The West, Islam and Sharia
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse – unless you watch “Glenn Beck” every day – a bill is making its way through Congress that would give the President of the United States the authority to seize control of the world wide web in response to a “national cyber emergency.” It would also establish new federal bureaucracies with new powers to regulate the Internet.
Who gets to declare a national cyber emergency under this bill?
The President may issue a declaration of a national cyber emergency to covered critical infrastructure (Section 249 (a)(1))Who gets to decide what constitutes “covered critical infrastructure?” It is defined as including any component of the “national information infrastructure,” which essentially means all portions of the Internet not already owned or licensed by the federal government, that appears on the prioritized critical infrastructure list established by the Secretary of Homeland Security. (Sections 3 and 241)
The bill would create two new Internet czars in the Executive Branch, with the titles of “Director of Cyberspace Policy” and ”Director of National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications.” The Director of Cyberspace Policy would have the authority to establish and oversee a “National Strategy” for information security and resiliency.
The Director of National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications would have the authority to regulate the “national information infrastructure,” which by definition means the power to regulate the private sector firms operating the Internet.For example, the Director would have the authority to require private firms to report “incidents” that “might indicate an actual or potential cyber vulnerability.” (Section 246(c)) The term ”incidents” is defined broadly in Section 3 of the legislation to include, among other things, a “threat of violation of acceptable use policies applicable to information infrastructure.”
The Director of National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications would also have the authority to
assess and evaluate cybersecurity standards and guidelines issued by private sector organizations, recognized international and domestic standards setting organizations, and Federal agencies… [and] recommend changes to, the standards and guidelines…for securing the national information infrastructure (Section 247 (b)))
“Recommend” in federal government parlance is equivalent of making an offer that you cannot refuse.
the sole, unreviewable discretion [to] determine what, if any, steps are necessary or appropriate to address any problems or deficiencies identified (Section 251(d)(3)
Lest you think that this legislation is only about technical security problems rising to a national security emergency, think again. This represents a huge transfer of power from the private sector, which has operated the most dynamic and freest Internet in the world, to the federal government.
The First Amendment is at stake.
Sunstein believes the Internet should be regulated to ensure that “falsehoods” are not disseminated.
He said that “[A] ‘chilling effect’ on those who would spread destructive falsehoods can be an excellent idea.” To that end, he proposed a “notice and take down” law that would require bloggers and service providers to “take down falsehoods upon notice.”
Do we really want to give these guys even more power? Not if we want to preserve our freedoms and the Constitution that protects them.
Note:
It has been feared and rumored for some time now that Obama fears that "too much" information is shared on the Internet - and since a dictator must control the media/press, it appears that is not enough for Obama ....
Again, I'll ask, is there anyone in Washington who has the courage, conviction and know-how to begin impeaching someone in the White House out to destroy America's freedoms, along with buring up our Constitution? And some thought the Patriot Act went too far ....!!
