Good morning!

Roadside Body Cavity Search: Angel And Ashley Dobbs Sue Texas State Troopers For Body Search (VIDEO)

A Texas woman and her niece are suing a pair of Texas state troopers and the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety for what they claim was an unconstitutional and “humiliating” roadside body cavity search earlier this year.

Scroll down for footage

According to NBC News, 38-year-old Angel Dobbs and 24-year-old Ashley Dobbsfrom Irving, Tex., were driving along Highway 161 on July 13, when they were stopped for allegedly littering by State Trooper David Farrell.

“In the dashcam video released by the women and their attorney, Farrell can be heard telling the women they would both be cited for littering for throwing cigarette butts out of the car,” the news agency reports.

After stopping the women, Farrell — who claims to have “smelled marijuana” in their vehicle — reportedly questioned the women about the drug and searched their car for traces of pot.

The Dobbs’ lawsuit filed on Monday, according to the Dallas Morning News, claims that the state trooper had tried to “morph this situation into a DWI investigation.” The older woman, however, is said to have passed a roadside sobriety test and Farrell did not find any marijuana in the car.

The trooper then returned to his vehicle and called female state trooper Kelley Helleson to the scene. He said he wanted Helleson to search the women because they were “acting weird,” according to the dashcam recording.

Angel and Ashley claim that they were then subjected to a very public and “humiliating” roadside body cavity search. They both claim that they were not warned beforehand that the “intrusive” search was about to take place.

KVUE writes:

The lawsuit alleges that Helleson used her fingers to search inside each woman’s genital areas. The suit also says that the trooper did not change the glove she was wearing and performed the search without consent.

The body cavity search is also said to have taken place “on the side of a public freeway illuminated by lights from the police vehicle in full view of the passing public,” the women alleged, according to KVUE.

“I was molested, I was violated, I was humiliated in front of other traffic,” said Angel. “I had to watch my niece go through the same thing and I could not protect her at that point.”

Angel also alleges that while Helleson searched her anus, the state trooper “irritated one of the cysts she suffers from,” causing her “severe and continuing pain and discomfort.”

“I don’t think anybody needs to have to feel, or go through what we went through,” Ashley told NBC News. “It crosses my mind every day. It’s humiliating.”

Scott H. Palmer, the women’s attorney, said that the searches were “basically a sexual assault” on the side of a road, according to Dallas Morning News.

Other than Helleson and Farrell, the women are also suing Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety.

McCraw is being sued, “for being aware of a long standing pattern of police misconduct involving unlawful strip searches, cavity searches and the like, yet [failing] to take corrective action,” KVUE reports.

“Following the traffic stop that occurred in July of this year and based on a citizen’s complaint, the Texas Rangers conducted an inquiry surrounding the events, and has since turned the results over to the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office for review,” said DPS spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger to the Dallas Morning News.

On Wednesday, the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office said that the Dobbs’ case is being investigated and will go before a grand jury next month.

Watch footage of the body cavity search here:

WARNING: Some viewers may find content in this video disturbing

******

Readers: I didn’t post the above video because it is no longer available to watch. Is the video too disturbing to watch so it is no longer available? Evidently it is not too disturbing to do this horrific act to these women, but too disturbing to show it. This sick act is not a single event –  This happens all the time to OTW women, and has continued to happen with nothing being done to prevent it….until now….when it happens to two white women. Now we’re talking something serious. Now we want “change.”

And the person doing the cavity check was a woman, State Trooper, Kelley Helleson - wha’at? Why did she go along with this? And this sick woman didn’t even change the glove – not when she went from vagina to anus, and not when she went from one woman to the other. Can you imagine?

A man like this isn’t going to give a fuck if he is spreading infections between the two women but you would think a woman would take better precautions, being a woman herself, knowing how dangerous it is. But no, this woman obviously didn’t care either – she did what she was asked, did it with no care of the health of these women, and hell she did it in full view of everyone and anyone driving by.

When are women going to stand up and say ‘No” to the demands of sick men? How can we expect men to change their sick behaviors toward women if women are doing similar sick behaviors to other women? If a woman will molest and violate another woman because she is asked, you can imagine what a man will feel free to do with no asking, no encouragement, just his own desire to do so? And we don’t have to imagine because it is being done everyday.

