Pacific Spirit Marine Institute
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The Christian Science Monitor has reported the aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, and her accompanying ships began exercises Wednesday in the waters off San Diego.
U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper highlighted in her preliminary injunction against the use of sonar the Navy’s own estimate that these exercises would temporarily disrupt or harm 170,000 marine mammals and permanently injure more than 400.
Rear Admiral Lawrence Rice says, he doesn’t understand “why the sonar has become such a big deal.” Whales and other marine mammals are killed by ship strikes, fishing nets and loud sounds from oil and gas exploration. Rear Adm. Rice is the Navy’s director for environmental readiness. With friends like Rice the marine mammals might be asking themselves; who needs enemies?
The ocean is a mighty big place. It’s could be conceivable there is more than enough room for the Navy and marine mammals to stay out of each other’s way. The days of Navy training exercises being carried out far far away from coastlines vanished with the ‘war on terror’. The U.S. now feels attacks on ports by enemies using ’silent’ subs is a likely potential. This is what has prompted the Navy to move some exercises closer to shore.
Logic could dictate that detecting an enemy’s ’silent’ sub before it came close to port would be the prudent thing to practice.
Navy officials say more than 40 countries are using sophisticated diesel-electric submarines which are less expensive and more stealth. These cheaper stealthier submarines could be accessed by potential U.S. enemies. Navy officials also contend the coast simulates smaller waterways like those found in the Middle East.
Richard Kendall, National Resources Defense Council attorney, believes Bush used an agency within his own executive branch to overturn a federal court ruling which limited the use of sonar during these exercises. “The president’s effort to use a White House agency to override a court order is very dangerous in our legal system, highly illegal, and completely unjustified.”
Read the “Presidential Exemption from the Coastal Zone Management Act”
Council on Environmental Quality Letter to Navy (Don’t miss page 150) of 151 pages pdf format
Photo Thanks: PH3 Kittie VandenBosch, USN.
Labels: California, Sonar, US Navy, marine mammals
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
Marine Mammals Paying The Price For The War On Terror. U.S. Navy resumes training with sonar.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
The people of California have been voting in national elections since 1850 one would think that in 157 years they might be expecting the 2008 Presidential primary.
After all they have had more than a century and a half to find a safe and secure way to cast a vote. They should have seen this election coming.
But, the Secretary of State will now have 5 days to make a decision regarding the unassailability of California Votes in the February Presidential Primary.
Voters in California are finding security for there votes is merely an ‘add-on”.
In the same way side impact airbags might be optional on some models, voter security may be optional.
I like to think of options as…you know…things that are optional, not imperative.
Security for my vote, I consider to be imperative like…oh say the stirring wheel on my car.
Secretary of State, Debra Bowen was given a security report on nearly all of California voting machine models on Friday. In order for Bowen to ‘decertify and of the electronic voting machines she has to do so by this coming Friday.
California laws state these matters must be complete 6 months before the, Feb.5 2008, Presidential Primary.
Scant time indeed to make a final decision which many people consider to be
life and death, while others judge their right to a free and honest vote the bedrock of democracy.
Following the money, as is always the ’smart’ thing to do, we can’t be surprised to learn that the least egar, least supportive of a free and honest vote are the very elections officials though-out California. Most are unwilling to toss millions of dollars spent on unsecured electronic voting systems down the toilet in favor of an honest and accurate, secure vote for the people of California.
The real mystery comes from why the non-secure systems were purchased in the first place. The word Diebold may be explanation enough.
On Monday in the state capital UC Davis investigators will present their finding on the security of the voting systems UC Davis’ computer science hacking team tested.
Representatives from the electronic voting machine corporations will be allowed to refute the UC Davis findings. Undoubtedly these companies will want to rebuff …as in re-polishing a turd type buffing…
Although Matt Bishop, US Davis computer science professor who led the hacking team, said he found no malicious source code he was ’surprised by the weakness of the security measures, both physical and electronic protecting the voting systems.
How long it would take to write and install ‘malicious source code’ in unsecured voting machines. The elections still 6 months away.
Bishops team of hackers found not only high-tech ways to breach the systems security, but low tech put your hand in situations at the polling places.
Bishop added they been given more time they would have found even more security flaws.
Bishop is a recognized expert in computer security and says “…the security seems like it was added on.”
The hearing on Monday will be open to the pubic. I hope the people of California can muster a vocal contingent…I think the security of my vote is as basic as brakes on my car…neither of which should be add-ons.
Labels: California, Ewaste, USA, eballot, electronic voting
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
Security of Electronic Voting Machines Optional!
