McCain Campaign Sells Info-Loaded Blackberry PDAs 165
An anonymous reader writes "A news station in Washington D.C. has reported that the McCain Campaign has allegedly sold to reporters Blackberry handhelds with campaign-related information such as e-mail messages and phone numbers: 'We traced the Blackberry back to a staffer who worked for "Citizens for McCain" ... The emails contain an insider's look at how grassroots operations work, full of scheduling questions and rallying cries for support ... But most of the numbers were private cell phones for campaign leaders, politicians, lobbyists and journalists. "Somebody made a mistake," one owner told us. "People's numbers and addresses were supposed to be erased."'"
Nice. (Score:2, Funny)
I wish my incompetence could land me a job whereby I have full access to politicians and such and I can just hand out their information freely :D
Fresh Set of GOP Numbers (Score:5, Funny)
Joe: Hello?
New BB Owner: Is your refrigerator running?
So many possibilities!
Re:Fresh Set of GOP Numbers (Score:5, Funny)
Ha, more like...
Me: Is your toilet running?
Joe: Why, yes!
Me: Better hire an actual plumber to fix it.
Re:Fresh Set of GOP Numbers (Score:4, Insightful)
Ha, more like...
Me: Is your toilet running?
Joe: Why, yes!
Me: Better hire an actual plumber to fix it.
Yes, I know this was a joke. However...
There are many things you could say about the whole Joe Plumber deal, but there's one subtle message that was not lost on me. If you stick your neck out and actually question the candidates, you will become an overnight celebrity whether you want to or not. Look at the background checks that have been performed against Samuel J. Wurzelbacher and the fact that whether or not he is actually licensed as a plumber (apparently he is not, at least not in Ohio) became a very public issue. Of course none of this has anything to do with his question to Obama about taxes, and so it constitutes an ad-hominem attack. For putting a question to Obama, he was rewarded with reporters trying to dig up dirt on him. Whether they were successful or not has nothing to do with the message, which is "if you're not with the media, then sit down and shut up or we will find skeletons in your closet." That message could not have been more clear.
I know that he has written a book and therefore could profit from this experience, but whether he has something to show for it does not negate anything I am saying. I realize that much of this was because of McCain trying to use "Joe Plumber" as something of a campaign symbol, which probably made him more of a target, but really, the reason why this is the case or how it got to be that way is trivia. It might be interesting to some of you but it won't address the chilling effect that this may have on others who would otherwise stand up and ask similar questions of other candidates.
Re:Fresh Set of GOP Numbers (Score:4, Insightful)
For putting a dishonest, loaded question to Obama
fixed that for you.
captcha: divert
sounds about right
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
You don't have to be a plumber to own a plumbing business.
You don't have to be a programmer or a computer engineer to own a computer business.
Apparently, you don't have to be objective and competent to be a journalist.
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Oh yea, that's right. A dishonest loaded question because the off the cuff reply Obama made didn't sound good.
Poor Obama was the victim here now wasn't he. Of course Obama approaches Joe the Plumber, not the other way around. Obama came into his neighborhood, not the other way around, Yes, Joe the Plumber said he wanted to catch him off guard but it's just as much of Obama's fault as anyone's. Obama should have known that someone would have asked him a question like that, after all, McCain had been saying t
Re:Fresh Set of GOP Numbers (Score:5, Insightful)
I agree with you to a point. I think the moment he started seeking the lime light by going on the talk shows, and showing up at rallies, he invited it upon himself.
Re:Fresh Set of GOP Numbers (Score:5, Insightful)
It also didn't help that as they dug, they started to find connections to McCain and his campaign, almost as if he'd been planted there just to create an issue where McCain could routinely criticize Obama over what amounted to nothing.
Sorry, but when you become a campaign slogan and start doing interviews because you asked a presidential candidate a question that doesn't actually make sense (saying that you're looking at buying a business and suddenly having an annual salary WAY above average for people in that line of work, and then trying to argue you'd only be doing moderately well is, to say the least, stretching the bounds of believability), you forfeit your right to be just another anonymous face in the crowd. that's just how it works.
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"almost as if he'd been planted there..."
Didn't Senator Obama wander into Joe W.'s yard during a rally?
And since politicians are so good at stretching the truth, what's the harm in Joe's widening the question? Sen. Obama will be president for four years, after all. I can certainly understand phrasing the question based on what I'd be hoping to earn after a few successful years in business, not limiting it strictly to what I earn right now.
