Corporate webmeisters often force all traffic thru a "proxy server" which gets loaded with a blacklist of blocked sites. These blacklists are often supplied to the corporate IT department by a vendor. Often this results in the corporation not having any idea what sites they are blocking or why. Sometimes blocking follows no logic whatsoever. Other times it is quite biased. In my days with "a large public futility" I found on NRA supplied lists of "pro gun" and "anti gun" sites 90% of the pro gun sites were blocked while none of the anti gun sites were. Other patterns were more bizarre. NRA's main site was blocked while NRAILA's was not.
When I suggested that this was not a good plan for a utility headquartered in Atlanta and pointed out how other company's had been hurt financially by anti gun stances they didn't even know they were taking it got magically resolved somehow.
One alternative is to make use of an "air card" that routes your internet traffic over the cellular phone network thereby bypassing whatever crap wi-fi your hotel or event venue might provide. But the service isn't free. And sometimes the cellular network is overloaded in the vicinity of a large event like the one you're covering. so while there are workarounds there are no perfect solutions.
April 11, 2015 at 11:49 AM
Anonymous said...
They might be using a program called Open DNS.
While a great program (I use it at home), it has to be configured correctly in order to allow firearms or 3% sites to pass through.
Motel chains use it to block porn and similar material.
April 11, 2015 at 12:25 PM
Anonymous said...
There is zero doubt in my mind that the NRA is going to wage a back room deal to complicate "sporting purpose". Why? Well to make challenging the NFA structure even harder within the judiciary of course.
Face it folks - the NRA really IS the biggest and best disguised gun CONTROL organization in this country.
The NRA "leadership" is seeing their meal ticket slip away one judicial ruling at a time. Every win for rights constitutes one less fundraiser point for those bent on their love of money.
Tear up your dues based membership card and stop sending them money! Buy guns ammo and furniture INSTEAD!!
April 11, 2015 at 1:15 PM
Anonymous said...
The hotel is correct. Your website and your activities are dangerous - to gun owners' rights.
April 12, 2015 at 8:47 PM
About four and a half hours. I'm sorry for the lack of posts. The hotel business center has SSI blocked as a "dangerous content" website so I can't use their computer to update or post and the pad I am using refuses to cut and paste. Why I haven't a clue. There is much to tell and hopefully I'll get a chance to post later from the convention press room but yesterday the signal strength was crap, the system overloaded and some folks couldn't even use their cell phones.
I am going to be short right now because I must get in to get a parking place. Insofar as David's story of yesterday, I am still working on my own piece and have had some trouble in tracking down people who will go on or off the record about the Congressional-NRA-ATF machinations regarding the "sporting purposes tweak." I CAN tell you that I have found more confirmation of that story and NO contradictory testimony. Something IS going on and I've been told the folks who are part of it are "shocked and pissed" about it. We will continue to seek corroboration today and I will have more later from the meeting when I have time, signal permitting.
"Got the first real sleep I've had in two days."
6 Comments -
This comment has been removed by the author.
April 11, 2015 at 10:39 AM
Battle stations Mike, all hands are standing by.
April 11, 2015 at 10:55 AM
Corporate webmeisters often force all traffic thru a "proxy server" which gets loaded with a blacklist of blocked sites. These blacklists are often supplied to the corporate IT department by a vendor. Often this results in the corporation not having any idea what sites they are blocking or why. Sometimes blocking follows no logic whatsoever. Other times it is quite biased. In my days with "a large public futility" I found on NRA supplied lists of "pro gun" and "anti gun" sites 90% of the pro gun sites were blocked while none of the anti gun sites were. Other patterns were more bizarre. NRA's main site was blocked while NRAILA's was not.
When I suggested that this was not a good plan for a utility headquartered in Atlanta and pointed out how other company's had been hurt financially by anti gun stances they didn't even know they were taking it got magically resolved somehow.
One alternative is to make use of an "air card" that routes your internet traffic over the cellular phone network thereby bypassing whatever crap wi-fi your hotel or event venue might provide. But the service isn't free. And sometimes the cellular network is overloaded in the vicinity of a large event like the one you're covering. so while there are workarounds there are no perfect solutions.
April 11, 2015 at 11:49 AM
They might be using a program called Open DNS.
While a great program (I use it at home), it has to be configured correctly in order to allow
firearms or 3% sites to pass through.
Motel chains use it to block porn and similar material.
April 11, 2015 at 12:25 PM
There is zero doubt in my mind that the NRA is going to wage a back room deal to complicate "sporting purpose". Why? Well to make challenging the NFA structure even harder within the judiciary of course.
Face it folks - the NRA really IS the biggest and best disguised gun CONTROL organization in this country.
The NRA "leadership" is seeing their meal ticket slip away one judicial ruling at a time. Every win for rights constitutes one less fundraiser point for those bent on their love of money.
Tear up your dues based membership card and stop sending them money! Buy guns ammo and furniture INSTEAD!!
April 11, 2015 at 1:15 PM
The hotel is correct. Your website and your activities are dangerous - to gun owners' rights.
April 12, 2015 at 8:47 PM