Obama Works to Cram Cybersecurity Bill Down the Throats of Americans

The sly devil that is Emperor Barack Obama has drawn criticism over his proposed $4 trillion budget that has more shit in it than a Chinese manufactured sausage. While establishment Republicans thump their chests and wail about tax hikes on the wealthy and liberals laud his denouncing of  more “mindless austerity” the thing is a Trojan horse containing something much more odious. As has already been predicted by many who are onto the big con game, Dear Leader’s budget also includes within it the funding for even more of the Big Brother type of warrantless government snooping that Americans have been subjected to under Obama’s NSA Stasi.

While the Obama budget may please many by hitting corporations that squirrel away their profits overseas – which doesn’t benefit America – it delivers by providing immunity to companies that work hand in hand with the government on mass surveillance. As Reuters reports in the story “Obama seeks $14 billion to boost U.S. cybersecurity defenses”:

President Barack Obama's budget proposal for the 2016 fiscal year seeks $14 billion (9 billion pounds) for cybersecurity efforts across the U.S. government to better protect federal and private networks from hacking threats.
Federal cybersecurity funding has steadily increased in recent years, reflecting the intensity of threats U.S. companies and government agencies are facing from cyber intruders, both domestic and foreign.

The budget, released on Monday, calls for deployment of more intrusion detection and prevention capabilities, greater sharing of data with the private sector and other countries and more funding to beef up the government's ability to respond to attacks.

The funding would support several specific programs, such as monitoring and diagnostics of federal computer networks, the EINSTEIN intrusion detection and prevention system and government-wide testing and incident-response training.

"Cyber threats targeting the private sector, critical infrastructure and the federal government demonstrate that no sector, network or system is immune to infiltration by those seeking to steal commercial or government secrets and property or perpetrate malicious and disruptive activity," the White House summary said.

The cynics among us have questioned whether all of the ruckus over alleged North Korean involvement in the Sony hacking was just another big lie to get the cybersecurity bill passed. While Americans have very short memories and even shorter attention spans these days, it was only in December that the media was shrilly warning of alleged “terrorist” threats against theaters showing the movie The Interview. The threats were never substantiated and independent cybersecurity experts have questioned government claims that North Korea was responsible but the movie became a holiday patriotic rallying cry. Ironically, doper and liberal Seth Rogen, the star of The Interview who sang the praises of freedom for Americans to go and see his film is the same guy who was denounced by conservatives when he compared the movie American Sniper to Nazi propaganda.

Don’t expect any resistance from Republicans either because Barry has broken out the fear club and is going to beat them into submission with it. It is also being reported that Obama is going the full Göring by accusing the GOP of putting the American people in danger. According to the Reuters story “Obama proposes $3.99 trillion budget, draws scorn from Republicans”:

"I know there are Republicans who disagree with my approach. And I’ve said this before: If they have other ideas for how we can keep America safe, grow our economy, while helping middle-class families feel some sense of economic security, I welcome their ideas," Obama said.
"But their numbers have to add up. And what we can’t do is play politics with folks’ economic security, or with our national security."

Obama’s push for the new cybersecurity measures should chill Americans in that it is just the latest and greatest reincarnation of the zombie bill CISPA which has drawn opposition from civil liberties groups. In the climate of fear and dread that is early 2015 after the media overkill over the Sony hacking and then the Charlie Hebdo slayings look for Obama to continue to accuse opponents of exposing Americans to danger. So much for that election year threat to partially defund the Department of Homeland Security to stop Obama’s amnesty decree.

Fascism is the merger of state and corporate power and we are well on our way there already. If Obama is able to successfully sell Americans on sweeping new surveillance capabilities along with the corporate immunity from oversight that his cybersecurity proposals provide then we will be even closer to it.

Nicely Timed CENTCOM Social Media Hacking Smells Like a Rat

Today’s latest  installment in the National Security State’s relentless drive to implement even more surveillance and invasions of the privacy of law-abiding Americans comes courtesy of the military. Media hysteria is spiking today with a story that the social media accounts of the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) have been infiltrated and taken over by ISIS operatives. Pretty convenient if you have an onerous new cybersecurity bill that is ready to be crammed down the throats of Americans. This also comes on the heels of last week’s savage murders of ten members of French newspaper Charlie Hebdo and two cops by Islamist extremists that is being hyped 24/7 by the fear mongers in the media.

