Several bits of his story are beginning to look like exaggerations. Of course we know that many of the things he alleged have already been reported in a less dramatic fashion earlier, but that didn't make much of a splash outside of some regions of the right wing blogosphere.
If Snowden were to actually turn out to be full of bull squeeze, he may end up discrediting critics of the NSA program by providing something that can be refuted.
One thing to watch for in self-declared heros is if they claim to be part of the Army Special Forces. This guy did claim he was in training for the Special Forces, but the record is that he was only in the army for a couple of months, and then got booted with a medical discharge.
The special forces recruits from the rest of the army. They don't take raw recruits out of basic (which is what this guy was in when he got discharged). Medical discharges during basic are a way for the army to get rid of people who just aren't good enough without having to deal with the headache of a dishonorable discharge.
So I think we already have evidence that this guy is a fabulist. But that doesn't mean that the documents he stole and gave to The Guardian are necessarily bogus.
2
About 30 years ago I knew a guy named James. He was a really strange person. He enlisted, and lasted about 3 months before they kicked him back out again. Among other things, I heard he crashed a jeep while driving an officer somewhere. An early discharge, no matter why, usually means the guy is a turkey. (James certainly was.)
3
No one is denying his employment, and the worse his credibility, the worse for the NSA for giving him access. Either he's credible, and they're evil, or he's crazy, and they're stupid.........
Posted by: Robert Mitchell Jr. at Tue Jun 11 21:48:40 2013 (Omb+U)
No one is denying his employment, and the worse his credibility, the worse for the NSA for giving him access.
Yep.
The technical details provided about PRISM were obvious nonsense from the beginning. For those in the know - or like me, for those on the periphery - the story as presented was clearly false. To the degree that Snowden is honest, he is incompetent, and so too must be whoever put him in that position. If Snowden is dishonest, then whoever put him in that position is also incompetent.
There's some question about Snowden, but no question about the system that hired him.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at Wed Jun 12 22:03:00 2013 (PiXy!)
Why Hong Kong of All Places?
So...you strike a blow for civil liberties.....by leaking classified, highly sensitive info that you feel really needs to get out.
OK.
It also has potential to do much harm and you are likely to be prosecuted.
'Kaaaay.
Which stalwart defender of free speech and liberty do you flee to?
Switzerland
New Zealand
The Cayman Islands
Sealand
Liechtenstein
Iceland
Finland
...
... CHINA *
OK I'll kind of agree with him on SeaLand. Also, Canada and Australia are off because of very very strong extradition treaties with the US...but on the other hand.. CHINA? Seriously!?
I'm entertaining the admittedly odd theory that this is actually a Chinese move to embarrass the US and...assuming the guy has as much info as he says he has....pull off an intel coup.
Now intel coups generally don't involve one side running around saying things like "Hey Hiiiiiitler...We've got ENIIIIIGMAAA!" but in this case the data trove is...ummm...not easy to make obsolete.
I think that to the Chinese, starting a debate about civil liberties in the US is seen a major blow against us. Any reduction in state surveillance, to them, probably seems like a debilitating action. They simply don't grok the benefit of civil liberties, but they fully understand the power of information monitoring.
Even if this wasn't initiated by the Chinese, having this fellow in Hong Kong does not give me the warm fuzzies.
Did he defect or did he derp?
In one sense it doesn't matter, any damage is done and we still have the root problem to contend with.
Everybody Comment!
My blog is not letting me comment. Post yes, comment no. I don't understand, but I'm curious as to whether or not any one else can comment.
With that in mind......here is something to comment on.
Gargantia #10
Remember Melty? She was on the fleet that left and is now anchored near an island in perpetual mist. She's started her own courier business and delivers dispatches to all the captains...as such she has a pretty good view of what's going on.
"Oh dear."
The episode continues the shows dark turn but it remains interesting and thoughtful. I'm unsure where they are going with this, as the story is far down a path, that while interesting, has no clear resolution. Yet they continue to complicate things and as far as I know, they have only 2 episodes to wrap things up.
This is likely to either be brilliant or a train-wreck.
It certainly has my interest.
Upon reflection it's logical given the lack of any contact with "home" but Chambers statement that "This is not Alliance instructions...I have come to all these conclusions independently." Is one of those things you just don't want to hear your unstoppable mech ever say. This is doubly true when he gives a lecture on (flawed*) evolutionary theory as it relates to worthy and unworthy life.
The reveal at the end of the episode was certainly a surprise. WHO if anyone is the other mech pilot with? He looks to have his own fleet.
