"This deal is getting worse by the minute."

[unixronin]

mrmeval points to more information on the dark side of the proposed new Cybersecurity Act of 2009, via Karl Denninger:

But I’ve read the actual draft bill that allegedly was proffered, and while most of the time what is published on WND is about as diametrically opposed politically to my views, this isn’t one of those times.

On page 21 and 22 it is established not only certification of “security professionals” in the computer field but mandatory licensing for anyone performing compute security services not only to the government but also to any “critical infrastructure system or network.”

Got that?  If you do infosec, and your company works on or supplies equipment for any government network, or anything that your company works on or supplies equipment for is declared by the government to be “critical infrastructure”, you’ll now need a license from the government to continue to hold your job.

And there’s more:

Second, page 40 has some truly frightening implications, among them granting the Department of Commerce plenary authority to invade networks and access the data therein irrespective of Constitutional or legal restrictions against that action.

Let’s put that into plain English too:  The cybersecurity act would grant the government complete authority to perform warrantless searches of any computer network, looking for anything. They wouldn’t even need to show cause. They could just do it because they felt like it, even if they had to hack their way in.

Finally, there is a provision within this draft allowing The President to order disconnection of any “critically important” infrastructure - but it does not define what that is, once again, granting effective plenary authority to The President to silence communications irrespective of Constitutional protections regarding Free Speech.

Let me add here that there is nothing to stop the President from declaring the entire Internet, or any part of it, to be “critically important”.

I will also remind you that this comes on top of AG Holder declaring that it is the position of the Obama Administration not only that the Bush Administration’s warrantless wiretapping in violation of FISA was perfectly legal, but that it’s immaterial whether it was legal or not because — again, in the opinion of the Obama administration — nobody can sue the government anyway even for doing something it knows is clearly illegal unless it publicly distributes any information gained thereby.

Many of us thought at the time that the Clinton administration acted as though it was above the law.  Then the second Bush administration showed Bill Clinton how that’s done.  People got sick of it, and voted for Obama’s promises of hope and change.

Well, now Obama’s making George Bush look like a piker.

“When does enough become enough?  When does No have meaning?”

Denninger goes on to say,

The First Amendment is first for a reason - without Freedom of The Press, which happens to fundamentally include the right to freely communicate between ourselves, there is no means by which corruption and evil can be effectively exposed.

The Second Amendment is second for a reason — if The First Amendment falls, you’re going to need The Second Amendment, and fast.

I hope it doesn’t get to that point.  But honestly, if we don’t get a turnaround soon, I think it’s only a matter of time.

Comments

[lebo-superman.livejournal.com]

I've hoped for years that it wouldn't be necessary, but I am also thinking that it's only a matter of time.

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

It all comes down to what the populace is actually willing to accept.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Increasing numbers of them seem to be getting pretty angry...

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

Then all we need to do is find ways to stay connected. Problem is, communication is the infrastructure attacked in this bill. And newspapers are too busy trying to extract money from Google for their gossip columns to actually carry news.

(This also shows that an election attitude of, "Anybody but your candidate is good." has certain flaws.)

[7leaguebootdisk.livejournal.com]

At least Obama's supporters are not all mindless boosters, there are a fair number of supporters who are loudly appaled at his behaviour (such as Keith Obermans 10 min at the start of his show the other night).

Which pro gun groups were appalled at the Bush admins behaviour? All the laws and presidents needed for their nightmare to happen were set under Bush.

[ithildae.livejournal.com]

I am not arguing that King George was good. I am saying that the course he charted for American reduction in liberties is being accelerated by those who pledged to reverse the slide. King George lost congress early, and he never had the majority that Obama has right now. I still have hope and faith in my country, but it is far too close to losing the freedoms we enjoy for me to be happy. The constitution is supposed to protect us. It is being ignored by the executive right now. It congress does not wake up to halt the slide, they will lose power along with the rest of us. We may not be on the brink, but we are starting to see how deep the hole is.

[7leaguebootdisk.livejournal.com]

We went into the hole sometime in the Bush administration. Obama talked like he would take us back out, but it's not looking like he meant it.

And I really would like to know the name of a gun rights group that worked to try and stop stuff like the Patriot act, I'd like to give them my money.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Did ANYONE like the USA-PATRIOT Act? I know GOA (http://www.gunowners.org) said it was bullshit from the start. So did JPFO (http://www.jpfo.org/), iirc. Is anyone surprised the NRA didn't say much?

And it didn't start with Bush. Bush Senior had a hand, and Clinton did a lot. But the erosion goes back much further than that.

[7leaguebootdisk.livejournal.com]

Oh, absolutely, I think Regan was the last President who believed we had rights (too soon to tell for Obama, sounded great up until a year ago, going down hill since). I was not paying attention to gun rights at the time, when I went looking when other stuff was passing, I saw few signs of opposition. Glad to hear it about GOA, at least.

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

What can I say? Campaign promises are cheap when you have no intention of keeping them.

[wyrdling.livejournal.com]

i was worried that whatever democract bush handed the keys over to would take the mess of a constitution and make it worse. i was hoping that be less likely with obama than with hilary.

it's the job of patriots to be eternally vigiliant... against those in power abusing it.

[wyrdling.livejournal.com]

well, to any threats, internal, or external. but a lot of people don't like talking about internal threats. make it sound like some sort of thoughtcrime.