Daily Archives: April 28, 2014

NSA Surveillance 2 – Video

Posted: April 28, 2014 at 10:48 pm


NSA Surveillance 2
Chris Conley of the ACLU discusses the NSA surveillance program.

By: SF4Democracy

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NSA Surveillance 2 - Video

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MVI 1847 Obama’s NSA Denies FOIA About MH 370! – Video

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MVI 1847 Obama #39;s NSA Denies FOIA About MH 370!
Folks this is scary, this is really, really scary, why would Obama #39;s NSA deny Dr Taitz request under FOIA, about MH Flight 370. http://www.dcclothesline.com/...

By: Gabor Zolna

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MVI 1847 Obama's NSA Denies FOIA About MH 370! - Video

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German opposition says US should destroy Merkel’s NSA file – Video

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German opposition says US should destroy Merkel #39;s NSA file
The German opposition is urging Chancellor Angela Merkel to pressure US President Barack Obama into destroying her NSA file. A leading opposition politician has told reporters that the destruction...

By: PressTV News Videos

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German opposition says US should destroy Merkel's NSA file - Video

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New water records show NSA Utah Data Center likely behind schedule

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New water records finally released to the Salt Lake Tribune appear to confirm that the National Security Agency's new data storage facility in Bluffdale, Utah may not be fully operational.

Reporter compelled Bluffdale to provide data on Utah Data Center's water usage.

The data shows that since July 2013, the facility used 6.2 million gallons of water in a month, the highest single month in over two years of data. For that, the NSA paid $28,596 monthly to the City of Bluffdale, the minimum bill amount.

Under the two entities water contract, that minimum bill jumped to $31,692 as of 2014. However, since July 2013, the monthly water usage fell, rose, and fell again in 2014, reaching a low point of 2.8 million gallons as of February 2014 (the most recent data point).

In October 2013, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Utah Data Center had experienced 10 [electrical] meltdowns in the past 13 months. The paper added that the Utah site continuously draws 65 megawatts of power, which could power a small city of at least 20,000. Bluffdale itself is a small city of 8,000 people, located just south of Salt Lake City. It is also the headquarters of the Apostolic United Brethren, a Mormon fundamentalist group.

The NSA did not respond to Ars repeated requests to find out whether the facility is operational.

The water is believed to be used to cool the massive data center the NSA has been building at the site. In order to accommodate the NSAs water needs, the Tribune reports:

Bluffdale built a $3 million water-delivery system for the center. To ensure it would be able to repay the bond, the city required minimum monthly paymentscalled take or payfrom the NSA. But the contract assumes the NSA will exceed those minimums, at which point Bluffdale begins charging the NSA at a rate that currently amounts to $2.05 per 1,000 gallons.

The version of the contract between the NSA and Bluffdale released by the city redacts the planned amounts of the minimum payments and the Utah Data Centers projected water usage. Its unclear how much more water the NSA could receive with the minimum payment.

When the originalwater records request was denied by the city, the rulingcited legal advice from David Sherman, the associate director for policy and records at the NSA.

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New water records show NSA Utah Data Center likely behind schedule

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NSA Throwdown: John Oliver v. 60 Minutes

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Politics National Security

In the debut episode Sunday of his new HBO show Last Week Tonight, Daily Show alum John Oliver grilled former National Security Agency chief Gen. Keith Alexander about the spy agencys controversial surveillance programs. Oliver won praise for being remarkably tough in the segment, especially for a comedian, but it isnt the first time Alexander sat down for a nationally-televised interview.

In December last year, Alexander granted unprecedented access to the CBS News program 60 Minutes, including an extensive interview with the top spook himself. The 60 Minutes segment on the NSA scored extraordinary access into a notoriously secretive organization but at perhaps too high a cost. The segment was panned for being remarkably easy on the agency, especially for a venerated investigative news program.

TIME wanted to see how tough-for-a-comedian stacked up against easy-for-a-venerated-news-program. So we did a completely unscientific, utterly subjective match up to help weigh the two interviews against one another. (Full disclosure: TIME is currently owned by Time Warner, the same parent company that owns HBO, though that will change in the coming months.)

Behold, the comedian-journalist throwdown of the century (or the week, or the day, anyway): John Oliver v. 60 Minutes.

1. On the reach of the NSAs programs.

Among the low points of 60 Minutes correspondent John Millers interview with Alexander was when Miller asks if the NSAs phone records collection constitutes spying on Americans and basically answers his own question. You dont hear the call? Miller says, offering Alexander his answer. You dont hear the call, Alexander repeats, to the surprise of no one. Miller didnt see the point in pressing the issue any further. And while Alexanders answers were not strictly untrue as a logistical matter, the NSAs collection of phone metadata, including call duration, timestamp, and phone numbers, is not trivial, which John Oliver proves with one piercing retort.

