The fictional device that was supposed to render all conversations proof against eavesdroppers (but did the opposite)*
Scott Pruitt wants a real-life one. (that works properly):
Some people aren’t too pleased. Others don’t get the point:
*“Cone of Silence” is an actual thing, the “blind zone” of space that cannot be scanned because of limitations in antenna broadcasting. It really is very nearly conical in shape, unlike Get Smart’s “cone”, which is anything but (and which is undoubtedly part of the joke). I’d read about the real “Cone of Silence” as a kid, and thought it was weird when Get Smart named their device after it.
You do have to wonder – it’s the freakin’ EPA, fer cryin’ out loud – the Environmental Protection Agency – not the FBI or the CIA or a Diplomatic service. Why the hell do they even NEED a Cone of Silence? Who eavesdrops on the EPA?
So let me make sure I understand this: Scott Pruitt wants to be able to communicate over the telephone securely, so he makes sure no one can record what he’s saying by picking up the acoustic vibrations that will hang in the air as he says it. As he says it into an electronic device that is connected to a vast network. A vast network he has no control over.
And he wants to do the same thing with his computer, so that no one can see him hitting the keys, which will be translated to electrical impulses and connected to a vast network. A vast network which he has no control over.
Yeah, that sounds like a sensible thing to do. :rolleyes:
By the way, what kinds of things might the EPA chief be talking about that people shouldn’t know about?
At what point does government secrecy become a serious problem (if it is not already)? This is ridiculous. I mean, I could see security related to EIS records for certain military installations, but that is not handled verbally, and the actual verbal discussions could take place in a place like the “Sit-Room”. This cone of silence nonsense suggests to me that Pruitt does not want us to know about the bribey deals he will be making in order to skirt/circumvent law/public health.
But it won’t work. Anything that goes over the phone or over the internet can be compromised, and frankly, that’s a lot easier to do than trying to get a shotgun mic in place to pick up the acoustic vibrations from a windowpane or something. And don’t forget: your cel phone is working even when you think it’s turned off.
The whole scheme just doesn’t make sense IMO. And I can’t for the life of me figure out why he’d need it unless what he was planning on doing was shady.
Plans for the preservation of the snail darter are handled on a need-to-know basis at the very highest levels of the government. If the snails were to get hold of that information it could set our whole darter posture back by decades.
Ecosystem failures due to lax regulation can have international consequences. The US has a large coastline from which toxic effluent can flow into international waters, causing fishery collapses, not to mention what effects might result with migratory birds. Pruitt probably does not want to be lynched by angry Americans, but he also probably does not want to be seen as a causal influence in a future war.
No doubt Pruitt is worried about eavesdropping by KAOS, the secret conspiracy of scientists pushing the global warming hoax. They are a cunning and evil bunch intent on destroying civilization as we know it. Ever alert to any plans that might thwart their conspiracy, they have Listening Cones aimed at the EPA, attached to powerful hearing aids.
Conifers have cones. Cones make no noise. Conifers and cones are part of the environment. The EPA has “Environment” right there in it’s name. Ergo, the EPA should have silent cones. It’s simple logic, really.
I’ll bet Pruitt weighs himself in his office, too. You see, fish have scales…
