Who Mourns Senator Kennedy? - Not I

Senator Edward Kennedy died on the 25 August 2009. I will not mourn him, but his death has reminded me to mourn for the British Soldiers and Civilians killed, or maimed in Northern Ireland during Senator Kennedy's 30 year support of Terrorism in the United Kingdom Province of Northern Ireland and his positive encouragement to Americans to give money to the 'cause', which misguidedly they did, to the tune of Hundreds of Millions of Dollars.

During the troubles, it became a tradition for Fenian murderers to routinely feted on St Patrick’s Day by members of the US political establishment , and no American Politician welcomed them more warmly than Senator Edward Kennedy:



Whenever Margaret Thatcher visited Washington, Senator Kennedy could always be seen wearing a bright green tie, an unsubtle ''statement'' on his part of his support for Republicanism - something which the then Prime Minister was always aware of but chose to ignore (also a sign of how he retained a very 'juvenile outlook', even in late middle-age).

After 9/11 when even the Irish-American Romantics discovered what Terrorism really means and the mood in Northern Ireland Politics was changing, like any Political Animal, Senator Kennedy sniffed the wind and changed his Public Stance.

His public change of heart, positively supporting the peace process, even going so far as to publicly snub Jerry Adams, won him many plaudits, an even if in the unlikely event this change was real (and I doubt his views actually change one iota) it cannot expunge the previous 30 years.

Maybe Senator Kennedy was a good Servant to his Country on Domestic Issues, from here, he was a bigoted supporter of Terrorism.

As for his very public, Private Life: A man who if he had not been a Kennedy, would have likely faced extremely serious charges in connection with the death of Mary Jo Kopechne in 1969 in the 'Chappaquiddick Incident' (instead receiving a two month suspended sentence for leaving the scene), but even after this he continued to lead a lifestyle which would have shamed a juvenile-celebrity right through until the end of the 1980's.

The fact that an Honourary Knighthood was given to a man who had inherited his fathers loathing for Britain, supported Terrorism and was without doubt flawed in so many other ways, is a stain on my nations honour.

But he now faces the ultimate judgement, fortunately for him God is all forgiving. But it is going to be a very long time before I forgive his support of terrorism in my country.

United Airlines did him wrong, so he wrote a song and now a second one

When United Airlines Loading Staff broke singer/songwriter Dave Carroll's $3,500 Taylor Guitar by throwing it about (along with the bands other instruments) and then wouldn't pay compensation. Well in his final email to them, he advised he was going to write and produce three songs which then form the Music to three Videos which would then be posted online. See the Post: United Airlines did him wrong, so he wrote a song (or three)! Which has both Videos released so far and slightly more detailed background and links.

For those who have followed the saga and want to see the second Video NOW, well here it is:
United Breaks Guitars Song 2:

For more information on the making of United Breaks Guitars: Song 2 on Dave Carroll's Site.

Enjoy!

Update 27th August 2009: I have just seen this article on ZDNet (USA) which gives United yet another PR Headache:
Deconstructing United Airlines: Where Customers are Transactions

Campaign: Reducing UK Mobile-Landline-Mobile Call Charges

In the United Kingdom the real cost of many Telephone Calls whether from a Landline, or a Mobile has fallen over recent times, but there is one 'black spot', called the Mobile Termination Rate which is currently around 4.7p per minute that provides a 'cash cow' for Mobile Network Operators whilst resulting in a nasty surprise for consumers.

The Mobile Termination Rate, normally abbreviated to MTR is applied when a call is made from a Landline to a Mobile, or from a Mobile on one Network to a Mobile on another Network. Now it is fair that some charge is made for this, but 4.7p per minute is to say the least excessive. Therefore the TerminateTheRate Group has been formed to bring pressure to bear on the industry Regulator Ofcom to enforce a lower MTR that reflects the Network Operators actual costs. In part this pressure is to be applied by a Petition to Members of Parliament as well as Ofcom: Petition Form is on the TerminateTheRate Home Page

Outside the UK, the European Commission (EC), flush with success in reducing Mobile Roaming charges, recommended in 2008 that the MTR across EU Countries should fall on average by around 70% in three years (bringing it very close to the Termination Rates applied by Landline Network Operators)..

