Search Results for: node/SSCC School resource

Update on EPIC TSA Lawsuit

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EPIC has submitted numerous Freedom of Information Act requests regarding the body scanners.  They have posted the information online for all to see.

These documents include:

Initially it was claimed that the TSA body scanners could not store or transmit images.  Then the US Marshal Service in August 2010 reported they had saved more than 35000 images.  The TSA responded by claiming that it has not done so and the machines do not have the ability.  Some still believe the TSA, the smart one’s have distrusted them from the start.

One WBI system,  identified by  the Government, shall (26) have the capability, which can be configurable at the superuser level. to record  images for training purposes. The superuser password shall(27) be managed by  the TSA. The capability to retain  images at the superuser level will be disabled on operational systems

Later in the same document(emphasis mine):

Incorporate a three  level user and password scheme allowing supervision and “superusers” access and override capabilities

While they claim for it to be possibly disabled the fact that the feature is there means that someone can re-enabled it.  Some would claim that no one would possibly want it.  However there have been rumors about a “new fetish”.  The thing is though, it’s already happened.  That could be your one of your loved ones.  We know the types of people the TSA employs.

While reading through the Operational Requirements, you can find the following:

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Normally one would avoid conjecture, however what could be considered critical to national security regarding the privacy capability of the device?  NMAB-482-1 can be found here, the section we really care about is here.

It appears that the tactic being used for airport security is to rule this search as being administrative.

Airport security searches fit quite naturally into the administrative search exception to the Fourth Amendment. Administrative searches are justified on the basis that they serve a societal purpose other than standard criminal law enforcement (Vernonia School District 47J, 1995, citing Griffin, 1987). After all, the Fourth Amendment cannot be construed to prevent the government from fulfilling a variety of other necessary functions, such as maintaining school discipline, preventing drunk driving, detecting illegal aliens, or even ensuring air traffic safety (Vernonia, 1995; Michigan Dept. State Police, 1990; United States v. Martinez-Fuerte, 1976).

Each of those examples though require some sort reasonable suspicion.  Randomly stopping cars for drunk drivers and testing everyone, until recently has never happened.  In the instance Florida’s new checkpoints, there will probably be a strong legal challenge.  When attempting to maintain school discipline they must be disruptive to begin with.  As for illegal aliens, detecting them is extremely difficult. If it is as they claim above, why isn’t Arizona’s law legal unquestionably?  Especially since it requires contact of a lawful nature, they can’t just walk around carding people.

With regard to the TSA though, they claim the right to do this to any person for any reason.  No reasonable suspicion is required of a crime having been committed.

Against the special need of the government, the court must consider the passenger’s expectation of privacy. This consideration involves the same analysis used in the threshold issue of whether a search has occurred, with one important difference. Deciding whether a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy for purposes of determining whether or not a search has taken place is a yes-or-no-question. Either one does or does not have a legitimate expectation of privacy in this context. On the other hand, expectation of privacy as a factor in the balancing test becomes a matter of degree. Thus, the court in Vernonia (1995) held that schoolchildren, because of the supervisory role schools have over them, have a decreased expectation of privacy at school. As discussed in the first section, airline passengers most probably have a legitimate expectation of privacy against being searched in an intrusive manner. Nevertheless, this expectation could decrease if passengers perceive the threat level to be high.

Emphasis mine.  Their method to get around this problem is to convince the public that a statistically rare event (you’re actually more likely to be struck by lightning) is actually more common than it is.  The comparison to school children also shows the view they have of the public in general of being children and the government has the supervisory role.  We’re the children in school and they’re the principal.

Further the NMAB states:

Thus, measures should be taken to minimize the appearance of nakedness, the number of people having access to and identifying the image with the traveler, the time the image endures or is preserved, the uses to be made of the data, etc., to the extent consistent with safety objectives. The next section deals with the concept of less versus more intrusive means.

The assumption though that is enough for some people regarding their privacy is false.  If it wasn’t why would these have popped up overnight?  Also the ability to store the images as I talked about earlier has been proven to be false.  While they may claim it is not “normally” enabled.  The machines do have the capability and there is no way for the public to verify that it does not store the image.  We must take the governments word, which at this point should be worthless to everyone. If you opt out of the scanner the TSA humiliates anyone who refuses to go through the body scanner.  They are doing a procedure that is highly intimate and detrimental to victims of sexual abuse.  This scanner can also reveal however private medical information that may not want to be shared because it’s no one’s business but yours and your doctors.  This also ignores the health concerns regarding the radiation exposure.  What is disturbing is this is the only time I’ve ever heard of people working around equipment that uses radiation that do NOT wear dosimeters. 

These documents display a crafted, thought out, and planned destruction of our 4th Amendment rights.  Their justification to violate the 4th Amendment centers around creating the illusion of necessity.  A Security Theaters has yet to stop any terrorists.  Yet they claim that their infringements are necessary and merely administrative to stop this “common” threat.  They need to be rendered impotent to stop the spread of their idiocy and evil.

