Slashdot Mirror
FBI Searches New Fed CIO Kundra's Former Offices
CWmike writes "While new federal CIO Vivek Kundra gave a speech here this morning on his vision for the US government's use of technology, the FBI conducted a search of the District of Columbia's IT offices — where Kundra worked until last week — and arrested an employee and another person who works for an outsourcing vendor, say reports. There was no indication that Kundra was connected in any way to the FBI's raid, which was part of a bribery sting operation. And if Kundra was aware of what was going on at his former offices or concerned about the raid, it wasn't evident during his speech at FOSE 2009, a trade show focused on government IT. The FBI would not comment on the reports. President Barack Obama last week appointed Kundra to be the federal government's first official CIO."
change we can believe in?
Okay, so a bunch of his underlings got arrested for a spot of corruption while he was either (a) ignorant or (b) had plausible deniability. I like this guy already. I think he's got a very good handle on what it takes to be a good IT manager. My only other question: Was the soda machine out of Mountain Dew? If so, we have a winner.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
Is Obama just making really bad choices, or is everyone at that high a level in .gov just corrupt?
Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
arrested an employee and another person who works for an outsourcing vendor, say reports. There was no indication that Kundra was connected in any way to the FBI's raid
So... what's the big deal?
Free Martian Whores!
obviously, FBI is lacist.
Take a pay cut, show the world that you're not in it for the money, you're in it for the future of technology in the USA.
Then call the BSA, report software piracy in a government office, collect the rest of your salary as the "reporting bonus".
Or, in another thought: It really had nothing to do with him. Just because you work with someone who does something stupid/illegal doesn't immediately make you guilty of also being involved in the stupidity/illegalities. Doesn't mean it doesn't, just means it doesn't have to be that he does. Or not.
When all else fails, use fire.
Is there even one person in Obama's administration that isn't a crook, in the same field they are appointed to oversee?
---- Booth was a patriot ----
This could be unrelated. He hasn't been arrested yet. However, there does seem to be an early stigma on Obama's appointees and corruption. Obama better hope this guy is clean.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
Yeah, so the first link goes to ComputerWorld, which draws it's information from...
...gad zooks!: A ComputerWorld Blog; the writer of whom gets his information from...
...gad zooks!: A political blog; the writer of whom gets his information from...
...his ass.
Nice trail.
I hear you, this stuff is scrolling across the bottom of 5 channels all day long and we have to see it here too. :(
is a well known terrorist
Yes he is.
but if you deny it you are clearly trolling or obviously ignorant)
Speaking of disingenuous, you might also want to mention, in the interests of not trolling, of course, that the man was not convicted of any crime whatsoever and that thye word "Terrorist", thanks to the valiant efforts of team Bush, no longer has the same cachet it had 8 years ago.
Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
Hum other than Geithner who are you referring too?
It seems like the Obama administration has a love affair with Microsoft anyway. Kundra really doesn't seem to be a guy with any great new ideas. Hopefully he's at least competent. I'd be more concerned about the pro-drug-war and pro-overreaching IP attorney general, Mr. Eric Holder.
(-1, Raw and Uncut is the only way to read)
Why is it interesting?
If it is not, why are you here and commenting?
It is very interesting that you think you should make others know that an story is not interesting to them.
"Forgetting for just a moment that one of President Obama's best friends is a well known terrorist (not going to list all of the sources on this, but if you deny it you are clearly trolling or obviously ignorant);"
Actually, you're wrong on both counts. Bill Ayers isn't one of Obama's best friends and prior to the last presidential campaign, hardly anyone under the age of 55 had ever heard his name.
How long before "news for nerds" includes fashion and beauty stories?
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/02/03/washington/AP-Obama-Killefer.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/opinion/03tue1.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/us/politics/05richardson.html
That is four appointees tied to corruption issues, so the CIO would be the fifth if that were the case.
Then, there is the Blagojevich scandal, which the media was adamant from day 1 that Obama had no knowledge about, and zero possible connection. The media can't know that for certain. Obama may very well be innocent there, but there is a perception of stigma regardless.
Now Obama's replacement, Burris may be charged with perjury and there are calls for him to resign.
Again, Obama probably doesn't know Burris very well, and had no control over whether or not Burris perjured himself, but none of this is good PR.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
What do you mean? Fashion and beauty would be HUGE news for nerds. I don't think most of them know anything about either one. ;)
For future reference, the list so far:
People who haven't withdrawn, but have had major issues:
Will Vivek Kundra be next on the list?
