Illegal Immigration is Complicated

US businesses fear illegal foreign worker crackdown by J.D. Riviere Thu Jul 26, 3:58 AM ET AUSTIN, United States (AFP) - US businesses are bracing for a possible major crackdown on illegal foreign workers, as the government seeks to give immigration authorities more power to punish companies hiring undocumented workers. (Yahoo News)

There is a segment of the population in the United States that is just delirious to hear that there could be a crack down on illegal immigrants. These are the same saints that have never broken the law or been forced to do whatever was needed for their family's well being. These are the same individuals that have money to burn and feel the government is taxing them too heavily and too often. I would call these people deluded, but I think even the residents of Oz would find them too far "out there" to be considered normal.

When businesses begin to feel threatened, especially when the markets are at such stratospheric levels and unemployment is so low, yet oil is close to a record high and defaults in the mortgage market seem to be looming like a repeat of the Savings and Loan scandal of the late 1980s, it is time to really take a look at the realities.

1) The population, illegal or otherwise, fill a needed niche in the economic structure from a labor perspective. Further, it is unlikely that the jobs they occupy could be filled by the average American today, either because of the low wage or more importantly the lack of skill set.

2) The population has become increasingly integrated into the economic fabric of society, with everything from cell phones to cable TV contracts. Defaulting on those contracts could cause more of an economic problem than the perceived burden burden placed on the society they live in.

3) Rounding them up and deporting them is an expensive and unrealistic option.

4) When the fines begin against businesses, those costs will be passed onto the consumer, in the forms of higher prices for goods or worse, the loss of jobs if the company is forced to close. Some would argue that this is not a significant issue, but the reality is that every business is tied to the economy and there are a few that are just barely hanging on. That would increase defaults in a shaky banking industry, but it would also displace workers and leave companies that depend on the labor (office buildings, construction sites to be stereotypical) without the labor to get things done, delaying or risking ongoing projects etc. like a string of dominoes.

I get that they are here illegally. As someone who has gone through the byzantine process of naturalizing, I get that. I also get that they are as integrated into our society as any other economic element and you do not just pull a thread out of a tapestry without knowing what it is connected to. The results could be catastrophic

MySpace, Again: Bang Head, Repeat Step 1

MySpace Finds 29,000 Sex Offenders July 25, 2007 - 4:32am By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press Writer RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - MySpace.com has found more than 29,000 registered sex offenders with profiles on the popular social networking Web site _ more than four times the number cited by the company two months ago, officials in two states Tuesday. (WTOP)

This is not the first time I have written about MySpace and I am sure it will not be the last. So there are sex offenders on MySpace. So what? This is an issue how? Other than getting some press by spreading more FUD around, AG Cooper really does not have a point that I can see. AG Blumenthal may be "astonished and appalled," but again, so what?

There were sex offenders on the Internet long before MySpace and they will be there long after MySpace is a distant memory. If you are concerned (and as a parent you should be) then you need to be monitoring your child's Internet usage. Just like you monitor the phone calls, their TV viewing and who their friends are. Nothing has changed. To expect MySpace or the government to act as nanny or gatekeeper to keep them from harm is an unfulfillable dream.

What these AGs should be doing is reinforcing the lessons that were taught by our parents and their parents before them. You do not talk to strangers and you do not trust what you read on the Internet, especially on something like MySpace. I have talked about the futility of laws preventing children from creating these sorts of sites. If they do not create them on MySpace or where ever, then they will do it on their own personal web site, something that most 10 year-olds with a copy of HTML for Dummies can do without a lot of effort.

Cooper's argument "All we're doing is giving parents the right to make a choice whether their children can go online" does not hold any water. Parents already have that right. It is called the right of parenthood and comes with the ability to turn the computer OFF for as long as needed. No right to appeal. No need for more government red tape. And certainly, no extra work for the engineers at MySpace and other organizations who have enough real work to keep them busy.

Label Definition: FUD

FUD: Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt

Fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) is a sales or marketing strategy of disseminating negative (and vague) information on a competitor's product. The term originated to describe disinformation tactics in the computer hardware industry and has since been used more broadly. FUD is a manifestation of the appeal to fear. (Wikipedia)

This term has been around a long time, but not since September 11, 2001, has the United States been gripped by it at almost every level of society from the most basic (we are all going to be blown up in our beds if we do not catch the bad guys!) to the most ridiculous (Iraq has weapons of mass destruction and they are selling them to grandmothers in Iowa - that was the pitch to invade Iraq wasn't?).

President George W. Bush, who will go down as the worst President the United States has ever seen, uses FUD on a daily basis to distract and obfusticate the illegal actions his administration continues to execute. Whether it is in speeches he makes or are made on his behalf, never before has there been so much, sprinkled before so many and consumed with such zeal as there is right now.

Remember, the only thing you have to fear, is fear itself. Way back, Frank Herbert wrote this about fear in the book Dune:

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

Label Definition: DHI

I have started applying a few labels to my posts so you can find things that might, at least to my mind, be related to each other.

DHI: The United States Department of Homeland (In)security.

The "National Strategy for Homeland Security" and the Homeland Security Act of 2002 mobilized our nation to secure the homeland from terrorist attacks. The Department of Homeland Security united 22 agencies on March 1, 2003, putting the strategy into action. (DHS)

Since March of 2003, this single agency has probably been responsible for more confusion, fear, uncertainty and doubt about just what it means to secure the homeland. From the bonehead responses to Anthrax, to the chaos at the airports, from the response to hurricanes and other natural disasters, to the lax practices at immigration, the creation of the Department of Homeland (In)security has almost single handedly proven to those of us that pay attention why we really should not trust the government to have our best interests at heart.

