RE: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,190017,00.html

quote:

As I said, I don't know where this mindless action originates. Whoever is responsible for it should get the Order of the Black Turban, First Class. They are doing our opponents a great favor.

Rigid control of information through a compartmented, stovepiped[sic] process is characteristic of the Second Generation. Once again we see why Second Generation militaries cannot win Fourth Generation wars. Our defeats are less a product of what our enemy does to us than of what we do to ourselves.

The best critique of "Big Brother" I have seen in quite some time. This carry-over policy from the BUSH administration, and our new President should order it stopped.

Bravo, Mr. Lind.

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This carry-over policy from the BUSH administration, and our new President should order it stopped.

ROTFLMAO,

I just love it - everything is Bush's fault.

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In recent months, more and more American officers have told me that when they attempt to access the websites they need, they find access is blocked on DoD computers.

It says recent months, not years. While there is NOTHINGin the article that says that it did in fact carry over from the previous administration - the BDS blinders must have kicked in to make it so the the PRM (Peoples Republic of Minnasootaa).

If you think "Big Brother" was bad under the Bush Administration, maybe you should take a look at the 'Hate Crimes' bill the Democrats are pushing.

OBTW - How is it that Al Franken can win counties up there in the PRM where more people voted in the county than were registered and nobody questions it. One would think they were in Chicago or something.

William Lind raises some very valid points in his article about the limitations being placed on data searches on Government Computers.

While they do have a valid requirement that will limit access to some sites (porn, dating services, Craigs List, etc.) they seem to be going overboard.
I would not be surprised if they were eliminating access to sites like Jane's and other open source 'intell' related sites because it was not generated 'in-house'.

Well, Political Correctness is creaping into the militaries data searches.

And no, it did not mis-spell 'creaping'.

We currently have a 'Big Brother' mentality taking over the FCC that is hell bent on controlling conservative speech, labeling conservatives, veterans and 'right wing' groups as terrorists recruiting grounds, and becoming more intrusive that the Bush administration ever dreamed of.

When you have individuals openly filming people that attended the Tea Parties, taking down liscense plates of the attendees - you really have to wonder about where we are going.

Oh, my bad I forgot only left wing free speech and protest is authorized.

quote:

Originally posted by 21246220:

quote:

This carry-over policy from the BUSH administration, and our new President should order it stopped.

ROTFLMAO,

I just love it - everything is Bush's fault.

quote:

In recent months, more and more American officers have told me that when they attempt to access the websites they need, they find access is blocked on DoD computers.

It says recent months, not years. While there is NOTHINGin the article that says that it did in fact carry over from the previous administration - the BDS blinders must have kicked in to make it so the the PRM (Peoples Republic of Minnasootaa).

If you think "Big Brother" was bad under the Bush Administration, maybe you should take a look at the 'Hate Crimes' bill the Democrats are pushing.

OBTW - How is it that Al Franken can win counties up there in the PRM where more people voted in the county than were registered and nobody questions it. One would think they were in Chicago or something.

Keep laughing - You are right that not everything is Bush's fault. But the majority of problems we face as a nation today are (hint: state of the nation G W Bush inherited, compared to state of the nation G W Bush left behind).

If sites are available that give our servicemen/women access to information that can help them to understand and/or research their opponents from their home computers, then it makes sense that they be granted access to those same sites from within the DoD network (perhaps with a message informing the user that they are reading a site outside the DoD network, etc).

Many of our servicemen/women are required to read "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu. Understanding your adversary is one of the key principals offered in that classic text. Preventing research from being done to that effect is self-defeating.

We can't find Bin Laden because some web sites are blocked ????

And if these sites were unblocked the average soldier can read Arabic?

Please, this belongs in the Conspiracy Theory Forum.

here we go agine RVN all over keep your people miss in formtion and you can look smart r dum when soming happen the most famase words out of DOD **** HAPPENS sorry butt true look how miss in formtion we were inthe rvn on troop movment

PolicyWonk,

What I was laughing at was the knee-jerk 'blame it on Bush' logic.

Hint: Since you want to give the current administration a pass for any action/responsibility for the current state of affair - then GW Bush also gets a pass since 9-11 can be blamed on the actions of the Clinton/Bush (elder) actions in the Middle East AND the wonderful effects of the Community Reinvestment Act (on steriods) under Clinton. This more than any other factor lead to the fiasco of last year where we had the congressional oversight committee heads telling us there was no problem right up to when it all went to hell.

