Posted on 11/20/2012 5:51:33 PM PST by Founding Father
The National Security Agency has shot down a Freedom of Information Act request for details about an elusive presidential order that may allow the government to deploy the military within the United States for the supposed sake of cybersecurity.
The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) reports on Tuesday that their recent FOIA request for information about a top-secret memo signed last month by US President Barack Obama has been rejected [PDF]. Now attorneys for EPIC say they plan to file an appeal to get to the bottom of Presidential Policy Directive 20.
Although the executive order has been on the books for a month now, only last week did details emerge about the order after the Washington Post reported that Pres. Obamas signature to the top-secret directive could allow the White House to send in recruits from the Pentagon to protect Americas cyber-infrastructure.
Because Presidential Policy Directive 20 is classified, the exact wording of the elusive document has been a secret kept only by those with first-hand knowledge of the memo. For their November 14 article, the Post spoke with sources that saw the document to report that the directive effectively enables the military to act more aggressively to thwart cyberattacks on the nations web of government and private computer networks.
In response to the Posts report, EPIC filed a FOIA request to find out if the policy directive could mean military deployment within the United States, especially since the sources who have seen the memo say it allows the Pentagon to pursue actions against adversaries within a vaguely described terrain known only as cyberspace. What it does, really for the first time, is it explicitly talks about how we will use cyber-operations, a senior administration official told the Post. Network defense is what youre doing inside your own networks. . . . Cyber-operations is stuff outside that space, and recognizing that you could be doing that for what might be called defensive purposes.
Wed like to see what the language says and see what power is given, EPIC attorney Amie Stepanovich told RT this week a matter that will now have to be appealed before any details can be determined. News of the directive comes just as lawmakers in Congress failed once again to approve a cybersecurity legislation that would provide new connections between the federal government and the private sector in order to supposedly ramp up the United States protection from foreign hackers. With the defeat of that bill, though, members of both the House and Senate now say they expect Pres. Obama to sign a separate executive order that will lay down the groundwork for a more thorough cybersecurity plan to be established.
Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief has already signed a secret order Presidential Policy Directive 20 that might remain classified unless EPIC can win in court. We believe that the public hasnt been able to involve themselves in the cybersecurity debate, and the reason they cant involve themselves is because they dont have the right amount of information, Stepanovich tells RT. Responding to the FOIA request, the NSA says releasing information on the directive cannot occur because disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security. Because the document is currently and properly classified, it is exempt from disclosure, the NSA writes.
Secession.
It will be interesting to see how it takes Obama to set up a special internal security force. If he has not already done so.
transparent government.... or not
Free and fair elections? LOL
Transparent government? LOL
Hope for the future? LOL
Someone should hack into a government computer and find out what Directive 20 is all about.
we haven’t had transparent government for well over 100 years. it’s just getting less and less so.
I think that should say what power was usurped. Because to my knowledge there is no legislation empowering the President to send troops in to the interior of the nation to take control of private servers and networks.
For that matter I know of no Constitutional power granted to the Congress to pass such legislation.
The people of the United States need to reassert control of their government and start punishing those in government for their intrusions in to person liberty.
Is the source of this article to be believed?
So, let me get this straight. obama signs an order giving himself the authority to order the people’s army to go up against the people.
And those who worship him will say “It’s for our own good” and “He won’t abuse it.”
If this true...it is a crock of... The “government” is out of control.
Here’s a different article on this
Your freedom further eroded. Secession.
They're pushing us closer and closer, every day. Close the internet to dissent on the right, and secession will become a foregone conclusion.
We’re over the edge already. Just waiting on someone to take the first shot...
Your freedom further eroded.
Secession>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Forming a Committee of safety for your County would be a good idea.
http://constitution.org/mil/cos/cos_setup.htm
After the election got stolen, I realized I need to re-read Bracken’s trilogy, since it’s gonna happen more or less as in his books (imho, ymmv etc).
I was hoping Romney would win, so as to buy us time to get more conservatives (aka Constitutionalist) people in Congress and also in State positions.
Alas, it did not happen. So IMHO it is now pedal to the metal destruction. The commie/black racist/islamic/pervert lovers are going to try their very hardest to destroy everything that is good about America, as fast as they can. And the R party is, other than a few worthy exceptions, a bunch of eunuchs or Dem fellow travelers.
PING!
There’s precisely zero chance of ever FOIAing a newly-classified Top Secret document.
I've expressed that viewpoint frequently over the last several years. Most often, here on FR.
We're living in 'tinderbox' conditions. All it's going to take is the wrong kind of incident to trigger a much larger event. I can see some catalyst event causing several states to simultaneously secede from the union.
Worse, would be a spontaneous breakout of mass hostilities between left and right across the country. There's every chance that some event could trigger that, too.
Open hostilities of that type might even be triggered by a secession of red states. Liberal Dems living in those states would literally fly into a panic, and some would go 'postal'. That, of course, would likely trigger massive retaliation on the part of conservative/patriot/secessionists.
I tell you, we're really sitting on a knife's edge.
I think that goes without saying.
Look at how quiet the regime's been since election day. They've only made such statements as have been completely necessary, such as responses to the unfolding events in Israel. Other than that, and a few threats against Republicans for daring to question Sistah Susan Rice, they've been awfully quiet.
They're up to something. A whole lot of something - I guarantee it.
You're correct.
Just waiting on someone to take the first shot...
History shows that whoever fires the first shot normally loses. I just pray we're smart about these times.
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