Re:Fresh Set of GOP Numbers (Score:4, Informative)
Umm...No. Joe pushed his way up to the rope line and yelled to get Obama's attention. He then proceeded to use the party lines "communism", "spread the wealth", etc. The rest of your statement is illogical since he didn't own the business, wasn't in line to own the business, wasn't making anywhere close to what he claimed....Shall I go on?
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Obama is the one who said "spread the wealth around."
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Yes, because having all the wealth to go the top 1% has worked out so well for the economy and the middle class.
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Turning FannieMae and FreddyMac into affirmative action lending institutions is what tanked the economy
Liar: [mcclatchydc.com]
Regardless, Obama DID say he wanted to spread the wealth
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First, never quote dumbass reporters. They don't know shit.
Second, FannieMae and Mac bought bundled mortgages from private institutions. Private institutions were practically threatened with legal action by the Clinton Administration if they didn't lend to just about anyone. FanneMae and Mac said "it's alright, we'll buy them".
Third, if you think taking wealth by force from others is fine, then I suggest you retain a criminal attorny because you're gonna need one.
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"Regardless, Obama DID say he wanted to spread the wealth around. Which means he TAKES it by force from those who worked for it and gives it to others."
That is a complete logical non sequitor. Nice try, though.
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How do you figure. Obama wants to take it from the people who have it by taxation and give it to those who don't have it by taxation.
That's completely logical and in line with the spread the wealth.
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Joe pushed his way up to the rope line and yelled to get Obama's attention.
You got a reasonable citation for that? Because from the first day it was widely reported that Obama went to Joe's house as he was canvasing the neighborhood. So, if you expect anyone to believe you, we gotta see some plausible support for your claim.
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He has no clue what he is talking about.
The video is on youtube [youtube.com] and there is no rope line, no confrontation or anything. If you watch it, you can see that both were actually comfortable and polite to each other. No one was confrontational to the point the GP claimed. Here is take on the ordeal. [cbsnews.com]
I'm not sure why people think they still need to lie to prop up Obama. He won the fucking election.
BTW, in case you need a laugh [metacafe.com] Wait till the end.
Re:Fresh Set of GOP Numbers (Score:5, Insightful)
You know,
If Joe actually WAS a plumber, as he said he was, he wouldn't have taken so much heat.
If Joe actually WAS in a position to take over his boss's business, he wouldn't have taken so much heat.
If Joe's boss's company actually MADE as much profit as he said id did each year, he wouldn't have taken so much heat.
All in all, he made up a bunch of stuff to pretend to be in the tiny portion of the population that Obama's plan might not be good for.
I think the one not so subtle message is: don't lie your ass off trying to 'nail' someone with a question when you have a ton of cameras pointed at you.
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Doesn't matter. Simply for engaging the candidate in a discussion, he was investigated by the media. That they found some weirdnesses does not make it OK.
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For starters, he didn't need a license to be a plumber where he lives,
Actually, yes, he does. You might be able to use Excel and apply a band-aid to a cut, but that doesn't make you an accountant or a doctor.
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Actually, the state of Ohio allows tradesmen who aren't licensed to work under an assigned license to a business entity or license holder. Of course the law states that their work is as id directly supervised which means if the aprentice fucks up, the license holder gets it too.
In fact, this is pretty much a requirement to work without a license in order to get a license in the state of Ohio. Ohio Revised code 4740.06 [ohio.gov] states
(3) Either have been a tradesperson in the type of licensed trade for which the appl
Re:Fresh Set of GOP Numbers (Score:5, Insightful)
Simply for engaging the candidate in a discussion, he was investigated by the media. That they found some weirdnesses does not make it OK.
I could be wrong, but wasn't it the fact that John McCain brought him up over and over again in the debate, and attempted to use him as a model of the "average American" that caused him to be investigated so heavily? It was less that he asked the candidate a difficult question, and more that McCain's camp was so eager to use him for their own ends. --Jimmy
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Re:Fresh Set of GOP Numbers (Score:4, Insightful)
"Doesn't matter. Simply for engaging the candidate in a discussion, he was investigated by the media."
Really? Simply for that? Obama was asked questions by THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of people during the last 2 years campaigning. Thousands alone in each of the early states where they campaigned early and hard.
How many guys from Maine do you know all about from the media because they asked Obama a question? Answer: None
How many guys from Iowa do you know all about from the media because they asked Obama a question? Answer: None
This guy was investigated because McCain directly pointed him out no less than 5 separate times on a national debate shown on all the major channels.
