MP3 player harbering top secret data!

I watched a particular segment on CNN about a man in New Zealand who'd purchased a used MP3 player at a thrift store. But later he discovered that the player held top secret information including lists of soldiers and pertinent contact information. Also, it appears they may have been plans on the player that date to 2005.

I should not have to ask what makes this startling. There's plenty! Like how did such a breach even occur? Government servers probably log whenever a file is copied. If the copy was authorized then what the hell was it doing on an MP3 player? If they were unauthorized... well, there are plenty more questions that need asking like how did they not track it down? Who did this? And if they didn't know?!?! sigh....

Its too much ask the people whose job is our security to bother with security it seems. But I will wait until this turns into nothing and forget about it like a Good Stupid Fox watching idiot. Alas, I'm not. Sorry.

Anyways...

President Obama met with House Republicans today behind closed doors. The President's $825M stimulus plan is now the Republicans are now calling it theirs. They claim the problem is the Democrats who are drifting from the President's original plan. There are things the Democrats pulled out of the plan such as a plan to pay for contraceptives and help for the Middle Class. John Boehner does not need to fear that women who could not afford birth control let alone the children they might have will be getting pills to prevent unwanted pregnancies.

I think as much as it sounds like the GOP are in bed with Obama, I'm thinking this is political chess. Eventually they will build a plan that resembles little to nothing that Obama initially presented to Congress. Then they'll vote it down! And it seems the bipartisan President may have sacrificed his own majority for the sake a lukewarm Republican pool?

Also, I have to commet on Obama's first formal interview. It was on al-Arabiya if you haven't heard. He has I think made a huge positive move. Here's why. Terrorists are political actors albeit non-state actors but so are Churches and Greenpeace. The War on Terror as it were actually legitimizes the terrorists. We sank to their level by taking the war to them. Again, sacrificing our principles is always a losing tactic. By going to the Saudi based network and doing a cordial and well spoken interview sends an important message to the Middle East. The USA is going to treat the sovereign nations of the world as just that. We cannot, should not and shouldn't have sunk to their level, which is what the invasion of Iraq was: State sanctioned Terrorism.

Author John Updike passed away. I would have said died but saying John Updike died is awkward. John Updike won the Pulitzer Prize Rabbit twice with Rich and Rabbit at Rest published in 1981 and 1990 respectively. He was the "chronicler of suburban adultery". He passed today at Beverly Farms, Massachesetts.

Personal Notes: I'm debating some changes to this blog such as adding podcasts and thereby putting more into the podcasts and posting links on the page. I started this blog in reaction to then President Bush's second term and my rising ire towards it. I'm thinking of changing the bland conservative look of this site that doesn't change. Stay Tuned!