Former Dept of Justice lawyer Scott Charney takes over as Top Dog for Security at Microsoft to manage the activities and provide direction to software engineers and security analysts. He should definately help (or already has helped) with Microsoft's pending antitrust settlement with the Dept of Justice which 34 states now oppose. The states concluding this settlement would allow Microsoft to continue with little or no effect on its business practices. As for Charney's present job of securing Microsoft's operating systems, this might be difficult for someone with a law background. Besides as long as sales are up and business is booming, do you really think they are going to change anything?

After reading the courts records, the entire case comes down to two main points.

(1) Giving ALL application developers an even playing field by publishing the API's they need to interface with Windows.

(2) Giving ALL computer manufacturers the same prices for Windows. Not raising the fees or not licensing your OS to those who don't help support your monopoly.

After millions and milions of dollars in attorney fees and almost four years in court the two main problems listed above are still not fixed. Giving Microsoft in the final judgement nothing more than a slap on the wrist with its blessing to continue "business as usual". Judge Jackson had a solution but your Appeals Judgement Stinks.

Too much money equals too much power equals total corruption of the system.

CompTIA (now basically run by Microsoft, Thomson, and a few other large corporations) hailed the judge's ruling as a victory for the technology sector and consumers. Note that CompTIA's business has increased significantly since Microsoft agreed to allow CompTIA's A+, Network+, and Security+ exams to fullfill the elective requirements for the MCSE and MCSA certifications.

While CNET comments "The proposed deal would impose relatively mild restrictions on the software maker compared with earlier rulings in the 4-year-old case, focusing largely on tweaking Microsoft's competitive behavior. But nine of the 18 states that joined with the DoJ to prosecute the historic antitrust case refused to sign the settlement. Those states including California, Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Utah and West Virginia who argued the agreement was bad for Microsoft competitors and consumers because provisions intended to rein in Microsoft's monopolistic business practices were riddled with exceptions that gave the company too much latitude.

Donald Falk, a partner with the law firm Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, in Palo Alto, California, who specialises in antitrust law - "What the opinion said basically was, You robbed a bank, you can keep the money, and you can do it again, but don't use exactly the same method."

Have a big purse and want to win a trial. Hire the other sides attorneys and investigators! Trouble with a competitor. Buy the company. Microsoft invested $150 million in Apple in 1997, $750 million in AOL (Netscape) and won't have any more trouble from these two companies. Only a few more to go.

Microsoft's not the only one that does this. Juan Carlos Ramirez one of the most powerful members of Columbia's North Valley drug cartel has hired attorney Mrs. Stapleton Milford who was the former head of the U.S. Organized Crime Task Force against drugs. By the way she is married to the Deputy Administrator of the DEA. Great.

In response, Microsoft said it will pay $25 million in legal reimbursements to be divided among those seven states who decided not to pursue the Appeals process. West Virginia and Massachusetts get nothing.

"Make more Money"

and

"Maintain our Monopoly"

Done by "Buy our new OS the most secure ever. If the OS you are using doesn't stink then you won't buy a new one." and "maintaining our spy software for the feds so they will let us keep our monopoly. The Microsoft monopoly was broken up by Judge Jackson but this decision reversed on appeal by the feds. Now aren't you glad you kept those backdoors and secret encryption keys in your software for us. If you ever secure your OS we'll bring another suit against you and this time we will break up your company".

It is simply not reasonable to conclude Microsoft does not know how to lockdown its OS's. If its 50,000 employees can't do it they can go to the bookstore and buy any number of books on security that tell them how. Or read the numerous articles on the internet. Microsoft will not make their OS secure and these are the two best reasons why!

This opinion is echoed by many executives at Microsoft including its CEO Steve Ballmer who the Chicago Sun Times reports as saying "Linux is a cancer that attaches itself in an intellectual property sense to everything it touches". And as everyone knows cancers spread and must be destroyed.

Microsoft is considering deep discounts or even giving its software away for free to win big government and institutional contracts when competing with Linux. Antitrust sanctions? Competition? It's business as usual.

Ralph Nadar comments "there is ample evidence that Microsoft is focused on strategies to cripple the free software movement, which it publicly considers an important competitive threat."

It seems Microsoft has thrown down the gauntlet and is now taking square aim at Linux.