After the FIRST guy getting outed on tax irregularities you would think they would be a LOT more careful. But no... another...
I would love to see the Obama administration succeed in many ways for many reasons, but mostly because his success might also lead to the nation's success. But with all this crap coming down, you would think that Obama would have a team of investigators to vet these appointees with a fine-tooth-comb. Can Obama really be that dumb?
Now Obama's replacement, Burris may be charged with perjury and there are calls for him to resign.
Last I knew, Obama wasn't a support of Burris and wanted him to resign.
Those who believe the Internet is private,
find their privates are on the Internet.
I love that I get modded troll for DEFENDING the guy and saying he hasn't been arrested yet.
It is just common sense that if Obama's appointees are charged with corruption, that isn't good PR for him. How is that trolling to say Obama better hope he is clean?
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
Please read the full post where I said Obama probably doesn't know the guy very well, and probably has no connection to his perjury.
The point is however, that so long as the issue continues to blow up, it will continue to create bad PR.
After all, there is a slight chance that Obama did have some knowledge that Blagojevich and his wife were both on the take. Burris apparently lied about not knowing. Obama was cleared of wrongdoing before any investigation was done, or any facts came out. Literally, the day it came out that charges were being pressed against Blagojevich, prosecutors said they wouldn't look into Obama.
However, because the two did work together, there are those that will make accusations. Obama had very slight connections to Ayers, but it was enough for people to use it against him.
His appointees, like the CIO, are more direct connections. Obama is responsible to appoint the right people. My initial post didn't suggest innocence or guilt. I merely wanted to point out, that Obama better hope his CIO is clean otherwise it will look bad for him.
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
The party rallied around him pretty quickly even though he is young and arguably inexperienced. Most of his opponents within the party went from criticizing him in the primaries, to standing behind him later. I don't know if he made promises to them, or he was just wants to take care of them for taking care of him.
Either way, he has been taking major players in Washington, and giving them jobs. He promises the cabinet would be new faces, and not typical Washington politicians, but that is exactly what he is doing. And maybe he has to make friends early.
It only makes me wonder, when you spend literally years campaigning, that perhaps you should plan out your cabinet early on, and have time to research these guys. Once in office, you want to assemble a cabinet early and get to work. How much time do you have for lengthy background checks?
http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
You actually looked to see where people are getting their information? GTFO.
"Forgetting for just a moment that one of President Obama's acquaintances was a little-known terrorist"
Does that work?
I would like to subscribe to you newsletter.
> there does seem to be an early stigma on Obama's appointees and corruption
Whoa there buddy! Haven't you heard? Dissent is no longer the highest form of patriotism. Also, everyone remove your "if you're not outraged you're not paying attention" bumper stickers. All is well.
The Army reading list
Speaking of disingenuous, you might also want to mention, in the interests of not trolling, of course, that the man was not convicted of any crime whatsoever and that thye word "Terrorist", thanks to the valiant efforts of team Bush, no longer has the same cachet it had 8 years ago.
Why would we want to mention those things? Ayers admits everything he was accused of. Why would the important consideration be that he was never convicted, rather than the fact that he was guilty and admits it? And why would it matter that the term terrorist gets bandied around a lot and applied to some less-than-terrifying activities when Ayers himself was the genuine article - the kind of terrorist who wanted to randomly murder innocent people?
Hey, from what I've been seeing and reading, IL politics make LA's look VERY clean and innocent!!
And say what you will about Jindal's TV thing the other night, but so far, he has done a great job down here...a lot of corruption has been ferreted out down here, many people on state and local levels going to jail. It doesn't feel quite like the 'banana republic' it used to be Pre-K.
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
I don't mind Anonymous trolls. Mainly because you can't stop crazy. But the fact that others apparently feel inclined to mod this informative points to crazy being more mainstream than I'm comfortable wtih.
The best part of the rant: collaboration between Nazis and Communists. The only thing missing in that attack on the Red White and Blue is gays and Mexicans. That's some delusion at work there.
Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
Acar worked under Kundra, Obama's pick to coordinate federal computer systems. Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs would not say whether the White House knew the investigation was under way when it named Kundra last week, but called the case "a serious matter."
Acar, a 40-year-old native of Turkey, had a $127,468-a-year position purchasing the city's computer equipment and lining up contract workers for numerous city agencies.
Source: AP
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_degrees_of_separation
waiting for ad.doubleclick.net
The wife of one of Bush's close friends helped to fund the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and Bush has had dealings with Osama bin Laden's brother, Salim bin Laden. What does that tell you about Bush and terrorism, about Bush's involvement in 9/11?
