Bad Juju

The UN wants to control WHAT?!..

2005-11-15T18:53:00.000-06:00

I'm certain that most of you know about the massive effort that is underway to wrest control of the Internet from America. I've been asked quite a bit about this today, so I thought I'd go ahead and explain this little farce.

The Internet as you know it is not "controlled" by any single entity. The content published from American sources is certainly subject to U.S. law, but the networks that make up the Internet are all private. Yes, I said private. These private entities include businesses, universities, and governments. Each of these entities agree to certain rules and restrictions in order to be allowed the right to participate in the Internet infrastructure. The most important of these rules are the naming and numbering conventions. Have you ever heard the term, "IP address"? If you have a computer or NAT boundary device connected to the Internet, then you certainly have. The IP address was issued to you by your service provider. Your service provider was given blocks of IP addresses by a registar, or "NIC" (Network Information Center) and that NIC was given addresses by an organization called, "ICANN" (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). ICANN has already handed out all of the public addresses to the NICs, but it's still got some blocks it controls. The real work is in the naming. ICANN was formed during the Clinton administration for the purpose of creating a private body that could act as a go-between for governmental and non-governmental Internet issues, and provide rules and regulations. ICANN controls what is called the Domain Naming System (DNS) "root server" for all of the Generic Top-Level Domains (GLTDs). i.e. .com, .org. This is the primary mechanism by which you can open your web browser and type http://badj.blogspot.com. This is called a "Fully-qualified domain name" or FQDN. The US Commerce Department has a final say-so as a last resort, should any ICANN issue require that level of intervention. I know some of this is getting technical, but I needed to impart that information.

Ok.. now you have an idea of the framework. American society in it's marvelous capacity for innovation has boosted the technologies and standards that have caused the Internet to progress from fad to necessity. The rest of the world wants to change this. Yes, that's right. It's not broke, so by all means, let's have some foreign governments completely and utterly screw up the Internet with about a million new rules and levels of bureaucratic nonsense. What in the world would suddenly cause the planet to rise up and make this demand? Let's have a look at that, shall we?

Obviously, the first element would be simply, control. Currently, every nation is answerable to the United States in the affairs of the Internet. Americans want a clean and functional Internet. Americans fight spam, hackers, and viruses, all with zeal and technical prowess. Should the United Nations get this control, you'll see a multiplication of such Internet-based sewage unlike anything anyone can even fathom. There's also the matter of the Internet being a completely open network. The exchange of ideas has already created a vast boon for countless masses. Countries like China, for example, want to put a stop to that as soon as possible. Wresting the Internet from control of America is how they intend to do exactly that.

Next, there's money involved. Already, a trillion dollars has changed hands over the Internet. By far, the United States has benefitted the most from said commerce. The rest of the world thinks it's somehow being 'cheated' out of it's self-perceived allowance. Nothing could be further from the truth. Moving money on the Internet is the same as buying bread at the grocery store with one simple exception: Trust.

The basic problem for the rest of the world is that it is, in fact, the rest of the world. Ebay has taught us all a very important lesson: If you're not buying from someone in America, your chances of getting screwed on the transaction go up exponentially. Personally, I'm not about to buy a single thing from some guy in Chad. I'm not giving anyone in Tunis my credit card number. Ever. I think most, if not all of my fellow Americans share this sentiment. The rest of the world cannot understand this. The Libyans, for example, honestly believe that the US Government is holding back untold riches that can be had via the Internet. I'm serious. This is preposterous, but nevertheless, that's the way they feel. If this was my own blog, I'd call them delusional simpletons. Wait, this is my blog. Alright, they're idiots.

Control and money are the motivating factors for this sudden upswell of ouraged voices all around the globe. I've highlighted a couple of disdvantages to allowing anyone but ICANN regulate the naming and numbering system, but there are a few more that I'd like to share with you.

Let's put our special imagining hats on. Yes, you have a special imagining hat. Put it on.

Tomorrow, an international governing body will take control of the root servers. In an unsurprising announcement, a new list of rules governing naming and numbering is released immediately.

That day, all of the registrars throughout the globe find that getting new TLDs will be an extraordinary challenge. In addition, there will be new rules for how these addresses will be moving (routing) traffic across the Internet. Now you're asking if this new governing body can control that. The answer is, "Yes, absolutely." See, the naming is exceedingly valuable. The address space is nothing compared to the naming. The new UN Internet now has rules for allocating name space that will include rules for routing traffic as a fundamental component of name space assignment. The plot thickens.

Overnight, the current Class A network owners with immense interest in Internet commerce receive letters notifying them that their name space is not operating within the new guidelines and that their name space will be removed or redirected at the root servers unless they agree to pay an "administration fee" along with some brand new "taxes" on top of the new fifty-fold name space price increase. Chaos ensues. Entire companies who rely on the Internet for livelihood suddenly start disappearing from the Internet. Ebay vanishes.

Foreign countries with little or no presence on the Internet are inexplicably and suddenly granted rights to allocated name space as it is stripped away from Americans, all under the guise of "rules violations".

Voice-over-IP services begin wholesale shutdowns. Religious, Medical and Educational information systems that have safely and reliably relied on the Internet for years suddenly face mountains of legal restrictions and content controls.

Private VPN connections begin failing. Ordinary Internet users find themselves in the dark. Tier-1 providers race frantically to find peer connections and top-level name services.