Top Five Reasons Microsoft invested in Apple:

5.   Bill Gates found some spare change in his trousers

4.   This was the fee for Steve Jobs to teach diplomacy to Bill Gates. He sure needed it at the congressional hearing.

3.   Yes, we did copy your operating system, so we'll give you some money

2.   Easier than hiring or bribing the entire Justice Department. Although we never bribe anyone. We just give them a $500,000 salary, an office and say, you really don't have to do anything or come it to work. You've already done your job. We didn't get any real sanctions. Life is good. Just not for the consumer.

1.   Small price to pay for world domination

This was one of the major contentions in Microsoft's antitrust suit that it was forcing people to use its Internet Explorer browser and they could not choose Netscape.

The stage is set. In this corner the multi-billion dollar Microsoft Corp with 50,000 employees and thousands of computer science PhD's vs. the lone teenager in his parent's house. I guess we all know who is winning. The question is WHY are they throwing the fight. Could it be that they want to convince us to buy another OS "the most secure ever!". This plan worked perfectly for XP which broke all other OS's sales records.

18 - Blaster worm - Jeffrey Lee Parson, a high school senior from a Minneapolis suburb

Who's to blame? Of course the teenagers writing these worms and viruses but also Microsoft. We consider it this way. If you payed your bank to store your valuables in their safe and they were stolen every week by teenagers you might ask the bank.

Why are kids able to break into your bank? These are not world class thieves.

Do you have an alarm system? No. Are there security guards? No. Do you lock the safe at night? No. Why not?

Too costly. Besides why spend the money. We're the only bank in town and you have come here whether you like our service or not.

It all comes back to competition. Without it there is no innovation or product improvements and the consumer always gets gouged.

We see it in operating systems and the oil industry. Once Exxon and Mobil were allowed to merge there really is no competition here also. Why are gas prices so high? Why don't we have cars running on water (hydrogen)? Advances in solar or wind generated power? Competition. When your that big you can crush or buy out the competition (including the patents for these new discoveries which are never released)

Cars running on water - water H2O through electrolysis converts to H2 (hydrogen) and O2 (oxygen). The hydrogen can be burned like gasoline to power the car. The best thing is there are no cancerous pollutants. Hydrogen is the purest burning fuel. When hydrogen burns it forms water again. The water coming out the car's exhaust can then be funneled back into the fuel tank and you'll never have to refuel the car. Don't expect this anytime soon. Patents for this are stored in oil company vaults only to be released when the oil reserves are gone. But oil companies are not the only ones.

Even the dentists do this. There is one microorganism that causes tooth decay ie. the bacterium Streptococcus mutans, which produces lactic acid as it feeds on sugar and other carbohydrates coating the teeth. Acids which eat holes (cavities) in your teeth. That's when the dentist gets out his drill. Twenty years ago my college Professor, who was working on a vaccine against this bacteria, came into class and told us he was bought out by the dentists and was payed to stop his research. An offer too good to refuse. Also saying this is not a hard organism to make a vaccine for. Probably hoping one day some of us might continue his research. I don't know if anyone ever did although this vaccine comes back in the news every few years only to be silented. I went on to study computer science.

Can you imagine one shot and you will never have tooth decay. No more dentists, toothpaste or mouthwash manufacturers ... Very possible but not probable. Too much money against it. Just like you will never see cars running on water, major advances in solar or wind power, or a secure operating system.

The only reason Linux is still among us is Linus Torvalds who created it in 1991 would not be bought out, other governments don't like Microsoft's "spy" software, and now IBM supports it. Competition. A company too big for Microsoft to crush, buy out, or intimidate. And if you don't think Microsoft wants to crush Linux here is what some of Microsoft top CEO's are on record as saying: "Linux is a cancer which must be destroyed." and "Don't lose another contract to Linux at any cost."

Bill Gates, similar to Linus, would also not be bought out. The only difference is Gates retained the rights to his operating system while Linus Torvalds gave Linux away free in 1991 when he was a student in Finland.

In 1980, when IBM approached Bill Gates and Microsoft to write an operating system for its new PC he wrote MS-DOS. Gates then talked IBM into letting Microsoft retain the rights, to market MS-DOS separate from the IBM PC project. The most important decision of his life. Not to be bought out. A decision, influenced by his parents which were attorneys, that made him a multi-billionaire and the richest man in the world instead of having a few thousand dollars in his pocket.

The problem arises because an ActiveX control could download and install on users' machines without giving users the chance to approve the download. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by constructing a URL that, when clicked on by the user, could execute the malicious code.

Better not offer a patch for Dec though. We don't want our customers thinking our OS is no good right before we want them to buy it and put it in the stocking. OK Boss. No patch for Dec.