(Sorry about going all Kevin Baker(it’s a complement Kevin) on this post.)

SSCC #519 – Minneapolis

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A Minneapolis police officer is in jail after his arrest for allegedly having off-duty sexual encounters with several girls between the ages of 12 and 14, according to the Anoka County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators from the Brooklyn Center Police Department were alerted that Bradley Schnickel, 32, used social media to contact a female and sent inappropriate messages to her. The investigation widened and multiple possible female victims were identified, authorities said. Cmdr. Paul Sommer of the Sheriff’s Office declined to provide a number.

Remember though, those in law enforcement should be given a monopoly on force.  They are anointed and could do no wrong against the rest of the public.

As usual he’s on paid administrative leave but given the number of officers who have done this while working as school resource officers, he’s on the count.

State Sponsored Criminal #519: Bradley Schnickel

Because a position of trust is so easy to use to manipulate people who are young and naive, especially when that position is instructed by many to be obeyed without question. 

Radio, Radio, and More Radio

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Saturday ended up considerably busier than expected.  Initially I had just planned to help with the ARES exercise, but it ended up they were making a trip up to the Kamiak radio site.  I went along to help since I hadn’t seen the radio site.

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That’s the tower with the KABARA Repeater Antennas, as well as the packet system we were up there to work on.  Next to it is that tower is KWSU.

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Inside the radio shack was some impressive equipment for the KABARA system, more specifically a pair of duplexers for the 6-meter repeater.

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After a quick tour we then got down to why were were there.  Someone was going to have to climb the tower for recon for an upcoming antenna installation.

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He wanted proof that he climbed the tower.  I have other pictures while he was at the top, none however provide proof that it was actually him climbing.

It appears the recon was successful, the hardline we were planning on using is currently at the location where we are planning on installing the antenna.  We just need to coordinate with some of the other antennas owners when we go to actually install it.

The antenna is going to be hooked into this.

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Which is the packet node on top of Kamiak, the recon was because the owner is planning on adding a 70cm link if I remember correctly.  It was pointed out to me though how wind can be a royal bitch up on the tower.

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The wind was light that day, the antenna is either caught in the tower, or permanently deformed from wind and ice loading.  That particular antenna however was no longer in use.

After that we headed back down the hill with one quick stop right after we got out of the trees so I could do this today.

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After that K7LL helped me test an mobile amp I have.  It works, but nowhere near as effective as it should be.  It is now sitting on my workbench awaiting disassembly.  An upshot a coworker and fellow ham drove by and I paid him a visit.  I must say his ham shack is by no means a shack, and is actually quite nice.  He actually had a spare 2m/70cm base and it’s now sitting on my desk.  He also has a spare HF rig but it needs some repair work.  Electrolytic capacitors don’t last for ever.

From there I went and picked up a sign for the lodge.  The sign was vandalized and I picked it up to take it home to attempt to clean it.  Attempt one removed some of the paint but next on the list is acetone.  From there I headed over the Moscow to W7UQ to kill some time before going over to a friends house for dinner and helping him with some homework.

While sitting at W7UQ one of the members showed up and I then preceded to spend the next 2 hours discussing antenna design, radiation patterns, and methods to solve some issues they are having with their current project.  Including moving from just telemetry based information to adding command and control.  I gave him my contact information so they can come to me with questions and help with the project.

Lastly I had dinner over with some friends.  I finally headed out from their place at 0130 after helping him with a programming assignment.  Overall it was a busy, educational, and productive day.

It Can’t Happen Here – Southern California

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Not only did this take place in California, but at a High school no less, so of course it can’t happen here, a school is a gun free zone.  The school went on lock down after a murder-suicide took place in the parking lot.

“I heard the shots and I knew someone was dead,” Chad said. “Why would
he do this at a school? And why did he have to do it where there are
kids everywhere?”

Just because it is a school with kids present does not mean that someone with intent will be thinking about the logistics involved.  The person is not going to care due to a one track mind.

“This just makes you think it could happen anywhere,” she said.

Thanks captain obvious, welcome to the party.  Why do you think this series is named like it is!?

Thoughts on “Respectful Disagreements”

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So I saw this story today.

Volunteers at the Warren County Democratic headquarters, just north of Cincinnati, were shocked and disappointed by a political prank unloaded on them early Tuesday morning – someone dumped a pile of horse manure in the parking lot of the headquarters building on US 42, just north of Lebanon.

Now I laughed and chuckled, I would have still laughed if someone had done it to a Republican headquarters.  What got me thinking though was the following statement from the County Democratic Chair.