* two organisms are unlikely to both survive if they inhabit the same territory and environmental niche. Their relatedness in not a factor in this. Add to this the fact that the Hideauze fill a quite different niche anyway, and peaceful coexistence ought to at least in theory be possible....assuming no one went on a killing spree in their nursery...oh wait.
Chamber's point about evolution not necessarily favoring intellect is valid though.
This episode finds our heroes standing by to make ready to review procedures for initiating steps to set in motion preparations for beginning to consider actions necessary to lay the groundwork for thinking about getting ready to do something.
We'll see eventually if that something involves resuming this shows heretofore excellent pacing.
They've been doing this for every movie, that is running the first ten minutes as a teaser on Japanese TV to hypethe films.
The official trailer from the ヤマト2199 website and the DVDs is here.
Spoilers again of course but if you are a Starblazers fan it will warm your heart.
This show has taken all that is good about the old series and made it better, all the while plugging plot holes in the original. The way they neutralized a formidable Gamillas strategic advantage in the last few episodes was particularly elegant.
The characterizations are very well done too. This is turning out to be one of the best no-holds barred adventure series in many years.
Follow-Up on That Storm
The radio this morning said for Hampton Roads to prepare for between one and seven inches of rain.
That's a rather large spread. I think they may be using the dartboard method of weather forecasting.
Anyway, the 'eye' passed over a bit ago and the rain is tapering off. If this storm hadn't had a name it wouldn't have warranted any comment beyond the fact that a nearby street was a canal for a while. It may yet cause some mischief in New Jersey, Rhode Island and Nova Scotia though.
69 years ago
Though the Normandy invasion is now thought of as D-Day, it was not the
name of any specific operation. D-Day was the code word for the day of
an amphibious landing. Most amphibious operations other than raids that
the US conducted took place on their D-Day. Logistics were arranged
around that and used dates of D-Day +1 D-Day+2 so that plans did not
have to be rewritten in the event that a landing was postponed.
Thus D-Day was simply the landing operation for the Battle of Normandy, which lasted from June 6 to late August 1944. That battle is considered to have ended when Alied forces began to cross the Seine.
It is easy, with 20/20 hindsight to think of great historic battles as having foregone conclusions, but they were not ordained to come out the way they did. Stalingrad, Midway and D-Day could have gone very differently.
Those who fought that terrible battle that began on June 6, 1944 did not have the benefit of knowing pretty much anything about what was beyond those fortified cliffs. If they had not persevered, history would have been written very differently.
Many of those who went ashore that day did not live to read of their contribution to history. They wrote that history in their blood.
That men advanced under such withering fire boggles the mind.
The Germans had placed mines and obstacles along the beach. If a landing craft grounded on a rock or other obstacle short of the beach the troops had to reach the beach the hard way.
Operation Neptune was the naval side of Overlord, and it was costly a well. Here a minesweeper and a PT boat attempt to rescue survivors from a US minesweeper that is no longer recognizable as a ship.
In addition to mines the Germans sent aircraft and small coastal submarines to wreak havoc.
Note that the wartime censor has obscured the vessels radar arrays.
The old battleship Texas (BB35) was built in 1912 and was considered obsolete even at the end of WW1. As such she was powerful enough to lay fire support, but sufficiently expendable to be risked inshore. When the landings at Omaha Beach began to go pear shaped, Texas closed to within 9000 feet of the shoreline. Under intense fire from German heavy artillery she took out pillboxes, sniper nests, heavy guns and obliterated the fortifications at the western exit of the landing zone. When the Army Rangers tasked with taking the cliffs began to run out of supplies, Texas ran close inshore and dispatched a landing party to provide the Rangers with ammunition and bring the wounded back to the old ship for treatment....they also brought back 27 prisoners. Texas continued to fight until she had exhausted her ammo, she then zipped across the channel, reloaded and came right back.
This picture was actually taken several days after D-Day when USS Texas, USS Nevada, USS Arkansas, HMS Glasgow and HMS Enterprise thundered into the heavily defended Cherbourg harbor with the aim of taking out the heavy guns that menaced the allied forces. Moments after this picture was taken, the battery that caused that shell splash scored a hit on the old battlewagon's bridge. Nevertheless, the old ships took out the heavy guns protecting the town.
Incredibly, despite much damage her only fatality was her helmsman.
General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. was one of Eisenhower's staff tasked with applying lessons learned from his experiences at Sicily and Salerno. Not considered fit for combat due to his previous war wounds and a heart condition, he nevertheless asked for and received permission to go ashore as an observer.
As such, he was the only Allied General to land with the first wave of troops. When things went horribly wrong on Utah Beach, Roosevelt took command, and even though he had to use a cane to walk, rallied the troops and deployed them to best effect. He salvaged what could easily have been a fiasco.
