Gird Your Blogs!

Gird Your Blogs!
Under "Cybersecurity", Congress Will Be the Internet's Greatest Threat!

By Brad O'Leary

Gird your blogs, because if liberals in Congress get their way, President Obama will have sole discretionary authority to shut down the Internet or critical parts of the Internet should he feel his presidency is being tested. Worse, under the guise of cybersecurity, Obama will essentially be granted the power to destroy free speech on the web.

On April 1st of this year, Senators Rockefeller, Snowe, Bayh and Nelson introduced bills S. 773 and S.778, collectively called the Cybersecurity Act, which would give President Obama dictatorial power over the Internet during a time of national crisis or emergency.

All of the bills' sponsors voted for the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 that prohibited organizations and individuals from running advocacy ads against candidates 60 days in advance of a general election. Now it seems these same people have conjured up a gag order for the Internet.

According to the current drafts, under the Cyber Security Act of 2009 the President may "declare a cybersecurity emergency and order the limitation or shut down of Internet traffic to and from any comprised federal government or United States critical infrastructure information system or network". He may also "order the disconnection of any Federal Government or United States critical infrastructure information systems or networks in the interest of national security."

What constitutes "cybersecurity emergency" or "critical infrastructure information system or network" is left completely up to the President to define. We know that the Administration, according to Rahm Emanuel, never wants "a serious crisis to go to waste". We also know the Administration supports the regulation of free speech on the Internet.

President Obama's choice to lead the powerful Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs is none other than Cass Sunstein, a radical Harvard law professor and supporter of the Fairness Doctrine for the Internet. According to Sunstein, "A system of limitless individual choices, with respect to communications, is not necessarily in the interest of citizenship and self-government."

Obama campaign fundraiser and FCC Chair nominee, Julius Genachowski, is a supporter of "Net neutrality", the first step in applying the Fairness Doctrine to the Internet.

"Net neutrality" proponents like Genachowski would have government decide what content Internet operators and network owners must provide. Incredibly, they claim this is to keep the Internet free and open to all, when in reality, their goal is to usher the heavy hands of federal regulators into the tent.

Stifling any venue where ideology competes with left-wing mainstream media has always been a goal of the left and Obama. Obama has just been more evasive in his means by supporting policies such as "net neutrality" and wobbling on the reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine to talk radio. Liberal members of Congress are now set on sending America on an unconstitutional b-line away from Uncle Sam and directly to Big Brother.

The Cybersecurity Act is also includes a provision where "The Department of Commerce shall serve as the clearinghouse of cybersecuirty threat and vulnerability information to the Federal Government and private sector owned (emphasis mine) critical infrastructure information systems and networks." Shelving all privacy laws including the requirement for warrants, the Secretary of Commerce "shall have access to all relevant data concerning such networks without regard to any provision of law, regulation, rule or policy restricting such access." Senator Rockefeller made it clear in his statement what "relevant data" this act could include when he stated "We must protect our critical infrastructure at all costs – from our water to our electricity, to banking, traffic lights and electronic health records – the list goes on."

While we have worried about cyber attacks from Russia and China, who would have thought the greatest threat would come from members of our own Congress.

Random Happy Thoughts

I decided to post some vignettes I wrote to be used for a radio station which wants to put our region on the map as the better alternative to pricey New England. Being that they are pretty universal in their sympathies and ability create warm fuzzies, I decided to post them here for a change of pace to all that's sober and serious.

MUD SEASON

Here in Route 6 country there is a transitory time between winter and spring when anticipation is high and our spirits have to carry us through the mud – literally. Many’s the time when our family would have to park at the end of a mile long driveway and battle the temptation to grumble about it. Once that battle’s won, the beauty of the circumstance reveals itself. Bodies, overpacked with cushioning against the winter chills, are forced to move into action and with the blood flow comes an invigorating sense of coming alive with the rest of creation which has spent the last 4 months in dormancy. Walking along inevitably provides opportunity for connecting with one another that a swift car ride home aborts. We find ourselves lost in the moment, not minding the molasses-like pull of the mud on our boots, but inadvertently willing the walk to last as long as possible. The spring calls of the returning birds provide the background symphony for a setting of reconnecting with the pace of nature in the midst of our high-tech realities. The kids, now young adults, revert to a childhood tradition as they look around for “signs of spring” and we all rejoice to see little patches of coltsfoot coming to life. Our talk is light, yet deepens the bonds between us and the reality of a fifth season in our year, mud season, only adds to our rejoicing at the blessing of being able to live in such a place.

SPRING

Ahhh, spring! The great outdoors testify at every turn to the glorious new beginnings of life and hopes. One can’t help but gain an enlarged vision as you walk a trail which has undergone the ravages of a stormy winter and yet, with the feistyness of the American spirit, pushes forth new life to overcome what is drab and dead. Life just jumps out at you and fills every sensory channel enlisted to take it all in. Chickadees, mating, call to eachother in suave tones very unlike their chattering throughout the long winter. Peepers make our own hearts sing as they announce the cycle of life ready to burst forth at the ponds. A flock of baby turkeys crosses the path unaware that you are once more in awe of the many reminders of the beauty of families. Rivers and streams join in spring”s New Life symphony as they swell with the God-given refreshment of new rain mixed with the meltdown of the winter’s icy countenance. The air smells of fresh earth and brings to mind the mouth-watering produce all the seedlings being carefully tended indoors will soon produce. And then there’s the children’s laughter. Winter frolics can’t compare, in the bondage of snow gear and heavy boots, to the liberty of running sneaker-clad and coatless through an open field. Enveloped in the spring sunshine, cavorting with the warm breezes, one’s spirit swells watching the children laugh and play as ones released into a carefree fairyland. This is life in Route 6 country!

SUGARIN' TIME

Sometime in that quiet lull between winter and spring, unseen and unheard, there is a hidden pressurization towards a cellular dam break within sugar maple trees. With the temperatures freezing at night and warmer during the days, this dynamic transition occurs and the joys of “Sugaring Time” are heralded from the hilltops to the dales of Route 6 country. Piles of wood stacked the previous year are ‘on deck’, ready to be tossed into the boilers where they’ll fuel the fires, round the clock, for as many weeks as the sap continues to run. Sugar shacks dotting the landscape all around send up their seasonal smoke signals that the boiling has begun. From commercial operations, to small family experiments, from huge tank trucks and evaporators to small pails and pots over an open fire, families join together for this seasonal harvest of liquid gold. Everyone has a part to play whether it be harvesting the sap, feeding the fire, stirring the boiling sap, working the finished syrup through filters, filling bottles, grading the product or just being an on-hand taste tester. The aroma coming from the evaporating pan makes every mouth water in anticipation of the many recipes which will take a sweet turn as the new harvest is added to everything from cakes to stews or is poured into milk or over ice cream. Many varying grades of the syrup conform to the many taste preferences of its fans. The lightest is considered the fancy grade, with the most delicate maple flavor, while the darkest is has the more robust maple flavor, best for baking. Stories and fun flow as easily as the sap as the comraderie of work has its magical effect. Many’s the long watch of the night for those on duty in the sugar shacks, but it’s a season none would trade as an opportunity for quality time with friends and family or just musing on the privileges of country living.