Be careful. But not too careful. TSA “Behavior Detection Officers” are watching, closely.
Photo: AFP
As The Intercept reports, the US Transportation Security Administration’s new checklist of suspicious Behaviors is quite long. A handy sampler:
exaggerated yawning
excessive throat clearing
widely open staring eyes
wearing improper attire for location
gazing down
exaggerated or repetitive grooming gestures
rigid posture
a bobbing Adam’s apple
arriving late for flight
and so on.
Remember: Avoid repetitive grooming gestures, excessive throat clearing, rigid posture, and – oh, just avoid all Behaviors, of any kind.
And welcome to the United States.
* For a short trip with eyes widely open into the murky depths of surveillance, see Bold Scientists. Read an excerpt here. Scroll down to chapter 6, The Cloud.
For a good dose of sanity on GMOs, hunger, and post-oil farming, check out Ann Clark, plant physiologist and farmer, in Bold Scientists. Read an excerpt here.
“The stakes couldn’t have been higher. With so many websites based in the US, the future of the entire Internet hung in the balance.”
A year ago, the open internet looked doomed. The huge bully corporations that monopolize cable and wireless provision announce plans for a two-speed internet: fast for those who could pay, slow – very slow – for the rest of us.
The Federal Communications Commission, responsible for overseeing such things, is not noted for favouring public over corporate interests. Its current chair, Tom Wheeler, is a venture capitalist and former head lobbyist for both the cable and wireless industries, which worked hard behind closed doors and spent lavishly to ensure their stranglehold on the internet.
Erupting in May 2014, a small resistance grew quickly into a multi-faceted, finely coordinated international public campaign, eventually engaging more than 5 million people in protecting our internet. It worked.
On February 26 the FCC commissioners voted 3 – 2 (close, but good enough) to keep the internet open. The details are here (same story, two variations):
Outraged, the bully corps leapt immediately to sue the government, and right-wingers in the US Congress obediently set about sabotaging the historic ruling. Of course.
But still, for now, we can celebrate. This is a rare victory for open communication, equity and freedom of speech.
In Canada, OpenMedia.ca led the campaign, one of many on their docket. This small but formidable grassroots organization is independent, creative and vital.
For more on what’s at stake, check out Bold Scientists, chapter 6, The Cloud.
Photo: AFP
Michael Riordon 