But thats not nothing. Thats significant information. Otherwise you wouldnt want it.

Point Oliver

2. On the status of NSA leaker Edward Snowden.

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NSA Throwdown: John Oliver v. 60 Minutes

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READER SUBMITTED: NSA CT April 2014 Meeting

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NSA CT Announces Dick Bruso April's Guest Speaker

The National Speaker's Association Connecticut chapter has announced NSA member Dick Bruso will be the guest speaker at the organization's monthly meeting to be held April 29.

His clients include best selling authors and in-demand speakers, as well as successful entrepreneurs and business leaders. He is a contributing author, on the topic of branding, to NSA's popular books, "Paid To Speak and Speak More!" Dick is an active member of NSA and NSA/Colorado. He served as president of NSA/CO for 2005-2006 and prior to then was a member of the NSA National PR Advisory Task Force. Dick, also, served as the 2009-2010 chair of the NSA Writers & Publishers PEG, as the chair of the NSA Academy for Professional Speaking for 2011-2012 and as the co-chair of the 2012 Cavett Institute.

The subjects covered in this upcoming meeting are intended to benefit anyone who speaks for a living or does so to obtain clients for their business. Providing a platform for networking and education, the meeting is one of many held by the organization. Members and guests are welcome.

Holding seven to eight such meetings per year at the Shelton Public Library - Huntington Branch the NSA CT chapter offers free attendance to members and associates. Guests can attend at a rate of $35 per person. Registration is now open by visiting the link below and clicking on the "Register Now" link: https://nsact.org/meet-reg1.php?mi=bc2110eb65fbb3c5ccbe15c1429086a1&id=49$$AUTOLOGIN$$

Visitors can join any meeting by going to the website, and can also find out more through the organization's calendar. They can also find a speaker through the Member Directory or contact the organization directly.

The next meeting, featuring guest speaker and NSA member Dick Bruso, will take place April 29, from 6 to 9 p.m., at the Shelton Public Library - Huntington Branch, 41 Church Street, Shelton. To learn more about the NSA CT, go to http://nsact.org. About the National Speaker's Association Connecticut Chapter.

The National Speaker's Association Connecticut Chapter holds meetings seven to eight times a year covering various topics helpful to those who speak professionally. Special meetings such as Speaker 101 are intended to help anyone who wants to get into the speaking business. Meetings are free for members and associates.

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READER SUBMITTED: NSA CT April 2014 Meeting

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Justices suggest public employees' testimony is protected

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WASHINGTON ?? Government employees who testify about public corruption are protected by the First Amendment, several Supreme Court justices suggested Monday.

During oral arguments in a freedom-of-speech case out of Alabama, several justices challenged the notion that public employees who testify truthfully about an issue of significant public concern aren't shielded from retaliation by the First Amendment.

"What kind of message are we giving when we're telling employees, you're subpoenaed in a trial, go and tell a falsehood because otherwise you can be fired?" Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked attorneys in the case.

The Fifth Amendment protects state employees against self-incrimination on the witness stand, but "it doesn't protect the department he works for from being incriminated," Chief Justice John Roberts said.

The case involves an employee at Central Alabama Community College whose testimony helped convict former Alabama state Rep. Sue Schmitz of corruption-related charges. The employee, Edward Lane of Ashville, was fired after he testified at Schmitz's first trial in 2008.

Before Lane gets a chance to prove in court his firing was retaliatory, the Supreme Court must decide if his testimony is protected speech under the First Amendment.

Lane, who attended Monday's arguments, was surprised that's even in doubt.

"I thought for sure that being able to go testify truthfully in court that I should be protected," he said in an interview on the Supreme Court steps after Monday's arguments. "And to find out (the other side) actually thinks that is not the case - that just blows me over."

Steve Franks, former president of the two-year college, says Lane's testimony wasn't protected by the First Amendment. His attorney, Mark Waggoner of Birmingham, argued Monday that Lane's testimony was based on information he gleaned only from his job and that he was testifying as a state employee, not a regular citizen.

"If the testimony is factual, based solely on the job duties, as it was here, inseparable from the job duties, and it is information that a citizen would not know, that only the testifier would know, then that is not protected speech," Waggoner told the justices.

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Justices suggest public employees' testimony is protected

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In NH, Ted Cruz talks Senate race, personal past, 2016

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It's still two years until the New Hampshire presidential primary, but potential contenders are already laying the groundwork.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz spent the past few days in New Hampshire for his second visit in less than a month.

Click to view News 9's report.

Unlike prior visits, where he joined with big-name Republicans at a central event, Cruz is drawing crowds on his own in New Hampshire, largely like-minded voters who feel the Constitution is being compromised.

