Patters

The same administration that has seen close to 6,000 Americans killed by terrorists during their watch has security procedures that enabled an employee to download and bring home personal data about 26.5 million veterans! It amazes me that that kind of information could be downloaded in such quantity without red flags going up all over the place. This administration is amateur hour, and this time the joke is on the veterans.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/vets26_million_ids

WASHINGTON - Under intense bipartisan fire from Capitol Hill, Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson said Wednesday he was outraged by his agency's decision to keep the theft of veterans' personal data quiet for two weeks.

...

"I am outraged at the loss of this veterans' data and the fact an employee would put it at risk by taking it home in violation of our policies," he said. "Upon notification, my first priority was to take all actions necessary to protect veterans from harm."

...

Nicholson's remarks come amid growing outrage from lawmakers over the theft, which involved the birthdates and Social Security numbers of 26.5 million veterans. The VA employee had taken the information home without authorization.

QuiGon

I am not defending the administration or the people responsible but there's one thing you people need to know:

This sort of thing happens all the time in all levels of business and government. You wouldn't believe me if I ever told just how unsecure all your personal data is. Just a couple of months ago the Boston Globe delivered the credit card information of their subscribers to everyone in the Worcester area.

Trust me when I say these sorts of things happen ALL THE TIME. And for every one you know about, there's about a dozen you don't.

Anyone that doesn't monitor their own credit report regularly is a fool.

ELOrocks17

Well Patters, i see you attended the NEM school of conspiracy threads. This is something i would expect him to post. Bush is fighting 2 wars, Still helping with Katrina and Wilma, now New England is under water, Nuclear threats from Iran. But through all of that, it is your opinion that he has the time and the inclination to make sure the VA database is secure. Give me a friggin break.

BelichickFan

Everything is Bush's fault. Jesus, get with the program will you

Pujo

I'm sure the same computer system was in place while Clinton was in office and the same exact thing could have happened. Unfortunately what Qui Gon said is completely right - most computer systems used internally (by employees) are not adequately secured. I work as a database & reporting analyst, and in almost every company I've worked* for it would have been trivial for me to walk out with a disk containing every credit card number that every customer has ever used. It doesn't make it right, but nor is it a good example of Bush's incompetence.

Patters

How low do you need to set the bar to exonerate this administration for failures during its watch? It's not responsible for 9/11. It's not responsible for the bad intelligence that sent us into Iraq. It's not responsible for the failure of FEMA during Katrina. It's not responsible for the loss of 26.5 million personal records of veterans. Do you know what responsible means? It means that when something good or bad happens while you're in charge, you get the credit or the blame. Bush is in charge. Bush is responsible. You might argue that some things are beyond his control (and I would agree, given that his brain was probably damaged due to alcoholism and drugs), but he is still in charge. He needs to appoint people who make the government work. Today's Republicans apparently don't know the meaning of responsibility. What a shame.

Pujo

Too mixed of a bag, Patters.

They're not responsible for 9/11.
They are responsible for lying about Iraq (forget faulty intelligence, they knew the score before they went in there).
They are partially responsible for the Katrina response.
They are distantly responsible for the records being stolen (in the sense that blame should always go to the top).

And they're responsible for a lot more, but the VA records being stolen is a stretch.

jeffd

I stubbed my toe this morning... Bush sucks.

BelichickFan

I can't wait for the next (D) President so we can blame him for every little thing that happens. This "it happened on Bush's watch" thing has gone WAY too far.

QuiGon

I gotta give Pujo credit... I don't agree with everything he writes and I am sure he doesn't agree with everything I write, but he could be the single most level-headed, non-partisan person in this group. I respect that