Still alive, just not here very often. Still in the USA because of reasons (sigh). Rehired by the feds (for now). Trying to rehab 2 feral cats. Life goes on.

Title: U.S. BORDER TRAVEL PROTOCOL: CORE PRIVACY SHIELDS (Fact-Checked 2026). Universal Trap: Do NOT use guest mode or secondary profiles. Android's built in features are easily activated but do NOT forensic-isolate your main profile. Maximum forensic security requires your device to be POWERED OFF completely Before First Unlock (BFU) to wipe RAM. PRE-ARRIVAL: ANDROID LOCKDOWN & MINIMIZATION. Action: Log out of sensitive accounts. Clear app history/cache. Retain non-sensitive apps. Hiding Apps: Move sensitive app icons to Private Safe. CRITICAL SETTING: DISABLE BIOMETRICS. Turn off Fingerprint, Face Unlock, and Smart Lock. Force passcode-only login. AT THE BORDER: POWER OFF COMPLETELY (BFU). Action: Fully power down device before the Customs line. Powering off wipes RAM encryption keys. Enters the secure Before First Unlock (BFU) state. UPON ENCOUNTER: ENCRYPTED REFUSAL. Action: State biometrics are disabled and REFUSE to provide passcode without a warrant. Reason: Forces legal question onto your complex PASSCODE, which offers strong 5th Amendment testimonial knowledge protection. ACCEPT THE 'COLD BRICK' CONSEQUENCE. Expectation: Refusing to unlock keeps device forensically secure. Agent may seize phone for deeper search. Result: Choose maximum privacy over immediate convenience. ANDROID TL;DR SUMMARY: Wiping data is a red flag. Tactically minimize, THEN DISABLE BIOMETRICS. Power off completely before customs. Keep phone in BFU state. Refuse passcode request, and accept consequences. PASSCODE provided with warrant ONLY.

Holy smokes you are 100% right, thank you for catching this! 🙌🏾 Android’s encryption requires the primary PIN on cold boot to switch users. This moves the phone to AFU state and loads keys into RAM. I’m updating the protocol: keep it POWERED OFF to maintain the secure BFU (Before First Unlock) state.

Airport bound? ICE is assisting TSA, and border checks are up. Don't wipe your phone—it's a red flag 🚩

1️⃣ Android: Power off, boot up, don't unlock, switch to Guest Mode.

2️⃣ iOS: Disable Face ID to force Passcode (5th Amdt protected).

Step-by-step guides attached 👇🏾

it's incredible that as long as you do the right amount of bigotry you can just rob the country blind and enough people will not care, even though those same people will be filled with incandescent rage if someone uses food stamps to buy a 12 pack of diet coke

US constitution

This is the US Constitution page @ the Library of Congress

Sections 9 and 10 have been removed

9 includes habeas corpus, the courts' review of unlawful detention & imprisonment

This gov't can't change the Constitution w/ sneaky editing, but it's a new low: constitution.congress.gov/constitution/

I've cossed more international borders than most, been through checkpoints and searches and have trained human rights activists, journalists and others in staying safe in repressive regimes. In the past few days I've provided some friends with travel advice for no particular reason; here's a thread:

So what happens when the Oval Office's response boils down to "lol, we deported them anyway and screw you"?

We can't keep counting on these 5-4 splits in the USSC...

I've not used Scrivener, but I've used CeltX (yeeeears ago) and it seems to be similar... Am I delusional?

Have any of my chums used Scrivener for writing an RPG campaign? How'd it work for you?

Guess who got fired by Ketamine Caligula yesterday? Guess who's looking for class-action suits to join, today?

Someone put a community-use Kcup machine in the break room at my federal workplace and I'm ecstatic. We buy our own coffee though, of course.

I spent the weekend mostly avoiding reality and it was lovely. I met some new people, got started on reviving an old hobby and gave away a ton of old fabric bits and pieces to a newbie costumer who needed some help.

Mondays, however, continue to suck.

Geeze, this post on Threads got 36,000 views. Bupkis over here. A deft social maven, I aint.

The Treasury Department right now. People are turning out against Musk and DOGE staging a takeover of the Treasury’s payment system. This crowd is big. The whole block is packed. “Lock him up,” everyone yells.

Late last night, with about 15 minutes notice to the Union, the NLRB’s HR sent an email adopting the terms of the forked-up resignation scam. HR also provided us a contract that appears to be drafted by AI or LegalZoom. As labor lawyers, we’re happy to go over this in detail. 🧵

I'm sure those currently enlisted will be *thrilled* to work with those new recruits /s

I've never seen the 1985 film "Clue", and I could do with some comic relief, so... *Cues it up*

Fox is grumpy because 47 has ditched them in favor of OAN.

When ICE Comes Calling, Rapid Community Responses Can Make a Difference Is your community ready to fight deportations? Here’s how people in New York, New Jersey and Arizona are organizing.

The efforts to protect immigrants through collective solidarity are having an impact: Trump “Border Czar” Tom Homan has already said that Know Your Rights education is “making it very difficult” to arrest people.

US wage-earners: Download (and print out) your latest social security report. In case something "happens" to the data.

Related: put a freeze on your acounts at all of the credit bureaux, ASAP.

Hi all, We’re still here at OPM.

We have a situation where we MIGHT, and I do mean, MIGHT have four of Elon’s people blocked from the building.

Can we get press or a member of Congress down here? We’ve blocked them for two hours and they keep coming back and trying to go in.

I'm feeling a little under the weather and want reeeeeally bad food to cheer myself up with. Like, Pot Noodle level bad. Must be a salt thing.

I don't usually have much time for methodists, but these guys apparently have a sense of humor.

National Democratic organizers have the perfect catchy slogan right now:

"Trump took it."

It's the new answer to anything anyone complains about.

"Trump took it. He cut everything. Trump took it."

Catchy. Dullard-oriented. People who can't mentally process "policy" can process it.

I Ching time! No. 32 (Duration/Persistence), changing to No. 2 (Receptive/Willing to Follow)

That's a pretty emphatic reminder to stick to the plan, but keep an ear to the ground at the same time. A high likelihood of success if eyes are kept on the prize, albeit without blinkers.

You know I'm desperate for distractions when I resort to scrubbing the stove. And the range hood. And the sink...

Where are you, Aberdeen??

Groundwork is being laid for what I'm calling "Operation Ejector Seat".

I hope I won't have to go through with it. But, as they say: hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

You misspelled "guillotine"

(Fuckit, I'm already on a bunch of watch lists. What's one more?)