populace as US, UK and Russian forces stormed an entire nation and quite ruined their previous good time.

Re: Not in the future...

"As a septuagenarian citizen of the US, I'm prompted to both observe, and caution, that this nation finds itself embroiled in a political civil war."

This pentagenarian US citizen agrees!

Beware the ultra-nationalist, for their path is the path to fascism. That annoyingly loud minority seeks to wrest the political control in this once great nation into their own control and makes no bones about making threats to any who stand in their way.

"The lack of legislative response nationwide to those revelations..."

Erm, there is less than no evidence to support ignorance on the part of the legislature, when you actually examine their words. It seems to be more a willful ignorance, ignoring that which they are well aware of, as the lack of objection to recent revelations by Snowden clearly display.

Remember, each house of our Congress has their own SCIF and can as easily see the documents Snowden revealed as Snowden could, as well as a great deal more.

As one who met Snowden in person when he was responding to an event that literally emptied the NSA out of all system administrators, the 2008 Cyberattack on the US, I'll just call the prima donna where she lies.

The only thing he proved is complicity of the political leadership of the US in its intelligence programs.

Just as Manning only managed to prove something well known to anyone who knows diplomats personally, diplomats don't respect one another.

Though, Manning also proved that if one has press credentials and walks up to an enemy combatant with an RPG, hanging with other combatants with machineguns that had recently engaged US forces, one is most assuredly not protected against supportive fire.

I'd not be surprised if some middle manager in the process thought he was doing the nation a favor by removing someone who might have said something bad about the NSA programs, not realizing in their unplumbed depths of ignorance on the subject of cryptography, who precisely they were denying access by heel dragging.

Re: Not in the future...

"The DHS staff are rude, obnoxious, and treat visitors as if we have been given the honour to set foot in their holy land."

Never fear, you are not alone.

I'm a US citizen. Born, raised, left the country because of some war in Afghanistan that I was, erm, invited to by the US Government.

OK, to make not too fine a point of it, I was with US CENTCOM.

Came home after a year on leave, from a secure US Air Force base, only to pay for the honor of returning to the land of my birth and allegiance by being forced to receive a mandatory TSSA administered scrotum squeeze home.

I stopped coming home on leave.

To judge from our performance since I've retired from the military and returned home to stay, I decided to live in the wrong place!

Should have retired to New Zealand, as I was seriously considering doing.

Re: Dismal

"With their rising xenophobia, the US may well kill off its greatest source of scientific and economic success."

Especially given the atrocious state of the US educational systems, where most of my fellow citizens cannot even spell atrocious.

I'll not even go into US citizens horrific performance in geography, where it's bad enough that they cannot point out the UK on the globe, but are hard pressed to know *where* Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Russia, China and far too many can't even point out the US on the globe.

Of course, most can't even point out their own state on a US map...

Re: Iceland maybe?

Well, there is that town that sort of put out a volcano in order to save the town.

http://www.centrum.is/~edda/heimaey1.html

Re: Intoxigen, Hallucincant

"Well, maybe there someday will be standard phrases for intoxicant and hallucinogen: Intoxigen, and hallucinocant..."

Well, a hallucinogen is most certainly an intoxicant. However, not every intoxicant is a hallucinogen.

Re: Good news and bad news

"But think about it: how many people get emphysema after just 8 years of smoking? Some probably, but not many. It was the pot smoking combined with the tobacco that almost did me in."

Nope, just lousy genes almost did you in.

Emphysema tends to be genetically triggered in some smokers.

The majority of smokers just end up with clogged arteries.

Re: Animal responses to pointing

The raven also points and works together to steal the food of other creatures.

Re: security through obscurity

"If they did, you'd eventually see decent Japanese software."

Nothing can help Indian written software.

I'll not even go into the crap coming out of the PRC, which makes Indian contract tanglecode look good.