The Washington Post is reporting that “U.S. military social media accounts apparently hacked by Islamic State sympathizers”:

Social media accounts for the U.S. military’s Central Command appeared to have been hacked on Monday, with the command posting threatening messages on Twitter and YouTube to American troops.

The first rogue tweet was posted about 12:30 p.m. It appeared to come from sympathizers of the Islamic State militant group. The Central Command has orchestrated the U.S.-led airstrike campaign against the militants in Iraq and Syria and is beginning to train Iraqi troops to respond to the threat in the region.

The background and profile photo of the Centcom account were both changed to show an apparent militant and the phrases “CyberCaliphate” and “i love you isis,” using one of the acronyms for the militant group.

In a statement, the Central Command confirmed that its Twitter account had been “compromised” and said it “is taking appropriate measures to address the matter.” The statement did not elaborate on the extent or seriousness of the hack or who may have been responsible. The account was disabled by Twitter around 1:10 p.m.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the Obama administration is “examining and investigating the extent of the incident.”

You can bet that they are “investigating” it alright as in investigating how best to fold it into Emperor Barack Obama’s big pre-State of the Union address sales pitch for even more invasive surveillance laws - wrapped in the cloaking of cybersecurity and that Sony hacking.  Hell, Obama might as well just take to the podium before Congress next Tuesday, roll out a portable shredder and proceed to feed the U.S. Constitution into it on national television.

The Washington Post reports that “this story is developing”.  What all of this hacking and demagoguery by the federal government is really "developing" is an overwhelming stench of bullshit. It is getting to be pretty sad when anything that comes out of the government must be treated with pure skepticism but when the lying by high officials is the first – if not only – resort such is the level that we have descended to in this once great country.

Obama Pimps Cybersecurity Bill and Further Gutting of the Constitution

Despite his enduring historic infamy at least Adolf Hitler was somewhat upfront with the Germans as he sowed the seeds of the destruction of their country. This is not the case with Emperor Barack Obama, a peerless con artist and snake oil salesman with as much an aversion to the truth as he has contempt for the Constitution. Obama was always hailed as a Constitutional law professor by the flacks, shills and propagandists who sold the schmucks on hope and change and his Harvard pedigree would seem to back that. However, given the ongoing dismantling of our no longer quite so free country it isn’t that much of a reach to consider that his expertise was sought for a reason. That reason being that he knows the weak points and blind spots to attack in order to complete the job of undermining a once vibrant democracy and is vigorously doing so.

In a story that will thrill the fascists in the government who have declared total war on the American people since 9/11, Dear Leader is now hard at work pushing the latest assault on privacy rights. As Reuters reports in a story entitled “Obama turns focus to Internet security, privacy”:

President Barack Obama will highlight plans next week to protect American consumers and businesses from cyber threats, a month after the most high-profile hacking attack on a U.S. company.

Internet security became a national focus after a cyberattack on Sony Pictures that Washington blamed on North Korea. The attack and subsequent threats of violence against theaters prompted Sony to scale back its release of "The Interview", a comedy film that depicts the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

A White House official said on Saturday Obama would announce legislative proposals and executive actions that will be part of his Jan. 20 State of the Union address and will tackle identity theft and privacy issues, cybersecurity and broadband access.

On Monday, Obama will present plans "to improve confidence in technology by tackling identity theft and improving consumer and student privacy" in a visit to the Federal Trade Commission, the official said, on condition of anonymity.

Obama will host members of Congress from both parties on Tuesday to discuss common goals for the economy and national security, the official said, as the Democratic president prepares a speech that will be his first to the U.S. Congress since Republicans won the Senate in November elections.

This coincides with the reintroduction of the 4th Amendment destroying CISPA (Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act) by Democrat Dutch Ruppersberger of Ft. Meade, MD last week. Despite the stunning revelations of the mass surveillance of Americans by the NSA Stasi, the feds, the whores in Congress and the trillion dollar surveillance state Gomorrah that keeps them elected are more determined than ever to invade the privacy of Americans. There will sadly be no resistance from a fearful and dumbed down public – there never is anymore.

There was no way that the United States of America would ever be conquered by a foreign force despite the horseshit that is always preached by the charlatans in order to keep the cash cow that is the Global War on Terror (GWOT) alive. The only way that America was ever going to fall was from within and the termites within the bureaucracy of the federal government - led by Obama - continue to chew away at the pillars.