But I'm sure that never occurred to you.
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No, not "simply for engaging the candidate in a discussion," but rather, simply for becoming the posterboy and centerpiece of the other candidate's entire campaign. They mentioned Joe the Plumber more times during the last debate than they mentioned "America." Damn right the media investigated him, as well they should have. Sucks for him, but he shouldn't have lied his ass off in the first place.
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He wasn't just investigated by the media, Obama supporters in the Ohio government started using state resources to drum up shit on him.
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If Joe actually WAS a plumber, as he said he was, he wouldn't have taken so much heat.
He actually WAS a plumber. You do know that, right?
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He actually WASN'T a plumber. You do know that right? Being a plumber in Ohio requires a license. He didn't have one (ever).
That just shows how big government is oppressing small businesses.
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I suppose you could see it that way, if you like throwing money away. When you higher a professional - lawyer, accountant, doctor, etc - do you like having some degree of assurance that they are a professional in the industry, or some Joe Shmoe who claims to be one?
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No, he _was_ a plumber. I think you should go look up the definition of plumber in the dictionary, and compare with how he made his living. He wasn't a licensed plumber.
Here, I'll help you out: plumber. [reference.com]
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Your post shows you are a dumbass. I can put a band-aid on a cut and use Excel, but that doesn't make me a doctor or an accountant, now does it?
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You're a dipshit who doesn't know that words have meanings. Find out what "Joe the Plumber" did for a living, and compare with the definition of the word "plumber". plumber [reference.com].
Doctor implies a degree, accountant does not. You can have a job description or make a living as an "accountant" with no license - it's a description of a job, not a description of a degree. Now - a CPA is a different matter. I suggest you learn to use "words", they do have meanings both literal and implied.
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You want meaning? Then look up the meaning of "plumber" where Joe lives, fucktard - you have to be certified to call yourself a plumber. Deal with it. He can call himself a plumbing apprentice if he wants to, but he's lying when he calls himself a plumber.
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If you stick your neck out and actually question the candidates, you will become an overnight celebrity whether you want to or not. Look at the background checks that have been performed against Samuel J. Wurzelbacher and the fact that whether or not he is actually licensed as a plumber
Hey, this is America, where anybody who steps into the limelight is either an instant saint (rarely) or more commonly scrutinized in the most hostile way possible. Joe the-potentially-a-Plumber has been handled with a velvet glove, all things considered. Just think of all the "scandals" that have been in the media, like "So and so once smoked dope" and "GWB once yelled 'fuck you' after his mum". I think he's been let off easily, so far.
I agree with you, that this is wrong - but this is the way it is because
Not a surprise... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Not a surprise... (Score:5, Insightful)
The cure is to destroy devices, which are trivially cheap, instead of selling them.
Re:Not a surprise... (Score:4, Interesting)
We use a fancy expensive hard disk shredder to obliterate them... What a waste to see a perfectly working Bold being destroyed but it's the only way to ensure the permanent PIN # is not reused. The issue of potentially receiving embarrassing PINPIN texts is resolved.
Re:Not a surprise... (Score:4, Informative)
If your BackBerry belongs to an organization there is usually a remote wipe capability and remote disable feature. The last firm I where I worked would regularly wipe and disable lost BlackBerrys.
Re:Not a surprise... (Score:4, Insightful)
</sarcasm>
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Oh yeah, we all know how important environment issues are for the Republicans.
(not that Democrats care too much about it either, it's more a matter of magnitude)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Simple answer - limit technology to a level which does no harm. Anything after about 1900 or so is going to create pollution and harm. No escaping it really. Are we ready to bite that bullet? If you want the Earth to be a pristine paradise you better start thinking this way.
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don;t know what to mod this...funny or flamebait?
Oh well, I just posted in the discussion. :)
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Oh yeah, coal and horse shit are an environmental wonderland just waiting to happen.
Re:Not a surprise... (Score:5, Insightful)
The cure is to destroy devices, which are trivially cheap, instead of selling them.
Or, since this is a blackberry, use the built-in, server-controlled guaranteed wipe function before selling them.
Or, use your blackberry server to encrypt the device content with AES, and force the user to have a strong password.
See how easy things are with blackberries? But you do have to click a few options.
Idiots.
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We have a big shredder that turns hard drives, RAM, and PDA's into fancy, super sharp splinters. They sell the scrap at auction. No idea what someone does with this stuff.