Re: security through obscurity

"Doesn't take that long to learn (enough) Kanji (to get by) if you really want to though, but it is a bugger, a proper dictionary and understanding how to find things in it helps."

Compared to English, where every rule has its exception and one doesn't need a dictionary to get by, one needs a four dimensional map.

"Most companies only want one person and they want one really good person who can do all the things at once and has worked for a secret agency and can catch bullets with his teeth."

Pity that I'm otherwise engaged.

Re: How bizarre!

Want a laugh?

In the US, a give way is a mystery in many, many states.

Indeed, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, no such thing exists. It is right of way. Meanwhile, the right of way exists *only* for the purpose of yielding it.

Making it a give way.

Now, I'll not go into how many road accidents result from "I have the right of way" or the many, many accidents with pedestrians who are lawfully granted *full* right of way in favor of all motor vehicles, including emergency vehicles.

Re: OK

Dyslexia?

Knees point in a singular direction in mammals.

Re: terrorism, not war

Well, that most certainly applies to the UK.

Example, firebombings on civilian areas in Dresden and Hamburg....

The US with Tokyo...

So, if war is terrorism, explain something to me.

If someone were to break in your door, rape your mother, sister and wife before your eyes, when do you become a "terrorist"?

I'd take the bastard out as he came in through the broken door.

Meanwhile, I was a terrorist, by your daffynition, after 9-11, when my cousin was ground into dust on the 84th floor of the south tower.

I most certainly terrorized the chow line when in the rear.

I most certainly terrorized terrorists.

Didn't terrorize anyone else, save a few Privates who were lagging.

Bloody, damned idiot.

Re: terrorism, not war

"...and since the Shah was deposed external attacks have kept the Theocracy in power."

Erm, I can only think of three half-assed attacks. *Far* less than on Castro.

Ike took care of his war buddies.

Then, incorporated it into national policy.

But, remember, Obama came *just* short of apologizing for Operation Ajax when speaking in Egypt.

And the GOP went apeshit over it.

Want to know the facts on the Iranian populace?

They don't give a tinkers damn about US-Iran politics. They just want to do the go to work, come home, eat a few times a day at least, play with the kids, go to bed, rinse and repeat.

You have to go to their zealot paramilitary forces to find someone brainwashed enough to care about the inanity.

And I and my wife were in quite a few Iranian expat homes, meeting with parents fresh off the airplane.

They were shocked that this US citizen happily ate the raw garlic and onion appetizer.

They somewhat understood when I mentioned that my paternal grandparents were Sicilian. ;)

OK, I just happen to *love* garlic. First experience eating it raw, couldn't stop myself.

But then, the only dish I dislike in the GCC region is okra. Can't get past the slimy texture, the taste is quite good in two dishes I did try (I always try the dish, rather than insult the cook, as I don't want to be insulted that way when I cook).

Re: terrorism, not war

"Bugger me! Didn't know the UK was an Islamic Republic already. Did it happen while I was having my post lunch siesta?"

To judge by the number of mosques?

Yep!

Just like Turkey. ;)

Next up: Making it a major crime to insult Britishness. ;P

Oops, too late. Blood pudding already exists.

Re: terrorism, not war

"No I think the unofficial protocol on shadow war says that bumping off your own or other people's spooks is quite legitimate at any time."

Not quite. Knocking off a spook in the spook's homeland is taboo. That potentially and quite likely opens the door to a full scale spy war deal.

Then, who'd keep everyone honest?

Re: Quick!!

"Tell Mossad that Carl Icahn is a nuclear scientist!"

Don't be silly.

Call the Mossad and tell them that George Bush the lesser, Cruz and Boehner are all top nuclear scientists for Iran, it's all a false flag to arm Iran and divorce Israel.

A handful of cherry picked tidbits would make the claim far more credible than the yellowcake idiocy.

Re: @Destroy All Monsters

There are those in every nation that espouse military action to diplomacy.

The strange thing is how few military types espouse military action compared to lifelong civilians.