You will note that the enconomy was finally turning around after 9-11 and back on a positive swing until the Democrats gained control of congress - this with two active Overseas Contingency Operations going on.

I find it interesting that after the Democrats gained control of congress, and started their campaign to take the Office of the President as well - the economy headed into the toliet.

Folks keep in mind that the information highway is a two way street. There are 1,000's of viruses and trojans running rampamt out here. Add the fact that there are hackers (individuals & countries) assaulting our computer systems daily. Is it worth the millions in damage control to allow someone with a home PC/laptop to access DOD computers freely?? Heck we have laws against HIV infected people having sex with unsuspecting people- why let anyone roam thru DOD computer channels with an unprotected or a unverified computer. I find it hard to imagine that an S2/G2 can't enter a DOD system and get an update on a possible enemy or area of Interest.

Information has to be tightly controlled in the military because there is so much to hide from the members of the military. For example in 2006 there was an attempt by the US government to set up a team of agents in Germany with the goal of being able to manipulate the next federal German elections. Perhaps one in 100,000 thousand people in the US military knows that in January of 2007 arrest warrants were issued for 13 "CIA" agents by the German government. Now the official reason for this was because they had taken part in the kidnapping of a German citizen. Unfortunately the real reason which I just stated above could not be revealed to the public because it is to incendiary. If I make this charge a few predisposed to such thinking might believe it. Most people will reject it as the ravings of a conspiracy lunatic. If the German government were to confirm my accusations it would tear at the very foundations of democracy. After all if the US government tried once to manipulate the German elections and failed who is to say that they did not try again and were successful.
The official results could never be trusted.
But if you are reluctant to accept my charges just learn about recent US behavior. In 2002 the US welcomed to putsch that temporarily overthrew Hugo Chavez a man hated by the US leaders of the US militaryindustrialcomplex.
Yet there is substantial evidence that the people who overthrew Chavez assassinated six of their own supporters so that they could have some martyrs with which to demonize Chavez.
Learning about the behavior of the people that they serve could lead some people in the military to begin to question whether or not they are really any different from German soldiers of the 2nd World War, or if they really are any different from the Bloods and the Crips. Of course many probably realize that the Bloods and the Crips are actually more more because they do not claim to have some high and noble purpose when they kill someone. Of course the people in the military are far smarter than your average street thug because they have their governments blessings to commit murder. What is far more important is that they stay out of prison and get a college education, an early retirement, and they get to kill people that they do not even know in exotic locations around the world. It may be true that the job is dangerous but is being a gang member not just as dangerous?
So go ahead make my day. Say that you are protecting my freedom of speech or religion.
In fact the management of military.com may even take this post down because their own commitment to free speech might not be very strong. Even if they leave it up how many people in the military will ever read this 2 or 3 dozen? This post will not have much effect and they know it. I just wrote it because I got tired of siting on my terrace sipping a Tequila Sunrise, in the sunny 68 degree weather, watching my team of gardeners digging a new Lotus and Waterlily pond.

Furthermore this myth that Obama has brought change is so nonsensical that even a child should be able to see through this lie. The fact that the new administration made such a hallaballu out of the North Korean rocket test or missile test or music test or whatever the heck it was is the the proof that any sane would need to know that there has been no change in substance only the veneer. You may find the following story funny. I do. I saw BuddhalovesPaine today. He has issued a religous fatwa that anyone who lights up a US General with a flamethrower to make a crispy critter would be morally justified. No virgins or even paradise is promised. Just an attaboy you did a good job.
Now someone may say that Buddha is guilty of sedition. I say he is only guilty of bad satire. After all if Stephen Colbert can earn a living being a liberal pretending to be conservative then Buddha can make a living being a liberal pretending to be a conservative who is actually a liberal. It is not hard. Patrick Buchannon, Ron Paul, and Noam Chomsky all agree that the US is an empire and should not be an empire. Three strikes and you are out. Real conservatives real libertarians and real liberals all believe that the US militaryindustrialcomplex must die and the soldiers of the US military are the only ones who can kill it. Of course the soldiers of the US military may like working for psychopaths. Ted Bundy was charming too. Those soldiers should not come crying to me if one of their kids disappears when a psycho is in their neighborhood.

quote:

Originally posted by 21246220:
PolicyWonk,

What I was laughing at was the knee-jerk 'blame it on Bush' logic.