Would there be any downside to forcing operators in the UK to reduce the MTR they apply dramatically?
Potentially one type of Consumer could indeed be adversely affected this being Prepaid Mobile Users
A Deloitte Report from January 2009, points out that much of the revenue from Prepaid Customers is generated by the MTR, By reducing the MTR, these Customers could move from being a profitable Market to be a loss maker. How much of this is designed to generate FUD (Fear Uncertainty and Doubt) is difficult to gauge, but this market is too important to some major Network Operators to lose, so they will be already working on new methods of both retaining the Prepaid Customers, whilst ensuring that it remains a profitable market.

Returning to the TerminateTheRate Campaign, this has a surprisingly wide range of 'corporate supporters' including:
One Landline Operator (BT), One Mobile Operator (3), Industry groups, Local Authorities, Charities and Trade Unions - A full list of current supporters is here: Campaign Supporters Page 1 and Campaign Supporters Page 2

Having done some research into both sides of the MTR argument, the following are my conclusions:

1. Mobile Operators are resigned to the MTR being reduced.
2. Most Mobile Operators want this decline in MTR to be in small steps over a long period.
3. Business Users in Uk and across Europe find the current MTR rates onerous in the extreme
4. Consumers in the UK and across Europe don't know about MTR as it is a 'hidden charge' within their call costs, they just see their Operators Rates for Calls, which where applicable include the MTR.
5. Reducing the MTR dramatically will definitely benefit most Consumers, but has the potential to increase costs to Prepaid Services Users
   

I will be signing the petition, hopefully this post has provided visitors with sufficient information, to decide if they will to!

Are Your Communications Habits Being Monitored?

A News Item in Silicon.com: - One in 78: The chances your comms are being monitored forms a teaser to a much more detailed news report from ZDNet UK: Public targeted by 1,500 monitoring bids per day. So quoting from the ZDNet article: Police, local councils and other UK public authorities made more than half-a-million requests to see citizens' communications data in 2008, according to a watchdog report.

I am neither shocked, nor surprised at the total, but was surprised and actually quite annoyed, that local councils appear to be a major player in wanting to see our communications records. As far as I am concerned, the Police, Security Services, Borders Agency and HM Revenue and Customs should be the only organisations with the authority to request this information.

Requesting Communications data, which by using the provisions of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act , authorities can ask service providers for data such as which individual has communicated with whom, and when and where this communication took place and that is totally different from actively monitoring someone's communications.
From the moment I made my second post in this Blog, I assumed that due some of the Words and Phrases used, it would attract the interest of automated monitoring software (in this case no different from the way a search engine would gather information) and that providing the authorities were having a slow day, they might first request my Communications Data and then if things were really quiet, they might be granted a request to actively monitor my communications. Does this remote possibility upset me: NO, actually I would feel sympathy for any operative tasked with doing the monitoring, as being bored to tears listening/reading my communications, was almost certainly not what they hoped their job would entail.

Whilst I am more than peeved by Local Councils being involved in find out peoples communications data, my angst is nothing compared to extreme annoyance of the Liberal Democrat shadow home secretary Chris Huhne: Who criticized the Government for allowing that volume of communication data gathering. Amongst the other things he went on to say, the following provided some ironic amusement:
"The government forgets that George Orwell's 1984 was a warning, and not a blueprint," said Huhne. "We are still a long way from living under the Stasi, but it beggars belief that is necessary to spy on one in every 78 adults."
Thoughts:
I wonder how many were repeat requests for the same person? - I suspect a large number.
How many requests led to a request to actively monitor communications in real time for a period of time (which is spying)? - I suspect a tiny percentage.
How many active monitoring requests led to a full investigation? - My guess is very few!
How many investigations led to prosecution? - Knowing, would satisfy my curiosity, but suspect less than 10%
Because, Local Council involvement aside, I don't have a problem with this, I am almost certainly once again out of step, at least with the 'chattering classes'. Well I can live with that!