By the way, I do not claim to have invented the term, but I know I have been using it ever since reading Marcus Ranum's The Myth of Homeland Security

First, Take Off All Your Clothes...

Airports Warned About Terror Dry Runs July 24, 2007 - 9:35pm By MICHAEL J. SNIFFEN Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Airport security officers around the nation have been alerted by federal officials to look out for terrorists practicing to carry explosive components onto aircraft, based on four curious seizures at airports since last September. (WTOP)

TSA to the rescue. I certainly applaud them for confiscating those items that could be in just about any technician's bag or little old lady's shopping list, but why stop there? Let's face it. If the TSA wants to rule out any possible threat, the solution is simple.

1) Do not permit ANY item on the aircraft that has not undergone a thorough inspection. By this I mean the chairs, and other components of the airframe.

2) Do not permit ANY luggage, parcels or personal items to be taken on an aircraft.

3) Do not permit ANY passengers, staff or crew to access the aircraft without undergoing a full body cavity search, and changing into approved clothing AFTER decontamination/security check.

Essentially, if you are going to fly, it will be in all the luxury of a steel cage in a tyvek suit (that you will have to pay extra for). Expect that you will not be permitted to leave your seat for the duration of the flight and do not expect to receive any food or drink. Think 1970s Aeroflot without the frills of seat cushions.

This of course, is the same level of absurdity that is applied to computer security whenever there is some sort of outbreak. Essentially, pull the connections from the PC, put it a vault, encase the vault in concrete and bury the concrete to a depth of over 100 feet.

This makes the system unusable, but that is rapidly where the airline industry, with a big shove by the United States Federal Government is heading, rather than attempting to manage risk. Already, the casual travelers are looking at alternate means of getting where they are going, or are just not going. Business travelers, long the backbone of the airline industry are taking fewer flights as both costs for tickets and the hassle factor begins to take its toll. The trained person can do as much or more damage with a pen and a set of keys as they can with some form of explosive. This is not science fiction, this is fact. As a result, the United States is becoming immobile with fear and doubt while the terrorist continues to move around at his will. And that is a truly sad state of affairs.

The Death of Productivity

Steve Pavlina shows how to make a distinction between the important tasks and the urgent tasks on your to-do list. Examples of important items on your list could be learning new skills, finding a new relationship (or working on the one you have), or starting a new project. Note that these items are for you, not for someone waiting for a response to your e-mail. Steve calls this paying yourself first. (Yahoo Finance)

On Yahoo this morning there was a section about how to improve your productivity and in there were six tips that you can use. One of those tips, above, is Do important tasks instead of urgent ones. While I am all for doing the important things, the reality of the modern business world just is not that way. There is nothing so important that it cannot be displaced by something more urgent. And it is usually urgent because someone else dropped the ball and now things are in peril.

And I say this, both as a cynic and as someone with fifteen years of watching it happen. We would all agree that improving our own skills or starting a new project (and seeing through to fruition) is a good thing, but most of us, particularly those in IT are interrupt driven any more. It is almost impossible to carve out a solid fifteen minutes of uninterrupted time to eat, much less the hour or so needed to properly plan a new project or research a new topic. In the modern world, that falls under the heading of other duties which, sadly, tends to translate to on your own time. Even training, which every company I have worked for pays lip service to (we will pay for a week of training), comes with caveats and oh by the ways. (The training is on your own time, so while the company will cover the cost, you loose vacation, or the old chestnut of "we had to cut the training budget this year" or my personal favorite "you cannot go to training for a week, you are needed here.") And then, even if you get to go, you spend more time checking your electronic leash for what is going on back in the office.

The tips for improving productivity are interesting, if only to show how much we have lost in terms of control over our lives to this thing we call work.

Doctor Who

Just watched a really interesting episode of Doctor Who. Now if you live in the United States, Doctor Who is a phenomenon that most of you probably have never been exposed to. For those of us that grew up somewhere else, The Doctor is part of our culture. I will admit that I came in around the time of the third Doctor, Jon Pertwee and we are now up to the tenth Doctor.

Like The Prisoner, Doctor Who is a mind bending series that has been studies, reviewed and analyzed for decades. But, unlike The Prisoner, the Doctor continues to evolve and is always a fun romp.

Long live The Doctor!

Sport Coats and Suit Coats

A couple of days ago, I talked about shorts, especially on woman, as not being proper business attire.

Today I saw something that I thought every man knew, but since I saw it on several different men, I thought I should point it out to the male population in general. To whit:

You do not wear your suit coat as a sport coat

Suit coat material and styling is very specific and looks terrible as a sport coat, no matter how you try to dress it down. It looks really bad when you mix a fine worsted wool suit coat with a pair of never pressed Dockers and boat shoes, especially when the suit coat is a fine window pane pattern. Guys, besides looking silly, you shorten the life of an already expensive set of clothing and replacing a suit is not something any man wants to do more often that he should have to.

If you have to wear a jacket to the office, go get a blazer and a proper sport coat. Then you won't look like you tried to match those light blue stripes in the window pane with that sport shirt from Abercrombie and Fitch.