Hint: Since you want to give the current administration a pass for any action/responsibility for the current state of affair - then GW Bush also gets a pass since 9-11 can be blamed on the actions of the Clinton/Bush (elder) actions in the Middle East AND the wonderful effects of the Community Reinvestment Act (on steriods) under Clinton. This more than any other factor lead to the fiasco of last year where we had the congressional oversight committee heads telling us there was no problem right up to when it all went to hell.

You will note that the enconomy was finally turning around after 9-11 and back on a positive swing until the Democrats gained control of congress - this with two active Overseas Contingency Operations going on.

I find it interesting that after the Democrats gained control of congress, and started their campaign to take the Office of the President as well - the economy headed into the toliet.

Oh I know what you were laughing about - and as I said Bush doesn't deserve credit for everything that has gone wrong: but he deserves the lions share.

He gets no pass for 9/11 because there is far too much evidence to the contrary. For example, the administration was warned repeatedly prior to 9/11 that an attack on our country using commercial aircraft yet not a single action was taken to either tighten security, install air marshalls on aircraft, or even notify the airlines. Nothing - and in fact it was that president that mentioned (infamously) that he was "tired of swatting flies". The threat was considered so dire, that CIA Director Tenant got in his car and drove over to the White House and demanded an immediate meeting with the president. Yet that president took no action. Warnings came from multiple sources and were all consistent - yet no action.

Note that when Clinton signed the legislation that deregulated a lot of the financial restrictions he also said while signing it that no one was sure how it would all shake out, and if/when irregularities were found adjustments would have to be made. Shortly after GWB got into office the warnings of irregularities and problems started coming in, but as was typical he ignored those warnings as well (and he got them month after month, year after year). I remember his saying that the market was going great guns, yet the American people felt the economy was dying: yet again he didn't have the curiosity to investigate. The only time he took action was long after the huge damage was done. Additionally, even despite the dire warnings he was getting w/r/t financial irregularities and the seriousness of these problems it was like his administration repeatedly took actions (signing legislation) that were guaranteed to make the problems even worse.

Not all of the problem was created by him: but what is clear is that he took no action and spent no political capital whatsoever to remedy the problem (which would've caused some pain - but it would've been far less painful than what the country is going though now if he had addressed the issues 7.5 years ago). He was a failure as a leader because he was the least proactive (or for that matter curious) president we have had in well over 100 years.

You might find it interesting that the economy started to sputter after the democrats got control over congress, but the warnings came years before them and the republicans did nothing about it. Also note, that the only control the democrats got was over the agenda (something the republicans haven't got the courage to admit, and took to blaming the democrats for what the republicans were doing: blocking legislation through filabusters and other legislative manuvers because the democrats didn't have sufficient majority to either override those manuvers or a presidential veto).

So it isn't that interesting if you know how the government works - it is clear that the republican administration and its members of congress ultimately failed the American people.

Cheers.

It's curious to me that Mr Lind takes the view that such issues are necessarily gov't-imposed with the intent of restricting GIs (whether in intel or not) from anything disagreeing w/gov't or DoD policies.

It might be instructive to note that web sites can contain specific threats created by designers for the purpose of infecting, tracking or documenting the visitors' computer, network and location. Yes, Virginia, the bad guys are still out there, and our network operations folks are working hard to assure us that we can maintain the maximum connectivity in the face of large and increasing threat.

A final thought in this all-too-brief note: it seems ludicrous to me that the DoD (with all the pro- and anti-governmental gouge saturating all print, broadcast and internet media) would assign "monitors" to sniff out anything that was anti-DoD positions or anti-governmental positions and block that from access by our people who use NIPR networks to get their work done. Sorry, doesn't meet the common-sense test.

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You will note that the enconomy was finally turning around after 9-11 and back on a positive swing until the Democrats gained control of congress - this with two active Overseas Contingency Operations going on.

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by 21246220:

You will note that the enconomy was finally turning around after 9-11 and back on a positive swing until the Democrats gained control of congress - this with two active Overseas Contingency Operations going on.

I was thinking about this recently. During the Clinton administration, I remember blame went to the Republican congress for any economic problems since they make the laws, then after the Democrats took over congress in 2006, and things started to go downhill in 2007, the media acted as if the president made the laws and forgot about the democratic congress.