Adventures in Paranoia
So I'm doing a little searching for a variety of topics last night, and come across a story of a web site that was apparently shut down when a law enforcement agency siezed the hard drive on the server they were hosted on:
As you can see, Pajiba.com is a mess. We were as surprised as anyone when the site went down yesterday, but based on the limited information we have, it looks like the Department of Homeland Security has seized the disk drive on which our site was hosted, and apparently they've also taken the backup files. So for the time being, Pajiba.com has no data, and we don't think DHS has any intention of returning the hard drive to our hosting company anytime soon. I suppose we shared server space with some punk who threatened the President or something, and now anyone on that server has to suffer the consequences. Frankly, the entire debacle is pretty heart-wrenching for us, and thus far, completely out of our control. We have no idea when, or if, the disk drives will be returned.
In the meantime, we've decided to copy all of our old reviews from their Google caches (thank God for Google), and do our best to rebuild the entire site from scratch, bottom up; (which, for me, means relearning a lot of things on Movable Type). So for the next few days, the place is gonna look like Oprah's couch after Tom Cruise has had his way with it. We'll do our best to get the most recent reviews up in as timely a manner as possible, and then we will start adding the archives. I'm not sure what that will mean for this weekend's reviews yet, unfortunately, but I'm not resting until I get this place back into a respectable place to visit.
Anyway, thanks for your patience ... thanks for dropping by ... and we do hope you'll return after we get our shit together. In the meantime, I suppose we can all thank either the Bush Administration or the dumbass terrorists threatening our government, depending on your politics.
"...we can all thank either the Bush Administration or the dumbass terrorists threatening our government, depending on your politics." In the "reality based community", who do you suppose would get chosen? Yeah, I know, it's too easy (profanity edited by yours truly). From Maryscott O'Connor:
I don't know WHAT the f**k to make of it. These people make a g*dd***ed LIVING off that site, and now, with no explanation, the DHS f**king SEIZES their work material?
Can you imagine the ramifications of sh*t like this? Imagine p*ssing off someone in the DHS and coming in to the office to discover your livelihood has just been shattered because you p*ssed off the wrong f**king Politburo *sswipe.
THAT'S what this f**king is, man. Remember those Russian bad guys we vilified throughout the Cold War in decades of movies and television? THEY'RE WORKING IN THE BUSH REGIME, NOW.
Congratulate the Bush Administration, man. They've turned us into the f**king KGB-riddled Soviet f**king Union.
Apparently the siezure affected a number of web sites, including one run by this guy, who dons a few extra ounces of tinfoil in response:
What I resent more than the loss of website files, is the idea of a massive bureaucracy that has the ability to shut down anyone's website, business, or livelihood, without Congressional or judicial oversight. Some weeks back, I read about a couple whose account was red-flagged by DHS when they tried to pay a large sum on their credit card. Is this still America anymore?
What's of even more concern is the potential that such an agency could pose to the rights of Americans who disagree with the administration in power - any administration. Given the unchecked power granted to such agencies, what's there to prevent planting "suspicious files" on anyone's computer or home, because you're a little too vocal in your opposition to war in your emails or at work? Does it not sicken you that you're more reluctant to say things you feel about certain people in power in your phone conversations?
A little civics lesson for you all courtesy of DHS:
The Financial Crimes Division (FCD) plans, reviews, and coordinates criminal investigations involving Financial Systems Crimes, including bank fraud; access device fraud; telemarketing; telecommunications fraud (cellular and hard wire); computer fraud; automated payment systems and teller machines; direct deposit; investigations of forgery, uttering, alteration, false personation, or false claims involving U.S. Treasury Checks, U.S. Savings Bonds, U.S. Treasury Notes, bonds, and bills; electronic funds transfer (EFT) including Treasury disbursements and fraud within Treasury payment systems; fraud involving U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Coupons and Authority to Participate (ATP) cards; Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation investigations; Farm Credit Administration violations; fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents and fraudulent commercial, fictitious instruments,foreign securities. The Division also coordinates the activities of the U.S. Secret Service Organized Crimes Program, and oversees money laundering investigations.
In other words, they investigate a wide range of crimes. They have legitimate power to execute a warrant and sieze hards drives in order to bring criminals to justice.
And check this page titled "BEST PRACTICES FOR SEIZING ELECTRONIC EVIDENCE" to learn a little about the procedure they followed in siezing the hard drive in question.
If you go to the Kos link at the top of this post, there are lots of looney comments. Amazing that there are so many people who blame Bush for anything bad in the world. Also, here's what I use as a "Left-wing fever swamp" theme song (warning: opens Rhapsody music service window - but it's free!) while I read such gems as:
"They are slowly building electronic gulags and separating potential enemies (again, Dems, progressives, and so on) from the means to communicate and share information -- first, privately, and then AT ALL."
"I would not be surprised if they then declare a federal state of emergency and then herd us into REAL gulags."
"I said this sh*t would happen 5 years ago when the Patriot ACT destroyed our civil rights..."
"Costa Rica is looking better and better. Anyone want to start a commune down there?"
Can't any of these folks think? If the DHS was doing what so many of these folks seem to believe, there would be no Kos. No My Left Wing. No Eschaton. No Crooks and Liars. No Democratic Underground.
BTW, if the music link doesn't work for you, the lyrics to the song I linked are here. But it's much better if you listen to it.
