Just when you thought it wouldn’t get worse, it does. A pair of bills (Sen 773 & 778) have been introduced by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (W-WV) that would be a part what’s being called the “Cybersecurity Act of 2009″. These bills would grant the White House sweeping new powers to access private data online, regulate the cybersecurity industry, and shut down portions of internet traffic if it deems there is an “emergency”. A new office called the Office of the National Cybersecurity Advisor would be created and would report directly to the President. Hmmm….wonder how I apply for that position. Do I have to pay taxes to be considered?

For your enjoyment, here is a working draft of the bill:

http://cdt.org/security/CYBERSEC4.pdf

This new Act raises privacy concerns on many fronts, not the least of which is it grants the White House the authority to disconnect “critical infrastructure” networks from the internet. These would include banking, utilities, health/medical, etc.

Sounds all well and good right? If there were a massive cyberwarfare attack on our infrastructure, this is just another way to protect critical elements. However, we know that this power can [...]

I thought this was timely, and am sharing the complete text of what Bit posted at his site.   It amazes me how easily we forget these things.
Bit says: This was sent to me via mail this monring, and I’ve echoed out in total:
The Democrats:

Democrats fought to expand slavery while Republicans fought to end it.
Democrats passed [...]

I am white, grew up in a predominantly white community in Connecticut, later moving to Rochester NY, and eventually Iowa. In Connecticut, I experienced the busing of the late 60’s and early 70’s, which was extremely difficult for all of the students. There were a lot of angry kids, parents, and tension was [...]