Preparation. Drill vs. Real Life

On my morning commute, I make a habit of looking around and trying to identify those things that, in an emergency I might need to take note of. Beyond the simple question of "where are the emergency exits and where are the emergency tools" I try to play a what if game and look for the obvious and not so obvious places where trouble could occur. For example, my train crosses a series of bridges, some more than forty feet in the air. A well placed explosive could have catastrophic effects. (As a side note, it does not take a genius to figure out where the obvious places are to cripple or do serious damage to the infrastructure in and around the Metro DC area. A good street map, available a the local 7-11 and Google is about all you need, so if you think that this blog is giving the bad guys ideas you need to get out more. If they have not thought of any of this yet, it is only because they are thinking of other more nefarious things.). In fact, a little over a year ago, a truck collided with one of the bridges and almost shut it down. This would have caused chaos, despite the fact that no lives were lost.

However, there are also several level crossings that could equally be utilized as well as rail maintenance access points, most of which are unlocked and appear to be unguarded. There might be a camera near by, but by the time someone notices the bad guys park a truck for example, it could be too late.

Further, I also take the Metro (subway) in my commute and as a long time resident, it does not take much of an imagination to figure out where you can shut down the rail line and cause a whole mess of trouble. Tokyo's sarin gas incident is only one of a dozen ways to cause terror.

So, with those thoughts in mind, Secretary Chertoff's gut and recent reports about an possible increase in a threat of terrorism (is that anything like the hurricane season predictions?), I wondered if over at the Department of Homeland (In)security they were discussing any drills. Now I am all in favor of a good drill, especially the type that really tests the systems. Could you imagine this conversation:

Sec: We need to have a drill.

Flunky 1: All right sir, what sort of drill?

Sec: How about...terrorist blows up Metro under Potomac River?

Expert 1: And how much confusion and realism do you want sir?

Sec: Hmm...how much can I have?

Expert 2: Well, sir, I guess it depends on how much you want to inconvenience people and how much you want to stress the systems. I suppose you could have full realism by not announcing it. Or you could announce it and have equipment pre-staged. Or you could work it out on a black board.

The problem with all exercises, is there is always some artificiality that has to be introduced. After all, you really can not blow up a train under the Potomac (or even simulate that) during rush hour without inconveniencing thousands of people. Yet the question remains, why not? Are we as a population not more prepared if we are inconvenienced by a disruption in our normal course of affairs? What if, each year, regions had a full scale exercise that just knocked the population off its axis for a day. Companies would be allowed to claim a tax credit for the day so people would be paid. Governments and other agencies would be able to practice in REAL situation (like normal events occurring as well as the drill itself). And the population would be better prepared. Think of it as a fire drill for grown ups.

Of course, it would never happen. And because it will never happen, the United States, as a nation, will continue to be unprepared.

Bigotry, Nothing Less

Loudoun Looks to Discourage Illegal Immigration July 17, 2007 - 6:32am Hank Silverberg, WTOP Radio WASHINGTON - Will Loudoun County, Va., follow Prince William County's lead and crackdown on illegal immigrants the same way? (WTOP)

I am sorry to say I live in the shadow of Prince William County. Sadder still to say that these laws are coming and there is very little will to stop them because those that see them as the bigotry they are are too few and too far between. The United States was, in theory anyway, founded on a premise of freedom and democracy. Heck, I will even pander to the Right and throw in the Golden Rule. Since 2000, these same freedoms and democratic ideals have been chiseled away and consistently destroyed. I have spoken out several times about the hypocrisy of bringing freedom to Iraq while here in the United States the soldiers are coming back to a country with fewer rights and freedoms then when they left.

So how is it that these new laws seem to target those that are not white (or even black for the most part)? If I thought for a minute that every single person that requested services would be required to provide positive proof (and folks, a birth certificate, in most cases, is not sufficient), then I would have no problems with these laws. But I know that if a Caucasian, a Black and a Hispanic apply for the same services, only the Hispanic would be checked for legal residency.

And I will tell you right now, that is wrong.

There are illegals in the United States today that run the gamut from looking like you and me to being as alien looking as if they stepped off the moon. You tell me how to distinguish them, because I will tell you how I would do it. Papers please. Passport or I-551/H1B. Nothing else is acceptable, because nothing else is proof positive.

The Federal Government can do little to prevent people from entering and leaving the United States at will. Even erecting a fence is of little use in a country this size. Sorry, that is the reality we all must live with and there is little that can be done. Further, every nation has some percentage of their population that is illegal. In the United States, however, there is a serious dichotomy between the services demanded and the services paid for. The citizens of the United States seem to demand a great deal from their government in services but seem reluctant at the very least to pay for them. As a result, what services there are are stretched so that any additional pull on them stretches them beyond the breaking point instead of being absorbed like they would be in other countries where the citizens are less disinclined to pay their own way. Health care and education are two of those areas where there is a legal mandate to provide the services, but a strong reluctance to pay for them.

Regrettable, the increase in funding that will have to result from the waste of resources required to verify every single request for services not to mention the increasing chill the whole process puts the entire thought of democratic principles, to my mind at least, seems to be a step in the wrong direction, regardless of the monetary savings portrayed.

And you thought I was kidding

Maybe Rob Rogers is reading my blog. Maybe great minds think alike. In any case, a good chuckle for a Tuesday morning.

But is it a good phone?