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We have a big shredder that turns hard drives, RAM, and PDA's into fancy, super sharp splinters. They sell the scrap at auction. No idea what someone does with this stuff.
Jigsaws.
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I understand being worried about hard drives storing information, but RAM? That's more than a little bit over the top...
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Supposedly, there're ways to pull data from old RAM. And it's not that big a deal to chuck 'em in to the shredder.
I've picked up used computers from our auctions and they come with no RAM or HD. Still, for the price, are worth it.
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Nope; these are old machines (Mac G5's in my case), and the RAM doesn't work in the current Intel Macs. Now, if someone's smart enough to pull the RAM for another old machine in their area, before turning in a machine for recycle, then yeah, but most folks don't.
The lab i work for is under DOE and so we follow their rules. No data devices, including RAM, leave the premises. Just waiting for someone up the chain to start including video cards. One of my used G5's had a sweet Nvidia 6800 card in it.
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Flash memory chips aren't very big and can survive a lot of punishment. Unless you plan on melting it slag, you're probably better off wiping them than shredding them or smashing them.
Thanks but no thanks (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Thanks but no thanks (Score:4, Funny)
That was the one that was blinking "12:00" over and over
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That is impressive as the time is set automatically.
McCain must have used his leet hacking skills to override that function and present a comfortingly familiar 12:00.
[mission impossible theme music]
*tappity tap tap* "I'm in..."
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I said "thanks but no thanks" to those naked pictures of Sarah Palin that I found on my Blackberry.
but don't you want to know Who's nailin' Palin [google.com]>
Re:Thanks but no thanks (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Thanks but no thanks (Score:5, Funny)
That boy dodged a huge bullet when the repubs lost.
If McCain had won, that would have probably been the biggest shotgun wedding in the history of the USA.
Marry Bristol, or spend the rest of his life in Gitmo... <insert obvious joke about not being sure which is worse>
A beer goggles worldview (Score:2)
thanks but no thanks for that pair of eyeglasses
Re: (Score:2)
Ah, that explains a reoccurring dream I have for a room mate that stiffed me on rent and utilities and wiped out my checking account. Trying to explain how to wife how it's possible to still want to have sex with someone you don't like, couldn't really get the point across.
Excellent... (Score:5, Funny)
Now I can learn all the secrets of a highly successful political campaign!
Oh wait...
Standard military education ... (Score:2, Interesting)
Don't military educations include the study of famous historical campaigns ... not just to discover the secrets of why one side won, but also to analyze why the other side lost?
"A fool learns from his own mistakes, a wise man learns from the mistakes of others."
But giving your enemy access to your strategy and tactics in a lost campaign is just plain dumb-ass, for your future conflicts.
Re:Standard military education ... (Score:5, Interesting)
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It almost seemed the Reps tried as hard as possible to lose this election. They committed about every cardinal sin in the book of campaign running.
Re:Standard military education ... (Score:4, Insightful)
Wrong (Score:2)
That would require sacrificing short-term gain for long-term gain. While that makes it universally implausible, suggesting that the Republican party did this is just silly.
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Now I can learn all the secrets of a highly successful political campaign!
That's easy.
1) Tell people how great things are going to be if you're elected.
2) Keep telling people how great things are going to be if you're elected.
3) Tell them how great things are going to be some more.
4) ???
5) Profit!
Re:Excellent... (Score:4, Insightful)
4) ???
5) Profit!
Step 4: Get out of office, write a book, go on the lecture circuit and join the Board of Directors for a few companies.
Being President isn't a big money maker.
Being a former President is the path to riches.
The real PROFIT step ... (Score:2)
Just the numbers and addresses - not the emails!
As a reporter, which are you more interested in, anyway - phone numbers and addresses, or campaign emails? As a user, which would you prefer were erased - your name and address, or your emails?
If they can't even get that right, it's a good thing they lost.
Yet another reason... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Yet another reason... (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm a huge obama supporter, but let's be fair to the guy. He's so out of the tech loop he's not personally responsible for this stuff. His tech people are responsible. Of course, they were all let go Nov 5, so I'm not surprised these last duties were neglected.
Re:Yet another reason... (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes this is another fine example of why septuagenarians should not be allowed anywhere near tech.
First of all, why would someone who is 70+ not be able to handle technology? I will always remember great uncle who was writing geodesic software on the ZX Spectrum, at the time when most people have not even heard about home computers. Oh, and he was 70+ then.
The second thing that puzzles me is, why would McCain's alleged computer illiteracy be a factor in this incident? So if he is not familiar with computer technology, then his staff will sell blackberries without deleting sensitive information? I think you're making a huge leap in your logic, there.