Goldenfield goes on to say, “It’s really unfortunate that people can’t have respectful disagreements… We’re not going to be discouraged by it. It’s just very disappointing. It will probably motivate our people even more but it’s also a very disrespectful thing to do.”

Respectful disagreements, lets talk about this word respectful.  Those on your side of the debate have been nothing but rude, bigoted, and down right evil.  How evil?

A 16-year-old high school student says she was mocked by her own teacher after she arrived to class wearing a t-shirt supporting GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

…

"Then a whole bunch of kids came in and a [teacher’s assistant] took a marker and pretended to draw on my shirt and then told me to take off my shirt," she said.

…

"People were telling me not to come to school, saying they were going to hit me and stuff like that," the teen said, referring to threats posted by fellow-students on her Facebook page in response to her political attire.

Have no fear for the teacher though because the school districts response?

The teacher who started the firestorm by criticizing Pawlucy’s Romney-Ryan tee-shirt is still out of school, pending an administrative hearing.

Now supposedly the union isn’t supporting the teacher but I think that’s mainly because it’s obvious how bad the teacher stepped in it in this instance.  Moving forward though we have the bus driver who informed a young man that his mother should have aborted him.

But when students on the bus started Romney chants this week, the driver started a political conversation with the boy, prompting him to point out that Obama is pro-choice, according to conservative blog Freedom Eden. The students attend a local Catholic school.

The driver allegedly retorted, "Maybe your mom should have chosen abortion for you."

Yup, that’s a real civilized respectful disagreement right there.  Especially since this man felt he needed to attack a 12 year old child for his families political views.  Bummer the bigot couldn’t pick on someone his own size.

But wait, there’s more!  This call for respectful disagreement is also coming from the same party who is so tied into the unions they conscript their support from union membership.

How is that for a respectful disagreement?  Force support for your party by holding a person hostage by keeping them from feeding themselves or their family by tacking on a fine.  Now some may claim that you don’t have to join the union.  That only holds true if you’re in a right to work state.  You could always go find a job elsewhere that doesn’t have a union, but often the union will do everything to get a monopoly on the industry to force membership.

Moving even further forward, lets do a quick look back into history shall we?

A 24-year-old arrested this morning on suspicion of smashing 11 windows at Colorado Democratic Party headquarters tried to conceal his identity while allegedly committing the crime, according to police descriptions.

…

While Schwenkler does not appear in the state’s voter registration database, a person by that name in November 2008 received $500 from a political 527 committee called Colorado Citizens Coalition for "communications," according to campaign finance disclosures.

The accountant for the 527 appears to be the same woman who handles the books for many other Democratic-leaning political committees.

So they did this to themselves, which works well when you can control the narrative and say it was the other side.  It fails when you’re minions get caught.  Now there was a window that recently broke in Alabama and again the Dems ran off claiming people were shooting at them, mainly the Republicans and independents that can’t have a respectful disagreement.  Lets look at what really happened.

Police say that a window that shattered at Mobile County Democratic Party headquarters in downtown may have done so as result of previous damage, Cpl. Christopher Levy, Mobile police spokesman, said today.

All the left knows how to do is claim “victim status”.  Lets also not forget the fact that the left is considerably more violent than the right as well. 

Finally lets examine two last items.  First up from OldNFO is the following:

According to the Pentagon, requests for military absentee ballots is down 92% from 2008!!!

At the same time I also had this bit of information come across the radar from Sebastian.

However, now there are reports that not only is the robocalling giving out false dates to votes, but an Obama door-to-door campaign targeting seniors in a county that went Republican is also giving out the false dates, I’m not so sure this is an accident.

Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three or more times is enemy action.  Well bad news for the opposition, I don’t believe in coincidence.  Even then the robocalls and door to door mistakes are truly two separate incidents for a count of three.  It is well known and common knowledge the date of the election and informing people in mass of a incorrect date, especially in a county likely to vote against you is just wrong, deceitful, and again not an example of someone engaging in a “respectful disagreement”.  Yeah, with regards to her use of the word respectful…

Then again, a party whose membership consists of people using the power of the state to rob from others to give to themselves wouldn’t really understand respect if it walked up and slapped them in the face.  Respectful would be letting people keep what they had earned.

Now why would I bring this up, while I am currently doing my best to be respectful to those of differing opinions?  Their right to have me remain respectful ends when they’re no longer respectful to me.  Even more than that, they have no right to my respect when they are taking my property and work for their own because honestly, where’s the respect in that?

SSCC #373

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An internal affairs investigation into his activities concluded that Paventi had sex on duty throughout the span of his 20-year career and even rented hotel rooms for the trysts while he was working.

Investigators determined that he rented rooms at the Days Inn on the Berlin Turnpike, in Berlin, 15 times in 18 months while he was on the clock and department and hotel records indicated that at least twice Paventi was receiving overtime pay during the trysts. He also met a woman for sex on the day in August 2011 the allegations were revealed, the report said. Many of the meetings for sex occurred as Paventi was the commander of the Professional Standards Division and while he was being sued by four female police officers.