NSA District Democrat Representative Brings Fascist Back Surveillance Bill

The mysterious story swirling around alleged North Korean involvement in the Sony Hack and later the movie “The Interview” has become a bit clearer now. While there has never been any solid proof that linked the regime of Kim Jong Un to the hacking and alleged (but never substantiated) “terrorist” threats against movie theaters the Obama administration continued to push the blame North Korea narrative. Some more astute observers of the ongoing track towards full-blown fascism in The Homeland smelled a rat and speculated that the whole thing was just a pretense to impose even more Draconian domestic spying upon millions of law-abiding citizens. Well, now it is no longer just speculation as Congress has delivered their usual running drop kick to the crotch of powerless Americans.

As soon as the new Congress had returned from their latest taxpayer funded extended vacation it became obvious what the priorities truly are. The reintroduction of CISPA aka the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act was a top item on the agenda and will garner the typical bipartisan support that such criminal actions against the American people always get. Look for a barrage of laws that further erode the Constitution and restrict civil liberties and privacy rights in the coming year, especially since the media has been hysterically pushing fear in the aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attack.

According to The Hill in a story entitled “House Dem revives major cyber bill”:

A senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee on Friday will reintroduce a controversial bill that would help the public and private sectors share information about cybersecurity threats.

“The reason I’m putting bill in now is I want to keep the momentum going on what’s happening out there in the world,” Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.), told The Hill in an interview, referring to the recent Sony hack, which the FBI blamed on North Korea.

The measure — known as the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) — has been a top legislative priority for industry groups and intelligence officials, who argue the country cannot properly defend critical infrastructure without it.

The House passed Ruppersberger’s bill last year, but it stalled in the Senate amid concerns from privacy advocates that it would enable more collection of Americans’ private information.

Ruppersberger lost his 2014 co-sponsor of the bill, former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who retired from Congress.

“I’m putting the bill in by myself,” Ruppersberger said, acknowledging it would require work to find new bipartisan support. But by reintroducing the bill, “hopefully that will create momentum,” he added.

Ruppersberger wants to ride the wave of attention on Capitol Hill driven by the cyberattack on Sony, which caused the studio to almost cancel the release of a multimillion-dollar comedy, “The Interview,” which depicts an American plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Sony ultimately released the film to a limited number of theaters and streamed it online.

What is always left out whenever Dutch Ruppersberger is cited is that his home district happens to be the location of the headquarters of the NSA Stasi in Fort Meade, Maryland – a wretched hive of scum and villainy. The domestic spying and data-mining apparatus as well as the local economy in and around the Second Congressional District in Maryland depends on Dutch going to Washington and delivering the bacon for the expansion of the ever growing surveillance state.

The Hill piece also states that “Ruppersberger lost his 2014 co-sponsor of the bill, former House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), who retired from Congress” but doesn’t mention that Rogers has taken his act to CNN. It is an example of the perverse and corrupt system that Americans now must live under that such a high-ranking figure as Rogers is able to cash in on his government experience and will now have a cable television network offering him a national forum as a pimp for the surveillance state. In regards to Rogers it is never mentioned that his wife was a lobbyist whose clients stood to profit from the very programs that he was supposed to be exercising oversight upon.

No surprise that the NSA Stasi is absolutely delighted that Ruppersberger has reincarnated CISPA with The Hill also reporting that “NSA chief wants cyber bill to fight hackers”:

The head of the National Security Agency wants lawmakers to pass a contentious cybersecurity bill to help federal officials go after hackers.

“I think it's a very important first step,” spy agency director Adm. Michael Rogers said on Fox Business Network on Friday.

“In the end, the key to our ability to be effective, I believe, as a nation in cyber, will be our ability to span the divide between the private sector and the public sector or the government.”

The controversial bill introduced by Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) on Thursday would make it easier for private companies to share information about possible hackers and lines of attack with each other and the government. Backers say it's a critical step to ensure there are no blind spots on the country's networks.

Anyone who didn’t see where this was going with all of the sound and fury over “The Interview” and the media acting as the propagandists selling slavery repackaged as  “patriotism” while demonizing North Korea was not paying very close attention. The legislation is a wet dream for the apple pie authoritarians and their corporate allies that will profit from it. And as with everything else that this loathsome rogue government touches - a nightmare for us all.