It's futile. You have been patching for over 10 years since win 3.1 This year alone you issued 47 security patches. Many people believe you don't know anything about security. We don't. The more this goes on the more we believe you have another motive for not locking down your OS. Another motive besides selling another new, more secure, OS.

We can't believe that you don't know enough about security to stop a teenager in high school from breaking into everybody's computers. Maybe if it was a syndicate of 50 or so computer experts hired by organized crime or a foreign government.

Or is it you built a house of wood and now people want it as strong as steel and fireproof. So you put steel bars up, aluminum shingles, fire alarm lights ... but it's still built of wood, is not as strong as steel and will burn. From its conception was Windows developed to be "spy software". Developed with holes so it could be broken into? You do permanently store all the places we go on the internet and all our emails while giving us delete buttons that don't really delete anything. Track word and excel documents with MAC addresses. If it smells like a fish, tastes like a fish, and feels like a fish, it probably IS one. An OS built on holes and to fix them now would require you to tear the whole thing apart. Go back to basics, start from scratch, and build a new one of steel and not of wood with holes in it.

Not that we are smarter than Microsoft - they knew this and more. The question is Why does Microsoft want an insecure operating system (OS)?

1. they don't but they are STUPID, can't secure the system, and it would cost too much money

#1 It could be the code is flawed at the core and to secure it would mean they would have to go back to basics and start from scratch since building on top of a flawed foundation is futile. A conclusion also reached by Larry Seltzer (Technical Director of eWeek Labs) who comments that "fixing the shatter attack problem at its core would mean making basic changes to Windows. This would end up breaking a large number of existing programs". And unless threatened by a competing OS Microsoft will not begin tearing apart its Windows to improve security.

2. so that people will feel this one is BAD and be inclined to buy the next new "most secure" OS

#2 Microsoft has already done this with XP and sales soared. Its a good marketing strategy and we see no reason for this not to continue unless there's competition.

3. if they secure it too well then Microsoft itself won't be able to spy on its own system, us, and the world.

#3 It has already been proven there are many items in the MS OS's that spy on users. MS did not sweat the court ordered breakup of its company because they knew on appeal when it reached people "who knew what type of intelligence Microsoft provides", that this would not happen. If giving the CIA and feds holes and backdoors to our operating systems helps keep our monopoly that's a small price to pay.

4. Microsoft is positioning itself to be paid MILLIONS and MILLIONS by the music and movie industries to provide them with information on who is downloading their products so these industries can sue the people involved.

#4 If Microsoft can use its "spy software" to make millions and millions of dollars, it will. If they make it too secure then even Microsoft won't be able to hack into the system. Besides that's why they made it mandatory to register XP within 30 days so they knew who you were. They know everything else that's on your computer.

5. Again making money. When a virus or worm attacks, the system administrator sometimes has to call Microsoft for technical support and Microsoft CHARGES for this support.

#5 It all comes down to Making Money and Keeping Our Monopoly.

Five good reasons for Microsoft NOT to lockdown its operating systems. We can't really think of one reason they would want to secure it.

Usually companies make a better product to increase sales. But people have to buy our OS no matter what we do! So lets tell the people security is our top priority, our next OS is the most secure ever BUT lets work on something else.

Some Supporting Evidence: There should be an option in all Microsoft email readers (Outlook and Outlook Express) to automatically convert HTML email messages to plain text messages before they are displayed to prevent viruses and worms from activating.

Note: the Mac Entourage email reader from Microsoft has this feature included. Why does Microsoft secure the Mac OS and not its own Windows? If you have a Mac and want the patch you can get it from Microsoft here. Sorry nothing for Windows.

Another example of Microsoft's refusal to secure its OS's is the security zone High in IE. Why is scripting, and Java, and Active X marked safe for scripting still enabled when you set the security to High? Any of these things can allow viruses and worms to activate. The only way to really make IE security High is to do it yourself in the Custom zone by unchecking all of these things.

And there are many, many other examples in the way it structures its services, user's rights, permissions etc...

Microsoft said Wednesday the first two rewards it will offer will be for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the spread of the Blaster worm and the SoBig virus unleashed earlier this year.

Microsoft can't or won't secure its operating system but wants to make it publicly known that it is very concerned about security.

Can't secure your operating systems with the resources you have against an unemployed high school or college student. We don't believe it!

Your systems will never be secure unless you are forced to make it that way by a serious threat from a secure Linux. Just as American automobile manufacturers in the early 1970s never made a car that got more than 15 mpg until they were forced to by Japanese imports that got 30 mpg. They were making Billions from the oil companies not to make that car.