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Is it now?
OR...is your post an example of someone who doesn't read Slashdot articles?
I report. You decide.
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Some slack. But not as much as some people kept wanting to give him.
When it comes to blackberries, PDAs, etc, yes they'd be pretty hard for him to use. But, there are a lot of disabled people that still manage to use the internet. If he had any tech interest, he would have found a way.
That he didn't doesn't make him a horrible person, but it does mean he can't really make a good claim at IT-savvy.
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Oh, really? There are photos here [huffingtonpost.com] that show him using what appear to be Blackberrys and cel phones (some while behind the wheel!) and he told the New York Times [nytimes.com] "I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don't expect to be a great communicator, I don't expect to set up my own blog, but
Meh. Deliberate PR stunt (Score:2)
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Huh? The US voter wants incompetent leadership?
I dunno, we usually choose politicians that we expect to be at least halfway smart and able to run a country, not someone our dog could replace, and be cheaper too.
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this happens all to often (Score:5, Insightful)
This happens all the time and most of the time we never hear about it.
You would not believe how many times government computers containing critical information have been sold without having their drives wiped or have been lost or stolen.
The private sector is no better.
The vast majority of organizations do not encrypt their data or their communications. In fact data which is supposed to be encrypted such as credit card information or social security numbers is often mishandled internally ( i.e. emailed half-way around the world unencrypted or stored in the clear ).
Re:this happens all to often (Score:5, Insightful)
This happens all the time and most of the time we never hear about it.
You would not believe how many times government computers containing critical information have been sold without having their drives wiped or have been lost or stolen.
Which is precisely why no one should trust the government to keep personal information about them private - the kind of personal information that law enforcement and others have been clamoring to collect from the populace at large ever since 9/11 (actually they've been clamoring to collect that kind of stuff forever, the levels were just ratcheted up to unbearable since 9/11).
After all, if the people in government can't be bothered to adequately protect their own personal information, what hope is there that they will protect any information they have about you?
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Of course the same goes for corporations and storing personal information - or was this just an excuse to rant about government entities?
They don't understand (Score:5, Interesting)
I just noticed the message at the bottom of my web page and it say that the Earth was destroyed by a solar flare. This post is pointless then I guess.
Re:They don't understand (Score:4, Funny)
It's all about procedure. The prescribed procedure requires hard drives to be wiped, so when you forget it you order the drives back and wipe them. This way the procedure is fulfilled, the system works.
Secrets (Score:2)
gross incompetence (Score:2)
Not really any slack (Score:2)
Look at yourself (Score:2)
You make it pretty clear you hate John McCain and possibly all Republicans in general, but this is borderline obsessive.
"He was, ultimately, in charge... The buck has to stop with the person whose name is on the check."
Really? So if Jiffy Lube or whoever does your oil change on a contractual basis screws up your oil change, it's your fault? You, after all, are in charge of your own car. That's great logic there. If you ever need back surgery, and the surgeon you choose leaves you paralyzed, I suppose yo
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If he was prepared to run a country you'd expect him to be able to run a campaign.
Please try to put words in someone else's mouth.
You know... (Score:4, Funny)
Maybe if it were possible to set a password on the thing, making the entire handheld unusable without entering it, and if it could wipe its memory after ten failed password attempts. That would be nice.
And perhaps there should be some kind of "Enterprise Server" that could manage the things remotely, with the ability to set security policies and disable them entirely when they were no longer needed. That would be nice too.
But, sadly, those options don't seem to be there. Otherwise, why wouldn't they have been used?
Grassroots? (Score:2)
The emails contain an insider's look at how grassroots operations work, full of scheduling questions and rallying cries for support
No, it showed how an astroturfing operation works.
The difference:
grassroots - A small community organization gets together and starts making signs without any direction from the campaign, just folks doing what they want to do.
astroturf - A campaign sets up what they call a "community organization", except that all that the organization does is what the campaign tells them to do. They make signs designed to look like they're made by normal people but are really designed by pros.
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ALl of the Internet is fraud, or at least the part that people pay attention to. It is almost impossible to police it because about all you can do is track things back to a computer, if you are lucky. It is not possible to connect anything to an individual - without the individual's cooperation.
So fraud will always be with us. And if you trust anything you read on the Internet you are just being naive. Anything that pretends to be unbiased news is put out by people with their own agenda. Anything that
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You mean they're not really having sex?