I’m done flappin’. Comments? Your turn – Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Antonin Scalia Defends Legal Writings Some View As Offensive, Anti-Gay

  PRINCETON, N.J. — U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on Monday found himself defending his legal writings that some find offensive and anti-gay.

Speaking at Princeton University, Scalia was asked by a gay student why he equates laws banning sodomy with those barring bestiality and murder.

“I don’t think it’s necessary, but I think it’s effective,” Scalia said, adding that legislative bodies can ban what they believe to be immoral.

Scalia has been giving speeches around the country to promote his new book, “Reading Law,” and his lecture at Princeton comes just days after the court agreed to take on two cases that challenge the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

Some in the audience who had come to hear Scalia speak about his book applauded but more of those who attended the lecture clapped at freshman Duncan Hosie’s question.

“It’s a form of argument that I thought you would have known, which is called the `reduction to the absurd,’” Scalia told Hosie of San Francisco during the question-and-answer period. “If we cannot have moral feelings against homosexuality, can we have it against murder? Can we have it against other things?”

Scalia said he is not equating sodomy with murder but drawing a parallel between the bans on both.

Then he deadpanned: “I’m surprised you aren’t persuaded.”

Hosie said afterward that he was not persuaded by Scalia’s answer. He said he believes Scalia’s writings tend to “dehumanize” gays.

As Scalia often does in public speaking, he cracked wise, taking aim mostly at those who view the Constitution as a “living document” that changes with the times.

“It isn’t a living document,” Scalia said. “It’s dead, dead, dead, dead.”

He said that people who see the Constitution as changing often argue they are taking the more flexible approach. But their true goal is to set policy permanently, he said.

“My Constitution is a very flexible one,” he said. “There’s nothing in there about abortion. It’s up to the citizens. … The same with the death penalty.”

Scalia said that interpreting laws requires adherence to the words used and to their meanings at the time they were written.

********

Readers: I’m sick of Scalia speak. What’s your opinion? Oh…I can’t seem to post the video so if you’re interested, please click on the title to watch.

Janet, Jayson: I realize I am quite late in my reply to you both, but do know that my good thoughts were being sent your way, and wishing you and yours well.

Hazel: Unfortunately your story is not unique. In most cases, if men didn’t do the horrific things they do to women, women wouldn’t have to resort to lashing back in such ways as you two did. Sometimes and eye for an eye is your only choice. I HOPE you two are happy now that you’re back together.

Scott: Howie, is his own person, making his own decisions. I enjoy seeing Howie here just as much as all the others. He’ll show up when he feels like it.

wow. Cece: You certainly broached a subject that many were interested in responding to. I found it interesting reading the opposing views, not unlike the opinions of so many other controversial subjects.

It is so interesting how many topics get broached here that enlighten me to so many worldly happenings.

Robert, RT:  Your “If I may change the subject for a moment” statement made me smile. It feels kind of like that needs to be said when the topic is on a roll, doesn’t it? Anyway, nice to see you here again. Once again, you get to juice of the matter, and point out very clearly what’s going on here.

Mike, TM: I am happy that Obama fined HSBC, and yes it is another feather in his cap. I also agree with Alycedale that more needs to happen to these criminals. Huge fines are not enough to fear. They get busted for the crime, they need to do the time.

Ruth, SM:  Hi there. I went to your link and I was surprised at what I saw. I cannot imagine someone doing that and thinking that it was not only OK but funny. It is not only racist but it this kind of thing that is non-supporting and degrades women in general. If women are doing this to each other, what does that say to men? What signs does it send that if women can degrade each other, and get away with it, what can I do? It’s just not good all around.

Cherika: Again, the things I learn here are shocking. Talk about degrading. This woman Saartjie Baartman was a beauty because of her uniqueness. What a horrible life to live displayed as a freak instead of honoring her beauty. And to think of how her parts were displayed is just disgusting. Thank you for sharing.

George, WN: You’re too much – it’s hard to take you seriously – wish I didn’t have to but I know your words are not a joke. But…Just like some white women who will be kicking and screaming to their freedom because of this black man, you would rather see this country go to shit in the proverbial hand-basket, because of this black man, than see a black man succeed like no other president has before him…for the good of all. Sounds to me like you’re still sore because your ex is getting the big one. Grow up and get over it. Unfortunately there are plenty of women out there who would love your company…small penis and all.

