04-09-09 Cyber attack? The Internet power grab by the Obama White House

A Senate bill (S.773) if passed would give the President of the United States the authority to declare a "cyber emergency" and close down the Internet by disconnecting users.In addition,it will require professional IT people to be certified by the federal government,something that angers many IT technicians and those who believe in the First Amendment.Americans are being deceived by the news media and their elected officials in Washington,DC and it's Americans who will suffer from that deception,according to information technology experts.This stealth legislation is being sponsored by the powerful and highly partisan Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and the liberal Senator Olympia Snow (R-ME),claim critics

This stealth legislation is being sponsored by the powerful and highly partisan Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and the liberal Senator Olympia Snow (R-ME),claim critics."The fact that a man [Rockefeller] who visited other nations to give them a heads up about our intentions [to invade Iraq] would now suddenly care about security is laughable," said political strategist Mike Baker

"But there is no laughing about a government that wants to control cyber space,the last bastion of freedom of speech in our crumbling democracy," said Baker."What irks President Obama and the other liberal-left politicians is that fact that while they're pampered by the mainstream news media,talk radio and the Internet are not in the tank for them."During a White House announcement televised on Fox News,CNN and other news networks,Obama said he will appoint a cyber security coordinator -- or Cyber Czar -- for the critical infrastructure that all Americans depend on."We will ensure that these networks are secure,trustworthy and resilient," he said."We will deter,prevent,detect and defend against attacks,and recover quickly from any disruptions or damage." The cyber security office will orchestrate and integrate all cyber security policies for the government,the president said.It will work closely with the Office of Management and Budget to ensure agency budgets reflect those priorities,and,in the event of major cyber incident or attack,it will coordinate government response.The cyber security coordinator will be a member of the national security staff and will serve on the president's national economic council.But Critics point out that any high-tech program that entails government intrusion should be carefully monitored by not only the US Congress but also private sector experts in cyber security and computer-based espionage

"People went ballistic when they discovered the Bush White House authorized the interception of telephone and other electronic communications by intelligence and law enforcement agencies,and rightly so.Yet,I haven't heard a peep from these same people who claim they are concerned with 'privacy rights,'" said security expert and former NYPD cop Mike Fitzgerald."This may come back to haunt us as the first step down a truly slippery slope," said former the Police detective and director of security