NSA hires 'risk officer' for oversight; critics fear 'talking head with no authority'

Posted on by

This Oct. 5, 2011, photo, provided by the U.S. Navy, shows Vice Adm. Michael Rogers. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is announcing that Rogers, the head of the Navys Cyber Command, has been chosen to be the next chief of the ... more >

The National Security Agency has hired its first chief risk officer in an attempt to quell public fear that it operates outside the rule of law.

Anne Neuberger, the former director of the agencys Commercial Solutions Center and aide to the NSA director, has been tapped for the role, the agencyconfirmed in a press release Wednesday.

Ms. Neuberger will work closely alongside all senior leaders at the agency. In her first year, she will focus on creating and maturing a methodology and processes to assess the various risks across different missions and work toward meeting specific objectives assigned by the director, the press release read.

Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the agencys director, said that Ms. Neuberger would be tasked with helping the agency to recognize, integrate, and assess the risk-reward value from multiple perspectives to make more informed, timely, and defensible decisions, the statement read.

Mark Jaycox, a legislative analyst with the Electronic Frontier Foundation who studies the NSA, told technology website Venture Beat that the premise sounds nice, its too early to tell how much clout Ms. Neuberger will have within the agency.

NSA wants to show us that they are making strides towards more privacy protections and a greater self-consciousness of their actions. NSA must do more than create and hire for these positions, Mr. Jaycox said.

A former NSA official told Venture Beat that Ms. Neubergers position would be similar to that of James Clapper, director of national intelligence.

[Mr. Clapper] ostensibly has oversight of the entire U.S. intelligence community. But hes really a talking head with no authority, the official said.

See the rest here:

NSA hires 'risk officer' for oversight; critics fear 'talking head with no authority'

Posted in NSA

German opposition seeks court ruling to force Snowden hearing on NSA in Berlin

Posted on by

Published September 26, 2014

BERLIN Opposition lawmakers have asked Germany's highest court to rule on whether former NSA contractor Edward Snowden can come to Berlin to testify about the agency's activities.

Members of the Greens and the Left Party said Friday that they want a parliamentary panel investigating the National Security Agency's activities in Germany to hear Snowden in person.

The government doesn't want to allow Snowden into the country, citing the damage this could do to Germany's relationship with the United States.

Instead, government parties on the panel want to question Snowden in Moscow, where he is currently in exile.

The former NSA contractor has said through a lawyer that he will only speak to the panel if he is allowed to do so Germany.

Excerpt from:

German opposition seeks court ruling to force Snowden hearing on NSA in Berlin

Posted in NSA

The Commander Cody Band – Take The Fifth Amendment – 8/5/1977 – Convention Hall (Official) – Video

Posted on by


The Commander Cody Band - Take The Fifth Amendment - 8/5/1977 - Convention Hall (Official)
The Commander Cody Band - Take The Fifth Amendment Recorded Live: 8/5/1977 - Convention Hall - Asbury Park, NJ More The Commander Cody Band at Music Vault: h...

By: Folk Country on MV

Originally posted here:

The Commander Cody Band - Take The Fifth Amendment - 8/5/1977 - Convention Hall (Official) - Video

Pet Owners Look to Muzzle Police Who Shoot Dogs

Posted on by

TIME U.S. Law Pet Owners Look to Muzzle Police Who Shoot Dogs Brittany Preston Bereaved owners argue that when police shoot dogs it a violates their Fourth Amendment rights

Correction appended, Sept. 26

Lexie, a Labrador mix, was barking in fear when the police arrived at her owners suburban Detroit house early in the morning last November. The officers, responding to a call about a dog roaming the area, arrived with dog-catching gear. Yet they didnt help the one-year-old dog, who had been left outside the house, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court: Instead, they pulled out their guns and shot Lexie eight times.

The only thing Im gonna do is shoot it anyway, the lawsuit quotes an officer saying. I do not like dogs.

