Snowden where for art thou?

 

The media and government hunt is on, both no doubt spurred by the implication of more embarrassing revelations to come from one Mr. Edward Snowden. A 29 year-old systems administrator for a shadowy and growing Intel-Industrial Complex of unknown proportion. He doesn’t have endless travel choices, but he has more than you might think: [Read more…]

Not too late to limit climate change, group says

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The Hockey Stick graph — a paleoclimate reconstruction of global temperatures for the last millennium courtesy of Mann et al

Fossil fuel funded groups have stymied efforts in the US to make any headway at all on carbon emissions. But a Paris based group, the International Energy Agency (IEA), says we can limit the damage to a relatively manageable rise of 2° C (3.6° F) by the end of this century, if we wake the fuck up: [Read more…]

Booz Allen probably just recorded my Google search on “Booz Allen”

It worries me that private contractors are bellying up to the super double-secret Intel taxpayer gravy train. The one Snowden worked for and got access to a dizzying array of classified info is called Booz Allen, and they probably just recorded my search on that name on Google while researching this post. They’re probably recording you reading it, too. And I have a message for them:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
— 4th Amendment US Constitution

Maybe I’ll just leave that up on every post from now on. Since they know so much about us, what can we find out about them? [Read more…]

So how did Snowden get all this stuff?

By now you’ve probably heard that an 29 year-old employee of a private contractor was the source of the latest NSA spying leaks. How did he get all that stuff? Well, he got a lot more than he’s released, but short answer is he was a system analyst. I hope the video plays for your region, it is a rare, fascinating look into a secret community offered by someone with above average ability to articulate those complexities. Snowden could have sold this stuff, easy, to anyone, including front groups for North Korea or Al Qaeda (Link here). But he didn’t, that video — the fact that he’s so open — and the statements on it suggest strongly to me this is not your average whistle-blower.

I realize we’re in a dilemma here, we don’t want to encourage people to ruin their lives and careers fumbling around for infame in a gray area between justified citizen action and aiding enemies. But in the video … there is something heroic about this guy. I did not know such strength of character and brain-power existed in the NSA et al and I feel better knowing they do.

The Daily tip off

Skeptics, all hands on deck: I have a post on antivaxxars about to hit the front page of Daily Kos, at 9 PM Central. It’s gonna be fun. I chose to do this in a roundabout way, using the concept of an allotrope and chemical compounds to get across the idea of how a substance containing a toxic element may and may not be toxic itself depending on how the atoms are arranged before introducing thimersal, containing an antifungal antiseptic organo-mercury compound once considered a possible link to childhood autism. But the money quotes are below: [Read more…]

Sunday school for atheists

Some insist science and religion remain non overlapping human endeavors. I don’t know. It’s a handy way to avoid political strife and allow science continued progress out from under religion’s thumb. There’s something to be said for that. But in the end aren’t both motivated by the desire to know profound truths about our universe? And in the relative end, hasn’t one delivered solidly, more reliably, than the other in recent times?