Anonymous: Ditto to what Irene said.

That is the end folks. Your turn. Blog me.

Happy Hanukkah!

Peace out.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

The republicans are going to try and do what they do no matter what…no matter whose lives they are endangering. And yes their target this time is….no surprise – WOMEN.  It is women once again, more specifically our Native American sisters, this time around, who are the ones affected. I’m talking about protections in the Violence Against Women’s Act (VAWA).

VAWA, which has been reauthorized consistently for 18 years with little fanfare, was, for the first time, left to expire in Sept. 2011. The sticking point has been new protections for three particularly vulnerable groups: undocumented immigrants, members of the LGBT community and Native Americans.

Eric Cantor, and the republicans received loud messages that now that the election is over they need to do a better job of appealing to women and minorities. Do you think they got the message? Hell no. The dems are supporting these additional provisions but the House repubs continue to be the party of “No” – they say these additions are “politically driven”. Don’t you love the way repubs say that protecting women is politically driven? Wha’at?? It is as if women are just things and not living human beings.

Cantor has been in talks with Biden, and although our LGBT and undocumented immigrant sisters look like they may make it through this round (but don’t be so sure – nothing is signed yet), our Native American sisters, may not be so lucky. Cantor has a problem. He doesn’t seem to think that protecting our Native American sisters is important.

The gist of it is this: Democratic provision gives tribal courts limited jurisdiction to oversee domestic violence offenses committed against Native American women by non-Native American men on tribal lands, and the House Republican leader wants this expansion curtailed.

In short it means non-Native American men who abuse Native American women on tribal lands are essentially “immune from the law, and they know it.”

Of the Native American women who are raped, 86 percent of them are raped by non-Native men, according to an Amnesty International report. That statistic is precisely what the Senate’s tribal provision targets.

So basically non-Native men have free rein to beat and rape Native American women, and nothing can be done. Thank you Cantor for endangering women by supporting rapists in their heinous crimes.

Here’s the write: 

Violence Against Women Act: Eric Cantor, Joe Biden In Talks Amid Stalled Tribal Provision

WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden is quietly working with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) to try to pass an inclusive version of the Violence Against Women Act in the lame-duck Congress. And so far, sources tell HuffPost, Cantor is on board as long as one thing is stripped from the bill: a key protection for Native American women.

Staffers for Biden and Cantor have been trying to reach a deal on the bill for at least a week. Neither camp publicly let on it was talking to the other until Wednesday, when Cantor said the two are in negotiations and he’s feeling hopeful about a deal.

“I am speaking with the vice president and his office and trying to resolve the issue of the differences surrounding the VAWA bill,” Cantor said during remarks on the House floor.

“This week I’ve actually been encouraged to see that we could very well see agreement on VAWA, and I’m very hopeful that that comes about. But I am encouraged about the discussions that my office is having with the vice president’s office right now, that bill being a high priority of Vice President Biden.”

VAWA, which has been reauthorized consistently for 18 years with little fanfare, was, for the first time, left to expire in Sept. 2011. The sticking point has been new protections for three particularly vulnerable groups: undocumented immigrants, members of the LGBT community and Native Americans. The additions are supported by Democrats and opposed by House Republicans, who are calling them politically driven. The Senate passed a bipartisan bill in April with the additional protections, and House Republicans passed their own bill in May that omitted those three provisions. Since then, the issue has gone nowhere.

The fact that Cantor is working directly with Biden, an original sponsor of the 1994 law and a strong supporter of the Senate bill, suggests a real possibility that something could advance in the final weeks of a Congress otherwise consumed by a major tax fight. And now that the elections are over — and the GOP received the message that they need to do a better job of appealing to women and minorities — House Republicans may be more inclined to support the more inclusive bill.

But two sources familiar with negotiations on VAWA, both of whom requested anonymity given the sensitive nature of talks, have told HuffPost that Cantor is refusing to accept any added protections for Native American women that would give expanded jurisdiction to tribes, and is pressuring Democrats to concede on that front. There does seem to be room to negotiate with Cantor on the other two provisions relating to LGBT and undocumented immigrant protections, the sources say.

Asked to confirm if this is the current state of play in VAWA talks, a Cantor spokesman said only, “Your source is mistaken.”

