A lot of initial versions for my posts appear at Twitlonger before I bring them over to The Jeffersonian. Here is a small collection. For posts of interest, click View at the end of the introduction to see the rest of the post.
Time for the feds to focus more productively
I’m not a cybersecurity expert, but I can’t be the only person who has an uncomfortable feeling about today’s reports about how Russian hackers stole data from Yahoo. Read behind the stories of the last three years, and what do you see? You have a picture of U. S. security agencies like the FBI and NSA maneuvering to increase their domestic surveillance capabilities, while companies… View
Important distinction between administrative and deep states
The administrative state and the deep state are not the same. EPA is administrative state. NSA is deep state. It is an important distinction. View
What did he say?
After the success of Close Encounters, and more recently Arrival, here’s a humorous comment about Trump’s advent in the White House:
“I believe it’s trying to communicate with us, but there’s no way to be sure…” View
Internet panopticon
“…Facebook announced a change in policy that would keep some of its data out of easy collection and use by law enforcement.
“The announcement was a response to a discovery months ago that some tech companies were using their access to massive amounts of social media data through developer tools to sell it to law enforcement agencies across the country. The police then use… View
American democratic project depends on pluralism, anti-authoritarian leaders
If you want to see which way American democracy is headed, look not at Nazi Germany. Look at Turkey. Comparisons between Geert Wilders of the Netherlands and Steve King of Iowa can’t hurt, either. The mixture of authoritarianism and cultural purity is deadly. Unfortunately, civil conflict over matters of cultural purity helps install authoritarian leaders.
If Americans cannot preserve… View
New York judge rules against portion control
Hear Mayor Bloomberg offer his defense:
“We’re not banning anything,” he said on CBS’ Face the Nation. “It’s called portion control.”
“All we’re doing in New York is reminding you that it’s not in your interest to have too many empty calories,” he said. “You… View
Leon Panetta’s farewell comments to Congress
So often I find myself saying “Oh wow” as I read something in the news. This article is one of them. I have admired Leon Panetta and his service, but for him to criticize Congress for not showing respect: wow. The President has set an example of disrespect for Congress, Republicans in particular, for a long time.
If I were a Republican member of Congress and I heard a lecture… View
The Jeffersonian 