Power and Magic!

socialuprooting:

The FBI has been lobbying top internet companies like Yahoo and Google to support a proposal that would force them to provide backdoors for government surveillance, according to CNET.

The Bureau has been quietly meeting with representatives of these companies, as well as Microsoft (which owns Hotmail and Skype), Facebook and others to argue for a legislative proposal, drafted by the FBI, that would require social-networking sites and VoIP, instant messaging and e-mail providers to alter their code to make their products wiretap-friendly.

The FBI has previously complained to Congress about the so-called “Going Dark” problem – the difficulty of doing effective wiretap surveillance as more communications have moved from traditional telephone services to internet service companies.

Under the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, or CALEA, passed in 1994, telecommunications providers are required to make their systems wiretap-friendly. The Federal Communications Commission extended CALEA in 2004 to apply to broadband providers like ISPs and colleges, but web companies are not covered by the law.

anukkinearthwalker:

socialuprooting:

Remember the NDAA? Yeah, for a variety of reasons that bill got a lot of attention last year - mostly focused on the question of detainment of terrorists. But there are some other nuggets in the bill, including one tidbit about “military activities in cyberspace.” The existing version of the NDAA does grant the Defense Department the ability to conduct such military activities, but only “upon direction by the President” and if the purpose is to “defend our Nation, Allies and interests,” subject to existing laws. 

The House Armed Services Committee is getting ready to do a markup on the NDAA that includes a change to that section (section 954), which expands the powers of the Defense Department, and basically gives it broad powers to conduct any military actions online - with it specifically calling out clandestine operations online. Here’s the text they want to substitute:

SEC. 954. MILITARY ACTIVITIES IN CYBERSPACE. 

‘‘(a) AFFIRMATION.—Congress affirms that the Secretary of Defense is authorized to conduct military activities in cyberspace. 

‘‘(b) AUTHORITY DESCRIBED.—The authority referred to in subsection (a) includes the authority to carry out a clandestine operation in cyberspace—

‘‘(1) in support of a military operation pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (50 U.S.C. 1541 note; Public Law 107-40) against a target located outside of the United States; or 

‘‘(2) to defend against a cyber attack against an asset of the Department of Defense.

‘‘(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the authority of the Secretary of Defense to conduct military activities in cyberspace.’”

Note a bunch of slightly sneaky things going on here. First, it gives blanket powers to the DoD, rather than saying it can only take actions on the President’s direction. While we may not have much faith that the President wouldn’t let the DoD do such things, giving such blanket approval upfront, rather than requiring specific direction is a pretty big change. 

Second, and perhaps more important, the new language specifically grants the DOD (and the NSA, which is a part of DOD) the power to conduct “clandestine operations.” This is (on purpose) left basically undefined. Combine this with the fact that the “Authorization of Use of Military Force” is so broadly defined in the current government, this then grants the DOD/NSA extremely broad powers to conduct “clandestine” operations with little oversight. Related to this is that it removes the restriction that the DOD must take actions that are “subject to the policy principles and legal regimes that the Department follows for kinetic capabilities, including the law of armed conflicts.” Instead it lets them use such powers, without these restrictions, against anyone declared an enemy under the AUMF (lots and lots of people) or in any effort to stop a cyberattack against the DOD - which again you can bet would be defined broadly. This is a pretty big expansion of online “war” powers for the Defense Department, with what appears to be less oversight. And all done while people are looking the other way.

still watch the watchers…they still dont see me…

swanblood:

iamthethunder:

teaandtheatre:

freedominwickedness:

verbalresistance:

Greece’s Jewish community on Monday sent its members a laconic, factual e-mail. Without any interpretive adornment, the message conveyed a few dry facts. In elections staged on Sunday, the Golden Dawn neo-Nazi party won 7 percent of the country’s popular vote - a tally twice the minimum threshold level required to send representatives to parliament.

The update also included information about districts in which Jews live, and also biographies of the delegates that the far-right party will send to parliament. All told, Golden Dawn will have 21 parliament seats out of 300.

The day after the elections, Greece’s Jewish community is still trying to make sense of the results and new facts, and is cautious about drawing conclusions about the stunning gains notched by the militant, ultra-nationalist party which seeks to restore Greece’s national pride and expel foreigners. Asked about the first, postelection step to be taken by his party, Nikolaos Michaloliakos - Golden Dawn’s founder and chairman - responded: “All illegal immigration will be stopped. They [foreigners] will have to leave - they must leave.”

The explosion of rage following the elections has left members of Greece’s Jewish community - and many others - confused. It is not difficult to read signs of concern about the rise of extremism in the country. While fascist parties are not new on Greece’s political landscape, the country’s current economic crisis has stirred an unprecedented number of outraged citizens to turn to extremist politics.

Some 750,000 voters in Greece cast ballots for a party that expressly articulates neo-Nazi sentiments, and which publicly sings Nazi songs and openly bandies about Nazi symbols. David Saltiel, president of Greece’s Central Board of Jewish Communities, issued a careful statement after the elections, saying that “the Jewish community is examining the situation.”

Speaking from Salonika in a telephone conversation, Saltiel added that he was surprised by the number of votes Golden Dawn received. “In the last national elections, they didn’t pass the threshold level, but in this election, voters banded together in protest against the country’s two large parties, and that helped the small parties.”

In the aftermath of the elections, it will be difficult for any of the parties to cobble together a coalition, and so a second round of balloting is likely. Saltiel does not find that scenario daunting. “Should there be another ballot, we hope the Greeks will think things through, and that the level of support for Dawn will decrease. In any event, I think the parliament will isolate the extreme right. We are examining the situation; the Greeks are not afraid, and democracy will continue.”

