www.ibtimes.com/articles/268638/20111216/ndaa-suppress-internet-freedom.htm
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***NDAA Bill Aims to Suppress Internet Freedom
By Dave Smith | December 16, 2011 3:36 PM EST*
The National Defense Authorization Bill 2012, unanimously backed by the
Senate and passed in the House of Representatives Thursday, contains
some language that allows the Pentagon to effectively wage a cyberwar on
any domestic enemies of the state. The bill is a serious violation of
First Amendment human and civil rights, including freedom of speech and
freedom of the press, and the legislation could potentially hinder the
movements of both Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party campaign, as well
as quash attempts from the whistleblowers in independent news media from
exposing corruption from within the government.
Here is excerpt from the bill, which the House voted upon but the Senate
didn't:
"Congress affirms that the Department of Defense has the capability, and
upon direction by the President may conduct offensive operations in
cyberspace to defend our Nation, Allies and interests, subject to (1)
the policy principles and legal regimes that the Department follows for
kinetic capabilities, including the law of armed conflict; and (2) the
War Powers Resolution."
President Obama has yet to sign the bill, and he is expected to later
this week. Lobbyists of the bill, including several leaders within the
House and Senate Armed Forces Committees, said they would add language
and make changes to avoid a veto.
"I assured the president that we were working on additional assurances,
that the concerns were not accurate," said Carl Levin, the Senate Armed
Services Committee Chairman. "That we'd do everything we could to make
sure they were allayed, and met."
The enormous $662 billion defense bill would mostly finance military
personnel, national security programs, weapons systems and the wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan, requires terrorism suspects linked to al-Qaeda be
kept in military custody. The broad-reaching bill would also impose
several sanctions aimed at Iran's financial structure, and would also
help accelerate the transition of national protection inAfghanistan to
the Afghanistan National Security Forces.
However, the Pentagon believes that "non-state actors increasingly
threaten to penetrate and disrupt DOD networks and systems." To address
this cyber threat, the Pentagon released a plan declaring the Internet a
"domain of war," claiming how hostile groups "are working to exploit DOD
unclassified and classified networks, and some foreign intelligence
organizations have already acquired the capacity to disrupt elements of
DOD's information infrastructure."
"The U.S. is vulnerable to sabotage in defense, power,
telecommunications, banking," said Sami Saydjari, a former Pentagon
cyber expert. "An attack on any one of those essential infrastructures
could be as damaging as any kinetic attack on U.S. soil."
"If you shut down our power grid, maybe we will put a missile down one
of your smokestacks," said one Pentagon official, prior to releasing its
cybersecurity plan.
In other words, the Pentagon is afraid that with the Internet's
capability to disseminate information instantly, the spread of
information or ideas "not consistent with U.S. government themes and
messages" could be too powerful and dangerous to national security.
Writer Kurt Nimmo sums it up:
"After the NDAA is signed into law by Obama, he will have the authority
to wage war against 'domestic terrorists,' defined by the Department of
Homeland Security as 'rightwing extremists' and other anti-government
types. As noted above, it will be the DHS that will 'direct the work'
against enemies of the state. It will work with the Pentagon to
militarily neutralize the threat posed by activists and the alternative
media."
Since the protests began in September, Occupy protesters have been using
cell phone cameras andTwitter to broadcast gross police misconduct.
However, the sometimes-violent responses from police and other U.S.
agencies makes it abundantly clear that government systems are in place
because they want to suppress the movement, particularly its coverage.
"New York cops have arrested, punched, whacked, shoved to the ground and
tossed a barrier at reporters and photographers," said Michael Powell, a
writer for the New York Times. "Reporters with The Associated Press and
The Daily News were arrested while taking notes. A radio reporter was
arrested as she recorded several blocks from the park. All of this
behavior 'allegedly' occurred 'on the streets of New York.'"
While the Internet has been rife with "hacktivism" and security breaches
in 2011, some politicians still maintain that it's far more dangerous to
let the NDAA bill pass.
"Our children deserve a world where they know the government will
protect them, that it is not going to rule over them by invading their
very thoughts," said representative Dennis Kucinich.
"What we are talking about here is that Americans could be subjected to
life imprisonment," said Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.). "Think about that
for a minute. Life imprisonment. Without ever being charged, tried, or
convicted of a crime. Without ever having an opportunity to prove your
innocence to a judge or a jury of your peers. And without the government
ever having to prove your guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. I think that
denigrates the very foundations of this country."
Internet "hactivist" group Anonymous will battle the new bill. The group
has already targeted Sen. Robert Portman (R-Ohio), who was one of the
many politicians to support the bill. Sen. Portman has received $272,853
from special interest groups that support the NDAA, which has helped him
purchase about $1.7 million in real estate in Ohio.
"Robert J. Portman, we plan to make an example of you," said an
Anonymous operative in a written statement, which also revealed a sample
of Portman's personal information, including his addresses, phone
numbers, and childrens' names.
If Obama signs the NDAA Bill and allows the military to take over such
domestic operations, nothing will stop them from infringing on civil
liberties and trashing the Constitution even further.
To report problems or to leave feedback about this article, e-mail:
[email protected]
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