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| Feds Arrest Saudi Computer Programer in Washington School of Nursing |
| 2004-07-29 |
| From The Washington Post Federal immigration authorities have detained a Saudi citizen who works as a computer security specialist here at the University of Washington's School of Nursing. In connection with the arrest, federal agents seized several computers and examined Internet servers at the nursing school, said an employee at the school who asked not to be identified. Majid Almassari, 34, who was born in Saudi Arabia, was detained in Seattle on July 17 on charges that he is in the country illegally, according to Lori Haley, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. .... On the morning of Almassari's detention, several federal agents arrived at his office on the fourth floor of the university's Health Sciences Building, the nursing school employee said. Agents told the staff to leave the area and then seized several computers, the employee said. .... Almassari has worked at the nursing school for about three years, said Norman G. Arkans, the university spokesman. He said Almassari's responsibilities included administration of the school's computer network, trouble-shooting problems and writing security patches. Federal authorities told the university that Almassari's detention is "related to a visa violation for drug issues that he has had," Arkans said. .... |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |
| #8 uh... ummmmm. .com please don't. Not that I care of course. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-07-29 12:52:29 PM |
| #7 .com Thanks for bringing me back to reality. |
| Posted by: Mr. Davis 2004-07-29 12:32:58 PM |
| #6 Lol, Steve! Hey, every DB's gotta have some key(s)! Although I remember a button I picked up at a computer conference (NMCC?) in 1977 in Dallas: "On a clear disk you can seek forever" Another said: "Virtual is its own reward" This was hysterical stuff, deeeep stuff, back then! |
| Posted by: .com 2004-07-29 12:16:49 PM |
| #5 Technically, I guarantee you I could write and build a prototype cross-reference between IRS, INS, and FBI (assuming their systems aren't totally insanely fucked up) Heh. Assuming. Heh. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2004-07-29 12:07:18 PM |
| #4 Mr Davis - Lol, I recall, vaguely, heh. I think I started my response within a few minutes of your last and typed furiously for about 30 minutes then *poof* it was all gone and I was out of the comment screen. Gone. Happens with both IE and Foxfire. Sigh. So I went for breakfast to cool off. Anyway, I think we've been doing what you suggest forever, already, almost. You just want a little IT magic added: integrating IRS & INS data. I offered a simple approach which focuses on the real nexus: payroll - that's the pivot point. You don't like where the burden falls, okay, fine. Let's take a 90,000 ft look at integrating DB's from multiple agencies... Won't happen until somebody really powerful decides it will be so. Budgets get stolen / plundered, pork to build a park for some big donor, assholes like KKKer Byrd demanding the people doing the work must do it in W.Va. and BTW we'll have to build a few more freeways to feed the facility's traffic, turf battles between Civil Service orgs - with no incentive to do otherwise, yadda3. Shit like stolen budgets seldom happen like this in the private sector because budgets are only allocated for shit you really need, strategic stuff - so it doesn't get whacked without overwhelming reasons. Gov't doesn't have the same motives or methods - as we all know so well. So important stuff gets whacked and stupid shit gets done. All the time. Technically, I guarantee you I could write and build a prototype cross-reference between IRS, INS, and FBI (assuming their systems aren't totally insanely fucked up) in a couple of months - and spit out your INS roust lists. You can prototype almost anything that straight-forward (synching keys or creating synched keys) in a couple of months if you have everything you need at hand (doco, access to systems, etc) and know your shit. But that's not the same as integrating or sharing DB's - it's double to triple the (computer's) work to xref - not very efficient, but much easier to code as the code is external and does not interfere with existing code or data flow. To integrate would be massive. Byrd would love it - he'd make it last for 40 yrs, guaranteeing his hand-picked W Va Senate successor's entire career. All Gov't Agency IT sucks. A very few, like the IRS can protect budget because they can demonstrate cost vs effectiveness - and "profitability" that the others can't. Most IT systems in Gov't are 10 - 15 yrs behind private sector - and 5 yrs in the IT biz is like 25 yrs in Mfging. Nothing changes so fast. They are screwed because their budgets get raided and they tread water. INS explained it very well in hearings immediately after 9/11: No Systems Upgrades in 10 YEARS. None. Zero. Why? No budget. Stolen every year. Every one. You need 3 things, at the very least: 1) Line Item Veto restored to begin to end the payoff system 2) A Very Powerful Sponsor - God might not be able to do it alone - or off-budget funding 3) Some means of incenting the parties to cooperate and coordinate and means of punishing turfing Or privatize the whole thing and make it semi-black -- out of the reach of the assholes like Byrd. The SocSec System is still ticking today because it was farmed out 30+ yrs ago to EDS. Imagine the vetting problems if you took a project with full access to IRS and FBI DB's private. The tech is not so bad, it's the Civil Service people, who are also 10 - 15 yrs behind, it's the turf queens, it's budget raiders, it's IOU and favor whores like Byrd, it's disincented coop and coord across invisible org lines... No easy answer to give you for such as simple thing as an x-ref between INS & IRS db's. Sorry to be so windy. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-07-29 11:24:44 AM |
| #3 .com, I suspect you are old enough to remember the PSAs that played every January reminding all resident aliens that they had to register with the government and to go to the Post Office to fill out the form. Rather than have the burden on the employer, the burden should be on the employee or the government. These folks have SSN and I presume they are in some number grouping that indicates they are resident aliens. If they don't register by February 1, the government knows where they work from December's withholding reports. Get 'em. All the employer should have to do is open the door when the INS knocks. |
| Posted by: Mr. Davis 2004-07-29 9:10:08 AM |
| #2 One step toward cleaning these people out - deporting the visa violators - would be to design workable rules (not onerous heavy high-cost BS) and put the onus on the employers. Obviously, the violators won't come forward. Maybe something as simple as requiring the employer to make legible copies of their employees' Passport main page and the Visa page - and send it in to INS for every non-resident employee - no more than once per year or normal Visa duration. This was what one of my employers had to do when we decided to "import" an employee from Oz. She stayed, fulfilled the req's, and became a citizen. We have to regain control over our borders and remove everyone who has no legal right to be here. Yeah, it'll be a bitch and some employers will cheat, etc. We'll get there only when we get serious about the threats, both realized and potential. Every one of these clowns is a potential sleeper just waiting to be recruited. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-07-29 8:45:55 AM |
| #1 Drug issues, riiiight. |
| Posted by: Mr. Davis 2004-07-29 8:29:50 AM |