White House Preparing Executive Order As A Stand-In For CISPA

Has anyone here seen the movie Live Free or Die Hard? If you did, when you were watching it, didn't you wonder if it wasn't a very real possibility that perhaps no one was prepared for? As in the Government not being prepared?

There are so many versions of this same idea that have been going through the mill in Congress and most of them are so bogged down with details, reading them makes a person want to tear their hair out...one hair at a time. So I guess since the first one didn't set well with certain members of Congress, a few others got together to draft their own version, in their opinion, 'improved'...but still the hairs start to be pulled out one by one. It appears to me to have turned into an inefficient and unnecessary competition that was more about one-up-man-ship that actually protecting anyone or anything.

And there are several variations on this same concern...there is the one issue related to power grids and what-not as in the Bruce Willis movie...and then there is the information-sharing risk that comes from hiring contractors such as Serco (questionable anyway for other reason unrelated to this) to do work for the government that involves sensitive information about employees and servicemen and -women...in the sort of incident described here. where

A laptop stolen from a government contractor last month contained names, addresses and Social Security numbers of more than 207,000 U.S. Army reservists(...)

What's worse, because of the nature of the contract, there was a chance that it was not only the reservists whose personal information was accessible but their dependents, too...spouses and children.

I have been seeing these type incidents pop up in the news now and then for a few years already. Hackers interested in Government data are SERIOUS hackers. Again...think about the Bruce Willis movie.

There is also an issue in some of these proposed bills about how to preserve the confidentiality of the clients for the utility companies which would come under the protection...wanting to protect them without having to know who they are...but these days, addresses come with names and names come with a whole lot of details attached somehow. Some were too heavy-handed and others too lax...some with wording too vague...or so exacting that the reader goes bald.

A couple of posters also mentioned how ineffective Congress has been lately...this is absolutely true. It is a mess and no one wants to get it together and get something done and everyone is blaming the other one...and I really don't think in this case that the alternative media news outlets and such are doing any good for anyone because they are writing articles based on other articles written about something not completely understood and/or misconstrued and/or not actually related...I'm sure there was someone who actually reported on the original source somewhere down the line but after two or three spin-off articles, it isn't even close to accurate...and then throw in the party line. It isn't easy to understand the way Congress works...but it helps to sort of try...and it helps to go to the source yourself to check and see what the heck they are really talking about. 9 times out of 10 it isn't very good reporting at all...the more details that are added, the messier it gets.

Here is the 2012 Cybersecurity Act that one of the articles in this thread links to....the one that was three years in the making. A word of caution...this one is a hair-puller.

This is Senator McCain's version, titled "Secure It."

And for anyone still worried that the President is writing Executive Orders designed to remove YOUR internet freedoms and access...read this EO issued in June. If you are having trouble understanding what the heck he's saying...understandably...here are a couple of articles that lay it out a little better for us regular folk...from TIA and governing.com.

No one wants to take anyone's internet away...and this EO is aimed at increasing broadband service, especially to areas 'under-served' such as rural areas and *the-middle-of-no-where.*

Maybe they are worried about this....couldn't resist, it was on TV the other night:

Originally posted by timetothink
reply to post by MidnightTide

 

They seem to be passing EO on a daily basis anymore, doubt MSM will even blink an eye and report on it...it's SOP these days....end run around the law.

Yeah, I think the Go daddy thing was a set up.

Obama's Executive order rate is almost exactly on par with George W Bush's. Lower than Clinton's, Reagan's, Nixon's, Johnson's, Eisenhower's, and Truman's. If it seems like they are passing EOs on a daily basis nowadays, it's probably because you've just recently started paying attention to them, or because the media you're exposed to is focusing more on aobama, or recent presidents in general. If anything, the EO rate over the past 10-20 years is lower than the previous 20.

Also, PLEASE, everybody in Internet Land, PLEASE stop using "anymore" the opposite of how it is supposed to be used.

reply to post by dogstar23


Sorry I type fast and wasn't expecting a grammar lesson....

more important things to worry about.





3 1/2 years Obama 137 EOs as of today.
8 years Bush 290
8 years Clinton 363
4 years Bush 165
8 years Reagan 380
4 years Carter 319

And just for giggles...Roosevelt...too many years.....3466 EO's


By the way....I think manners are more important than grammar...