The Redmond Giant: Our operating systems always had holes and were always insecure but aren't we #1 in sales. Aren't our profits soaring each year. Don't we control 95% of the market. But Boss

Keep sailing on the same course and leave those holes alone. We have commitments to keep them there. But Boss the public is complaining about our lack of security. Ahhh let'em complain. As long as we keep the government happy with the intelligence information these holes help them get, they will let us keep our monopoly. The federal government and soon the music and movie industries need our holes so leave'em alone. OK Boss. We're trying. In fact we're adding new holes for the ones the public makes us patch and we're almost up to 5,000 holes now. Increasing our holes (vulnerabilities) each year. In 1998 we had 262 holes, year 2000 there were 1,090 holes and now with XP in 2002 there are 4,129 holes (based on cert.org statistics).

But we still need to maintain an image so can we put out press releases telling the public how we're working on security and how security is #1 at our company. Maybe put a bounty on the head of those people exploiting our holes. Let's see a bounty. Then these cracksters will go deeper underground and probably never be caught and be even more determined to get us by writing more viruses and worms. Good Idea. OK. But remember I don't want you to DO ANYTHING to the holes in our operating system. Leave those holes alone. OK OK Boss.

With each patch one must think. I've had this OS for three years and you are just finding these holes. So if a hacker found the holes three years ago he could of been using these holes and stealing my data all this time. Yep. Windows - "the bottomless pit of holes"

As one unknown hacker phrased it on the internet:

"Keep patching. There are still plenty more holes where these came from. Some we HAVE been using for three years and you still haven't patched. Others we keep in reserve as you plug one hole we'll start using another. PATCHING IS FUTILE. The architecture and code of all your Windows systems are based on earlier versions of Windows that were written before the internet, before the viruses and worms we see today and without security in mind. You have built all your present operating systems on top off this earlier developed flawed foundation so your systems will just continue to be flawed."

... continuing on 09 Dec 03 U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooke Wells on Friday gave Lindon-based SCO until Jan. 23 to show where and how IBM's Linux contributions misappropriated SCO's proprietary Unix code.

Some skeptics promoting the idea that since Microsoft executives are on record as saying (11 May 03) that it "must not lose to Linux under any circumstances" and "must destroy this cancer", it has started a secret D-Linux department consisting of crackers whose sole projects are to write viruses, worms, and back-doors to Destroy-Linux. Could be? Spokespersons for Linux commenting "Can't we all just get along".

We agree. There are already unstoppable viruses and worms with multithreaded SMTP engines that use mass mailing techniques to spread worldwide in 24 hours. We need an operating system that ASKS the user if an application, process or program can run. Now they just infect and run.

Among them are Win 98 and Win NT4. In addition to SQL Server 7, Office XP Developer and Office 2000 Developer editions; Office 20000 Premium Service Release 1; BackOffice Server 2000; Internet Security and Acceleration Server (ISA) 2000; Internet Explorer 5.5; and Visual Studio 6 Microsoft Developer Edition.

Should I upgrade my OS? Microsoft will try to convince you to, cajole you to, and finally force you to, by eliminating the old stuff and its support, but our recommendations are don't do it. Our motto: "If your existing system is stable and working, don\\rquote t fool with it. Not even patches! If it ain't broke don't fix it. Sit back and use that 90% of your time and money on company projects instead of learning how to install, maintain, and operate a new system."

What if the car companies did this? No parts or repairs done on any car over 5 years old. Buy a new car! They would go out of business. Especially if the locks didn't work, the car had no security, and everboby was stealing or vandalizing it every other day.

The systems affected include all current Windows platforms including Windows NT4, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows NT Server, Windows Server 2000 and Windows Server 2003.

Makes sense. All Windows operating systems have the same base code. A pyramid effect.

Two of the best freeware programs to block these spy programs are:
Spybot
Used to search for and delete spy programs already on your computer.
and
Spyblaster
Used to keep spy programs off your computer.

It's Over!

The last appeal by the State of Massachusetts to Microsoft's six year long antitrust case has been denied. An outcome that was not considered a surprise by insiders.

The Redmond Giant - Hey, if we made it secure you won't buy our new OS "the most secure ever". Besides there's nothing you can do about it.

Customer - I'm not going to take it anymore. Since I already paid for it I'm keeping my old OS. Security. I'll do it myself. Deactivate your Win File Protection, change about 20 items in the registry, 25 system files, and DISABLE about 30 services. I'm also buying a nice hardware firewall, replacing your IE browser with Firefox, and your Outlook with Eudora.