That said, this one reads, if one can trust the sparse information provided, as more of a personal matter.

He met someone in the woods in a remote area and was shot dead.

Re: @Destroy All Monsters

"...and that you don't think that Iran is even developing nuclear weapons..."

I've prepared many intelligence briefs on Iran while I was in the region. Some Bush guy was CIC at the time, briefly replaced by some Obama chap when I redeployed home in my retirement.

If Iran wanted nuclear weapons, they should have at a minimum, a dozen. That is a pessimistic outlook, considering the entire operation there utterly incompetent to get that low a number.

A more realistic estimate would be a minimum of 36, maximum of 150 nuclear warheads.

Of course, a more accurate and probably number of fully capable nuclear devices is classified.

The above is an estimate based upon open source information and not other information I've reviewed, as you have no clearance for such information.

The reality is, if Iran wanted nuclear weapons, they'd have enough to vaporize any nation's leadership near them, along with most of its populace.

There is no sign of turnkey capacity.

Only enrichment, which also was used in nuclear power generation on the bleeding edge, such as a couple of highly experimental pebble bed designs.

Re: After the Syrian pratfall... plan B!

"Yeah... sounds like Israel quickly wants to make sure peace doesn't break out."

So, let me get this straight.

The Mossad called him to meet them in the middle of the woods, in a remote area at that.

They then had him pose for the shots, two to the chest.

How cooperative of him! Usually, only people one knows could convince one to meet in remote woods and get close enough to shoot you twice in the chest!

I'll not even go into Iranian nuclear weapons beyond mentioning that if they *really* were developing the damned things, they should have at a minimum, a dozen. Being generous after that centrifuge "accident".

Sorry, but it looks more like a personal dispute that went south when he was attempting to resolve it.

*Or* he cooperated with his murderer in his own murder.

But, what would *I* know? I only prepared briefings for CENTCOM on Iranian progress, capabilities and current defense/offense posture.

You obviously have gleaned more wisdom than I, based exclusively upon your superior experience acquired on your twinkie encrusted sofa.

Re: "Any assassination could be seriously damaging to this nascent diplomacy"

"No, it has to be the US. We like guns and we like killing people with them. In fact, we like shooting people so much that we do it to each other."

True enough, we do. I have an M1911A1 sitting two feet from me.

In a locked safe.

With the keys inconveniently far away from me, as I so rarely go into that safe.

Seriously though, let's review some facts.

He was found in a remote wooded area. Shot twice in the chest.

OK, so he went along with or met his killer in the woods.

Yeah, a US assassin would arrange an appointment in the woods with him. Yep!

Israeli methods also don't quite match.

Sorry, folks, the situation and method suggests something domestic to Iran. Either a power struggle or more likely, a personal matter that a meeting was privately arranged for in the woods to settle.

Only, not in the manner the man expected.

Because, Iran is loaded with Iranians. Iranians are human, just like the lot of us. Every one of our nations has plenty of people who commit murder for a bewildering number of reasons.

No clue why. I'd not shoot an armed intruder here.

Since that safe is small, I'd hit him over the head with it.

Then, greet him more politely with a swordstick in one hand and my old bayonet from the Army in the other, standing on his gun.

Assuming that foot long safe didn't leave him with a depressed skull fracture.

But, I'm a professionally trained, retired US Army SF medic. I'll happily call 911 for him.

Re: Amusing...

"Don't worry, I doubt he is competent enough to even make something as good as Tor."

Which was compromised ages ago.

Re: Reversing Moore's Law

"Composing new email to Susan Smith. Please say text"

"Hi Susan, I'll be delayed by 20 minutes due to traffic"

"You typed 'High Suzanne, ill be delighted by 20 minutes dew too traffic' Is that correct?"

"Arghhhhhhh!!"

"I'm sorry I didn't get that, can you say it again"

Go to hell, you miserable pile of excrement.

The device faithfully does so and loads Windows ME as a replacement OS.