Personal data, including Social Security numbers of 26.5 million U.S. veterans, was stolen from a Veterans Affairs employee this month after he took the information home without authorization, the department said Monday. The INFOSEC practitioner in me wants to beat some GS-half-wit @$$ . . . the ex-GI in me lowering my trousers and spreading…

Most of the critics of IC activities fall into one of two camps (with some cross-pollination). The first are almost not worth discussing since the main thrust of their arguments center on the words “Bush” and “lied” and it gets no more robust than that. The second camp likes to play tricks with the language…

Over the last several years we have been fortunate enough to not have been subjected to another September 11th-scale attack. Further more, we have not had the misfortune of suffering anything on a smaller scale like the attacks in London or Madrid. There are a number of potential reasons why we are able live in…

No way I can blog this full-time, but am catching bits and pieces on the radio. Some good, hard questions, very good and solid answers. I am particularly fond of the statement reference the “80-90” people briefed at the start of the terrorism surveillance project; NOT a small cabal of untouchables a’la Graham and crew…

The Homeland Security Department has not yet submitted a strategic plan to Congress on how it intends to improve border security and immigration enforcement, prompting House appropriators to cut funding in the department’s fiscal 2007 budget. I don’t want to be seen as piling-on given the report from Hugh Hewitt on the disconnect between the…

Qwest says they flat-out didn’t oblige NSA’s request for phone records. Bell South and Verizon are now saying “We Never!” That leaves AT&T holding the bag, but probably not for long. So are the phone companies lying? Only if there is an elaborate agreement in place to have each org cover the @ss of the…

Usama says: “don’t forget to opt out of the surveillance program.”

A senior federal law enforcement official tells ABC News the government is tracking the phone numbers we call in an effort to root out confidential sources. Human intelligence (traditional “spying”) is in part successful because people have a sense of trust that the guy (intelligence officer) who is talking you (impending traitor) into doing something…

(The retooled, recycled version of the earlier post mentioned. Periodical option fell through so baby goes shoeless this month 😉 ) After General Michael Hayden was nominated by President Bush for the directorship of the Central Intelligence Agency, it took mere days for stories about alleged illegalities perpetrated during his tenure at the National Security…

For all the screaming mimis . . . this is how it works in a REAL police state.