Senate Commerce Committee Hearing

The Senate Commerce Committee hearing regarding interference with Facebook, You Tube and Twitter - and with my friend Clint Watts as a cyberspace watch-dog is fascinating...  You can view it at:   https://www.c-span.org/video/?439849-1/facebook-twitter-youtube-officials-testify-combating-extremism   
   It's about Russian interference with our communications, news, and social media outlets.  Clint is upset because he has presented his Hamilton Dashboard 68 to multiple governmental agencies, and all of them shrug his findings off....  View the Dashboard and get information regarding it at:  https://dashboard.securingdemocracy.org/

Curiouser and Curiouser

A week ago, or so, Rachel Maddow showed how bots can be set up via Twitter and Facebook and multiple other cyber media outlets to respond to certain words.  The responses depended upon the media used, but could be a Tweet in response or a comment and it usually had a reference to another media spot - for an article, a video, or a discussion area.  I have a wide variety of interests and had noticed a few years ago that certain words seemed to elicit some odd-ball responses from several different types of media.  Rachel's informative segment on bots was highly illuminating, and, at the same time, a little freaky. In the past few years, if I don't personally know the person who sends a response, I simply do not click on any posted link.
   Yesterday, a former FBI special agent, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and a senior fellow at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University was called upon to present his findings by the US Senate Intelligence Committee regarding Russian cyber interference with the US Presidential campaign last year.  Clinton Watts stole my heart and my intellect.  The man is well spoken, calm, collected and very erudite.  He explained the dissemination of disinformation and how it takes place in easily understandable terms.  He peeled away the layers of the onion domes of Moscow and their media in great detail.  It was a wonderful and spell-binding testimony.  And he expanded his views on the Rachel Maddow Show tonight.  I wish I was a student again.
   One of the intriguing points that Mr Watts brought up was the false information that Trump Campaign Manager  Paul Manafort threw out in a CNN interview on 14 August about a huge revolt and incident at the Incirlik NATO air base in Turkey, that was reported by Russian media and then spread by bots across the world at the end of July.  This was reported as false and misinformation by NATO, the FBI, NSA and the CIA in the first two days of August.  So why did Manafort bring up the "Bengahzi- style insurrection" that never occurred?  It's like 45 referring to the "incident Friday night in Sweden" that never happened...
   In July, retired General Michael Flynn led a chant of "Lock her up!" (referring to the Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton) at the podium of the Republican National Convention.  Yesterday evening, he went to the FBI and both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees asking for immunity from prosecution if he testified about what he knows about the 45th Administration's ties, meetings, and collusion with the Russian government.  All have decline to give Flynn immunity, especially since he was forced to resign as Chief of National Security because he was caught in multiple lies.  Flynn stated that if someone asked for immunity, then it seemed apparent they were guilty of something, back in September.  Hmmmmm.
   Yes, indeed - these are interesting and entertaining times.  How many people from the 45th Administration will escape impeachment and/ or imprisonment?  I can't wait to find out...

Crazy Behavior

Logically, I know that "crazy behavior" has been around since the beginning of mankind.  While I was growing up, much of the madness was never heard of because we were then still relying on local newspapers and local news stations to report events.  The national evening news was tightly edited and gone over with a fine-toothed comb before being broadcast.  Telephones were the fastest way of communicating - there was no Twitter, no Instagram, no internet or world wide web, no Facebook. I've looked at several collections of small town local newspapers, and seen a lot of news items that would have made headlines today.  But that was years ago, when we were all still relatively insulated from the world as a whole, and before today's almost instantaneous news and gossip dispersal via new and trending technological  devices.
    I was appalled to hear of the shooting, yesterday, in the Fort Lauderdale Airport.  I was even more surprised to find that the young man accused of this crime had checked his gun and ammunition through baggage, and had loaded his weapon in the men's restroom, before going out to kill and injure multiple people.  But what really stopped me short, and made my jaw drop in wonder, was that the accused was being prosecuted in New Jersey for domestic violence - that he had partially strangled his girlfriend after striking her in the head.  Anyone who has been charged with domestic violence should not be permitted to carry a gun...
   The other day, I received a friend request on Facebook.  I looked at the name, and couldn't recognize the man.  I then looked at his Facebook page - the only information listed was that he was from Pittsburgh, PA and that he now lives in Boston, MA.  There were no photos of the man, himself.  There were multiple images of the Steelers football team, and a couple of photos that were, I guess, his dogs.  I declined to be the man's friend.  For two reasons: no photo and no information regarding himself; and the fact that he is a Steelers fan.  I know I have a bunch of friends out their who are fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  It's because I know you that I ignore your team affiliation.  I simply can't stand the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers - and all of the rapes that he has gotten away with, due to his star football status.  There are several other "sports stars" that I denigrate for the same reason.  -  But the poor man who asked to be my friend has no inkling as to why I turned down his request...  Oh, well.
   I'll soon be heading out to buy cat food, kitty snacks, and kitty litter.  Then off to  pick up Donn's mail, followed by a stop at the library.  I've read all my books, am halfway through the last one, and need new reading material.  I think I'll pick up some ancient British history while I'm at it - my latest delvings into the family tree keep taking me back to the twelfth century, soon after the Norman invasion, and I keep seeing names I know from previous history readings.  I have to say, family trees are always fascinating.