Editor:
A number of interesting items were found in the above issue, one of which was the letter from Ronnie Barrett, owner and CEO of Barrett Firearms Mfg. Inc., see page 4.
One piece that I found particularly interesting was the article appearing on page 7, headlined Social Security Numbers Are Readily for Sale, Report Says. Re this report, reference was made to it appearing in early April, at NewsMax.com, an Internet news outlet.
Mentioned in the article were both ChoicePoint Inc., and LexisNexis, both described as "information brokers", who among other similar outfits have had serious data security problems come to light recently. Considerable damage might have been done to individuals as a result of the information brokers lack of adequate data security. This damage to individuals can arise from IDENTITY THEFT, and the fact that Social Security Numbers obtained by these brokers, how did they come by them in the first place, might have ended up in the hands of identity thieves, along with other items of personal data.
Interestingly, no real penalties will fall upon the sloppy operators, above mentioned, for they operate, courtesy of an indulgent Congress, pretty much in a regulatory vacuum, and given the fact that BIG MONEY is involved in the selling and compiling of all this "information", likely The Congress will continue in it's benign neglect. The shoddy business practices will continue, all the while the number of identities stolen increases. As the thing stands, The Congress is unlikely to take the requisite action, pity that, for it seems that given an instance where corporate convenience goes head to head with the public interest, and or the individuals privacy, corporate convenience comes in first, going away. Strikes me as sad, but what do I know.
I find myself curious as to one other thing. As I recall, Gun Week circulation was something like 40,000 copies per issue. Whatever Gun Week's circulation might actually be, if my number turns out to be wrong, I wonder, re the above, as to how many readers who saw the page 7 article, took or will take the small amount of time necessary to contact their congress and or senate critters re the ongoing, if not worsening abuses of these DATA BROKERS, or should one prefer, INFORMATION WHORES.
Another point, not mentioned in Gun Week but interesting anyhow is the following. H.R. 418 passed by The House, now resides in the Senate Judiciary Committee contained some really interesting provisions. One granted really sweeping powers to The Secretary of Homeland Security, whomever that worthy might be at any point in time. Another provision is the creation of "minimum federal standards", where would these minimum standards end, for state issued drivers licenses and other identification documents.
Comes now that interesting end run, where the minimum standards bit has been attached to "must pass legislation", this being a military spending bill funding ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. No real hearings on this very questionable provision have been held, and it might well be that "the fix is in" and another big step toward that National Identity Card is underway via this unrelated amendment to a must pass bill. Will we end up, having unknowingly taken another large step, or having had that step taken for us, toward the creation/installation of that sometimes mentioned police state. Strikes me that the answer is YES, and that anyone who claims that the nations security or that of the individual citizen will benefit from such an arrangement, the INS still not having done a proper job, needs to quit smoking those funny cigarettes.
House action on this bit is scheduled for later this week, with The Senate to vote next week. Anyone care to bet on the outcome of these votes, that is to ask will the unrelated rider stay in the saddle? How many citizens do you think will have contacted their legislators on this "fast shuffle", which by the way, has had considerable mention on and during news broadcasts, both radio and television.
A number of interesting items were found in the above issue, one of which was the letter from Ronnie Barrett, owner and CEO of Barrett Firearms Mfg. Inc., see page 4.
One piece that I found particularly interesting was the article appearing on page 7, headlined Social Security Numbers Are Readily for Sale, Report Says. Re this report, reference was made to it appearing in early April, at NewsMax.com, an Internet news outlet.
Mentioned in the article were both ChoicePoint Inc., and LexisNexis, both described as "information brokers", who among other similar outfits have had serious data security problems come to light recently. Considerable damage might have been done to individuals as a result of the information brokers lack of adequate data security. This damage to individuals can arise from IDENTITY THEFT, and the fact that Social Security Numbers obtained by these brokers, how did they come by them in the first place, might have ended up in the hands of identity thieves, along with other items of personal data.
Interestingly, no real penalties will fall upon the sloppy operators, above mentioned, for they operate, courtesy of an indulgent Congress, pretty much in a regulatory vacuum, and given the fact that BIG MONEY is involved in the selling and compiling of all this "information", likely The Congress will continue in it's benign neglect. The shoddy business practices will continue, all the while the number of identities stolen increases. As the thing stands, The Congress is unlikely to take the requisite action, pity that, for it seems that given an instance where corporate convenience goes head to head with the public interest, and or the individuals privacy, corporate convenience comes in first, going away. Strikes me as sad, but what do I know.
I find myself curious as to one other thing. As I recall, Gun Week circulation was something like 40,000 copies per issue. Whatever Gun Week's circulation might actually be, if my number turns out to be wrong, I wonder, re the above, as to how many readers who saw the page 7 article, took or will take the small amount of time necessary to contact their congress and or senate critters re the ongoing, if not worsening abuses of these DATA BROKERS, or should one prefer, INFORMATION WHORES.
Another point, not mentioned in Gun Week but interesting anyhow is the following. H.R. 418 passed by The House, now resides in the Senate Judiciary Committee contained some really interesting provisions. One granted really sweeping powers to The Secretary of Homeland Security, whomever that worthy might be at any point in time. Another provision is the creation of "minimum federal standards", where would these minimum standards end, for state issued drivers licenses and other identification documents.
Comes now that interesting end run, where the minimum standards bit has been attached to "must pass legislation", this being a military spending bill funding ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. No real hearings on this very questionable provision have been held, and it might well be that "the fix is in" and another big step toward that National Identity Card is underway via this unrelated amendment to a must pass bill. Will we end up, having unknowingly taken another large step, or having had that step taken for us, toward the creation/installation of that sometimes mentioned police state. Strikes me that the answer is YES, and that anyone who claims that the nations security or that of the individual citizen will benefit from such an arrangement, the INS still not having done a proper job, needs to quit smoking those funny cigarettes.
House action on this bit is scheduled for later this week, with The Senate to vote next week. Anyone care to bet on the outcome of these votes, that is to ask will the unrelated rider stay in the saddle? How many citizens do you think will have contacted their legislators on this "fast shuffle", which by the way, has had considerable mention on and during news broadcasts, both radio and television.