Such a response, animal advocates say, is not uncommon among law enforcement officers in America who are often ill-equipped to deal with animals in the line of duty. And now bereaved owners like Brittany Preston, Lexies owner, are suing cities and police departments, expressing outrage at what they see as an abuse of power by police. Animal activists, meanwhile, are turning to state legislatures to combat the problem, with demands for better police training in dealing with pets.

There are no official tallies of dog killings by police, but media reports suggest there are, at minimum, dozens every year, and possibly many more. When it comes to Prestons dog, officials from the city of St. Clair Shores and the dog owner agree on little. City police say the dog attacked, prompting officers to open fire in self-defense. But the lawsuit filed by Preston cites police audio recordings to argue that the November 2013 shooting was premeditated, prompted by officers eager to kill a dog. Preston is suing the city for violating her Fourth Amendment right to protection from unreasonable search and seizure.

We want whatever it takes to make sure it doesnt happen again, said Christopher Olson, Prestons lawyer. Before this case I wasnt a dog shooting lawyer, but I am now.

St. Clair Shores defended the officers actions.

The animal was only put down after a decision was made that it was in the best interest of the residents, said city attorney Robert Ihrie, who is defending the city in the lawsuit. Sometimes police officers are in a position where they need to make very quick decisions for the protection of themselves and others.

The Fourth Amendment argument gained traction in 2005, when the San Jose chapter of the Hells Angels sued the city and the police department because officers had killed dogs during a gang raid in 1998. A federal appeals judge found that the Fourth Amendment forbids the killing of a persons dog when that destruction is unnecessary, and the Hells Angels ultimately won $1.8 million in damages. In addition to the St. Clair lawsuit, other lawsuits stemming from police shootings of dogs are being planned or filed in Idaho, California, and Nevada.

Go here to see the original:

Pet Owners Look to Muzzle Police Who Shoot Dogs

Andy's Restaurant Scorecard: 1776, plus scores

Posted on by

MEMPHIS, TN -

(WMC) - Inside Range USA, 2770 Whitten Rd., gun enthusiasts and personal protection advocates shoot on the range -- and Nadia Mustafa cooks in the kitchen.

The kitchen. In the restaurant. In the middle of a shooting range.

Talk about a bull's-eye. The food is incredible.

Its cleanliness is what earned 1776 the High Score of the Week, a 98 on its Sept. 9 health inspection.

1776. America's birth year.

"We're all about America," said Mustafa. "And we're all about the Second Amendment."

The restaurant's decorated like the American Revolution -- the Constitution on the wall, flags and muskets. The names of its sandwiches ooze patriotism: the Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Liberty Bell.

Mustafa opens the panini press and spatulas off her prized sandwich, The Pursuit of Happiness.

"The Reuben is The Pursuit of Happiness," she said. "We heat it up, melt grade-A Swiss cheese on it, with our house-made Thousand Island dressing."

See more here:

Andy's Restaurant Scorecard: 1776, plus scores

NRA endorsed Newhouse for congressional Fourth District

Posted on by

YAKIMA - Fourth Congressional District candidate Dan Newhouse received an endorsement from the National Rifle Association, citing his track record of protecting Second Amendment rights.

We are very pleased to receive this very important endorsement, Newhouse stated. The NRA is the preeminent leader in the fight to protect Second Amendment Rights. Their support demonstrates their belief that I am best qualified to represent central Washington and protect the right to keep and bear arms."

In their endorsement of Newhouse, NRA Chairman Chris W. Cox stated Newhouse has "consistently opposed all attempts to ban lawfully owned firearms and magazines" during his tenure in the Washington state legislature from 2003 to 2009.

"The Second Amendment and our right of self-defense are very important to Washingtonians, and your (Newhouse) position on these issues demonstrates a stalwart commitment to the rights of law-abiding gun owners and hunters," Cox stated.

Read this article:

NRA endorsed Newhouse for congressional Fourth District

Overby to Receive Coveted Legacy Award

Posted on by

OXFORD, Miss. (PRWEB) September 26, 2014

Charles Overby, a champion of the First Amendment and the free press, has been selected to receive the 2015 Legacy Award from the Ole Miss Women's Council for Philanthropy.

