From: Harvey Newstrom (mail@HarveyNewstrom.com)
Date: Sat Jan 19 2002 - 11:14:33 MST
Samantha Atkins wrote,
> So, question, why stay in Florida?
Many people have written me recently asking this same question. I have been
invited to leave Florida for various U.S. states and various countries.
There have been many offers of hospitality and welcoming committees! It is
really touching.
I currently have an aging mother with cancer in Florida, and my partner has
a elderly mother with Alzheimer's. Neither parent can do without us right
now. However, if we had no ties, I certainly would be interested in moving
to a better location.
> I have heard most clearances are not revoked as long as your are
> "out" so it can't be used to presure you. Is that true?
This is true. They only care about your vulnerability to blackmail. If you
can convince them that you can't be coerced, you are safe. This is a recent
change since I got in. Originally, I should have been excluded
automatically, but I was a special case. I was accidentally exposed to high
level information and had to be cleared. They didn't really have the option
to deny my clearance or bar my access to stuff I had already seen. They
cleared me to get me into the system and under their control. I have since
found contracts in the private sector so I am no longer under direct
government control. (Although technically, I am not allowed to meet foreign
citizens, publish any materials, give any speeches, or even undergo
anesthesia without prior written permission from the U.S. government. Now
that I think about it, I may not be allowed out of the country.)
> It just seemed like you were painting the dark side too darkly for today.
> But I think I was wrong in that opinion. Thanks for the reminder,
> even if it is darn unpleasant to acknowledge.
Yes, I get bitter and disgruntled sometimes. I don't mean to counter the
Extropian Principle of Dynamic Optimism. But I do think it is important to
accurately see how bad things are so we can work more efficiently to avoid
or solve problems. I find a lot of discussions on this list simply naive.
Happy talk or ignoring problems won't make things better. Accurately
perceiving the world and then excelling anyway is an even better course
toward success. I think I am doing so well in my life because I have
directly attacked these problems head-on and found a way to work around
them. I am not sure I would be as intelligent, creative, or successful if I
had previously moved from Florida to a more accepting environment.
-- Harvey Newstrom, CISSP <www.HarveyNewstrom.com> Principal Security Consultant, Newstaff Inc. <www.Newstaff.com> Board of Directors, Extropy Institute <www.Extropy.org> Cofounder, Pro-Act <www.ProgressAction.org>
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