That’s bad, but what’s really bad is the fact he retired with one hell of a pension.  Nothing like having the people continue paying for the resource wasting moron well after the fact.

State Sponsored Criminal #373: Captain Anthony Paventi

Because since the hard-working people are already paying for those too lazy to work, we need to pay for officers who got laid while on the job to make more doing nothing than most while doing something.

via Joe

SSCC #200 – Upper Marlboro

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Wow, 200 already.  It seems like just yesterday I was starting the count.  I could have reached this probably much faster but a few things have happened on the trip to 200.  The criteria for making it onto the count or becoming just an honorable mention became much more clear cut.  The Accountabilibuddyable series was started to cover many of those who would be honorable mentions due to getting fired and prosecuted with serious charges.  Those instances still are pretty rare though.  I also scaled back to only posting one a day.  Clear cut incidents are a bit harder to find and one a day helped limit the amount of work since I could easily queue them.  If something really spins my head it gets tossed up front and center.  This one was bumped to me by a reader and leaves me nothing but pissed off and wondering why nothing has been done to the officer.

A seventh-grader says a county police officer yanked him out of the school cafeteria, handcuffed him in front of his friends, dragged him to the band room, where no one could hear, and beat him while he was handcuffed – all because the student dressed like Ice Cube’s character in the movie “Boyz n the Hood” for school spirit week.

The school nurse was a witness to the injuries inflicted by the officer.

“(W)hile inside this room defendant Tilus chided plaintiff about the way he was dressed then smacked him twice in the face with his full force so hard that he left whelp marks on plaintiff’s skin; throughout the entire time plaintiff remained in handcuffs.”

The arrest in the cafeteria was caught on tape and I would assume his arrival in the schools office was able to be noted to display the time difference.  The whole point of this exercise remains unknown to anyone but the officer.  This wouldn’t be the first time an officer wanted to get his rocks off and took it out on a kid.

State Sponsored Criminal Count #200: Officer Wantalex Tilus

Because if you don’t like how a kid dressed for spirit week, haul him off to a sound proof room and beat his ass, and make sure to humiliate him in front of all of his friends.

via Ry

SSCC #201 – Arapahoe County

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Since this guy is currently waiting locked up in the jail named after him I feel this is more of an honorable mention.  It’s not going to be fully accountabilibuddible though.

Former Arapahoe County Sheriff Pat Sullivan limped into court Wednesday morning, using a cane, as he faced accusations of trying to exchange methamphetamine for a sexual encounter with an adult man.

But this isn’t even the best part though.  He evidently would personally bond out suspects from jail.

Robinson would not say what type of suspects he bonded out and would not confirm if they were drug suspects.

Is it still prostitution if instead of a direct payment of cash the John just bond’s you out of prison?  Still that’s just minor icing on the cake compared to the next item.

At the time, Sullivan used the event to champion gun control. He held up a semiautomatic weapon on TV and demanded more restrictions.

Sullivan then participated in many national programs, some preparing the country for a national disaster. He also took a prominent role during the 1999 Columbine High School shootings. After he retired in 2002, he led the security department for the Cherry Creek School District. He worked there until the end of the 2007-2008 school year.

That’s right folks. This holier than thou member of the anointed class was using his position to argue for the disarmament of law abiding citizens.  He began his crusade in 1989 prior to the Brady Bill.  So here comes this eternal question, did he support the Brady Bill?  Not only did he, he was considered by the Brady Campaign an expert witness.  

He worked in a may issue county and attempted to use concealed weapons permits as bargaining chips to get people to stop fighting for the second amendment.

Sheriff Sullivan was also famous for trying to buy off local gun rights activists with a “buddy” concealed carry permit (when permits were almost impossible to acquire).

In 1995 Sullivan offered me a permit, attempting to buy my inactivity in the battle for concealed carry in Colorado.

Think about that for a second.  This state sponsored criminal was selling your rights down the drain and attempting to bribe others who were fighting the good fight to leave and be complicit.  They only way this guy could ever be held accountable is to have his naked body flogged by every victim of violent crime who was disarmed by his efforts.  When that was complete he would be keelhauled in open water.

State Sponsored Criminal Count 201: Former Sheriff Patrick Sullivan

Because it’s perfectly fine to use your position of power not only for your personal gratification, but then try and disarm the public so they can more easily become your victim.

*There has not even been an acknowledgement from the Brady Campaign of the corruption of one of their former “expert witnesses”.  I guess it never happened just like the death of Brian Terry and operation Fast and Furious.  Out here in the world of facts and logic we air our dirty laundry.  In the world of emotions and Peterson Syndrome that is not an option since it destroys the crux of their argument.

via David Wilson