Friday, June 21, 2013
Alternate Realities Roundup 6/21
Posted By Eric S. Peterson on June 21, 2013, 11:45 AM
The hacktivist of @KYAnonymous that made the Steubenville rape case a national headline now faces jail time for his digital crusading.---
Top of the Alty World
“@KYAnonymous”—Leo Weekly
The U.S. Senate is looking for a border-security compromise to help pass comprehensive immigration reform.—Mother Jones
A look at the danger rising ocean levels will have, and which coastal cities face the greatest threat.—Rolling Stone
The U.S. Inspector General has faulted Medicare for not keeping track of doctors who issue “extreme” amounts of prescription drugs to patients.—ProPublica
Top of Alty Utah
The Utah House prepares to investigate Attorney General John Swallow--KUER
Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams has come out in support of an open-primary election system.—Utah Political Capitol
Court filings allege that a Draper city councilman squeezed a mechanic for free services in return for the mechanic winning a police towing contract.—Salt Lake City Weekly
Despite protests from LGBT advocates, a building on Weber State University campus will still be named after controversial LDS Church leader Boyd K. Packer.—Q Salt Lake
Rantosphere
Bryan Schott looks at why Utah’s Democrats will at this weekend’s convention reject changes to the primary system: to protect party boss Jim Dabakis.
“There’s one very big reason why they won’t pick the primary option. A direct primary could knock Party Chair Jim Dabakis out of the Legislature. Dabakis won his seat in the Utah Senate through a special election, where delegates selected him over political heavy hitters like Peter Corroon and Jenny Wilson, among others. If the nomination were left up to voters in Senate District 2, there’s a very good chance Dabakis loses to more well-known (and well-liked) candidates like Corroon or Wilson. How would it look for the party if their leader were bounced by primary voters?”—Schott Happens
The Long View
Businessweek takes a look at the private spy business Booz Allen made famous for its former employee, and now infamous whistleblower, Edward Snowden.
“The firm has long kept a low profile—with the federal government as practically its sole client, there’s no need for publicity. It does little, if any, lobbying. Its ability to win contracts is ensured by the roster of intelligence-community heavyweights who work there. The director of national intelligence, James Clapper—President Obama’s top intelligence adviser—is a former Booz Allen executive. The firm’s vice chairman, Mike McConnell, was President George W. Bush’s director of national intelligence and, before that, director of the NSA. Of Booz Allen’s 25,000 employees, 76 percent have classified clearances, and almost half have top-secret clearances. In a 2003 speech, Joan Dempsey, a former CIA deputy director, referred to Booz Allen as the “shadow IC” (for intelligence community) because of the profusion of “former secretaries of this and directors of that,” according to a 2008 book, Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing. Today Dempsey works for Booz Allen.”—Businessweek
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