Later, the Cantor spokesman said in a statement, “Majority Leader Cantor and the Vice President have had a conversation seeking to find a solution. Since then, we have continued to work with the Vice President’s staff, as well as Senate Democratic staff to work on a solution that gets to the root of the problem, namely, violence against women. Our staffs continue to work towards a compromise on those multiple provisions outstanding in the hopes of finding a solution.”

A White House official did not respond to a request for comment on the tribal provision but confirmed that Biden is “talking to both the Senate and House about trying to get [VAWA] done if possible.”

Meanwhile, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the author of the Senate VAWA bill, went to the Senate floor on Thursday and plainly announced that House Republican leaders are blocking his bill “because of their objections to [the] … tribal provision.”

Leahy explained the provision, probably the least understood of the three additions in the Senate bill: It gives tribal courts limited jurisdiction to oversee domestic violence offenses committed against Native American women by non-Native American men on tribal lands. Currently, federal and state law enforcement have jurisdiction over domestic violence on tribal lands, but in many cases, they are hours away and lack the resources to respond to those cases. Tribal courts, meanwhile, are on site and familiar with tribal laws, but lack the jurisdiction to address domestic violence on tribal lands when it is carried out by a non-Native American individual.

That means non-Native American men who abuse Native American women on tribal lands are essentially “immune from the law, and they know it,” Leahy said.

The standoff over including VAWA protections for Native American women comes at a time of appallingly high levels of violence on tribal lands. One in three Native American women have been raped or experienced attempted rape, the New York Times reported in March, and the rate of sexual assault on Native American women is more than twice the national average. President Barack Obama has called violence on tribal lands “an affront to our shared humanity.”

Of the Native American women who are raped, 86 percent of them are raped by non-Native men, according to an Amnesty International report. That statistic is precisely what the Senate’s tribal provision targets.

The two sources say, to Cantor’s credit, his staff has said they’re willing to try to come up with other solutions to responding to violence against women on tribal lands, as long as the solution doesn’t give tribes jurisdiction over the matter. But proponents of the Senate bill see the limited jurisdictional change as the only realistic way to address the problem.

Some House Republicans do support giving tribes that limited jurisdictional authority and have put forward a solution of their own. Earlier this week, Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Tom Cole (R-Okla.) introduced a bill that has the same jurisdictional language for tribes as the Senate bill, but would also allow the defendant to move his case to a federal court if he feels his rights were violated in a tribal court. As a standalone bill that wades into complex jurisdictional laws, though, even Issa told HuffPost last week that the bill has little chance of passing in the lame duck.

Cantor’s insistence on keeping the tribal jurisdictional provision out of VAWA has infuriated some backers of the Senate bill and elicited vows to prevent any VAWA bill from advancing that doesn’t protect all victims of abuse. Terry O’Neill, the president of the National Organization for Women and someone who regularly talks to people directly involved in VAWA negotiations, called Cantor’s stance “completely outrageous.”

“Who is Eric Cantor to say that it’s okay for some women to get beaten and raped?” O’Neill said. “If they happen to be Native women who are attacked by a non-Native man, as far as Eric Cantor is concerned, those women are tossed.”

O’Neill’s incendiary and extreme charge highlights the intense passion that has engulfed the negotiations around the bill.

The NOW president said she didn’t know why the GOP leader was so opposed to keeping the provision, since it has the backing of the Justice Department. She said any concerns about constitutional laws being circumvented on tribal lands have already been vetted. Regardless, she said she doesn’t expect the White House or Democratic lawmakers to cave on the provision.

“We are not going to leave behind sisters who have been brutally raped,” O’Neill said.

******

Girls: Aren’t just sick and tired of the same same sick and disgusting things that the repubs do? I can tell you I am. I am so over people…okay men,  making decisions for women. The male decision making over the needs of women, women’s care, issues, etc. needs to end. Control of making our own decisions should be our number one goal and every woman should be supporting women in this.

And speaking of support, or should I say “lack of”, frankly I am over the women who support those decisions, and blame women. But would we expect anything less from a FOX news anchor woman? Dana Perino of FOX news gives advice to women victims to “make better decisions.” Oh, I bet she would just love that tidbit of advice should she be the victim of rape – don’t ya think?

Thoughts? Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

If Broadwell and Petraeus weren’t careful enough, would the average person be? And if the little head is overriding the big head as in the affair between these two…probably not.

