Macron’s Emails, Bien Sûr

Apparently we’re going to have to have regular discussions about email security, until politicians get their heads out of the sand and realize that they are targets and regular victims of mid-skill-level attack, and they need to level up their game if they don’t want to periodically look stupid.

Email security is not hard. I’d say “it just takes a little attention to detail…” but it doesn’t even take that much. I can only conclude that politicians are just blockheads about information technology and politics and it just shows how eminently qualified they are to lead high-tech civilizations. [stderr]

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Executions in the US

Warning: Death, Judicial Murder, Capital Punishment, Suicide

There are so many things wrong and confusing with how the US does what it calls “justice” that it’s hard to know where to start. For me, it’s a topic I’ve had a whole range of feelings about, for decades. I started with a politically naive “eh, shoot ’em!” viewpoint, because I hadn’t had a chance to observe and think, or to study the degree to which economic inequality and American racism drive and underpin the entire “justice” system.

I’ll stop scare-quoting “justice” system, but you should assume that when I use the word “justice” I’m probably being semi-sarcastic. Let me start at the beginning because this may wind up being a series of postings.

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