I apologize in advance if this is completely off-base, but, my personal theory is that due to tptacek's work in security, he is afraid to take a harder stance against government wrongdoing. Perhaps this would risk his (or his company's) eligibility for future security clearance and/or government contracts.
To quote Upton Sinclair, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it!"
We do zero work at all for the government. Our clients are startups and technology companies, along with large F-500 IT shops. I would personally have a moral problem with assisting the US military in 2013.
I shouldn't have to spell that out simply because I (a) disagree or (b) read news stories more carefully than you do, but every time a story like this comes up, I inevitably do have to defend myself from someone who thinks my opinions are bought and paid for. In reality, arguing against random HN people argues against my own interests.
It's a ridiculous assertion to imply that government employees are so scared of losing their jobs, that they would spend copious amounts of their free time posting pro-government messages on random internet websites.
HN is supposed to be a place that encourages intelligent conversation and freedom of thought. We as a community are supposed to be mature enough to understand that not everyone is going to see things the same way.
The problem is, a lot of left-leaning people are so completely certain that their views are correct, and their correctness seems so obvious to them that they can't imagine how any logical person doesn't perceive reality in the same way. Just as many Conservatives feel the exact same way.
What gets lost in all of the petty arguments is the fact that there is plenty of room in the middle for people who agree with Republicans on some issues, and Democrats on others.
One of the dumbest fucking things our nation has ever done, is allow the formation of distinct political parties. The governance of the United States, or any other country for that matter, should not be conducted like a fucking football game.
I apologize in advance if this is completely off-base, but, my personal theory is that due to tptacek's work in security, he is afraid to take a harder stance against government wrongdoing. Perhaps this would risk his (or his company's) eligibility for future security clearance and/or government contracts.
To quote Upton Sinclair, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it!"