DOT Records Destroyed
Nice.
Calendar entries for state Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi and his top assistant have been erased, making it impossible to know where they were for their first two years in office.
The Journal Sentinel recently requested Busalacchi’s calendar going back to January 2003, but the Department of Transportation said his calendars for 2003 and 2004 were accidentally destroyed because of a problem with a computer server. Deputy Secretary Ruben Anthony Jr.‘s calendars also are missing for those years.
Busalacchi has said he never talked to now-indicted Kenosha businessman Dennis Troha about tax troubles faced by companies Troha owned at the time. Busalacchi was to meet with Troha on the issue in April 2004, but Busalacchi said Troha - a major contributor to Gov. Jim Doyle - did not show up for the meeting.
Accidentally, my butt. And only those two calendars were destroyed? And just those years were destroyed? And there were no backups? That would be a fantastically strange “problem with the server.” And if it was a “problem with the server,” who in IT is responsible? They declined to say. If an IT guy in a private firm erased information that was required by law to be retained - especially information about the CEO - he would have been severely reprimanded if not fired. If this is IT’s fault, then let them out to be reprimanded and defend themselves. Somehow I suspect that nobody in IT had anything to do with erasing the calendars, unless they were told to do so. Whatever.
It sure looks like someone over at the DOT destroyed public records, which is illegal. And it sure looks like they did so to cover up unethical or illegal activity.
Remarkably predictable. And the assistant’s calendar is gone, too!
I disagree with someone a couple of weeks ago who thought Busalacchi would take immunity to nail Doyle. Busalacchi knows this shady side of the business well. He’ll take the fall to protect the Governor.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2007 at 0739 hrs
Owen - As an IT professional, can you address the steps required to wipe this information from both the primary and back-up servers?
I suspect this is not something that can be done outside of the IT bowels of state government. If so, the IT tech that cleared the back-up records may soon be in need of an attorney.
Posted by Headless Blogger on March 21, 2007 at 0822 hrs
Recall, his assistant Ruben Anthony was under a cloud of suspiscion for possible ethics violations for engaging in fundraising for Doyle.
MJS Nov. 10, 2005:
DOT Deputy Secretary Ruben Anthony Jr. organized the barbecue fund-raiser for the Democratic governor and invited dozens of employees of companies that vie for the more than $100 million a year in DOT engineering contracts.
The governor and Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi joined Anthony and about 90 others at the event, which had a $500 suggested donation.
Anthony and aides to Doyle have insisted there was nothing wrong with Anthony’s role in the fund-raiser because Anthony does not sign off on engineering contracts.
So for now, I can only give them the benefit of the doubt that this was accidental. But what the heck is going on over at our DOT??
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2007 at 0859 hrs
Headless,
I can’t speak to them specifically because I don’t know exactly what they are using. In most organizations, the email server has internal mechanisms to prevent data loss and do daily backups to some sort of removable media (tapes, DVDs, etc.) Additionally, many organizations take those backups off site in case of a facility failure.
In other words, if the state if following anything close to standard IT practices, this could not have happened without multiple failures or intentional action. The fact that it appears that only two calendars were deleted leads me to believe it was intentional action. Backups are not done for individual calendars. They are done for the entire data store.
I also think it’s interesting to see the double standard. Can you imagine if the CEO of a private company that was being investigated “lost” all of these records? They’d be hammered. Yet the DOT just brushes it off as some sort of unfortunate mistake.
Posted by Owen on March 21, 2007 at 0913 hrs
Add to a regular backup cycle the fact that the State has been under Email Retention guidelines since at least 2004, and I’m left scratching my head as to why this request could not be satisfied.
Now, I don’t know what Retention/Archiving system they are using, but this Calender data SHOULD have been able to have been retrieved.
The question becomes, however, with this solution, did they import older data into the archiving solution. The other question is, did they ALSO backup this archiving solution. And where are THOSE tapes?
As an email administrator myself, I don’t buy any of this at all. I don’t have explicit access to a user’s mailbox unless the user gives me his/her password or I reset it myself and go in. Now there is always the opportunity for me to delete the entire mailbox, but not to selectively delete certain items unless I’m given permission to do so.
I DO have certain utilities at my command to eliminate SPAM.
Posted by Pete Fanning on March 21, 2007 at 1000 hrs
Rose Mary Woods is working in Madison now???
I’ve been saying it for months. Tick tock tick tock.
Posted by mickey on March 21, 2007 at 1009 hrs
Thank you Owen & Pete. You confirmed my assumption that IT administrators are not stupid, which would be the only plausible explanation of the description of events in the paper. IT processes are designed explicitly to prevent the unrecoverable deletion of information by individuals, either by accidental or intentional means.
This isn’t the first time where State IT people have played dumb. I believe any competent Email Admin would have tracked down the source of the deathwish email sent to the Guardsman going to Iraq in a heartbeat.
I assume that Federal Prosecutors are not stupid either, and will get to the bottom of this. The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy - Wisconsin Division looks more like an organized crime operation with each turning page.