"We've never seen an administration infringe on our liberties like the Obama Administration: the First Amendment; the Second Amendment; the Fourth and Fifth Amendment(s), said Cruz.

Known nationally for his opposition to the health care law and for spearheading last year's government shutdown, he's now introducing himself on a personal level, telling how before immigrating to America, his father once fought alongside Fidel Castro.

"When he was 14 years old, he started fighting in the Cuban revolution, said Cruz.

Today, Cruz calls New Hampshire ground zero in the race for the U.S. Senate, but would not say if he'd be compelled to campaign alongside a more moderate candidate like Scott Brown.

"You got a primary going on first and the grass roots will make that determination. What I can say unequivocally, New Hampshire would be far better served by a Republican representing this state, said Cruz.

For that to happen, said Cruz, Republicans need to go back to the template that got him elected in the first place.

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In NH, Ted Cruz talks Senate race, personal past, 2016

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Supreme Court to hear case on police searches of cellphones

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WASHINGTON, April 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court will hear two cases regarding whether police searches of cellphones should require a warrant to avoid violating the Fourth Amendment.

The Fourth Amendment prohibits law enforcement and the government from engaging in "unreasonable searches and seizures" but the Justice Department is trying to exploit an old loophole that allows a warrantless search to prevent the destruction of evidence.

The cases are among several that have tested the Constitution in the digital age. The first case, which is being heard on Tuesday, is Riley v. California. When David L. Riley was pulled over for expired registration in San Diego in 2009, police found guns in his vehicle and searched his smartphone, which contained evidence linking him to a street gang. He was arrested and convicted for attempted murder and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

In its Supreme Court brief, California claims information on cellphones "is not different in kind from wallets, address books, personal papers and other items that have long been subject to examination."

However, many argue now that smartphones carry troves of personal data including communications, banking information, health information and access to a person's social media, it needs to be protected as that information would under the Fourth Amendment.

The original judge in the second case the court will hear, United States v. Wurie, agreed with that sentiment when he threw out the evidence collected from Brima Wurie's cellphone after his call logs led to an arrest on drug and gun charges.

"Today, many Americans store their most personal papers and effects in electronic format on a cellphone, carried on the person," Judge Norman H. Stahl wrote for a divided three-judge panel.

Riley's lawyers say the solution to the police's problem is as simple as requiring them to put the phone in airplane mode while they wait for a warrant or to disrupt the signal with Faraday bags to prevent wiping.

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Court may let cops search smartphones

Posted: at 10:48 pm

Others say there must be a different standard because of the sheer amount of data on and available through cellphones. In February, for instance, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals suppressed evidence found on the phone of a high school student who was arrested on charges of causing a disturbance on a school bus. "Searching a person's cellphone," the court said, "is like searching his home desk, computer, bank vault and medicine cabinet all at once."

The justices are not always savvy about technology. At last week's argument over whether an Internet streaming service is lawful, Justice Antonin Scalia seemed to think HBO is a broadcast rather than a cable channel.

Read More IRS to face the Supreme Court over summons power

But the justices can be sensitive to the implications of new technology for privacy rights, especially their own. Things did not go well for the Justice Department after one of its lawyers said at a 2011 argument that the F.B.I. was free to place GPS devices on the justices' cars. The government lost the case, against a drug dealer it had tracked for a month, by a 9-to-0 vote.

Similarly, in 2001, the court limited the use of thermal-imaging devices to peer into homes. Justice Scalia, writing for the majority, said, "It would be foolish to contend that the degree of privacy secured to citizens by the Fourth Amendment has been entirely unaffected by the advance of technology."

The problem in the thermal-imaging case, he wrote, was that the devices could detect not only heat lamps used to grow marijuana but also "at what hour each night the lady of the house takes her daily sauna and bath."

Searches of phones may give rise to a similar protective reaction. "It's a technology that all the justices will understand," Professor Kerr said. "They all have cellphones."

But they may not know how much information such phones can contain, including call records, messages, Internet browsing records, calendars, books, diaries, photographs and videos, to say nothing of applications that connect to financial, medical and travel records.

Adam M. Gershowitz, a professor at William & Mary Law School, noted that his iPhone tracked and stored his movements. "I just looked," he said, "and my phone shows that I arrived at work yesterday at 8:56 a.m." It also showed where and when he had lunch.

The first case to be argued Tuesday, Riley v. California, No. 13-132, arose from the arrest of David L. Riley, who was pulled over in 2009 in San Diego for having an expired registration. The police found loaded guns in his car and, on inspecting Mr. Riley's smartphone, entries they associated with a street gang.

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Court may let cops search smartphones

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