Treacherous Senate Rolls Out New Cybersecurity Bill

The number one enemy of the American people and enablers of the ongoing spree to gut the US Constitution is at it again with yet another attack on privacy. The Senate, led by the impenetrable firewall of cellulite that protects the NSA Stasi - California's Dianne Feinstein - has just passed out of committee a new cybersecurity bill that represents the institutionalized rottenness of the legislative body in all of it's resplendent putrescence. The onerous bill, the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) was voted on in secret to avoid that always pesky public scrutiny and with a 12-3 win is headed to the full Senate in an election year where it should easily pass given the renewed climate of fear-mongering and demagoguery since the magnificently fortuitous appearance of ISIS and the return of US troops to Iraq. The Republicans will bludgeon the always feckless Democrats as being weak on terrorism and the party of Obama and Hillary, terrified at being called chicken will submit.

The bill is a resurrection of CISPA which while passing the House of Representatives - it was championed by the puffy fascist from Michigan Congressman Mike Rogers who will soon be leaving for a right-wing talk radio career - didn't make through the Senate which allowed Feinstein and her fellow snakes ample opportunity to scheme and CISA was the result. This bill is nothing but one more betrayal by the US Congress and a sellout to corporate America, which will have bestowed upon it the gift of immunity as customer data is passed onto the NSA without a warrant under the guise of protection against cyber attacks - the newest version of WMD which serve as justification to sell out Americans for political gain.

According to a story in The Guardian, "Senate committee adopts cybersecurity bill opposed by NSA critics":

Pushed by Dianne Feinstein and Saxby Chambliss, the California Democrat and Georgia Republican who lead the committee, the bill would remove legal obstacles that block firms from sharing information "in real time" about cyber-attacks and prevention or mitigation measures with one another and with the US government.

Worrying civil libertarians is that the NSA and its twin military command, US Cyber Command, would receive access to vast amounts of data, and privacy guidelines for the handling of that data are yet to be developed.

A draft of the bill released in mid-June would permit government agencies to share, retain and use the information for "a cybersecurity purpose" – defined as "the purpose of protecting an information system or information that is stored on, processed by or transiting an information system from a cybersecurity threat or security vulnerability" – raising the prospect of the NSA stockpiling a catalogue of weaknesses in digital security, as a recent White House data-assurance policy permits.

It would also prevent participating companies from being sued for sharing data with each other and the government, even though many companies offer contract terms of service prohibiting the sharing of client or customer information without explicit consent.

AND

Champions of a similar bill that passed the House of Representatives last year despite a White House veto threat urged the full Senate to follow the intelligence panel's lead.

"These attacks cost our country billions of dollars through the loss of jobs and intellectual property. We are confident that the House and the Senate will quickly come together to address this urgent threat and craft a final bill that secures our networks and protects privacy and civil liberties," said Mike Rogers of Michigan and Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House intelligence committee.

[That would be the same Dutch Ruppersberger whose  Congressional district happens to include the Fort Meade command center of the NSA Stasi and Mike Rogers whose wife is a lobbyist - isn't it a conflict of interest to have a husband who presides over the House Intelligence Committee?]

But digital rights advocates warn that the measure will give the government, including the NSA, access to more information than just that relating to cyberthreats, potentially creating a new avenue for broad governmental access to US data even as Congress and the Obama administration contemplate restricting the NSA's domestic collection.

The bill contains "catch-all provisions that would allow for the inclusion of a lot more than malicious code. It could include the content of communications. That's one of the biggest concerns," said Gabriel Rottman, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union.

The CISA data-sharing agreement is nothing more than a convenient end-around, a circumvention of any sort of legal restraint that will throw open the door to increased data-mining and content grabbing of millions of innocent US citizens/consumers which will be delivered to an unaccountable NSA without any oversight. But then again that is what Congress, particularly the high-powered committee heads are there for, to grease the rails and use every sort of legal trickery in the book to violate their oaths to uphold the Constitution while selling out their constituents for a dollar a dozen.

There is still an opportunity to stop CISA by bringing immense public pressure and utilizing privacy organization petitions and mailing tools but it is going to be a pitched, uphill battle against an entrenched enemy that in no way other than lip-service represents regular Americans.