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Defiant South Carolina Wins Real ID Extension | Threat Level from Wired.com
Despite blasting a defiant last day letter to the Homeland Security Department over pending federal rules Monday, South Carolina Republican governor Mark Sandford secured South Carolinians the right to use their driver’s licenses to board planes without being patted down, at least [...]
Military Report: Secretly ‘Recruit or Hire Bloggers’ | Danger Room from Wired.com
Since the start of the Iraq war, there’s been a raucous debate in military circles over how to handle blogs — and the servicemembers who want to keep them. One faction sees blogs as security risks, and a collective waste of troops’ time. [...]
Last week I attended the Reform Institute’s Symposium in New York City on the private sector’s role in resilience for our national and economic security. For nearly two days, the Reform Institute brought together thinkers and private sector leaders from the Fortune 500 and elsewhere across a range of industries (supply chain, financial services, telecommunications, energy, etc) to share their experiences and perspectives on ‘resilience.’ Instead of echoing their individual corporate marketing messages (“all is wonderful if you’re me”), the private sector presenters offered a forthright and unvarnished report card on themselves, their industry and state of resilience today.
The inside drama behind the warrantless wiretapping story. - By Eric Lichtblau - Slate Magazine
… The Times’ decision to publish the [warrantless wiretapping] story—a decision that was once so controversial—has been largely overshadowed by all the other political and legal clamor surrounding President Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program: the dozens of civil lawsuits; the ongoing [...]
As violence stemming from human rights activism in Tibet spreads, outsiders are trying to determine the cause of the unrest. The Tibetans wished to protest the occupation and their treatment at the hands of the Chinese. The Chinese did not want that to happen, and so moved swiftly to suppress peaceful protest. When peaceful protest is forbidden, violent protest will eventuate. There is one more step in the chain; when violent protest is forbidden and suppressed, an insurgency will start. The introduction of mobile telephony to Tibet will only enable the insurgency to operate more effectively, but by using methods unpredictable and unforeseen by the Chinese authorities.
Getting local law enforcement involved in enforcing the nation’s immigration laws is a controversial but unquestionably effective step in in terms of controlling our borders.
Section 287g of the Immigration and Nationality Act was created to authorize state and local law enforcement officers to receive training to enforce immigration laws. The cross designation provision is intended [...]
As Capitol Hill is buzzing about what some are claiming is a last chance to to stop the implementation of REAL ID, supporters of the legislation are shooting back with defenses to the most frequently-used attacks on the new regulations for driver’s licenses. DHS’s top policy guru Stewart Baker responds to critics who have raised [...]
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) is hoping that Congress will do away with the Real ID Act of 2005, a law establishing minimum standards for state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards that are intended to be used for federal purposed (such as passenger screening at U.S. airports). Alexander mimics many of the common critiques and concerts associated with Real ID, yet the criticism is largely misplaced.
Congressional Quarterly’s Homeland Security (subscription required) has an interesting story on the move by the Southern Poverty Law Center to label the Federation of American Immigration Reform a “hate group.”
If the leaders of the Federation of American Immigration Reform don’t hate their counterparts on the other side of the immigration debate, it’s probably fair to [...]
In Homeland Security: Afghanistan Now the World’s Leading Supplier of Cannabis
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) recently released its 2008 Opium Winter Rapid Assessment Survey, which shows that Afghanistan not only provides 90% of the world’s supply of opium, but is now also the top supplier of cannabis, the source of [...]
Protests over the Chinese occupation of Tibet have already resulted in a number of deaths - some estimates place the total upwards of 120. The 2008 Olympics have created the perfect platform for those opposed to the Tibetan occupation to make their discontent known. The most obvious symbol of the Olympics is the torch, and securing the torch during the traditional relay journey is a task whose difficulty cannot - and should not - be underestimated.
Tonight’s episode of Anderson Cooper 360 will include a storyling alleging that the Transportation Security Administration is understaffing a vast majority of flights, with only 1% having U.S. Marshals on board. The cable news show has cited these statistics to a number of anonymous sources including both pilots and air marshals themselves.
TSA has already fired [...]
Counterterrorism Blog: CAIR Exposed: IPT Investigation into the Council on American-Islamic Relations
The Investigative Project on Terrorism launches a 10-part investigation into the Council on American-Islamic Relations, beginning with its roots in a Hamas support network in the United States.
Over the past week we have run a series of suggestions by Randy Beardsworth, former Assistant Secretary for Strategic Plans at the Department of Homeland Security, advising the next Administration on the DHS transition. Below is a recap of all five suggestions:
Douglas Farah: Bin Laden’s New Message
This seems to be part of the Islamist tradition of warning one’s enemies of an impending attack, and giving the enemy a chance, however brief, to repent and and convert. Whether al Qaeda can carry out a serious attack is a separate question from whether al Qaeda or its [...]
Alleged distributor of counterfeit pharmaceuticals extradited from Asia
Randy Gonzales, 40, a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines, was extradited to the United States from Bangkok, Thailand, for conspiring to import and distribute counterfeit pharmaceutical drugs into the United States, United States Attorney Don DeGabrielle and Robert Rutt, Special Agent in Charge of the [...]
The Unofficial Coast Guard Blog urges the USCG to revise its blogging rules so that Coasties can publish blog posts raw, without editing from public affairs. While acknowledging that not all blogs are the same and that some are more raw (unedited) than others, UCGB urges OCGB to let its hair down …