Posted by Headless Blogger on March 21, 2007 at 1039 hrs
Why is anyone so surprised that the DOT takes its direction per the political donations of the transportation and roadbuilding interests?
You need to recover 3-4 year old emails to figure this out? Talk about thick as a brick.
This has been going on for years and until we (yep, that’s us the taxpayers) demand that roads are built and maintained according to genuine need rather than political deal making and other shenanigans it will continue to go on. We spend billions of tax dollars through the DOT with little to no oversight because that is what the politicos from both parties want.
On a separate note;
It’s kind of ironic that when when the very same reporters at the very same newspaper turn up something on say a Supreme Court Candidate there is whining and acusations of half truths, bias and exageration. mickey? Owen?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2007 at 1111 hrs
Headless, I agree with you 100%, but please keep in mind that the employees responsible for any (cough cough) accidental (on purpose) deletions are civil servants (tenured) and will not be held accountable (will have Presidents day off) and may not really be at fault (can’t be fired) because of porr working conditions (home by 3pm on Fridays), and my be overworked (probably unionized) and probably need a good vacation (5 weeks paid).
This is government as usual. No one will be held accountable and the media will not whip this into a frenzy.
Our usual suspects (kr pjr scott) will come to the defense of any and all imcompetant govt. employees.
In this case it is more likely corrupt employees.Posted by mickey on March 21, 2007 at 1118 hrs
Pjr, the issue here is the “missing” calendar. I know you’re a blubbering liberal tool, but please try to keep up.
Should we type slower Pjr.
I think it’s probably beginning to dawn on even a dim bulb like you. Doyle is filthy, he picked a union hack to aid and abet him. Say it with me pjr. Tick tock tick tock.
RSVPPosted by mickey on March 21, 2007 at 1124 hrs
the issue here is the “missing” calendar
And why is that even important mickey if not in how it relates to campaign donations from the transportation (Troha) and roadbuilding (engineering firms in the case of Ruben) industry and front men like the WTBA;
http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=385210
For those of you who are current affairs buffs, Patrick Stevens, formerly of WTBA, is now a lobbyist for WMC the sponsor extrordinaire of one of our current Supreme Court Candidates. What a small world!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2007 at 1137 hrs
Lets start with obstruction of justice. Tick tock tick tock.
Pjr, you need some new material.
Posted by mickey on March 21, 2007 at 1141 hrs
Lets start with obstruction of justice
mickey can you get your brain around something bigger than a corned beef sandwich, this isn’t about being left or right. Or in your case wrong.
Do I need to lead you through the whole chain of events that make these email lists important or can you remember anything that happened before last Saturday.
My material will change when a box of rocks like you finally gets it.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2007 at 1154 hrs
You’re funny pjr, it’s becoming obvious to you isn’t it. You’re actually starting to get it aren’t you. This admistration was bought. It’s called pay for play. And you know it. Even the Milwaukee Urinal cannot quash what’s coming. I don’t take your posts seriously because you’re deluded. You’re a hard core lefty so you’re going to blubber on even after Doyle is indicted, convicted and sent packing. This isn’t some insignifact made up lib scandal. Doyle is filthy. Who do you think actually played “bag man” and drove over to Troha’s office? That’s going to be a hoot when it ocmes out. And Busalacchi isn’t exactly LITTLE BO PEEP.
I already know you’re game plan. You and the rest of the moon bats are going to impune Steve Biskupic for actually doing his job. Yeah TICK TOCK TICK TOCK it’s coming down the tracks sister. I’d bet some of the canaries have already sung. You asked me why the missing calendar was important. Are you really that stupid? Gosh Mr Federal Prosecutor, I’d like to help with the investigation but THE DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK.
“Mr Busalacchi, did Mr Doyle or Mr Troha personally sit down with you and ask you to ‘intervene’ for Mr Troha’s business interests in eschange for campaign cash?”
GASP! I SIMPLY CANNOT REMEMBER, LET ME CHECK MY CALENDAR!!! OH DEAR MOTHER OF GOD THE DOG ATE MY CALENDAR AND MY ASSITANTS TOO!!!Pjr, this is getting funnier by the minute.
Posted by mickey on March 21, 2007 at 1208 hrs
So mickey it sounds like you really do get it in your own fun house mirror kinda way.
So lets anticipate a little. What happens when the next whoever comes in to run for office and the special interests buy him to?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2007 at 1218 hrs
yeah, i’m gonna go ahead and agree with mickey on this one: pjr, you are a liberal tool.
and its the rest of you liberal tools that elected diamond jim back in office. to quote you “why is anyone surprised?”
well, i can tell you - i wasn’t.
only the libs are doing the “uh, yeah, see, what happen’d was..” bs…....again.Posted by still Unreal... on March 21, 2007 at 1219 hrs
mickey & Unreal
So if it’s only we liberal tools who want special interest money out of politics you’ll keep getting the politicians that the special interests pay for. Nice:coolsmile:
I can’t believe it but you guys really are that dumb aren’t you. Sheeez!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2007 at 1227 hrs
The data are not necessarily lost for good. Give the hard drives to a reasonably competent computer forensics investigator, and they should be able to recover some (if not all) of what was deleted.