Originally posted by SWCCFAN
I hope the POTUS signs it and then shuts the internet down!

Then the arm chair commandos and patriots will have to either find a new hobby or walk the walk.

Slaves wake up!

I simply ask that I be left alone.

I will defend my right to be left alone.

Something as sweeping as this MUST be passed in the daylight.

Obozo writes an EO for this needs to be shown th #ING DOOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Executive order is basically the politically correct way of saying...

We will do what ever we want whenever we want...

Just another way to circumvent the government created by our fore fathers.

When are "WE THE PEOPLE" going to stand up and say enough is enough...

Is everyone just waiting to see what happens by the end of this year?

reply to post by MidnightTide


When a democratic government no longer need the approval of its people, the nation has turned into a dictatorship.

We are witnessing the death of democracy in America.

Originally posted by bwcawaterbear
Some executive orders are given out because the congress hasn't got the cojones to just get the job done, much of what has been happening is this. The President, or any President is often faced with issues so dire that someone has to make a decision and usually congress is given consideration to do the job first. I am not so sure that you may understand what is at risk besides the possibility of control of the Internet. You not having any Internet might be the option without any kind of cybersecurity executive order. Does anyone here realize how much money is wasted while congress dithers? Executive orders can cut through all the bull and just do something as opposed to doing nothing but talking incessantly and never accomplishing anything. Congress has become irrelavant. Their track records speaks for itself.

Just because it's an issue YOU'D like to see taken care of doesn't mean the president can make a "ruling" on it. Making "law"is supposed to be hard and by consent of the governed not decree! Otherwise its just tyranny of a monarchy. Just because you like it doesn't make it right.

What about the next administration or the third one after that decides it doesn't like Hispanics an decrees all brown skinned people should move to New Mexico in preparation for mandatory migration elsewhere?.. Repulsive? yes. And also outside the bounds of the chief executive.; even if"something" is beneficial you don't throw the baby out with the bath water and blow off "the system".

Congress can't/won'twork together?We have elections every couple of years. Congress can'/won't work with the chief executive ; we get to "redo" him every 4. After200+years;Few things are that important they have to be done in 30 days or less.

All of the other acts being struck down, which means that the people don't want this sort of law, yet they try to pass an executive order, therefore making the democracy on this subject effectively null and void?

Does this always happen in the US?


Posted Via ATS Mobile: m.abovetopsecret.com

so.. they want to tighten up cyber security, because hackers are leaking info on people who have been committing crimes, instead of try to work with the people exposing the corruption for a better america - ending all the hacking without having to sign any papers except checks to the hackers.

reply to post by queenannie38


I would love to hear your tune if a Republican president was about to do this.

To me this doesn't matter, giving any one person the ability to just sign something into law is scary. Yes, we will have to wait and see until this thing gets signed....but kind of late then isn't it?

Originally posted by bwcawaterbear
I might be crazy, but maybe you could tell me what the risks are for cyberspace? What do you think they are worried about happening? What could happen if steps aren't taken to try and make cyber space more secure? You do understand that our grid is already compromised by two other countries precisely because there was not any cyber security and that the current smartgrid is easily hacked. SO you like your lights to keep on shining don;t you? I mean you like your computer to turn on don't you? All of that comes with a price. The picture of what could happen and what already has happened is so much more vast that if what they are worried about does end up happening you will be begging them to just fix it anyway they can. Unfortunately, it would take more time than anyone has the patience for. I would be much more worried about the NDAA if I were you.

Do You understand the military branches All have "cyber security commands" who are tasked to prepare to defend the country against cyber attacks already?????????????
not to mention the "puzzle palace"the NSA....

I stand corrected: I see these are focused on d.o.d. nets and civilian stuff falls under Aunt Janets homeland Zecurity( paperzzzzzz pleez!?)"

There are concerns that the Pentagon and NSA will overshadow any civilian cyber defense efforts.[24] There are also concerns on whether the command will assist in civilian cyber defense efforts.[25] According to Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn, the command "will lead day-to-day defense and protection of all DOD networks. It will be responsible for DOD's networks – the dot-mil world. Responsibility for federal civilian networks – dot-gov – stays with the Department of Homeland Security, and that's exactly how it should be."[26] Alexander notes, however, that if faced with cyber hostilities an executive order could expand Cyber Command's spectrum of operations to include, for instance, assisting the Department of Homeland Security defend their networks.[27]
en.wikipedia.org...