FRIDAY, NOV 16, 2012 04:45 AM PST

Paula Broadwell’s big mistake

She thought she was covering her tracks. But in the age of frictionless surveillance, Big Brother can’t be stopped

BY ANDREW LEONARD

The funny thing is, Paula Broadwell and David Petraeus thought they knew what they were doing. They were careful, more careful than the average American fooling around outside the bounds of marriage tends to be. When Broadwell wanted to warn off the other woman she suspected of messing with her man, she set up an anonymous email account and only used it away from home, usually on the Wi-Fi networks of hotels she was staying in. Broadwell and Petraeus also thought they could avoid having their emails intercepted in transit by technically avoiding “sending” them at all. Instead, they saved their messages to each other as “drafts” in a Gmail account to which they both enjoyed access.

But if they thought they were being smart, they were wrong. Broadwell and Petraeus were undone, says ACLU privacy and technology expert Christopher Soghoian, by their “lack of knowledge of operational security” and “poor tradecraft.” “Draft” messages are stored in Gmail’s server cloud just like all other sent and received messages. And the FBI turned out to be more than capable of correlating the Internet Protocol addresses that identified the origin of Broadwell’s supposedly “anonymous” emails with hotel records that showed Broadwell as a guest at the same time the messages were sent.

If Broadwell had taken greater precautions, she might never have been caught. She could have covered her tracks with any one of myriad commercially available Virtual Private Network programs or, if she was looking for some heavy-duty protection, she could have downloaded the Tor Project’s anonymizing browser. We should all takes notes from her misfortune. For those of us who have been able to look beyond the shirtless-pic-sending FBI agents and Tampa socialite “honorary consuls” and overly flirtatious four-star generals, the obvious lesson to take away from this mess is that if we’re going to play hanky-panky with the director of the CIA, we’d better make sure we’re using the best privacy protection tools available.

But there’s another, more important lesson to be gleaned from this tale of a biographer run amok. Broadwell’s debacle confirms something that some privacy experts have been warning about for years: Government surveillance of ordinary citizens is now cheaper and easier than ever before. Without  needing to go before a judge, the government can gather vast amounts of information about us with minimal expenditure of manpower. We used to be able to count on a certain amount of privacy protection simply because invading our privacy was hard work. That is no longer the case. Our always-on, Internet-connected, cellphone-enabled lives are an open door to Big Brother. Just ask Paula Broadwell.

* * * *

The title of Chris Soghoian’s dissertation is “The Spies We Trust: Third Party Service Providers and Law Enforcement Surveillance.” The changing economics of surveillance is a topic close to his heart. As recently as a decade ago, he says, surveillance’s “high transaction costs protected people’s privacy without the need for the law to do it.”

But then came the Internet, and GPS-enabled cellphones, and social networks. The cost of both crunching and storing data plummeted. We’ve seen this story play out in a host of domains — the Internet is really, really great at removing the “frictions” that would otherwise raise the cost of providing goods and services. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg loves to talk about how his social network facilitates “frictionless sharing.” But there’s a dark side to all the consumer benefits we gain from the digital, networked era. Call it “frictionless surveillance.”

When the last major law on electronic communications and privacy was passed in 1986, notes Soghoian, cellphones barely existed and most companies considered it far too expensive to store years of data about their customers, if they even collected it at all. Today, says Soghoian, the phone companies store years of location data, and law enforcement agents can gain access to it through custom-made Web-based interfaces. Companies like Facebook and Google have hundreds of employees whose sole job is to deal with government information requests. Remember those episodes of “The Wire” in which key plot points hinged upon whether investigators could get the funding and authorization necessary for expensive surveillance operations? Today’s intelligence agents “never have to leave their room,” says Soghoian.

Nor do they, in many cases, need to go before a judge. In the case of Paula Broadwell, as Julian Sanchez devastatingly documented for Reuters, the FBI was able to obtain subpoenas for Internet Protocol logs, guest records from hotels, and Wi-Fi activity at those hotels without seeking judicial approval or a warrant.

“We have unwittingly constructed a legal and technological architecture that brings point-and-click simplicity to the politics of personal destruction,” writes Sanchez. “The Petraeus affair has, for a moment, exposed that invisible scaffolding – and provided a rare opportunity to revisit outdated laws and reconsider the expanded surveillance powers doled out over the past panicked decade.”

