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Homeland Security says 'Patch Windows Now'
gregger writes "Wow, so the Department of Homeland Security is really concerned with Microsoft patches now... enough to come out and tell us to patch our machines. This warning, chronicled in eWeek, was issued less than a day after the release of 23 patches from Redmond. So, if you don't apply the patches, then what?"
What a remarkable commentary on the sad state of affairs in the "Land of the Free" that our government makes a press release regarding patches to our computers and the first thing we think of is that the patch is associated with monitoring us somehow. For the record, I had the exact same thought as the OP and agree 100% with what he said.
This is unprecedented action. Why now?
So great, DHS is recommending that people keep their machine patched. Anyone who says this is a bad thing has their tinfoil hat on a little too tightly. The only thing that concerns me is that DHS's responsibility in the US government seems to get more and more broad; anything that can be deemed in the protection of "Homeland Security" they can control, from intelligence to customs and border patrol to cyber security.
Anyway, this isn't that big a deal.
It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
- E. Debs
Well, let's take a cursory glance then.
d report_012204.pdf
s Releases.Detail&Affiliation=C&PressRelease_id=960& Month=4&Year=2005
Wikipedia (Unless you think I've conspired to make up the entry here):
"The department was created from 22 existing federal agencies in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001."
Making a single department from 22 agencies is called consolidation.
Next, distractions: An alert system which never goes off alert is not an alert system at all. It's a continuous message to be vigilant, which is not information, it's a fear tactic. What's more, there would have been a massive uproar if the government had no internal response to the hijackings, so they took existing groups and rebranded them as a single simple solution to the communication problem. Then muddied up the water with reorgs and ill-managed funding.
http://www.usmayors.org/72ndWinterMeeting/homelan
http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Pres
these go on and on. It's the '80's Pentagon spending all over again.
Stop worrying about how I say something and actually take a look around.
You are checking your backups, aren't you?
I'm old enough to remember how Reagon was demonized just like Bush Jr.
Firstly, I'm old enough, too. Reagan was a porn star compared to Bush Jr. and Crew. This goes beyond Bush. This enters the Senate, the House and now the Supreme Court. Zoning boards across the nation are zoning anything the chrisitians don't like out of town (porn shops, strip clubs, etc). Are you old enough to remember the hub-bub about Janet's boob? When was "intelligent design" even on the table at school boards, let alone a serious consideration?
The truth is the people, the voters, are in control. Politicians of the left and right are only getting away with what the voters *allow* them to get away with. Stupid crap happens because the irritation level does not rise to a level that motivates enough voters. When politicians do cross that line they get whacked down by the voters.
So, what you're saying is you're old enough to remember the dream, but haven't awakened to the reality yet? 'pubs are fixing elections across the country, ADMITTING to fixing elections, and no one raises an outcry. Of course, give people even the whiff that their american idol election is fixed and then you'll get a letter-writing campaign.
Which is more painful? Going to work or gouging your eye out with a spoon? Find out!
http://www.workorspoon.com