Rep. Walter B. Jones (R-NC) paid tribute to military intelligence officer Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer in a statement entered into the Congressional Record yesterday.
“Col. Shaffer’s storied career has been distinguished by his willingness and ability to work at the cutting edge of our nation’s intelligence community,” Rep. Jones said.
Though it was not mentioned by the Congressman, Shaffer is also the author of a book called “Operation Dark Heart,” which was memorably and ineffectively censored by the U.S. Government. The Pentagon purchased 10,000 copies of the original version of the book in order to destroy them, but then a small number of uncensored review copies became public anyway. (“Behind the Censorship of Operation Dark Heart,” Secrecy News, September 29, 2010)
This is not the first time Google has agreed to censor imagery at the behest of governments, but be warned: obfuscation at this broad level poses a direct threat to the public’s ability to monitor and scrutinize government operations.
America’s affordability problem is bigger than home prices and rents. The best housing policies make it easier to build homes, and recognize how housing connects to other domains.
America’s affordability problem, for instance, is bigger than home prices and rents. How we build affects household costs like insurance and utilities.
As humans expand our geographic reach, encroach on untouched natural territories, and interact more with animal populations, we will encounter novel zoonotic diseases that threaten the human body. The sooner we act to address these risks, the better.