Saltiel added: “Right now, Golden Dawn is not coming out against Jews; instead, it attacks immigrants. Still, there are right-wing extremists, and we need to assess the situation and see how Greece’s democracy will deal with this. There is no reason for worry.”

Greece’s Jewish community is comprised of 5,000 people. Most are secular or traditional, and only a few go out in public with visible Jewish symbols. One who does is the Chabad emissary in Salonika, Yoel Kaplan. “As one who wears Hasidic clothing in the street I encounter some unpleasant words, but not acts,” Kaplan says.

Verbal violence

When exit poll results were announced on Sunday, he says, “Golden Dawn supporters in Salonika took to the streets, and it was a mess. I don’t flee the streets - when I need to go out, I go out. Mainly, the threat is dealing with verbal violence; that has no meaning, for me.”

Kaplan insists that Golden Dawn’s presence has been limited recently to street rallies, though he acknowledges that in the past two years, there have been arson incidents against synagogues in Corfu and elsewhere.

“Now, Golden Dawn members feel emboldened,” he says, “and you can’t ignore the neo-Nazi atmosphere that is heating up here. At one of their street rallies, somebody said to me something like, ‘You Jews control everything here.’ Yet, on the other hand, what they’ve taken on as their main agenda is attacking immigrants who come to Greece from African and Balkan states, and this is happening because the borders are open. They don’t seem to have any current grudge against the Jews.”

Nelly Kapon, a prominent figure in Salonika’s Jewish community, believes the rise of the extreme right derives from rage felt by many citizens in Greece against illegal immigrants. Still, she is wary of Golden Dawn’s intentions regarding the country’s Jewish population. “The party is not against Jews now, but this is a Nazi party, and they don’t try to hide that,” she says.

Discussing the past activities and agendas of other right-wing parties in Greece, Kapon notes that Golden Dawn has a much more extremist, violent-sounding platform. “Golden Dawn is much more extremist, and now it has won 21 seats in the parliament,” she says.

Haaretz

The resurgence of white supremacist ideology in Europe is deeply concerning and must be stopped by any means necessary.

Oh, fuck….Looks like a Teabagger party over there….

I was wondering if it is time for a bit of faith in humanity.  My question just got answered.

Why, society. Why.

I understand why it might be fun to be a leader of a country and you can kick out all the people who you don’t like, the ones who smell funny or call you names or don’t like your favorite animal. When you are 5 years old. And playing pretend.

I don’t understand why ANYONE thinks this is a good idea to put into real politics. And why it’s happening so much all over the world.

It seems WWII taught us all jack shit.

fearandwar:

The Right Wing decided it wanted to play Monday Morning Quarterback with my lady parts this year. It seems like an odd choice for a recreational activity, especially since there’s no legislative or medical reason to suddenly introduce radically restrictive and dangerous legislation on women’s health and bodies. Maybe someone should introduce them to Pinterest instead.

Here are our Top 10 Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Attacks on Women’s Rights (just in the last 6 months!)

1. The Blunt Amendment. Reasonable religious exemptions weren’t enough for Roy Blunt. This amendment would have allowed your employer – not your doctor - to decide what kind of health care you could get based on his or her own personal moral or religious convictions.
2. The All-Male Birth Control Panel, or the Man Panel. Congressman Darrell Issa convened a panel to discuss the coverage of birth control – but refused to include any women.
3. Susan G. Komen Foundation defunds Planned Parenthood. Komen opted to cut off funding to the largest provider of reproductive health services in the US because of their new VP’s objection to a mere 3% of their activities.
4. Rush Limbaugh Calls Sandra Fluke a Prostitute and a Slut. After Sandra Fluke stood up for women everywhere, Rush Limbaugh took to the airwaves and called her a prostitute and a slut for speaking out in favor of birth control coverage. He also said she should have to put videos of her having sex online to compensate the taxpayers who “are going to pay for your contraceptives.” Classy.
5. Forced Trans-Vaginal Ultrasounds. Republican legislators in Virginia invited the commonwealth into the exam room when they proposed a bill that would require women seeking abortions to undergo an invasive, medically-unnecessary vaginal probe before their procedure.
6. Texas defunds Planned Parenthood. Under Governor Rick Perry, the state of Texas banned funding to Planned Parenthood because it provides abortion services. In the end, though, this fight has only served to hurt low-income women looking for breast cancer screenings, birth control and pap smears.
7. Women in the Military Should “Expect” to be Raped. Responding to a 64% increase in the reports of rape and violent sexual assaults in the military, Fox News pundit Liz Trotta responds, “What did they expect?” She goes on to say that there is a bureaucracy of people to support these women who are being “raped too much.”
8. Foster Friess Suggests Women Put Aspirin Between Their Knees. Rick Santorum supporter, Foster Friess, reminisced about back in his day when ladies put aspirin between their knees for birth control. Back in his day, people also died of polio.
9. Santorum wants to deny birth control coverage because he thinks it’s available and affordable. Despite the fact that most forms of birth control still require a prescription and 1 in 3 women have reported struggling to afford birth control. Santorum feels there is no barrier to access, so it shouldn’t be covered by insurance.
10. Mitt Romney doesn’t understand a woman’s reproductive system. Romney has publicly supported “personhood amendments,” which would ban abortion by declaring life begins at conception. When asked about how this affects birth control, Romney seemed to be completely unaware that hormonal forms of birth control stop implantation, not conception and would be banned under any personhood amendment.

And it’s only the middle of March.