10 things you must never do with a friend's iPhone: There are worse things than greasy fingers BY Gregg Keizer July 15, 2007 (Computerworld) -- You're one of the lucky ones. Because you didn't shell out hundreds for an Apple Inc. iPhone two weeks ago, your bank account still shows a positive balance. But since you know someone who did buy the $599 phone, you have access to one, if only temporarily. No need to rub elbows with the hoi polloi at the Apple store, or heaven help you, an AT&T Inc. store, to try out the gizmo. No need, either, to spend the money to impress that certain someone, you cheapskate. (Computerworld)

I have a couple of friends and former associates that were positively salivating over the release of the iPhone. Unfortunately, many of them were unable to purchase their dream toy because of a sharp down turn in their personal finances on the day the phone was released, so, as far as I know, none of those that were dripping on their keyboards has actually procured one. But at $600 a unit, plus monthly charges, that is close to 1/4 of a mortgage payment, so I am sure they are happy about this.

Personally, I do not understand what the big deal. Sure, it looks good, has a snazzy user interface and can play video games, and can be pureed to a creamy texture, but how does it work as a phone?

I ask this question after almost two years as the user of a Palm 650 Trio. I have been a fan of Palm's devices ever since I traded in my Sharp Wizard (which oddly enough they still make but it looks nothing like the black cased organizer I used to have).

My first Palm was a Pilot III and I loved it. Grey screen and all, but when the Model VII came out, I was in heaven! Here was an organizer with email (years ahead of the crackberry I might add). Sure I had to have a subscription, but so what? Sure I had to learn to use Graffiti to send my emails, but again, so what (I will admit to liking the keyboard to send emails with rather than doing it with Graffiti, but I did get very good at quick responses with Graffiti.). I upgraded over time and then I stopped using my Palm when I really had no need for it day-to-day (when you are laid off, there is no need to keep an electronic schedule) and reverted to paper.

Flash forward to 2005 and I am looking to replace my cell phone. Now at the time, I did not do a lot of text messaging. In fact, because of the clunky interface and auto word feature on my cell phone, I did almost none. It was faster to write down a message and send it by carrier pigeon than it was to use SMS. But I did need a new phone and was actually looking at a BlackBerry. The biggest negative to the BlackBerry at the time was the form factor. I just could not see it being comfortable to use as a phone. The newer models are getting better in that regard. The Treo, however, was comfortable, not to big and not to small and it was a familiar interface and user experience (and that is sometimes half the battle). The cost was reasonable and so I put down my money.

I am not sure now, if the issue of a phone can be thoroughly tested without dozens of hours of use. And you cannot do that unless you use it. I am not a big telephone person. If you want something from me other than to tell me you are running late, send an email (and if you are running late, send me a text message). Along with some subtle hearing loss I am finding that the phone speakers on these smart devices while great at playing MP3, do not seem to do so well at transmitting the human voice. Especially after it has been compressed, packetized and shoved through a bunch of devices never meant to carry it. I find it increasingly difficult to hear people on the other end of the line, especially if there is ANY ambient noise (like you are standing outside and a car goes by). I have a bluetooth head set and that does not seem to help. I think I am going to have to revert to a wired headset. But in the end, the question still remains. If you are going to spend $600 for a "smart phone," I would expect the vendor put as much effort into making it a good phone as well as making it a good technology replacement. Is that too much to ask?

Digestive Threat Level?

Perhaps it is just me, but should the Secretary of the Department of Homeland (In)Security be discussing the state of his digestive system as expert testimony on the viability of a threat against the United States? (Houston Chronical and others).

I am sure Sec. Chertoff would like to retract that statement. After all, as a career politician, in a Department that has been described as dysfunctional, lax and unfocused, and where recent reports say key positions being unfilled could lead to an increased threat of missing an attack, one has to wonder what the state of his gut has to do with anything? I think Bill Schorr is right on point. At least Chertoff did not recommend duct tape and plastic wrap.

On Summer Fashions

Happy Friday the 13th to you all. No, I am not going to talk about paraskevidekatriaphobia (that being, specifically, the fear of Friday the 13th, not just the number 13 which is tritidekatriaphobia). Today I want to talk about summer fashions. Specifically, women's summer fashions.

Now, before you get the wrong idea, I am not one of those people that advocates everyone should wear a suit and tie every day. In fact, I have a hard time justifying the costs of a suit and all the trappings, whether you are male or female, to sit in a cubical, talking on the phone, answering email and writing memos (or cutting code or whatever it is you do to make money). And 80% of the workforce today does just that (sits in a cube or an office if you are really lucky). As long as you are neat and presentable, there is no reason why you should not be able to wear just about anything.

Again, the key here is neat and presentable. I could make an argument that a t-shirt is appropriate in an office environment, but I will not because I do not think it is. And I do not care if you bought it at Target for $9 or Tommy Hillfiger for $90. I am not opposed to jeans that are a uniform colour and not ripped. Again, I do not care that you just bought them for $300 and acid wash with four inch slashes are the in thing. They look sloppy. And that is the key.