His medal of Honor Citation:
For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond
the call of duty on 6 June 1944, in France. After 2 verbal requests to
accompany the leading assault elements in the Normandy invasion had been
denied, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt's written request for this mission was
approved and he landed with the first wave of the forces assaulting the
enemy-held beaches. He repeatedly led groups from the beach, over the
seawall and established them inland. His valor, courage, and presence in
the very front of the attack and his complete unconcern at being under
heavy fire inspired the troops to heights of enthusiasm and
self-sacrifice. Although the enemy had the beach under constant direct
fire, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt moved from one locality to another, rallying
men around him, directed and personally led them against the enemy.
Under his seasoned, precise, calm, and unfaltering leadership, assault
troops reduced beach strong points and rapidly moved inland with minimum
casualties. He thus contributed substantially to the successful
establishment of the beachhead in France
He died a few weeks later of a heart attack, in a tent on the front lines. He is buried in the Normandy cemetery in France.
1
I learned of General Roosevelt's actions via the movie The Longest Day, but did not know that he had died that soon after the invasion. Thanks for teaching me about this.
Posted by: Siergen at Thu Jun 6 19:41:38 2013 (Ao4Kw)
Of course, it was the destroyers who really saved the day. One destroyer skipper, on his own authority, ordered his ship in close to shore and started shelling the German positions. When the admiral in charge of destroyers saw this, he ordered all the others to do the same.
Because the destroyers drew less water, they could come much closer to shore, and aim by eye.
The destroyers drew fire, which therefore wasn't aimed at the beach. And their fire was more effective than the earlier bombardment. Plus the sound of shells going in, and the sight of explosions on the bluff, gave the men on the beach heart.
My favorite story from Omaha beach has to do with one of those destroyers. There was an amphib tank which had lost a track at the water line and was immobile. The fire control officer on one of the destroyers saw that tank aim at something and fire at it. He couldn't tell what, but evidently the tank commander thought it was important, and he could tell where the round had landed, so he used his targeting equipment to place a round from the destroyer on the same location. Then he went back to watching the tank.
The tank commander's hatch opened and he popped out and looked around, saw the destroyer, waved at it, then he buttoned up and fired at something else, and the destroyer then fired at the same place. So until the tank ran out of ammo, it served as forward fire control for the destroyer.
Genius!
In trying to cope with weapons grade stupid, Suburban Banshee has come up with the ideal wish fulfillment movie for today's burgeoning homebody demographic.
.....if there were a Shaker version of Footloose, it would be about some
crazy rebellious kid who wanted to be a 19th century couch potato. (And
who also snuck off to kiss girls, probably.)
Better yet, it's a PERIOD PIECE, so she can pitch it as Downtown Abbey for NEETs.
For Those Having Trouble Getting a Pixiv Membership
AOL and Juno it seems can't be used for ones E-Mail address. The issue seems to be with AOL and Juno blocking E-mails from Pixiv for some reason.
I couldn't access my old G-mail account as I've long forgotten the password, but I was able to get a new one and join up.
Of course, with Deviant, this makes two art boards I'm a member of, despite having artistic skills a few notches below Randall Munroe....but without the medical insight.
Ideas of Great Importance
Between, recent bad news and the fact that I was offline for a bit, I've been surfing and playing catch-up on current events.
In the process I blundered into the two most important posts in the history of everything:
The Other Commercial Space CapsuleBoeing's CST has completed wind tunnel testing. It's expected to launch it's first manned flight in 2016.
Interestingly, although big, it's light enough to be launched on an off the shelf Atlas 5.
Now there are those who are getting their backs all bowed up and asking questions like "Why do we need ANOTHER one of these?" "Isn't this just a colossal waste that duplicates effort?"
We'll let one of our crack team of science babes politely respond to that.
...
...
'Kaay...
Well, lets try that again with added civility.
With the Dragon (which has successfully flown unmanned), The Dreamchaser and NASA's own CEV, this gives 4 competing manned space systems...which greatly increses the chances that at least one will work, and if multiple versions are successful it provides a good deal of redundancy in the event there is a problem with one system. Given that three of the projects are private enterprises, it means that there is potential for considerable downward pressure on prices via competition.
Additionally, both the CEV and the Boeing design are designed for use as afar afield as Earths moons and slightly beyond (Luna, Cruithne and some Near Earth Objects). The DreamChaser and Dragon designs are strictly near earth orbit taxis though they have the potential to be exceedingly economical to operate. So we're on the cusp of complementary and redundant capabilities in manned spaceflight.
Gargantia Episode 8
This was a transitional episode, poignant with a very "on the precipice" undercurrent.
