Acerbic Politics

It's not just George W. and Dickie that are stupid in the current administration - they culled through thousands of idiots from the Republican party to find the most loyal, not the most abled, to manage the various departments within the government (note well "Brownie" of FEMA fame).

The following comes from Think Progress's daily newsletter, Progress Report...

NATIONAL SECURITY -- NEW PASSPORT ID CHIPS NOT SECURE: The State Department is moving forward with a plan to embed new U.S. passports with "radio-frequency identification" chips, despite warnings that the chips "give hackers access to personal information." The chips operate "via proximity," so personal information can be read without the holder's knowledge or consent. Hand-held readers, "available for $500 to several thousand dollars," make it possible for terrorists and thieves to potentially clone chips; after just two weeks of research, a German computer security consultant easily cloned the chips and demonstrated his "cloning technique" in Las Vegas last month. The State Department added a "shielded cover" that should decrease the risk of identity theft, but it "does no good when the passport is open" and "several security researchers have already discovered flaws."