You're correct, it tells you nothing.
Play Command HQ online
I could care less about Ayers, I was just seeing if fixing the flaws the GP poster pointed out would result in an acceptable statement. It sounds like it won't.
Regardless, your parallel with Bush is not relevant, because it (for one thing) is much more indirect, and was only investigated as a possibility. Read the article you linked to: "An investigation by her office has found the princess sent money to a woman on her charity recipient list and that woman then sent the money to the students."
there does seem to be an early stigma on Obama's appointees
Q: What is the difference between Jesus and Obama?
A: Jesus could build a cabinet.
Why would the important consideration be that he was never convicted,
Because you still technically exist in a Nation of Laws. And his status under the law is the only one that matters, at least in general. That's why, you know, he's a professor, and not dead or in jail. If you don't like that, your problem's not with him, but the system.
randomly
Have you listened to or read Ayers at all? His goals and actions were not random: His objective and targets were clear.
Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
I'd chalk all of this up to all long-term politicians being crooked as hell. I really, truly believe that Obama isn't. He hasn't been in the game long enough to have either changed his ways (for the worse) or gotten out of the game altogether. We, as a nation, jumped him into that position because of his refreshing naivete, and although I knew that it would be rough going and he'd have to change tack on a lot of things once he got started, I still think we made the right call.
I think it's important to point out the Kundra is not a target of the investigation. Let's also be clear that exactly 2 people in an office of 300 have been charged with a crime. There's no indication that Kundra was involved in any way.
Because you still technically exist in a Nation of Laws.
The rule of law means you don't go to jail if you don't get convicted. It does not mean that murdering people is fine so long as you don't get caught.
This is exactly why some people are troubled by Obama's association with Ayers. It indicates that, just like you, and far too many lawyers, he can tell the difference between legal and illegal, but he has no clue when it comes to the difference between right and wrong.
Unfortunately, that's becoming the problem. The Obama team is being so careful in their vetting that some nominees are dropping out, getting fed up with the whole process.
he can tell the difference between legal and illegal, but he has no clue when it comes to the difference between right and wrong.
And thank fuck for that, say I. Once again, nation of laws, not nation of whatever random dispshit thinks is "right" and "wrong". (Hint: Yours are not mine, vice versa and double for everybody else.)
Thanks for playing.
Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
Nice use of irony. Labeling a man who would attack his own government a terrorist, then suggesting the overthrow of the government. Troll+1
Ayers admits everything he was accused of.
That is far from true.
Ayers himself was the genuine article - the kind of terrorist who wanted to randomly murder innocent people
This for example.
Clinton lost some nominations, most notably Baird over the "nanny tax" in 1993. Many of these people on the expunged list have been around long enough to remember. Heck, Daschle was in the Senate at that time.
Flatter them.
Promise them big ideas and big, vague solutions.
Tell them that everyone is equally important.
That's how you make a Crowd happy. Of course, to do that you, you have to be a cynical bastard. That's why most Revolutionary leaders are corrupt people who plunge their countries into New Dark Ages.
Obama, coming from the most corrupt political machine in North America (the Chicago machine), is undoubtedly aware of all these things, and knows how to manipulate them for personal gain. Again, very cynical. But that's the RealPolitik(tm) when you have a huge crowd of people out there who vote with their emotions, based on the appearance of realities they're too lazy to research.
Hope! Change! Hope! Change!
Futurist Traditionalism
People who believe otherwise usually forget that its possible all the people who disagree with their 'right and wrong' may end up with the power to make their own actions illegal.
While good strong moral behaviour has its benefits, it is not the purview of the legal system, and should not be.
- Michael T. Babcock (Yes, I blog)
on facebooked.com
Ask Me About... The 80's!
It's pretty relevant, because while Ayers is a known terrorist, friendship between Ayers and Obama is conjecture based on the fact that they live in the same neighborhood and have met. While Princess Haifa has retained plausible deniability WRT 9/11 (as thin as it is, since Saudi "charity" organizations were well known pathways for rich Saudis to funnel money to terrorists), her friendship with the Bush family is well established.
Play Command HQ online
Awesome! And very responsive. Now, we might as well complete the trifecta and call this one overrated. Thanks in advance!
Dude, your projections were incorrect. Maybe if you predicted correctly, you'd end up with +1 informative.
FreeBSD bounties
I think a lot of these tax issues are coming out exactly because Obama's team is vetting the appointees with a fine-toothed comb.