Antivirus software and Patches don't work anymore. Computer security requires a PROACTIVE approach. Downloading virus signatures and OS patches amounts to no more than closing the gate after your dog has already run out of it and into the streets.

Todays modern viruses and worms can spread to half the computers in the world in one hour. It takes a month to get a patch ready, a week for antivirus definitions. Too late. But if the virus or worm uses visual basic - deactivate VBS scripting. If they use Active X - deactivate Active X. And on and on ... You not only stopped that virus or worm but all future ones that use this scripting language, this system file, or this type of service.

Of course you will still be hacked but not as frequently. Its like protecting your house. Getting bars on the windows, dogs in the yard, a ten foot steel fence, closed circuit surveillance cameras, alarm system, ... but your house can still be broken into. Only not by as many people.

Note: Since Microsoft won't do this for you, you'll have to hire someone or do it yourself. Remembering that securing your OS is rather complex and should be done by a professional. Disabling services and changing items in the registry can prevent certain applications to run but it sure makes the latest Win XP SP2 and older OS's more secure. Its better than any patch as this article and us can attest to.

Over 90% of the XP SP2 update focuses on providing security enhancements for Internet Explorer (IE) and Outlook to prevent malware from installing on user's computers. There are a number of significant vulnerabilities in technologies relating to IE, the DHTML object model, MIME type determination, RPC, DCOM, VBScript, the graphical user interface (GUI), and Active X.

If you don't have XP and want most of what the SP2 updates does, our advice is to change to the Firefox browser and Eudora email client. Firefox does NOT use Active X or VB Scripting and if you really need it you can switch to IE since Firefox will not delete IE from your computer. This is good advice with any Windows OS (even XP) since holes and patches will keep on coming.

This is what the nation's leading security organization CERT says: Use a different web browser

"There are a number of significant vulnerabilities in technologies relating to the IE domain/zone security model, local file system (My Computer Zone) trust, the Dynamic HTML (DHTML) document object model (in particular, proprietary DHTML features), the HTML Help system (CHM), MIME type determination, the graphical user interface (GUI), and ActiveX. These technologies are implemented in operating system libraries that are used by IE and many other programs to provide web browser functionality. IE is integrated into Windows (Microsoft even said this in its antitrust trial) to such an extent that vulnerabilities in IE frequently provide an attacker significant access to the operating system.

It is possible to reduce exposure to these vulnerabilities by using a different web browser, especially when viewing untrusted HTML documents (e.g., web sites, HTML email messages). Such a decision may, however, reduce the functionality of sites that require IE-specific features such as proprietary DHTML, VBScript, and ActiveX."

The Department of Homeland Security recommends Firefox over IE. We've tested Firefox and it seems secure and is easy to use. It imports all your favorites from Internet Explorer with one click and you are ready to use it in about 10 min.

Microsoft has integrated Internet Explorer into the operating system kernel. Creating a system where any hole in Internet Explorer opens your entire Windows OS to an attack. The Firefox browser is modular and not integrated to Windows. Therefore a hole in Firefox will crash or destroy Firefox while leaving the Windows OS intact. Uninstall and reinstall Firefox and you're back in action.

Another nice feature of this browser is its Tabs. You can enter any number of websites in a folder and choose Open in Tabs. Say for 10 websites in a folder what this does is open the first one and while you're reading it the other nine are being downloaded. So when you click the next website tab it pops up immediately. Nice for those still on 56K dialup modems.

You might also want to change to a ZoneAlarm, Sygate, or Symantec Firewall since even with the SP2 update, Win XP still cannot block outbound traffic with its Firewall.

The Corporate Administrator's Comments: "Ahhhhhhhhh!" While pulling at his hair. You would think that if Microsoft was really securing its code the OS's would need fewer patches because it's getting more secure. This is the largest number of patches ever issued in one month.

Linux is still perceived as the most innately secure operating system by 650 developers working in North America.

That is the blunt assessment of one of the world's leading authorities on Windows vulnerabilities - TruSecure senior scientist and NT BugTraq list editor, Russ Cooper.

Starting with disabling about 60 insecure services, applications, and items in the registry (that's the number we have found).

Things like renaming the winnt\\system32\\MSHTA.EXE file. Save it though because even you won't be able to use the add/remove programs application in the ctl panel without it. The Mshta.exe or "HyperText Application" interpreter is an extremely dangerous Microsoft program. It is used by a large number of viruses and worms to execute their VBS scripts that are given .HTA extensions.

