A Senate committee unanimously approved major cybersecurity legislation which would allow Brother O to shut down Internet networks, block incoming Internet traffic from certain countries, and force private websites to comply with broad cybersecurity measures.

Last Thursday the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee agreed to send the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act of 2010 to the Senate floor for a vote. The Act will create a White House Office of Cyberspace Policy and a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) center to adopt cybersecurity policies related to federal and private sector networks.

The legislation, crafted by Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Tom Carper (D-DE) is aimed at bringing the Internet under the regulatory power of the federal government. Lieberman’s “Kill switch” bill parallels last year’s legislation by Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) granting the government power to disconnect certain websites.

“We need this capacity in a time of war…. for the president to say, ‘Internet service provider, we’ve got to disconnect the American Internet from all traffic coming in from another foreign country, or we have to put a patch on this part of it’.” –Joe (Droopy Dog) Lieberman on CNN’s State of the Union with Candy Crowley

Droopy Dog’s “Kill switch” bill would hand Brother O absolute power to shut down the Internet for at least four months without Congressional oversight. His loosely worded bill also gives DHS’ new National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications (NCCC) “significant authority” to monitor the “security status” of private websites, ISPs and other U.S. net-related business, and critical internet components in other countries.

“Companies would be required to take part in ‘information sharing’ with the government and certify to the NCCC that they have implemented approved security measures. Furthermore, any company that ‘relies on’ the internet, telephone system or any other part of the U.S. ‘information infrastructure’ would also be ‘subject to command’ by the NCCC under the proposed new law.” — Andy Chalk

Privacy and civil liberties groups fear that Droopy Dog’s “Kill switch” bill would grant Brother O the power to declare a “national cyber-emergency” at his discretion, which could force private Internet service providers and search engines to limit or cut off a whistle-blowing or political site’s connection to the Web for blaming or criticizing the Bread and Circuses administration.

“We have seen through recent history that in an emergency, the Executive Branch will interpret grants of power very broadly.” –Gregory Nojeim, from the Center for Democracy and Technology, a group that promotes Internet freedom

“The way it seems to be worded, the bill could easily represent a threat to free speech.” –Wayne Crews, vice president of the Competitive Enterprise Institute

Droopy Dog is pushing his “Kill switch” bill “at lightning speed” because he says the country’s “economic security, national security and public safety are now all at risk from … cyber-warriors, cyber-spies, cyber-terrorists and cyber-criminals.”

“The need for this legislation is obvious and urgent.” –Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT)

“We cannot afford to wait for a cyber 9/11 before our government realizes the importance of protecting our cyber resources.” –Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)

Ginning up fears to rush legislation helps to mask the “Kill switch” bill’s real purpose, which is to keep the alternative Internet media from exposing the mainstream media propagandists in their whitewashing of government favoritisms, cover-ups, and atrocities. After all, the fear card worked to rush through and hide the real agenda behind the Wallstreet/Automotive industry bailouts, the Porkulus package, and the ObamaCare bill.

Interestingly, the communist Chinese also claim the need to police and censor the Web to maintain security and combat cyber warfare, but the totalitarian government’s real agenda is to silence those who criticize it. It would appear that Droopy Dog, whom Glenn Beck heralds as a man of honor, wants to add a technological iron curtain to quell America’s ambiance.

“Right now China, the government, can disconnect parts of its Internet in case of war and we need to have that here too.” –Lieberman told Crowley

First Iran shuts down the Internet to quash a revolution, then Pakistan shuts down Facebook and Google to blackout “Everybody Draw Mohammad Day,” and now members of the U.S. Senate are mimicking communist China’s censorship and coercion policies to stifle Internet media outlets and bloggers who are quickly displacing the statists’ mainstream press organs.

Lieberman, whom Sean Hannity embraces as a friend and a “good guy,” declares his bill is “not a big deal,” and that his critics are over reacting and “intentionally peddling misinformation.” According to the conscience of the Senate, the President already has the authority under the Communications Act to close any facility or station for wire communication, “So I say to my friends on the Internet, relax.”

In the wake of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) floating of the Drudge tax as a way to fund mainstream newspapers and to tax out of existence their competitors in the alternative media, George Orwell’s discernment might be better suited for Lieberman than either Hannity’s or Beck’s.

“Political language … is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”

Lieberman: China Can Shut Down The Internet, Why Can’t We (2:04 Video)

Competitive Enterprise Institute — Lieberman-Collins-Carper Bill Threatens Nation’s Cybersecurity

The federal-local law enforcement partnership to deal with criminal aliens has been weakened by the Obama administration.

As most of you may already know, the federal government has a program called “Program 287g” which allows local law enforcement to cooperate with federal law enforcement to enforce immigration law. This program is in operation in dozens of states and counties around the country and has been a great success wherever it has been established. It was set up to allow local police to detain, interrogate, and even begin deportation procedures on illegal immigrants.

Well, now the Obama administration, in the person of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chief Janet Napolitano, is doing everything possible to undermine Program 287(g). I suspect that the thinking in the Obama administration is that they don’t want to do anything that might lower the number of illegals in the US as they want as many of them as possible around for the day when they expect to push through amnesty for them.

Now Judicial Watch is fighting back. They have filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the DHS to fight their undermining of Program 287g.

Judicial Watch Files FOIA Lawsuit Againt DHS

Local communities across the country are taking advantage of a federal program, called 287(g), to train law enforcement officers in illegal immigration enforcement techniques. And it’s working. These newly trained police officers are shutting down illegal alien crime and helping to deport illegal alien criminals out of the country.