.. and here's the kicker.. the U.S. Government's .gov TLD will suddenly come under fire. The new UN Internet governing body will summarily decide that the use of that TLD costs 80 billion dollars a year to register.

In a few days, the UN begins to start relaxing a few ancillary restrictions, but the Internet is now changed forever. Providers are locking themselves into war rooms. Conference calls with carriers, corporations, and NAP (Network Access Point) providers are happening all over the nation.

Then suddenly, it will happen... The United States of America will collectively make it's own Internet. Yep, that's right. All of the networks in America are already in place. The tough work will come with the addressing, naming, and oh boy.. the BGP Peering. (It's how networks tell one another where IP addresses are located.) Out of nowhere, the Commerce Department will announce that ICANN has been named the regulatory body for the new American Internet, and we're back in business. Sure, there will be a huge mess to sort out, but the infrastructure is ready to handle it from day one. Everything else will be reconfiguration and administration.

Nations, organizations, and companies will beg and plead for connections to the new American Internet. At every turn, they will be denied. Internet commerce will slowly get back up to speed. Foreign countries are now totally locked out of the money loop. The UN implodes and emphatically demands that the new American Internet be placed under international control.

Not a pretty picture, is it?

Tulsa's Next Mayor - Chris Medlock

2005-11-11T11:54:00.000-06:00

I had the pleasure of seeing City Councilor Medlock speak at the Martin Regional Library. Even with my inherent sense of suspicion towards all politicians, I can't help but like this guy.

He survived a recall election and continues to strive for something special in the future of Tulsa. Chris Medlock speaks in plain language, yet still it remains clear that he understands the complexities involved in running this city. Chris stays in contact with the people of the city via such Town Hall meetings like the one I recently attended, yet he obviously maintains lines of communication with Oklahoma leadership at all levels in his personal zeal to do what is right by the Tulsa citizenry. Unlike Mayor Lafortune, Councilor Medlock does not shy from public scrutiny, and instead welcomes the chance to gain more insight into the issues that need his attention.

Chris Medlock isn't part of the midtown constituency that has basically controlled Tulsa for countless decades. In Chris' own words, "We haven't had a Mayor that lived south of 36th street for as long as I can remember." Chris hails from south Tulsa, yet he also has his eye on all parts of the city and he doesn't hesitate to mention the need to focus attention where attention is due. All of the compass points in the city deserve equal consideration, and I get the strong sense that Chris Medlock is the man who will keep that tenet in mind.

Tulsa desperately needs to get away from the seedy elitist underground that has controlled this city for far too long. Puppet Mayors like Billy Lafortune do nothing to grow this city economically or socially. The current Mayor's proclivity for secrecy and inaction in the face of crumbling streets, failing schools, and rising crime forces me to reason that his tenure is not about improving the whole of Tulsa, but is instead solely about position and power. We're lost in a fog that is created by a lack of leadership. Chris Medlock is faithfully standing atop the lighthouse that will see the city of Tulsa to prosperous waters.

Billy Lafortune Captured by Aliens!

2005-11-10T12:43:00.000-06:00

There can be no other plausible explanation. He's a pod person. No, not a pod person. Just grossly incompetent. Yes, that's it. Sorry about the alien thing.

Would someone please tell me how the hell the Mayor of Tulsa could possibly justify bilking taxpayers for 7.5 million dollars, much less avoid the legal repercussions of such an action? I don't care that the City Attorney (yet again) gave him cover and an out to change his mind for the moment.

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For those of you following the antics of the Tulsa City Council members, Great Plains was a farce from day one. You don't sign up your friends as investors at 100 bucks a pop and not plan to rob someone else down the line. Venture capitalists pour millions into creating airlines. Those are investors. Spending half of one's electric bill to reap thousands of shares of "preferred stock" equates to outright graft. It's a confidence scheme that saw the light of day, yet suddenly it's off your radar. Personally, I hope there's a grand jury convening in the very near future. Don't worry. Mrs. Ehrling can find a way to spin the story during the trial.

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(Gazing into crystal ball) Some property management company will scoop up the Wiltel building for a song. I foresee alot of attorneys and insurance companies occupying the new space.

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(Driving across the I-44 Arkansas River bridge) The cesspools are still there. They'll be there in 10 years. We will have an arena, but no low-water dam.

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Questions!

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If a city has failing schools, bad roads, and rising crime, how many businesses will come knocking on our door?

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How is that whole Indian Gaming thing working out? The mathematics aren't matching what was projected. Not even by half. Any idea how many people are taking out second and third mortages just to have gambling money? I know of at least one. I'll bet there's quite a few people in Tulsa that know at least one.

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Why isn't there a TPD Officer located are every single school in the city at the beginning and ending of every school day? Is it because the personnel, overtime, and motor pool resources haven't been budgeted? If so, then why are we building an arena while the Tulsa Police Department is not properly funded?

Are we still forcing TPD Officers to buy their own uniforms?

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What mechanisms are in place to ensure that Tulsa schools will meet the federal standards? If asked, will the teachers cite poor resources and lack of student discipline as reasons for missing the mark? If so, what is the Tulsa School Board prepared to do about the situation?

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Remember how the pod people would scream in that weird tone when a non-pod person was in their midst? I can imagine that Chris Medlock wears earplugs at Council meetings because of this.