Now, with all this being said, you can imagine I am not a big fan of people that wear shorts to the office, male or female. This is not Bermuda (which is the only place I can think of where you can get away with shorts in the office and then, there are some strict guidelines as to how). Getting off the train today, I saw several women wearing very nice shorts. They were knee length, nicely tailored, but to my mind, they were more for a backyard bar-b-que than a work environment. Yes, I know it sounds hypocritical and perhaps it is. Again, I do not think I have ever worn shorts to work where it was not part of the uniform (Disney's Animal Kingdom is a perfect example of where shorts at work is not only a good idea, it is expected). Most modern offices today have air conditioning, so the need for shorts to be comfortable just does not fit my right meter.

Of course, you could argue that shorts are no different than skirts and I admit that you would have a point, sort of, because a skirt, with few exceptions, has always been acceptable for women (yes, I know, it is sexist that men generally cannot wear skirts, but then, most men that I know do not have the calves for it either). I am also not sure that I am a fan of these designer "flip-flops" Call them sandals if you want, but to my eye they are really just beach wear (not only that, but when you have to walk a significant distance, I would think your feet would get tired. And in this post-September 11 world, you should always be prepared to walk!).

So there you go. Keep the shorts on the beach (or the golf course, or the tennis court or Animal Kingdom) where they belong and get back to work. That email will not answer itself you know.

The Trouble With Normal, again

FBI data mining programs target more than just terrorists, DOJ says: Sen. Leahy wants to look into the efforts more thoroughly BY Jaikumar Vijayan July 12, 2007 (Computerworld) -- The FBI is using data mining programs to track everyone from potential terrorists to individuals who file fraudulent automobile insurance claims, according to a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) report filed with Congress this week. (ComputerWorld)

Senator Leahy says it quite well: "the report was four months late and raised more questions than it answered. The report "demonstrates just how dramatically the Bush Administration has expanded the use of [data mining] technology, often in secret, to collect and sift through Americans' most sensitive personal information."

What saddens me, is the number of people, both in and out of the administration that feel this is not only the right thing to do, but see it as something the government must do. After all, if you have nothing to hide. Frankly that sort of argument, which has been debunked by so many, is just getting tired. If you are afraid, then how can knowing the government is reading your email make you feel safer? If they are going to break the law with impunity on such a small thing, what makes you think they will follow it on the bigger issues.

Competence?

Clinton, Obama draw ire of contractors group: Contract Services Association says Democratic front-runners are taking potshots at government contractors (Washington) Government contractors want to avoid being caught in the crossfire during the 2008 presidential race, but candidates are already taking shots at them. (Washington Technology)

Normally, I avoid issues directly related to my job, but I have to say something on this article as a government contractor. This quote caught my eye:

"Clinton has also said contractor employees are more expensive, less competent and less accountable than federal employees. But CSA said the Office of Management and Budget found that the government saves an average of $32,000 per position reviewed when a private contractor and federal employees compete for commercial work."

I suppose, if I had not just participated in a conference call, it would not have made such an impact. Let me preface this by saying that I am working for an agency I worked at a year ago. In the intervening space, I went and worked at a private company doing something else entirely. Now, I might not have even noticed the quote, but in the call, Federal Employees, who have been working with the systems day-in and day-out, asked the same questions about operations issues that they asked a year or more ago. What's worse, is I remember the question and the answer! I had to leave the room, I was so incensed. These are (supposedly) professional (and I use the term very loosly) network engineers, and yet, I would not trust them to log on correctly two time in a row. And contractors are less accountable? If I had these people as my employees, they would not last a month.

Contractors may cost a lot of money (I know my rate is not cheap), but there are projects that will never get done without them. And clearly, if this agency is an example, in a year of absense, it was more like I took a week off.

Achtung!

County Approves Immigration Crackdown July 10, 2007 - 6:49pm By SARAH KARUSH Associated Press Writer MANASSAS, Va. (AP) - Lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously approved a measure aimed at discouraging illegal immigrants from settling in Virginia's Prince William County. (WTOP)

There are those that characterize this decision as being about enforcing the immigration laws. Certainly, I can support that. Unfortunately, this is not about that. This is about targeting one specific part of the population that has become the fastest growing minority in the United States and threatens to become the majority population in this primarily Caucasian enclave. That would be the Latino/Hispanic community.

You see, if this was about immigration, then every person who is subjected to this draconian (I liken it to the Third Reich or the Soviet Union, but feel free to pick your favorite dictatorship) legislation should be required to present their documentation for inspection. Too bad most of the white people in the county cannot even prove their status. Too bad they also will never be asked to prove it.

This is discrimination. Pure and simple and nothing else.

Bloc Quebecois having trouble raising funds

Bloc a party in search of a cause Jul 04, 2007 04:30 AM Chantal Hébert OTTAWA - As the Parti Québécois slipped to third place in the National Assembly last spring, donations to the Bloc Québécois dried up, leaving the federal sovereignist party with less than $35,000 in individual donations for the first quarter of 2007. By comparison, the seatless Green party collected four times as much from six times as many donors. (The Toronto Star)

I have not followed the news from Canada of late, but this is something that demanded my attention. I grew up and was politically aware during the 1980s when the Bloc, less formal than now, tried to separate Quebec from the rest of Canada. They tried and failed, to the relief of many Canadians, not a few of them Quebecois. Over the following years, they tried a number of things to get "more rights" from the other provinces and the Federal Government for Quebec. At their popular height, they were the official opposition party, something almost unheard of.

Today, as reported in this article, they have fallen on hard times. Or perhaps the people of Quebec no longer feel they are "being taken advantage of" or "ignored" by Ottawa.

