Getting Hacked....Off

The Chinese have "deeply penetrated" our security secrets through "systematic hacking that could only done by very disciplined military."

Nice. Is there anything these people don't know now? Are we to believe that they aren't interested in Taiwan, at all, ever? Are we to believe they are interested in a stable Korea? Are we to believe them to be supporters of democracy in that wild and wooley place Hong Kong? Are we to believe they have pure intentions for their tiny neighbor Nepal? Anybody remember that guy the Dalai Lhama from this formerly nice place called Tibet?

What exactly does this benevolent giant have in mind with this newfound information? Oh, and has anyone noticed how cozy Russia has become with China? I think it is time we all looked at a map to remind ourselves just how great China's reach truly is. Remember economic power precedes military power. Gutted economic power always, ALWAYS means war. Always. Count on it.

Before getting back to computer hacking, let's look at a Middle East map. See where we are? Afganistan, Iraq, Poland, Turkey, Germany (backed off a lot), out of Saudi Arabia (mostly), Israel is an ally, we have pressure on Pakistan. We are also in South Korea, Taiwan, Japan (where is the hew and cry here? The war has been won for over fifty years, for heavens sake!) and Bosnia.

We are working to support fledgling democracies in Georgia (always fought over) and other former Soviet provinces. Look at this map. Uzebekhstan is lost to Russia but allows Germany to stay and use airfields. The Yanks (that's us) are booted out. This has happened over the last few weeks. Kazakhstan is next. If you think Putin (former KGB spy, by the way) or any of the Russians for that matter, has forgotten that the USSR was crushed not too long ago, you're dreaming. The Russians have been under one nasty regime after another. Power and strength is the language they understand. Being the world's weakling does not sit well. And it won't sit for long.

Ultimately, by keeping pressure on Bishkek, Russia hopes to drive U.S. forces from the region. The sole remaining U.S. base in Central Asia is located at Manas, outside the Kyrgyz capital.

Within the context of recent developments, it appears that Karimov may have acted against Kyrgyzstan with Moscow’s blessing, if not prompting. In an effort to ensure his regime’s perpetuation, Karimov evidently is willing to mortgage Tashkent’s freedom of foreign policy action to Russia, acting like a pawn in a dangerous effort to undermine Kyrgyzstan’s sovereignty. In this sense, it is more than Uzbekistan’s relationship with Kyrgyzstan that now seems at risk: the larger issue concerns those two states’ future independence.

(emphasis added)

The Geopolitcal landscape changes daily people. Are you watching? Communism is far from dead. Totalitarian governments grow and thrive--mostly with U.S. money. That's what is so galling. We refuse to hold China's feet to the fire. The U.S. owes them big money. We are dancing with a very big gorilla.

Back to computer hacking by the Chinese......

My sense is that no amount of firewalls and computer security will solve the problem. For every solution, a more sophisticated criminal will find an end around. And the U.S., the beaurocractic equivalent of a refridgerator that hasn't been cleaned in a century, should just take a different tact.

It happened at Chiropractic college and happens at med schools across this blessed country of ours. It's called sabotage. Mind you, I know little less than Valerie Plame about secret information.

A rumor that a test has gotten out gets around. Everyone gets the test. The only problem? It was created by some malicious classmate who has thrown everyone off by wrong information. Everyone fails the real test except for those crafty few who had the real test or those who studied their sweet fannies off anyway just in case--the few (very few) students with integrity. (Very, very few.)

Misinformation. Lots of it. Thrown in everywhere all the time. Let the would-be thiefs sift through mountains and mountains of the equivalent of cybergarbage and throw in a bone, an old nasty one, every once in a while to keep them looking and wasting time.

Anonymity in this current world is getting lost in the sheer volume of information out there. Finding what's important and relevent is the challenge. This can be an asset that a smart government would exploit.

Drown the nasty, sniffing scumbags...in information. This might be a stupid strategy, but it's something. The U.S. better have a strategy. Something's percolating in Asia. I wonder what they are up to anyway.

For all those who think that GW is an insufferable fool, I'd recommend that they look at the map again. He has a good idea what's on the line here. France and Germany won't be coming to the U.S.'s aid any time soon with all their internal problems, now will they? They better hope the Eastern block maintains the spine they seem to lack. Russia is never far away. And China, it turns out, isn't either.