What is the Obama administration’s response to the success of this program? Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano decided to implement “reforms” to weaken it as part of her comprehensive “review” of all border security policies. Judicial Watch, of course, wants to know everything about how and why this incomprehensible decision was made, which is why we filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last week….

We filed our original FOIA request on July 20. The DHS acknowledged receipt of the request on July 30 and then granted itself extra time to process it. (We see this quite a bit with our FOIA requests — the federal government simply ignores the statutory 20-day response window and allocates more time for processing.) However, DHS has not abided by its own extended deadline and has not provided Judicial Watch with a date certain when it will provide responsive documents or demonstrate that responsive records are exempt from production.

As you may recall from previous installments in this space, law enforcement officers have indicated that 287(g) has helped them to significantly reduce crime rates. And, thanks to Judicial Watch’s public education efforts highlighting the program, at least 67 local law enforcement agencies currently take advantage of 287(g), up from 27 in 2006.

According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the program has identified more than 70,000 individuals suspected of being in the country illegally since January 2006….

However, despite the fact that 287(g) is clearly working, the Obama administration seems intent on undermining the program. Arizona’s Maricopa County Sherriff Joe Arpaio is a particular target of this “reform.” Because of his successful and comprehensive implementation of 287 (g), “America’s Toughest Sherriff” has been the target of attacks by the usual pro-illegal alien suspects, such as the ACLU and so-called Hispanic rights groups. Leftists in the Obama Justice Department also initiated a “civil rights” investigation that seems like straight-up intimidation and harassment.

The vast majority of Americans want federal immigration laws enforced. Local law enforcement officers can contribute to this process and they have every legal right to do so. You can be sure that 287(g) is under attack because Obama appointees have an “amnesty” agenda at odds with enforcing the law. No wonder we’ve had such a difficult time getting these documents.

America’s toughest sheriff, Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, has been using 287(g) to good advantage — SHERIFF’S FEDERALLY TRAINED DEPUTIES MAKE 40 MORE ARRESTS

(Phoenix, AZ) Maricopa County Sheriff’s federally trained deputies (under the 287g agreement) last night arrested 40 illegal aliens during a human smuggling saturation patrol in the North Valley over a four hour period. The arrests were made during four separate traffic stops near Anthem Way.

Sheriff Arpaio stated that his human smuggling deputies arrested 25 illegal aliens during the investigation on state felony human smuggling charges which is a class four felony. Those arrested last night on state human smuggling charges admitted to paying between $1,000 and $5,000 for illegal entry into the United States from Mexico.

The remaining 15 illegal aliens arrested were processed by sheriff’s deputies and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Last night’s arrests bring the total booked under state felony human smuggling charges by sheriff’s deputies to 1,637 since the law was enacted.

Sheriff Arpaio commented on recent reports that claim the flow of illegal aliens has slowed down into the United States but every time his deputies have gone out they have had no problem making numerous arrests in short periods of time.

These same human smuggling deputies arrested four Chinese illegal aliens originating from Beijing less than a week ago at the exact same location. They also appeared to be using Mexican smugglers to gain illegal entry into the United States through Mexico.

Program 287(g) adds the resources of state and local law enforcement to the efforts of the federal government to defend our national security from criminal invaders.  We should support Judicial Watch in their efforts to prevent Janet Napolitano from weakening the program with “reforms.”

…is just the same.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has a new expression for terrorism — man-caused disasters. In an interview with the German paper Der Spiegel, she stated that her job is to help prepare for risks from man-caused disasters.

SPIEGEL: Madame Secretary, in your first testimony to the US Congress as Homeland Security Secretary you never mentioned the word “terrorism.” Does Islamist terrorism suddenly no longer pose a threat to your country?

Napolitano: Of course it does. I presume there is always a threat from terrorism. In my speech, although I did not use the word “terrorism,” I referred to “man-caused” disasters. That is perhaps only a nuance, but it demonstrates that we want to move away from the politics of fear toward a policy of being prepared for all risks that can occur.

Really? Watch this video of a speech by Kuwaiti Professor Abdallah Al-Nafisi, who dreams of an Allah-inspired Muslim carrying a suitcase full of anthrax onto the White House lawn and killing 330,000 people. He sounds so polite, so reasonable.

Fox News calls this Word Play:

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has an explanation about why she never mentioned the word “terrorism” during her first testimony on Capitol Hill….

James Carafano, senior research fellow at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation says: “By deliberately trying not to use the T word they run a serious political risk. If something does happen, they’ll be accused of taking their eye off the ball and no amount of explanation after the fact will suffice.”

Take their eyes off the ball? They act like they don’t even know there is a ball. I doubt the Secretary has watched that video!

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This fits in with the larger thought police action, which renames the Globar War on Terror (Bush-ism) to Overseas Contingency Operation (Obama-speak). The Washington Post reports:

‘Global War On Terror’ Is Given New Name
Bush’s Phrase Is Out, Pentagon Says
Wednesday, March 25, 2009

The Obama administration appears to be backing away from the phrase “global war on terror,” a signature rhetorical legacy of its predecessor.

In a memo e-mailed this week to Pentagon staff members, the Defense Department’s office of security review noted that “this administration prefers to avoid using the term ‘Long War’ or ‘Global War on Terror’ [GWOT.] Please use ‘Overseas Contingency Operation.’ “….

Coincidentally or not, senior administration officials had been publicly using the phrase “overseas contingency operations” in a war context for roughly a month before the e-mail was sent….