As political parties go, the Bloc is one I would not be sad to see drift into the sunset.

$12 Billion a month, and that is not a typo

Report: Wars Cost U.S. $12 Billion a Month July 10, 2007 - 8:54am By ANDREW TAYLOR Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - The boost in troop levels in Iraq has increased the cost of war there and in Afghanistan to $12 billion a month, and the total for Iraq alone is nearing a half-trillion dollars, congressional analysts say. (WTOP)

File this under "Hello, is this thing on?"

$12 Billion (that is a B folks and not a typo). That is 12,000,000,000 dollars. Or, at the minimum wage here in Virginia of $5.15 an hour, that is 2,330,097,087 hours of labour. Put it another way. At a standard 40 hour work week, 52 weeks a year (a total of 2080 hours a year), that comes out to roughly 1.1 million years of labour for a single individual.

Assume (for a minute) that the initial invading US force of 120,000 troop made minimum wage (they don't but it give us some numbers), it still calculates out to roughly 19,000 years of service paid for. The numbers are staggering and that is the amount being spent per month. Now some of it is for missiles and munitions that cost $1 million a shot. You can debate the value return proposition on your own time. I think it is out of line. It also pays for new equipment (aircraft and ground assault). Again, you can debate the value proposition. The report indicates that costs are primarily for equipment replacement. If you have ever seen the Lord of War then you can understand my skepticism about the need for equipment. I am not saying some is needed (I am in favor of making sure the troops have what they need to do their jobs. I also know they are not getting what they need in favor of million dollar missiles they may not need in a theater defense strategy that has yet to successfully shoot down a single missile...but that is for another time).

Twelve billion dollars a month is a lot of money people. It is money this administration does not have now, nor will have anytime soon. Our great grandchildren will still be paying this debt, assuming that the governments the United States is fighting to prop up do not decide it is in their best interest to cash in their IOUs instead. Want to know how bad it is? The Debt Clock is ticking. Current estimates are that each citizen (that's all of us at an estimated 300 million US citizens) will owe $29,000. Or, to put it in perspective, that is almost three years gross salary for those making minimum wage.

If the numbers have not numbed you yet (and I started getting confused. I had to look up the definition of a billion, I was afraid I had slipped a zero somewhere), consider this: The infrastructure (as I have reported several times) in the United States is in such bad shape that a good storm, not even a big one, just a really good Nor' Easter could decimate the power grid for decades.

How about the roads? They are so over utilized that in many cases, the bridges are beyond their natural life, yet there is no money to pay for their repair.

Education? We all agree a good education is important, yet the allocation for education, as proposed by President Bush in 2006 was only $56 billion dollars, down a percent from the year before (Washington Post). Or, about 5 months of spending on Iraq.

How about Homeland Security? Everyone thinks that is important, right. Even the President tries to scare us into believing that he is concerned about the security of the United States. For fiscal 2005, the Department of Homeland Security's budget was $40.2 billion, or $16 billion less than the 2006 Department of Education's budget. A paltry four months of Iraq spending. And in FY07, it only went up a billion! No wonder CNN reported that the Senate (and others) have attacked the President for his empty rhetoric on security. The United State is spending MORE on education than it is on Homeland Security but less than it is spending a quarter on Iraq.

Is anyone else upset by this?

Has The Exit Window From Iraq Closed?

Iraqi FM Warns Against U.S. Withdrawal July 9, 2007 - 12:32pm By BUSHRA JUHI Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq's foreign minister warned on Monday that a quick American military withdrawal from the country could lead to a full-scale civil war, the collapse of the government and spillover conflicts across the region. (WTOP)

If we step back, oh, say five odd years, we find the United States ready to invade a stable, sovereign nation called Iraq on what we now know is pretty flimsy evidence tying them to terrorism. The mid-east is no more chaotic than it has been in the last twenty odd years and while the ruler is a heartless dictator, frankly, things are no better and no worse than they have been in the region and its long line of heartless dictators.

Flash forward to now. We have a nation in shambles. A power vacuum at the highest levels being filled by factions that have been feuding with each other for, conservatively, a thousand years and a military force, occupying the country and trying to keep the factions from doing what they do best. Kill each other. This is kind of like putting the British army on the Mason-Dixon line in the 1800s. Iraq is in a full scale civil war. Would it have gotten there without the United States messing in the sand? Would it have destabilized the region to the extent that it is? I will let the experts weigh in on that but I am betting against it.

Troops are dying for reasons that can no longer be adequately explained to their families who have to deal with the loss and the citizens who have to pay for it.

The Iraqi Foreign Minister is now making a point that shows they are growing a backbone over there and that could spell disaster for the United States and any attempt at extracting the troops quickly and cleanly. The time of the easy exit may have come and gone and the time of the long support contract may just be starting. With luck, something can worked out to get the troop home before the United States becomes the fifth wheel in a long and bloody struggle.

A Storm Is Brewing At NHC

Hurricane center director says he's not resigning despite staff revolt MIAMI, Florida (CNN) -- The embattled director of the National Hurricane Center said Friday he has no plans to step down despite a petition from his staff calling for his ouster. (CNN)

When a new manager takes over an operation, there will be changes and upheaval, especially when the manager was liked as well as Max Mayfield supposedly was. Clealy, there is some upheaval, but with hurricane season in full swing, you do not want the public face of the Center to be in the middle of a pitched battle for respect from his forcasters.

