Ming the Mechanic
The NewsLog of Flemming Funch

Monday, October 18, 2004day link 

 Cheney vows to attack U.S. if Kerry elected
picture The Onion:
GREENSBORO, NC—In an announcement that has alarmed voters across the nation, Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that he will personally attack the U.S. if Sen. John Kerry wins the next election.

"If the wrong man is elected in November, the nation will come under a devastating armed attack of an unimaginable magnitude, one planned and executed by none other than myself," Cheney said, speaking at a rally in Greensboro, NC. "When they go to the polls, Americans must weigh this fact and decide if our nation can ignore such a grave threat."

Added Cheney: "It would be a tragedy to suffer another attack on American soil, let alone one perpetrated by an enemy as well-organized and well-equipped as I am. My colleagues and I urge voters to keep their safety in mind when they go to the polls."

Although Cheney would not comment on the details of his proposed attack on a John Kerry-led U.S., national-security experts said he possesses both the capabilities and the motivation to pose a serious threat.

"There is no question that Cheney has the financial assets and intelligence needed to pose a threat to our nation," said Peter Bergen, terrorism researcher and author of Threats And Balances: Former Executive Branch Officials And The Danger To America. "After all, this fanatic can call upon the resources of both the Republican Party and Halliburton to aid him in his assault. America would be foolish not to take his warning seriously."
OK, The Onion is satire, in case you somehow didn't know. But, hey, it isn't too far off. Better watch that guy.
[ | 2004-10-18 20:57 | 4 comments | PermaLink ]  More >

 The hardware behind Echelon
picture Article at TechWorld, explaining the hardware behind the Echelon system. You know, the system that is listening to and analyzing all your phonecalls, and which used to be a well-kept secret. It isn't any longer, in part because the companies that made it like to brag about their accomplishment. Aside from the satellites, a teraFLOP of processing power and 32GB of RAM for its buffer. Which apparently does the trick. They might have several of those, of course. Anyway, the next time you call somebody overseas and say "nuclear device" in a middleeastern accent, you can be sure that a recording of your call is set aside for further examination. Or maybe "bomb" in a French accent.
[ | 2004-10-18 21:00 | 3 comments | PermaLink ]  More >

Main Page: ming.tv