Finally, back to Chris Huhne and George Orwell's 1984: This book was indeed a warning, about control of the population by taking away any sense of personal responsibility and accountability. This being accomplished through the enactment and then enforcement of laws that governed a citizen's every moment of their life and making every utterance either politically correct or illegal. In Orwell's world, even a simple domestic request becomes a major bureaucratic exercise.
Now for me this does have a familiar ring. Welcome to the 'Nanny State' resulting in a 'You Cannot do that Britain'. Now that is something I find very worrying!

British Sons and Daughters

I received this as a chain email and unusually for me, immediately passed it on to many of my contacts. However by posting it here I hope to distribute it even more widely and quickly - The Idle Man:

If you read this, you WILL forward it on.You just won't be able to stop yourself.

Here's to the heroes: Especially for all of the young ones we have recently lost.

The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, just old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's, but he has never collected unemployment either.





He's a recent Comprehensive School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and a 155mm howitzer.

He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk. He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but hecan field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. And He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must.

He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional.

He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march.

He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient.

He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry.

He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.

If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.

He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands.

He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.

He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay, and still find ironic humour in it all.

He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime.



He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed.

He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, all the while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking.

In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful.

Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the BRITISH Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years.




He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding.
Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood.

And now we even have women over there in danger, doing their part in this tradition of going to War when our nation calls us to do so.

As you go to bed tonight, remember this shot. ...

A short lull, a little shade and a picture of loved ones in their helmets.



Prayer wheel for our military... please don't break it Please send this on, after a short prayer.

Prayer Wheel

'Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen.'

There is nothing attached...
This can be very powerful...
Of all the gifts you could give a British Soldier, Sailor, or Airman, prayer is the very best one.

I wouldn’t dream of breaking this one,Please pass it on to everyone

Extradite Gary McKinnon, no problem. But now let's fix the Extradition Treaty

The Idle Man has followed the Gary McKinnon Hacker Case with some interest, but with little sympathy for Mr McKinnon. After all he is not being accused of some minor misdemeanour, but of hacking into the computer systems of the United States Army, Navy and Air Force, plus the United States Department of Defence and NASA, as well as sabotaging vital American military systems after the terror attacks of September 11 2001. In addition McKinnon is alleged to have caused Criminal Damage by his actions, which have been calculated to total $750,000 USD for remedial action and repair. Any Government would, based on these allegations go to any lengths for extradition and subsequent prosecution.

In the UK a large number of high profile people and much of the media are stating that the current extradition treaty should NOT apply in this case as it was designed to counter terrorism. From the viewpoint of any Government, the allegations against Gary McKinnon are effectively charges of Terrorism, although prefixed with cyber. But make no mistake Cyber Terrorism may not have the instant, spectacular media impact of a Bomb Attack but if it is successful, it can easily be just as dangerous to society.

Apparently Mr McKinnon has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome which even the medical profession cannot spell consistently and whilst McKinnon appears to in part fit the Asperger profile, in other areas it appears from the background to the case he does not (social interaction does not appear to have been impaired and he has even been part of the Hackers Panel at InfoSecurity Europe). What makes Asperger syndrome even more interesting is that there is now discussion as to whether this is a disability that must be treated, or a just a 'difference' that falls with the spectrum of normal Human behaviour. So using the Asperger defence always seemed more than a little disingenuous.

So as far as I am concerned the McKinnon Allegations do fall within the original purpose and spirit of the Extradition Treaty and whilst my view counts for nothing, it has been supported in Law up to and including the Law Lords and the European Court of Human Rights, which have rejected his appeal against extradition.

