[IP] Re: US drafting plan to allow government access to any email or Web search

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

________________________________________
From: jsq@quarterman.com [jsq@quarterman.com] On Behalf Of John S. Quarterman [jsq@quarterman.org]
Sent: Friday, February 01, 2008 12:42 PM
To: Andrew Burnette
Cc: quarterman.org@quarterman.com; David Farber
Subject: Re: [IP] US drafting plan to allow government access to any email or Web search

Dave, for IP:

> Much like the mis-linkage of Iraq and Terrorism, we need to stop and
> hold accountable the management layer editors who conveniently glue
> together innuendo to  forward an agenda we now know to be in place and
> enabled by false assumptions.

This is also why it's not safe to believe the present administration
will do anything useful with SCADA.  No matter how competent and
honorable the lower level people who are producing the information,
they're not the ones who will decide what gets done about it.
The deciders will be political appointees implementing a political
ideology and agenda, far more so than in any previous U.S. administration.

Who would honestly trust those fellows now?

-jsq

> Dave, John, see comments below:
>
> David Farber wrote:
> > ________________________________________
> > From: John S. Quarterman [jsq@quarterman.org]
> > Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2008 11:17 AM
> > To: David Farber
> > Cc: John S. Quarterman; ip
> > Subject: Re: [IP] US drafting plan to allow government access to any email
> or Web search
> >
> > Dave, for IP:
> >
> > The New Yorker article is available in HTML now:
> >
> >  http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/01/21/080121fa_fact_wright
>
> Why does the author continue to spew the false information that the
> intelligence community blew the WMD issue in Iraq?  At that time, I was
> walking the halls at several involved agencies, and can say that I am in
> agreement with publicly known and published information, there was no
> consensus that Iraq was in fact holding or manufacturing any WMD's.
> There was agreement that the Iragi administration enjoyed the game of
> cat and mouse (also in order to obfuscate regional military realities or
> vulnerabilities). At the same time, via the inspection process,
> frustrating as it may have been we also effectively blunted any benefit
> to them should they actually pursue the production or use of WMDs.
>
> One of the most difficult byproducts was Colin Powell decimating his own
> credibility before the UN. How sad to see such a distinguished career
> dishonored that way when he could have offered so much more. Who would
> honestly trust the fellow now?
>
> Much like the mis-linkage of Iraq and Terrorism, we need to stop and
> hold accountable the management layer editors who conveniently glue
> together innuendo to  forward an agenda we now know to be in place and
> enabled by false assumptions.
>
> Best regards,
> Andy Burnette
> >
> > Bruce Schneier has nailed the "security vs. privacy" canard that
> > McConnell promotes:
> >
> >  "The debate isn't security versus privacy. It's liberty versus control."
> >
> >  http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2008/01/
> securitymatters_0124?currentPage=all&
> >
> > And while people may think that AT&T should worry about losing liability
> > protection if it filters all traffic, if McConnell's plan goes through
> > AT&T and other telcos and cablecos will be able to wrap themselves in
> > the flag while they're doing it:
> >
> >  http://riskman.typepad.com/peerflow/2008/01/policing-cybers.html
> >
> > -jsq
> >
> >
> >> From: Rich Kulawiec [rsk@gsp.org]
> >> Sent: Monday, January 14, 2008 6:41 PM
> >> To: Fergie; David Farber; Richard Forno; Lauren Weinstein
> >> Subject: US drafting plan to allow government access to any email or Web s
> ear
> >> ch
> >>
> >> Quoting from:
> >>
> >>         http://rawstory.com/news/2007/US_drafting_plan_to_allow_government
> _01
> >> 14.html
> >>
> >>         National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell is drawing up
> >>         plans for cyberspace spying that would make the current debate
> >>         on warrantless wiretaps look like a "walk in the park," according
> >>         to an interview published in the New Yorker's print edition today.
> >>
> >>         Debate on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act "will be a
> >>         walk in the park compared to this," McConnell said. "this is going
> >>         to be a goat rope on the Hill. My prediction is that we're going
> >>         to screw around with this until something horrendous happens."
> >>
> >>         The article, which profiles the 65-year-old former admiral
> >>         appointed by President George W. Bush in January 2007 to oversee
> >>         all of America's intelligence agencies, was not published on
> >>         the New Yorker's Web site. (It can be read here in pdf).
> >>
> >>         [...]
> >>
> >> The PDF link points to:
> >>
> >>         http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/WashWire.pdf
> >>
> >> which I'm unable to access at the moment.
> >>
> >> ---Rsk
> >
> > -------------------------------------------


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