Mshta.exe is required in order for these viruses and worms to execute. Disabling Mshta will stop them. Note: Antivirus programs and firewalls won't stop Mshta.exe from executing code since it is an internal Microsoft system file (or another internal Microsoft Malware program).

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer recently commented that the Linux operating system violates 228 separate software patents, suggesting that Linux users are likely to get sued for patent infringement. Not a single, specific patent was identified. Not a single patent infringement lawsuit has been filed against Linux.

It is interesting to note that while Microsoft continues to be sued for several dozen patent infringements filed in the past few years, none have been reported against Linux. Are these unfounded Microsoft tactics to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt among those contemplating the adoption of Linux?

It's clear that Linux continues to concern Microsoft because of its lower cost, improved security, reliability, and performance.

Black, one of Microsoft's oldest and most tenacious opponents, was quoted as saying "Life is Good". Actually, he didn't. What he said was, "Life is a constant reordering of priorities, and for important and pragmatic reasons we are choosing to move on with regard to this matter."

Irregardless Symantec is preparing for this by the purchase of Veritas this week. Seeking to broaden its business base away from the competitive security sector. Smart move. Don't put your eggs all in one basket!

Undersecretary of Commerce Phil Bond, a top Bush administration technology official, pointed out that the unemployment rate for engineers in the U.S. is above the national average.

NOT. Microsoft Takes Action to Further Open Office. Thanks Massachusetts. Your stand has made a difference.

An update: On Mar 10 2006 the Maryland House votes to oust Diebold machines. It would replace $90 million worth of e-voting machines with systems offering a paper trail. Good Job. That only leaves 35 other states they can change one line of code and shift millions of votes.

And now another backdoor in Windows is found. Here are some excerpts from programmer Steve Gibson of GRC.com.

Microsoft intentionally put a backdoor in Windows?

Steve: Yes. It's the only conclusion. I don't see how it could have been a mistake. Again, I'm going to continue to look at it. But from what I've seen now, this had to be deliberate.

So you're saying Microsoft, or people at Microsoft, intentionally put code in Microsoft Windows that will allow anybody who knew about it to access any Windows machine. And there'd be nothing anybody could do about it. Even if ActiveX is turned off, security is up full, firewalls are on.

Steve: Yes.

To see if you are vulnerable to the WMF exploit use this checker by hexblog.com. For more information on this OS flaw see ComputerWorld.

In this age of 9/11, terrorism, evil doers, and ordinary citizens being spied on without due process, could this have been a request made to Microsoft by the government?

Microsoft's Firewall is still NOT the sharpest tool in the shed.

It's Firewall still can't block ActiveX, JavaScript, and Java applets before they reach the browser. Or filter specific URLs, block pop-up windows and cookies, quarantine message attachments, and cache DNS requests like other Firewalls out in the market.

GM (the largest US auto manufacturer) giving jobs to thousands in India while laying off 30,000 US employees in its auto plants. While Ford cuts 25,000 jobs and Dell (the largest US computer manufacturer) gives 15,000 jobs to India.

The US job market? Gas prices? Health Care? Printing more and more money to pay for the war in Iraq. Increasing the deficit to record levels and decreasing the value of the dollar worldwide (The White House expects the deficit to climb to $400 Billion in fiscal 2006). Government corruption at the highest levels. Another war in Iran by mid-2006?

While former U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas has said "As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air however slight lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness."

Our largest companies (GM, Oracle, IBM, Microsoft, Dell) have set up development, support, and business process outsourcing operations in India at an ever increasing rate leaving Americans unemployed!

Bush also said he would like more H-1B visas to be issued to Indian engineers, scientists, and physicists so they could get jobs in the US in addition to the US government recent port contract. You're already outsourcing jobs abroad so might as well give them the jobs in the US too. There are no educated and unemployed engineers or scientists here that can do the job. Right.

The U.S. Department of Commerce today reported that the international deficit in goods and services trade reached a record level of $726 billion in 2005, an 18% increase over 2004. The manufacturing sector has lost 3 million jobs over the last five years, including 81,000 jobs in 2005, as the manufacturing trade deficit has continued to expand. And now even Mr. President wants to outsource more jobs to the Saudis in a port contract? Are we against the people in India or the UAE? No but we are for the American people. A bill should be introduced in Congress that forbids the US government to outsource jobs overseas until every American here has a job. The government is supposed to work for the people not large corporations or special interest groups.