Fairlock does not survive his heart attack. He regains consciousness briefly and lingers long enough to declare Ridget to be his successor.
Ledo gets some bad news as well. It seems that Chamber has finally gotten a good enough parallax on the requisite stars to deduce there position relative to Ledo's home. By his calculation their first distress beacon is...
Well suck...
Now without ANY hope of rescue, Ledo tries to explain via his very imperfect understanding of their language why he feels he must go. He has better luck with Bebel, her brother to whom he reveals that he fears the boy who gave him the Hideuze flute before being recycled might have been his brother.
...and all the while, the people of Gargantia deal with separation and loss. This is portrayed very eloquently throughout the episode, most of which is in the shadow of Fairlocks funeral, which is itself a very touching ceremony.
I like the fact that Flange (the fleet captain who is leaving) does not seem to be a jackass. He's doing what he thinks is right, and his eulogy for Fairlock seems sincere and heartfelt.
The fleets separate and their world is forever changed.
This was a well done episode. A bit downbeat, but it does stress the overall decency of most of the characters. We learned some things too.
For instance, if one can let ones hair down to reveal a hime cut, most concerns about ones leadership abilities will be allayed.
ahem...
I still cannot get over how gorgeous the production values on this show are. I'm not at all sure where this is going, but this has been a thoughtful show thus far and I'm anxious to find out. Anxious well describes my sentiments here, as this show has done an exemplary job of making us care about these characters...and this episode has a vibe very much like...late summer...1914.
Hobby Space News of the commercial space industry A Babe In The Universe Rather Eclectic Cosmology Encyclopedia Astronautica Superb spacecraft resource The Unwanted Blog Scott Lowther blogs about forgotten aerospace projects and sells amazingly informative articles on the same. Also, there are cats. Transterrestrial Musings Commentary on Infinity...and beyond! Colony WorldsSpace colonization news! The Alternate Energy Blog It's a blog about alternate energy (DUH!) Next Big Future Brian Wang: Tracking our progress to the FUTURE. Nuclear Green Charles Barton, who seems to be either a cool curmudgeon, or a rational hippy, talks about energy policy and the terrible environmental consequences of not going nuclear Energy From Thorium Focuses on the merits of thorium cycle nuclear reactors WizBang Current events commentary...with a wiz and a bang The Gates of Vienna Tenaciously studying a very old war The Anchoress insightful blogging, presumably from the catacombs Murdoc Online"Howling Mad Murdoc" has a millblog...golly! EaglespeakMaritime security matters Commander Salamander Fullbore blackshoe blogging! Belmont Club Richard Fernandez blogs on current events BaldilocksUnderstated and interesting blog on current events The Dissident Frogman French bi-lingual current events blog The "Moderate" VoiceI don't think that word means what they think it does....but this lefty blog is a worthy read nonetheless. Meryl Yourish News, Jews and Meryls' Views Classical Values Eric Scheie blogs about the culture war and its incompatibility with our republic. Jerry Pournell: Chaos ManorOne of Science fictions greats blogs on futurism, current events, technology and wisdom A Distant Soil The website of Colleen Dorans' superb fantasy comic, includes a blog focused on the comic industry, creator issues and human rights. John C. Wright The Sci-Fi/ Fantasy writer muses on a wide range of topics. Now Read This! The founder of the UK Comics Creators Guild blogs on comics past and present. The Rambling Rebuilder Charity, relief work, roleplaying games Rats NestThe Art and rantings of Vince Riley Gorilla Daze Allan Harvey, UK based cartoonist and comics historian has a comicophillic blog! Pulpjunkie Tim Driscoll reviews old movies, silents and talkies, classics and clunkers. Suburban Banshee Just like a suburban Leprechaun....but taller, more dangerous and a certified genius. Satharn's Musings Through TimeThe Crazy Catlady of The Barony of Tir Ysgithr アニ・ノート(Ani-Nouto) Thoughtful, curmudgeonly, otakuism that pulls no punches and suffers no fools. Chizumatic Stephen Den Beste analyzes anime...with a microscope, a slide rule and a tricorder. Wonderduck Anime, Formula One Racing, Sad Girls in Snow...Duck Triumphalism Beta Waffle What will likely be the most thoroughly tested waffle evah! Zoopraxiscope Too In this thrilling sequel to Zoopraxiscope, Don, Middle American Man of Mystery, keeps tabs on anime, orchids, and absurdities. Mahou Meido MeganekkoUbu blogs on Anime, computer games and other non-vital interests Twentysided More geekery than you can shake a stick at Shoplifting in the Marketplace of Ideas Sounds like Plaigarism...but isn't Ambient IronyAll Meenuvians Praise the lathe of the maker! Hail Pixy!!