“I think it is problematic and a concern for me that the government can pierce the veil of anonymity that Broadwell and General Petraeus worked so hard to erect,” says Soghoian, “and they can determine the identity of these people who have taken affirmative steps to protect their privacy, without having to appear before a judge. The history books are filled with examples of governments abusing surveillance powers — it’s just too easy not to — and one of the ways that we protect our society against that is by placing a judge in the middle.”

Our laws haven’t kept up with the changes wrought by technological progress, says Soghoian. He cites the work of law professor Harry Surden, who presciently saw all this coming in a law review article published in 2007. Surden explained that many of the safeguards that have traditionally protected our privacy never had to be written down in the legal code,  because they weren’t needed: It was  too hard or too expensive to gather all that detailed, granular information about our lives.

Surden warned that technological change would eventually result in the withering away of these “structural constraints” protecting our privacy. In the introduction to his law review essay, Surden wrote, “I emphasize the way in which latent structural constraints –which are premised upon cost inhibiting actions — are vulnerable to erosion by particular emerging technologies that lower those inhibiting costs. To the extent that society depends upon the presence of these costs to reliably inhibit a potential privacy-violating activity, their dissipation results in a sudden regulatory shift, leaving these interests unprotected.”

In that context, Broadwell’s misadventures are a wake-up call. Our interests are no longer being protected, and most of us haven’t even noticed, distracted by the last viral video posted on Facebook. We may not feel impelled to strike up an affair with one of the most powerful men in America, or send harassing emails to potential rivals, but we do have the right to draw the line at what our own government can find out about us without either our permission or that of a judge. If the old constraints are gone, it’s high time for some new ones.

********

Comments? 

Dustin: You’re having a “moment”. Gather yourself.  Your initial thought about Obama was correct – You don’t go crazy on us now.

Tony: Have a little faith. My gut says he will.

Anoton: :) I keep telling myself the same same thing. But ya know, once you get bitten by the political animal it’s hard to break away…and not sure I want to. As far as “talk is cheap” – I kind of have the feeling I am doing more than just talking, but hey that’s your opinion. I’ll stick to doing what I’m doing, thank you.

Ellen: Big kudos to you!

Douglas: I sense a sore loser. Evidently my opinion does mean something. And I am perfectly happy in my liberal hole, thank you very much.

John: I’ll take that as a compliment.

Dan: Nice pick – Zuni is a fabulous place. First let me express how delighted I am that you are a “firm Democrat” – congrats for the switch. As far as meeting you, I find it interesting how many men tout their income to me here. I’m not saying that money isn’t important – it certainly is. But it is not the only criteria on my list. Yes, I want a man who can “P”rovide but I want the other two “P’s” as well. :)

After reading my blog for three years (Thanks for being a loyal fan!), you obviously know more about me than I you. If you think you have something to offer this girl besides the big bucks, and are “willing to prove it” :), you know how to reach me. I’ll look forward to hearing from you. And the best of luck with Apple.

Oh Oscar: Really? Are you one of those kind of men?

Hey Zen Lill: What’s up? Sounds like you are busy too – HOPE all is good and fun!

Prism Princess: I don’t mind at all, and no apology necessary. I HOPE CnT392 finds his key. I HOPE all is good with you too.

Before I sign off I wanted to send good thoughts to the Philippine people. May you and yours be safe and sound.

Also…have any of my readers been attending the COP 18 Climate Summit in Doha? I have been reading, but am curious on your thoughts and experiences. Are we making any headway? Blog me.

Peace Out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

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Good morning!

Cop Quits After Saying He Would Volunteer To Assassinate Obama

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville police officer has quit after admitting he told colleagues that he would volunteer to assassinate President Barack Obama.

The 57-year-old retired earlier this month while facing an internal investigation into his comments to other officers after the election. He told them that if an order came to kill Obama, he “wouldn’t mind being the guy.”

When questioned by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office integrity unit, he said he also didn’t care if a nuclear explosion killed everyone in the Northeastern U.S because they supported Obama. He told the investigators his comments were hyperbole and not actual threats.

********

Readers: If our president were a white man, this would not be dismissed so easily and maybe not at all. What are your thoughts? Blog me.

Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"