With that being said, I suspect that Commerce will not replace him, which could lead to mass resignations. Neither, it seems is a good situation for NOAA or the public to be in.

Real ID. Not in New Hampshire

N.H. Gov. signs bill that rejects federal Real ID law: Says financial, personal costs too high for state's residents By: Marc L. Songini July 05, 2007 (Computerworld) -- New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch last week signed into law a bill that forbids New Hampshire governments from complying with the controversial federal national identification act, or Real ID bill. (ComputerWorld)

New Hampshire is just the latest state in the Union to tell the Federal Government, this time, not politely, to go hump themselves.

RealID is a waste of money at every level. The argument does not hold water. The United States has a solid document that meets all the criteria of Real ID and does not require states to spin up new technologies or invent new processes or have to look into new training methods. Organizations would not have to worry about keeping a list of known good documents and no one would argue that the documents are not valid. I am speaking of a passport (for citizens) and the I-551 (Green Card) for Resident Aliens. Two forms of government issued ID, with a process in place to validate the user's identity with a fee structure that is acceptable to the people who need them. Why do we need another form of ID?

The Costs Of Iraq

Senior GOP Senator Abandons Iraq Policy July 6, 2007 - 6:50am WASHINGTON (AP) - In another setback to President Bush's increasingly unpopular war strategy, GOP stalwart Sen. Pete Domenici said he wants to see an end to combat operations and U.S. troops heading home from Iraq by spring. (WTOP)

The war in Iraq will have several, significant long-term costs. Regrettably, this President is just passing us the bill.

1) Rebuilding the military. It will take years, if not decades to put the military back together, both in terms of morale as well as equipment and training. Senior officers, some who probably served as far back as Vietnam will be getting out as soon as possible I expect, leaving a vacuum that will have to be filled by the cadre of men and women that themselves are probably considering retiring. The all-volunteer army will not have trouble filling the ranks. It will have trouble filling the ranks with qualified personnel, especially since a large number of the highly skilled personnel are currently coming from the Reserves and the National Guard. Replacing equipment will be an ongoing issue that may never really be resolved.

2) Health Care. Clearly, there are a lot of soldiers that will be suffering for decades to come, both physical and psychological trauma, and their families will be equally affected. Monies will need to be allocated to care for these individuals, some of which may never be able to work at normal jobs again. And given the current burden on the nation in terms of uninsured, this will continue to be a problem.

3) National Guard. While rebuilding the military will be a challenge, rebuilding the National Guard could be almost impossible. Let's face it, with extended tours, employment interruptions and in many cases, the financial ruin of small businesses, only a true patriot would even consider signing up. Fortunately there are patriots. But a depleted Guard could be costly for domestic preparedness and it will be a tough sell in many communities.

4) Overseas instability. The Middle East has been a mess for millennia. This is well documented. What the US has managed to do is provide the disgruntled a focus. It is quite possible this focus could do more harm in the long run than good. History is 20-20, but there will be many wondering what the motivation was in destabilizing the region. There are many now asking that question and still not getting a good answer.

There are dozens of other issues that will have to be addressed by the new administration(s). Unfortunately, I do not honestly think they will address any of them, at least any more than they have to.

But Can You Prove You Can Work?

Employers feel heat on immigration By Faye Bowers, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Thu Jul 5, 4:00 AM ET Phoenix - Arizona leads the nation in population growth. More illegal immigrants cross its border than any other in the United States. Now, in an apparent backlash to those trends, the state is leading the charge to halt illegal immigration by cracking down on employers. (Yahoo News)

While I feel for the businesses in Arizona, I point my ire at the Federal Government for their complete lack of oversight on this matter.

The article talks about a federal database clearing house for IDs, good, bad and ugly. I was just wondering what sort of chaos would ensue in the case of someone who was not eligible to work, but had a valid social security number, got it stamped in the database, subsequently became legal, through one of the many channels and then tried to get a job. Sure, it would be a tiny number, but it is that sort of issue that bothers me because I have seen it happen on things that are supposed to be simple. Case in point is my discussion from the other day where the Defense Security Service was notified of a change in immigration status and a year later they still had not updated their records to reflect that change. And that was with someone who was legally in the country to begin with! (As a side note, you CAN get a social security card and NOT be eligible to work, I know, I had one for 10 years before I became a resident alien).

So, we have companies, being forced to accept a (possible unacceptable) risk to their business because the Federal Government cannot do their job. At least that is the perception.

My opinion? It is a smoke screen. A well orchestrated diversion because the Conservatives in the United States have finally been show the mirror of their hypocrisy and leadership and cannot face up to the damage it has done to the country and its standing in the world.

Pandemic Planning? No Thanks, Too Busy

Pandemic planning not a priority in U.S., despite bird-flu threat: Most companies 'simply would not be ready' for disruptions, Gartner analyst says by Patrick Thibodeau July 03, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Last November, Gartner Inc. analyst Ken McGee gave a presentation on the risk of an avian flu pandemic to an audience of IT professionals at a conference in Las Vegas. He concluded with this recommendation: Complete your pandemic planning by Q2 of 2007. (ComputerWorld)

This is not a surprise, except maybe to Gartner. Let us review. In late 2005, H5N1 made a HUGE splash as the biggest disease since HIV/AIDS to hit the radar of the medical community. In fact, it was so big that it was being compared to the Spanish flu of 1918. Finally the medical community had a disaster to prepare for. Fast forward and "bird flu" is the "chicken little" of the medical community. A pandemic that never materialized to more than one or two isolated cases in one or two countries at a time.

