9 Aug 2012

Obama considering implementing cybersecurity measures via executive action, bypassing Congress

By Madison Ruppert: According to John Brennan, the chief counterterrorism adviser to the White House, the Obama administration is currently considering stepping around both the House and Senate in order to force cybersecurity measures into place through his executive powers. (Right: John Brennan briefing Obama in the Oval Office in 2010 (Image credit: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Unfortunately, our so-called representatives are making it incredibly easy for the Obama administration to continue to gobble up as much power as possible, evidenced by their move to actually vote away even more of their already dwindling power as you can see in the below video:
There have been many attempts to get cybersecurity legislation to pass, and it appears that there is a bit of a fight over if the power should be given to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or to the military and National Security Agency (NSA).
One of the ways that Obama could impose cybersecurity mandates is through an executive order or perhaps even multiple orders, according to Brennan.

“We will see what we can do … the critical infrastructure of this country is under threat,” said Brennan to the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, according to the Hill, referring to the supposed massive looming threat of cyberattacks from state and non-state actors.
Brennan wouldn’t delve into detail about the specific measures the Obama administration may take, but he did state that whatever they did pursue would be similar to the so-called “legislative proposals package” sent to legislators by the White House.
As the Hill notes, some of the points the Obama administration was pushing for were implemented into the legislation co-sponsored by Senators Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut Independent, and Susan Collins, a Maine Republican.
The White House jumped on board along with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, although the bill was opposed by many others including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, leading to an eventual 52-46 vote and a failure of the bill.
On top of the objections from the private sector over the restrictions which would be put in place by the legislation, civil liberties groups pointed out that it would give far too much authority over commercial networks to the Pentagon and intelligence community, along with the executive branch.
Ultimately, I think that aspect of this legislation, and cybersecurity measures in general, is much more dangerous than the potential restrictions it might put on some corporations. The civil liberties and privacy ramifications would be unimaginable.
Unsurprisingly, the psychological weapon being brandished in an attempt to justify potentially invoking executive powers to force cybersecurity is fear, and lots of it.
Brennan and others in the Obama administration claim that the United States must act immediately and that we “cannot afford to abide by congressional timelines to get cybersecurity mandates in place,” as the Hill reported, since the U.S. networks are supposedly under constant attack and need to be secured by the same people who can’t even keep their own drones virus-free.
“We have to improve our [cyber] defenses in this country,” Brennan said, attempting to create a false sense of urgency. “We cannot wait.”
Does anyone remember these same tactics being used to push through legislation like the PATRIOT Act and the bailouts? I sure do.

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