Intolerance is Intolerable - The 2016 American Presidential Election

When I was a kid, many of my grandparents' friends had tattoos on their forearms from the concentration camps. They didn't talk about it, but they certainly didn't hide it.

I was fascinated - probably because it was taboo - and started reading everything I could get my hands on. No small feat, as back then you had to go to the library.

The more I read, the more horrified I became, and swore in my heart that I would speak out if ever I saw impending evil. To this day, I don't like watching movies or reading books set in the WWII era. It is too real. My personal scary monster under the bed.

The Hitler regime hated everyone who wasn't them. It wasn't just the Jews. They tried to exterminate gypsys and homosexuals and academics and Poles and Roman Catholics - anyone who was not part of the Master Race, an Aryan. At least 11 million people died - as many as 20 to 30 million. For most, it was a horrible, excruciating death. Those gassed on the trains were the lucky ones. The Nazis collected mountains of shoes, hair, and teeth. They were slaughtered like cattle, every piece of the human body was used, both living and in death.

I am forever haunted by the pictures...the walking skeletons. Lamp shades sewn from human tattoos. The bombs. I don't know how people survived this terrible time.

The Holocaust was the direct result of Hitler's propaganda. The German people were reeling from economic crisis. Hitler convinced the people that Germany would be great again if the degenerates and racial inferiors were eliminated.

Sound familiar?

I didn't believe for a minute that Trump would be nominated the Republican candidate, nor did I believe his vile rhetoric could retain, let alone gather, supporters. 

And yet here we are: 38 days till the election - and it's close.

To be clear: I am a life-long independent specifically because I don't like politicians and have issues with both (all) parties. I am used to voting for the lesser evil. I understand my vote doesn't matter because of the electorate. I have cast empty ballots, voted Libertarian, Green Party, written in Mickey Mouse - whoever comes closest to aligning with my values at that time.

This election is different. Words matter.

America is struggling. There is inequity. Injustice. Corruption. 

We live in a time of great change. The population explosion of the past century has impacted the livability of large geographic areas resulting in militarized pursuit of critical resources and mass migrations.

I feel so fucking lucky to live here, in America; the land of the free, home of the brave. Of opportunity and hope. A country born of the tired, the poor, the hungry. Born of the belief that all people have the right of liberty, freedom of speech, and pursuit of happiness.

It's the power of those words that binds us together - even though these basic tenets of American democracy were tested at inception and to this day; these rights are for all people, regardless of race, religion, or sex.

It's the words that give us the strength to question - and to compromise. Because if it's not for all, then it's for none. In the melting pot of our differences lay our equality. We don't have to agree. We don't even have to listen. But we do have to respect each others right of personal choice, as long as those choices do not impact other peoples' rights.

Forget about the appalling ignorance, the crass genital references, the 5th grade level vocabulary, the impulsive diarrhea of the mouth that spews forth day and night. Donald Trump's words are the antithesis of American democracy. He believes "We are a nation that is seriously troubled." And the reason? "...people are pouring into our country."

This sociopathic megalomaniac has managed to convince enough of the American populace that they are exempt from being classified as part of the problem - even though all of us, except Native American Indians, are here by the grace of migration. I do not - cannot - believe the majority of Trump supporters agree with his racist bigotry and misogynistic attacks. The siren call of Trump propaganda is to play on feelings of economic disadvantage and fear from the recession.

Ironically, history tells us isolationist nations fall into economic stagnation - and typically collapse. Cutting international trade agreements and building The Wall will result in the one thing Trump supporters fear most: less money to buy things. Like any good salesman, Trump has conned people into wanting. More.

Maybe the worst part about blaming the changing job market and losses on immigrants and foreign nations is it leaves us, as a nation, completely unprepared. Indeed, there are less jobs - and it's only going to get worse. We are in the midst of what will probably be known as the Tech Revolution. I think will have more impact on society than the Industrial, if for no other reason than there are more of us. It is already happening. The development and deployment of self-driving vehicles, autonomous robots, and artificial intelligence may be keeping pace with rising sea levels.

I don't like Hilary. She's a liar - like most politicians. Condescending. Probably corrupt. But this election isn't about choosing the least evil or making a personal statement. It's about democracy, warts and all. The inalienable rights that are granted to all people. Intolerance is intolerable.

InfoSec Basics for Families

Information Security Basics: What every family should know about using the Internet

“Digital security education is like drug education and sex education in that people believe all kinds of things that are simply not true.” Eva Galperin, Global Policy Analyst at EFF

Everyone gets pwned. Some don’t know it. Others don’t want to admit it.

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/worlds-biggest-data-breaches-hacks/

The chances of an intrusion going from bad to worse - identity theft or social ostracization -  are reduced when families openly discuss and support each other without edicts, judgement, shame, or blame. Open, frequent discussion about how to protect personal (inter-related) information and how to practice safe surfing are key to maintaining online privacy.

Know Thy Enemy - Hackers are like witches; there are good hackers and bad hackers.

• “Getting Hacked” is a bunch of FUD; sensationalized news about targeted POI or organizations that are famous, gatekeepers, or victim of personal revenge or bullying
• Bad Hackers use FUD to sway the masses

• Joe Blow and Jane Doe? Chronic long-term disregard for basic security, safety, and privacy settings. Bad Hackers use sophisticated readily available automated tools and high powered computers to process 1000s of records to glean a few hundred logins. Then:

• Try the combination and variations on other sites
• Match against other sources and start building a profile
• Sell the data or publish for free

Basics:

• Set devices to automatically lock after a period of time
• Use 2 Factor Authentication whenever possible
• Use a (reputable) Password Manager to generate and store passwords
• Apply OS and application updates as soon as possible
• Choose your browser well (aka All browsers are not made the same)
• Unsubscribe from email you don’t care about
• Freeze your credit, and avoid establishing credit for your child as long as possible

Intrusion:

• Mechanisms: Email attachments, Click-bait, Phishing, Spear-phishing, SE, Shoulder surfing, Brute force, Re-using Logins, Wifi & Bluetooth, Anti-virus SW, Flash, USB & other external storage media,
• Malware: Trojans, Adware, keyloggers, browser hi-jackers, backdoors, ransomware,
• RATs: Camera & Mic - Tape the camera!
• Location tracking

Calculate Risk:

• Accessible vs. Hardcore (Linux, Signal, Tor, and PGP)

Build Common Sense:

• Instead of relying on Filtering vs. Monitoring...neither are very effective.
• The Internet never forgets; archives of old emails, chat rooms, blogs, tweets, etc.
• Don’t dox yourself or your family. Avoid using key identifiers in social media like names, (DO)Birthday, locations, pictures, credit cards, 1st paycheck, pic of your house with address number, pic of your car with the license plate, etc.
• Write (post) like everyone is watching
• Don’t give your trust to strangers - or acquaintances
• Think before you click (aka There is no such thing as “free”...)
• Be Prepared!
• Backup your devices
• Air gap personal data
• Secure physical medium: Cross-cut paper shredder