Just to clarify this a bit, if Obama does sign this EO, then Congress has 30 days to act upon it. If they don't (and we all know they won't without some persuasion) it becomes law.

Since there is nothing we can do to stop the king, then every person in Congress needs to be convinced that they will be voted out of office in the next election if they don't do something to stop this!

Originally posted by bwcawaterbear
SO you like your lights to keep on shining don;t you? I mean you like your computer to turn on don't you? All of that comes with a price.

What do you think, that there's a web site with a _javascript on/off switch? Do you actually think the power companies have entire cities controlled by the internet? What exactly do you think they did for the first 100 years that we didn't have the internet?

You have bought into government propaganda. If you don't believe me then show me evidence that the grid is connected directly to the internet.

It would be completely unnecessary and beyond wreckless for a single power plant, never mind an entire electrical grid, to have any control accessible on a publically available medium. I work in a data center for a huge software company, and they are not dumb enough to expose critical servers to outside attacks, so obviously electrical power companies better be just as cautious or they shouldn't be in business.

Stop swallowing what the government-controlled media is feeding you.

Perhaps there is more ability to prevent an event such as the Northeast Blackout of 2003 in networking is involved?

That event also shows something that has always existed in our infrastructure which is connectivity. Whether there is internet involved or not....the electrical grid is not independent in any location.

reply to post by domasio


No...mainly just when Congress stymies itself and can't get anything done. That is what is happening now.
Not always, though...I'm sure abuse could enter into it.

But in Obama's case, so far, I don't see that. And when I say that, differing drastically from 'popular' opinion, it is because I don't believe opinions as fact but rather seek to find out what is really happening then form my own opinion. Often, it is the unpopular exception that I come up with...but I don't go by the majority ruled emotionally driven, rarely into research, hysteria.

Here is the first page of titles/links of the most recent Executive orders issued by President Obama:

Executive Orders

September 10, 2012
Executive Order -- Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration
August 31, 2012
Executive Order -- Improving Access to Mental Health Services for Veterans, Service Members, and Military Families
August 30, 2012
Executive Order -- Accelerating Investment in Industrial Energy Efficiency
August 10, 2012
Executive Order -- Preventing and Responding to Violence Against Women and Girls Globally
July 26, 2012
Executive Order -- White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans
July 20, 2012
Executive Order -- Taking Additional Steps to Address the National Emergency with Respect to Somalia
July 11, 2012
Executive Order -- Blocking Property of Persons Threatening the Peace, Security, or Stability of Burma
July 06, 2012
Executive Order -- Assignment of National Security and Emergency Preparedness Communications Functions
June 25, 2012
Executive Order--Russian Highly Enriched Uranium
June 14, 2012
Executive Order -- Accelerating Broadband Infrastructure Deployment

If you want to see what each one says, or the rest of the list, go here.

reply to post by queenannie38


Why would you even use that as an example? The 2003 power blackout was from human error (and negligent) and a software issue. Someone didn't hack into the grid.


reply to post by queenannie38



So bypass all the balances put in place to limit power and just throw one mans decision, Republican or Democrat, is just insane.

reply to post by MidnightTide


In answer to your first question...because there are several in agreement in this thread that somehow it is not important to safeguard our power grid...and that is not connected inherently...that protecting cyber networks related to the power grid should not be that important...and that if that be the case, just remove it from that method of management.

And if you read about the incident in 2003, computers WERE involved...and it could even be that the origination of the problem that led to the blackout didn't even happen in the US but the US was affected the most.

In answer to your second question...there is not time or space for me to educate you on what is going on in Congress...that is your own responsibility..and since you undertake to fill that duty in the way that you do...resulting in the way that you see things...there is nothing I can do to help. You may believe you are very informed but your perspective is quite narrow and you depend greatly on other people's opinions to form your own without making sure their opinions are justified or based in the kind of research you, yourself, ought to be doing if you are really as concerned as you purport yourself to be. I read a lot of your posts and they don't even reflect the possibility that you are actually reading much more than just titles or maybe you don't even click on the links...I don't know...