The Legacy Award, presented by C Spire, recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions as philanthropists, leaders and mentors and brought about definitive, positive changes in the University of Mississippi, state and nation. A ceremony to present the award will be April 18, 2015 at Carrier House, Chancellor Dan and Lydia Jones' home on the UM campus, where Overby was educated as a journalist.

"Charles Overby has traveled the globe in efforts to promote First Amendment freedoms and to discuss media relations," said Karen Moore of Nashville, OMWC chair. "In Washington, D.C., Mr. Overby led the development of the Newseum, a major specialty museum that explores how news surrounding historic moments affects our experiences.

"At Ole Miss, he continues to have a significant impact on both students and the general public through the Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics. The Overby Center gives individuals an opportunity to come together and discuss major issues of our region, nation and world, while creating a better understanding of media, politics and the First Amendment. The Women's Council believes that discussing issues helps solve them."

Overby is the former chairman of the Freedom Forum, Newseum and Diversity Institute. For 22 years, he was chief executive officer of the Freedom Forum, a nonpartisan foundation that educates people about the press and the First Amendment. His service as CEO of the Newseum spanned 1997 to 2011, during which time he supervised the building of the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. This interactive museum has been called the "best experience Washington has to offer." He also was CEO of the Diversity Institute, a school created in 2001 to teach journalists and aspiring journalists while increasing diversity in newsrooms.

The Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics was established at Ole Miss with a $5.4 million gift from the Freedom Forum to honor Overby's extensive professional contributions. He continues his involvement with Ole Miss students by helping them identify beneficial opportunities and internships.

Before joining the Freedom Forum, Overby was an effective public watchdog a newspaper reporter and editor for 17 years with a goal of protecting citizens by keeping them well informed. He covered Congress, the U.S. Supreme Court, the White House and presidential campaigns for Gannett Co., the nation's largest newspaper company. He also served as the top editor at Florida Today in Melbourne, Fla., and the executive editor of The Clarion-Ledger and Jackson Daily News in Jackson. Overby supervised the news and editorial coverage that led to The Clarion-Ledger winning the Pulitzer Prize Gold Medal for Distinguished Public Service in 1983 for coverage of the need for education reform in Mississippi.

His exemplary career which began as an 11-year-old delivering newspapers at 5 a.m. for The Clarion-Ledger also includes serving as vice president of news and communications for Gannett and as a member of the management committees of Gannett and USA Today. He experienced two stints in government, as press assistant to U.S. Sen. John Stennis, a Democrat from Mississippi; and special assistant for administration to Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander, a Republican.

When asked about his successful career, Overby credited his mother, his wife and longtime colleague, the late Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today, the Freedom Forum and the Newseum, for mentoring and supporting him throughout his extensive career.

Read more:

Overby to Receive Coveted Legacy Award

Follow The Coin Takes Bitcoin On The Street! Asking About BTC, ecommerce, mobile payments and more. – Video

Posted on by


Follow The Coin Takes Bitcoin On The Street! Asking About BTC, ecommerce, mobile payments and more.
There are always many sides to a coin. If you #39;re passionate about Bitcoin and ecommerce, it can be easy to forget that the public may still not be at a level...

By: Follow The Coin

Excerpt from:

Follow The Coin Takes Bitcoin On The Street! Asking About BTC, ecommerce, mobile payments and more. - Video

BitPay and PayPal Partnership — BFL Shutdown — Crypto Think Tank — Square and Bitcoin – Video

Posted on by


BitPay and PayPal Partnership -- BFL Shutdown -- Crypto Think Tank -- Square and Bitcoin
Sponsor MadBitcoins at http://MadBitcoins.com -- your ad could be here! Donate Bitcoins: https://blockchain.info/address/1LAYuQq6f11HccBgbe6bx8DiwKwzuYkPR3 J...

By: MadBitcoins

Continue reading here:

BitPay and PayPal Partnership -- BFL Shutdown -- Crypto Think Tank -- Square and Bitcoin - Video