What I find ironic is that this fast-track Treaty has occupied the Legal Profession for three years! When for once it was actually being used for the purpose for which, at least the British thought it was designed. Of course because of the implicit imbalance to the treaty, if an American Hacker had done the same to the MoD, MI5, or SIS Systems, Britain would NOT under the treaty have able to extradite them.

Now the obstacles to Gary McKinnon being extradited, there will be a jury trial under the American Justice System. So Gary McKinnon will have his 'day in court'(although I suspect this will actually be weeks in Court). There are four possible outcomes:

1. He will be found guilty of all charges and if this is the case a very long sentence is appropriate.
2. He will be found guilty of some of the charges and if is the case the sentence should appropriate to those he is found guilty of.
3. His Lawyers will successfully use the Asperger defence, but hopefully this will still mean he will be institutionalised for a period for assessment to ensure he is not going to repeat his actions.
4. He is found not guilty of all charges - Extremely Unlikely!
   

Whilst I have every sympathy with McKinnon's Mother attempts to stop her son being extradited (and indeed have much more sympathy for her tireless efforts than I have for her Son), I find it embarrassing and distasteful that 40 British Members of Parliament have, after the Legal Processes have been exhausted have jumped on the McKinnon bandwagon by writing to the US President. Their protest is NOT about whether after a Trial he is found guilty and the punishment is too harsh, but the fact that he should NOT stand trial at all. If these allegations are true and this man attacked an ally and compromised their national security then it is only right that the USA should have the right to try him for these Crimes. True he is being extradited under a flawed and imbalanced treaty, but these MPs efforts would be better served by NOT using the case for self-serving publicity, but working hard to get the provisions of the Treaty fixed, so that there is no imbalance and it limited to the purposes that the British Government believed it would be applied! In the case of McKinnon, the treaty (flawed though it is) has been correctly applied.

The Idle Man, is as so often the case, is apparently out of step with Media and Political Opinion (what the general public thinks, matters not one jot - After all the e-Petition to the Prime Minister to stop the extradition, only managed to obtain 876 Signatures before it closed, not exactly an outpouring of support). So be it, but I consider what Gary McKinnon is alleged to have done, constitutes extremely serious crimes against an ally of this country and he should stand trial for those crimes in the country against which he launched his attacks, But that does not in any way alter my view that the current extradition treaty should be suspended until the provisions of the treaty between UK and USA apply equally to both Countries. This should not stop the Gary McKinnon Extradition because the Legal Processes were finally taken to the European Court of Human Rights and the extradition was upheld (quite rightly).

In the interests of Balance here are three of External Websites that show support for Gary McKinnon's attempts to avoid Extradition and Trial in the USA:
Free Gary McKinnon - or at least give him a fair trial in the United Kingdom - Blog
Daily Mail Articles in Support of Gary McKinnon
London TV Net

About that Extradition Treaty:
Posts in this Blog:
UK-US Extradition Treaty and Certain American Politicians Support for Terrorists - 13th August 2003
The NatWest Three - 29th November 2007

External Sites:
Extradition Act of 2003 - The UK Statute Law Database
The Extradition Act 2003 - Wikipedia Entry
StateWatch News Online – Special Report on the ‘New US_UK Extradition Treaty - 2003
MPs Impotently Huffing and Puffing in Parliament - Hansard via They Work for You - 15th July 2009

News Update:
Alan Johnson: I can’t stop extradition - Times Online 2nd August 2009:
In this article the Home Secretary states he cannot stop the extradition as he would be breaking the Law. However once again Gary McKinnon is described as young (he is 43, which means he should be described as of middle age), Vulnerable (so vulnerable he can sit on the InfoSecurity Hackers panel and give a number of media interviews) and Misguided (He certainly is, he got so overconfident whilst hacking into US Defence Computers and those of NASA that he misguidedly got careless and therefore got caught).

I would rather the Home Secretary concentrated on making his Department 'fit for purpose' and ensuring that illegals are deported, dangerous prisoners stay in jail and sorting out the totally mismanaged National ID Card Scheme, than writing articles for the Sunday Times.