Remember: Data is ever truly “deleted” from a hard drive until it has been overwritten.
Further 21st Century Sherlock Holmes techniques would call for checking access & event logs.
I guarantee you, there is a way to find out who was on that server and when. It just depends on how much time (and money) they’re willing to put into digging it up.
But yeah, as to what would happen to a private sector company and employee in the same situation, of course we know it would be much worse. I work in a federally regulated industry. If someone at my job pulled a stunt like that, heads would roll and they would likely be getting a visit from the FBI.
Posted by David on March 21, 2007 at 1237 hrs
Has it occurred to anybody that the reason these E-mails may/may not be important is because they may/may not show a link between Troha and Doyle?
That is what is being forgotten in all of this.
Posted by Michael J. Cheaney on March 21, 2007 at 1239 hrs
Anybody but me want to see mickey and pjr in a steel cage death match at Wrestlemania 23?
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2007 at 1244 hrs
I will come packin’
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2007 at 1246 hrs
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/20/ap/national/main2587083.shtml
Article discusses a tech that formatted over the original and then formatted over the backup!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2007 at 1255 hrs
Hopefully the Tech had as much street sense as Ms. Lewinski and took home for safekeeping his/her version of the blue dress.
Posted by Headless Blogger on March 21, 2007 at 1300 hrs
The US Attorney has both the FBI AND “money to spend” in recovering hard-drive data—not to mention access logs.
Heh.
Posted by dad29 on March 21, 2007 at 1353 hrs
And what if the data is unrecoverable. I’d be shocked!
Posted by mickey on March 21, 2007 at 1401 hrs
shocked, i say!
Posted by still Unreal... on March 21, 2007 at 1404 hrs
First of all, chances are the data is stored in a network shared storage environment. It is more than likely logistically impossible to remove that storage (probably in a Raid configuration) for recovery purposes.
This is how most IT people set up their email back ends. You can’t think of an email server like an every day person’s desktop computer….they just aren’t the same…...server storage works much differently.
Not only am I a Email administrator but I am also a Storage Area Network admin as well
Posted by fanningp on March 21, 2007 at 1455 hrs
WTMJ is reporting they found his calendar on his Palm Pilot.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2007 at 1503 hrs
I should QUALIFY that by saying that TECHNICALLY it IS possible to move RAID drives from like hardware to other equipment, but if you’ve got those drives tied up in a physical partition and carved up in multiple logical drives allocated to other servers in a Storage Area Network, you’re screwed…you can’t pull those drives for forensics analysis….
Posted by fanningp on March 21, 2007 at 1533 hrs
Now C’mon Owen…..
Let’s see the apology…..
Clearly if the erased the puter on purpose….
They’d have done the pilot too!!
It’s owen’s FAV word AGAIN…HYPOCRISY!!!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2007 at 1629 hrs
This Just In…..
Doyle will allow Bussalachi and his assistant to “talk”
to any investigators to help find what happened.
But no sworn testimony….and no record, and no transcripts….
But they’ll talk to make sure you’ll can clear up your allegations!!
OKEE DOKEE!!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2007 at 1633 hrs
More the President will not allow his advisors to testify. It’s called Presidential priveledge.
Busalacchi and Anthony are state employees. They serve the people not the governor.
Just thought you’d like to know the difference.Posted by mickey on March 21, 2007 at 1638 hrs
Just imagine if Donald Rumsfeld and John Ashcroft had lost their appointment calendars from 2003 and 2004.
Just imagine for a moment.
Then imagine Ashcroft had sent lawyers to help with Ken Lays business problems.
Then imagine there is a federal investigation into President Bush’s fund raising activities and Ashcroft said his appointment calendar for the times in question had been lost by some TECH.
Then imagine he tried to say, I FOUND IT ON MY PALM PILOT!!!!!!!
I’m laughing so hard it hurts.What was Owen supposed to apologize for?
Posted by mickey on March 21, 2007 at 1643 hrs
It’s called Presidential priveledge.
That’s about the last thing I’d call it.
And no mickey, Frank serves at the pleasure of the Governor. Just like Rummy amd Ashcroft did for George.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on March 21, 2007 at 1741 hrs
Pjr, you make me laugh because you’re stupid.
Myers and Rove are advisors.
Ashcroft and Rumsfeld work for the government in cabinet positions. Like Bussalacchi they are subject to open records and legislative subpoena.
Rove and Myers are not. I sincerely don’t expect you to understand. You’re not very bright. In fact you’re a lib stooge.
Busalacchi is a government employee. He can be hired and fired at will by the Governor. His actions are subject to PUBLIC SCRUTINY.
Myers and Roves actions are no ones business but the President.
Drool on dummy.Posted by mickey on March 22, 2007 at 1738 hrs
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