The White House will not comment about investigating Chris Dodd

Official White House Response to Investigate Chris Dodd and the MPAA for bribery after he publicly admited to bribing politicans to pass legislation.
Why We Can't Comment

Thank you for signing this petition. We appreciate your participation in the We the People platform on Whitehouse.gov. However, consistent with the We the People Terms of Participation and our responses to similar petitions in the past, the White House declines to comment on this petition because it requests a specific law enforcement action.

Dodd infamously went on Fox News after SOPA/PIPA died and said, "Those who count on quote 'Hollywood' for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who's going to stand up for them when their job is at stake. Don't ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don't pay any attention to me when my job is at stake."

Chris Dodd served in the U.S. Senate for 30 years and is now the head of the MPAA.

Isn't that precious? And it's absolutely no surprise on two counts. First, the Justice Department is loaded with former Hollywood attorneys from the MPAA, so they'd have some difficulty sorting out conflicts of interest, if they wanted to bother with that. Second, by not publically calling for a 'specific law enforcement action', if it falls off of law enforcement's radar and nothing happens, everybody's happy.

TechDirt's comments: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120131/23021017604/white-house-says-it-cant-comment-possible-chris-dodd-investigation.shtml

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/response/why-we-cant-comment

http://politics.slashdot.org/story/12/02/01/0218206/white-house-refuses-to-comment-on-petition-to-investigate-chris-dodd

Senator files bill to get TSA to do an independent radiation study of body scanners

I think this is a good idea.

http://politics.slashdot.org/story/12/01/30/1519223/maine-senator-wants-independent-study-of-tsas-body-scanners


Then, as I was skimming the Slashdot comments, I came across one that pointed me to this page on the TSA's web site titled "U.S. Army Public Health Command surveys of backscatter imaging technology and cabinet X-ray systems". The Army has surveyed at least 13 airports, looking at all body scanners and some security portal baggage scanners. The page states "In the spirit of transparency, TSA has posted results of radiation surveys conducted on every piece of X-ray based technology in U.S. airports as the reports were completed. Following are surveys of checked and carry-on baggage screening equipment". So presumably all airports will be tested and eventually posted, my preferred airports, El Paso and Phoenix, are not yet on the list. The first study was done April 2010 at Boston, the most recent November 2011.

I downlaoded and read the report for Seattle/Tacoma, one of the most recent. There were no radiation issues, the dose to workers were well below FDA standards, so presumably they are safe for would-be passenders to be scanned. The Seattle report did note some problems, but they were maintenance and procedural and probably not safety issues.

So do I feel better about these things? Well, I suppose. They would appear safe. I'm still uncomfortable with being x-rayed in order to fly. I live at high altitude, which is an increased radiation exposure, and I get annual CT scans, which, again, increases my radiation exposure. So I'd prefer to not have yet another increase on my body.

I will be happier if they ever complete a dosimeter study of the TSA security portal workers. I also plan on reading the Boston report as Logan reportedly had a cancer cluster among workers of one of its baggage scanners.

http://www.tsa.gov/research/reading/xray_screening_technology_safety_reports_jan_2012.shtm


In other joyous TSA news, Senator Rand Paul was detained by security when they saw something on the x-ray scan and he refused a pat-down.

http://politics.slashdot.org/story/12/01/23/1645201/senator-rand-paul-detained-by-the-tsa

U.S. judge orders defendant to decrypt laptop

Said defendant is accused of bank fraud and used PGP to encrypt her entire laptop hard drive. Apparently the prosecutors don't have much of a case without the contents of said hard drive. And now the judge has given her until 2/21 to produce an unlocked hard drive. And, as a marvelous kicker, "The judge added that the government is precluded “from using Ms. Fricosu’s act of production of the unencrypted hard drive against her in any prosecution.”"

She unsuccessfully argued that this was a case of compelled self-incrimination.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/01/judge-orders-laptop-decryption/

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/01/24/024233/us-judge-rules-defendant-can-be-forced-to-decrypt-hard-drive