Does this mean we are out of the woods? No, certainly not. In fact, the planning that many governments put into preparing for a pandemic really has paid off by pointing out the issues that a pandemic, whether flu or some other biologic incident, could potentially bring to pass. It has focused planning beyond the first few hours and forced planners to consider what sort of recovery issues need to be addressed, especially the issues of manpower and more importantly manpower shortages and how to best address them. This is all good. There needs to be more consideration given to business continuity, whether that is for business or government, especially when you talk about the myth of remote connection capabilities, but that is a planning issue that needs to be walked through.

The problem is that most companies do not have a strategic vision beyond the quarter they are operating in. So if it was important for that quarter, they moved it to the top of the list until some other priority took its place. In this case, the pandemic was trumped by the various federal data leaks with made data security more important than making sure they could keep the company running when they are down 40% of their manpower.

Is a pandemic a real threat? This is an open question. What happens when a company or federal agency is suddenly down 40% manpower be it from natural causes or other disaster is a much more important question that most organizations are even afraid to consider, much less begin to answer. Most companies hope that it will never be something they need to consider. That sort of thinking is what separates those that will survive from those that will fail.

Get A Rope

Database admin steals 2.3M consumer records at Fidelity National subsidiary by Jaikumar Vijayan July 03, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Call it the case of hiring a fox to guard the hen house. A senior database administrator at a subsidiary of Fidelity National Information Services Inc. who was responsible for defining and enforcing data access rights at the company instead took data belonging to about 2.3 million consumers and sold it to a data broker. (ComputerWorld)

It is guys like this that give technical workers a bad name. Most of my fellow technologists seem to agree. From an old movie line, "hanging's too good for this guy." Get a rope.

Libby Commuted, Bush Still President

Bush Wipes Away Libby's Prison Sentence July 3, 2007 - 7:33am By MATT APUZZO Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Just when things looked darkest for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, when prison seemed all but certain, President Bush wiped away the former White House aide's 2 1/2-year sentence in the CIA leak case. (WTOP)

There are a couple of points that some people are missing:

1) Despite the evidence or lack there of, the man was found guilty in the court of law.

2) Despite the fact that most people think he is little more than a scapegoat (I happen to be one of them), he was sentenced to jail by a court of law through due process.

3) Also, through this due process, the court system said he had to start his jail time while he appealed the decisions of the court.

4) For those who want to hold up Clinton’s records of pardons, please remember this, President Clinton was impeached by the Congress of the United States for lying about having sex. President Bush has yet to be even scared for violating FISA, several sections of the Constitution, and a couple of other laws that are considered felonies and could be considered treason.

Do I agree that Libby’s sentence should have been commuted? Nope. But then, I also believe that George W. Bush should stand trial in The Hague for crimes against humanity as well. And that will never happen either.

Prelude to the Fourth of July

So, the Fourth of July is upon us here in the Excited States of America, where, according to this morning’s copy of the Washington Post Express, “Organizers of Washington’s Fourth of July celebrations outlined plans Monday for the festivities on the Mall and sought to reassure visitors that heightened security precautions would be in effect because of recent terrorist activities in Great Britain. (my emphasis)”

What bothers me is that heightened security precautions are now a reassurance to people rather than another reminder of the freedoms that the average American has given up since September 11.

On this Independence Day eve, let us looks at some of the wonderful things being done in the United States that should remove any sort of confidence you ever had about it being the open society or great nation it claims to be.

Second on the list, yesterday, King George the First, magnanimously “wipes away Libby’s prison sentence” because, in his words, “I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend 30 months in prison. (WTOP)” While the argument about whether or not Lewis Libby is guilty of anything, despite being convicted, will continue well after Bush leaves office, commuting his sentence because he would have to start serving it before his appeal is complete is uncalled for.

Third up, if you have not been paying attention, you might think the US was beginning to resemble the Third Reich or perhaps some Communist nation. The call for papers please in an effort to stop illegal immigration is becoming louder. Of course, the people calling for this are the same people that are opposed to any sort of National ID, there-by making it hard to prove you are properly documented. A Catch-22 that even Heller would be proud of.

Fourth on the list is the process of federal security. Take your pick, but the government has managed to implement bad procedures on top of shaky technology, resulting in…well, a train wreck that certainly destroys any faith I have in them. Two examples for your consideration: Early last year I changed my status and became one of them. This was duly transmitted to just about every important agency on the planet including those people that do federal security clearance checks. Since my wife has a clearance, we felt this would be a good thing to do. Seems we could have saved ourselves the energy because her paperwork was never updated to reflect the change in status. Or, how about this. A federal agency that has suffered data loss over the last few years implements a plan to prevent this from happening by installing software. The problem is that this software has not been tested but it is damn the torpedoes time and it is deployed…only to run smack into some software that was deployed earlier to prevent another catastrophic issue and the two pieces of software, in combination with some hardware, and a Redmond OS really do not like each other. To the point of an endless boot loop. Have a nice day, thanks for securing my PC and I will see you next week.

For those who have not become cynical and jaded, have a Happy Fourth of July. Oh, and make sure to actually read The Constitution. Then tell me what medications you are taking, because that is the only way you cannot be jaded, given the current state of affairs.