Eight complaints justified using millions in taxpayer money http://watchdog.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/01/Larry-Grohn.png
By Chris Butler | Tennessee Watchdog
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Complaints from eight people about TAC Air’s quality of service at the Chattanooga Airport before 2010 apparently justified using $ 4 million in state taxpayer money.
Chattanooga City Council member Larry Grohn told Tennessee Watchdog he requested and received records of those complaints, but what he found didn’t exactly reveal widespread dissatisfaction.
NOT ENOUGH: Larry Grohn said the minimal nature of those complaints didn’t justify the airport authority’s actions.
“When I requested the emails and correspondence and all of the records against TAC Air, I only got eight letters. That was it,” Grohn said.
“I was told by airport authority officials that there were other people coming to them and just verbalizing their experiences with TAC Air. Two of the complaints for support for having another FBO were handwritten notes from an individual who doesn’t even keep his plane at the airport.”
Grohn said the minimal nature of those complaints didn’t justify the airport authority’s actions.
“You want to support a multi-million dollar project based on something somebody told you, but you have no proof that this person lodged an official complaint.You have a handwritten note that is undated,” Grohn said.
Grohn said he filed a Freedom of Information Act request to get the information. Members of the airport authority would not volunteer it, he said.
As previously reported, airport authority spokesman AlbertWaterhouse declined to respond to several messages seeking comment over the past week and a half.
Additionally, two authority members declined to answer Tennessee Watchdog’s questions on the matter. Tennessee Watchdog left messages with three other airport authority members Tuesday, but none responded before publication time.
As a fixed base of operations, TAC Air provided fuel and other services. Airport authority officials have admitted the taxpayer-subsidized FBO, under the management of Wilson Air, has lost more than $ 1 million of taxpayer money.
Eight complaints justified using millions in taxpayer money http://watchdog.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2014/01/Larry-Grohn.png
By Chris Butler | Tennessee Watchdog
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Complaints from eight people about TAC Air’s quality of service at the Chattanooga Airport before 2010 apparently justified using $ 4 million in state taxpayer money.
Chattanooga City Council member Larry Grohn told Tennessee Watchdog he requested and received records of those complaints, but what he found didn’t exactly reveal widespread dissatisfaction.
NOT ENOUGH: Larry Grohn said the minimal nature of those complaints didn’t justify the airport authority’s actions.
“When I requested the emails and correspondence and all of the records against TAC Air, I only got eight letters. That was it,” Grohn said.
“I was told by airport authority officials that there were other people coming to them and just verbalizing their experiences with TAC Air. Two of the complaints for support for having another FBO were handwritten notes from an individual who doesn’t even keep his plane at the airport.”
Grohn said the minimal nature of those complaints didn’t justify the airport authority’s actions.
“You want to support a multi-million dollar project based on something somebody told you, but you have no proof that this person lodged an official complaint.You have a handwritten note that is undated,” Grohn said.
Grohn said he filed a Freedom of Information Act request to get the information. Members of the airport authority would not volunteer it, he said.
As previously reported, airport authority spokesman AlbertWaterhouse declined to respond to several messages seeking comment over the past week and a half.
Additionally, two authority members declined to answer Tennessee Watchdog’s questions on the matter. Tennessee Watchdog left messages with three other airport authority members Tuesday, but none responded before publication time.
As a fixed base of operations, TAC Air provided fuel and other services. Airport authority officials have admitted the taxpayer-subsidized FBO, under the management of Wilson Air, has lost more than $ 1 million of taxpayer money.
Eight tips for more secure mobile shopping http://isbigbrotherwatchingyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/3aebd__p-89EKCgBk8MZdE.gif
CSO – Online shopping trends point to lots of people, particularly men, using their smartphones and tablets to buy holiday presents. Since some of that browsing and buying will occur at work, experts say companies would be wise to give employees the following eight tips to protect themselves and corporate data.
First up, the company’s Wi-Fi network should be off limits for shopping. Administrators should block any device that is not authorized to access the network.
Most employees have their own data plans; so they can use their cellular provider’s network to browse the web for bargains. That way, a malicious app on the phone won’t have the opportunity to compromise the corporate network.
“It’s not likely (to happen), but there is a risk,” Ken Westin, security researcher at Tripwire, said Monday.
To prevent losing personal or business-related data, employees should avoid specialty apps from retailers and shop through their mobile browsers.
Apps are notorious for accessing more information on the phone than needed, such as contact lists. Symantec’s latest Internet Security Threat Report rated information stealing as the top threat from mobile malware or overly aggressive ad networks.
When using the mobile browser, be sure the URL to the shopping site starts with “https,” which indicates a secure connection with the site to protect important data, such as credit card numbers.
In addition, sensitive information, such as passwords, should not be stored in the browser. “Depending on the mobile browser, this information could be exposed for malicious purposes,” Joe Schumacher, security consultant for Neohapsis, said.
Companies should remind employees to be wary of link-carrying text messages promising big deals on popular items. Clicking on the link to find the bargain can sometimes download malware or send the victim to a malicious website.
Apps promising huge discounts should also be avoided, and people should review carefully the permissions apps seek for accessing data and services on the smartphone. Denying unnecessary permissions “can reduce your risk of exposing mobile data to a malicious entity,” Schumacher said.
Social media apps should also be watched closely, since scammers target such networks to embed malicious links. These apps present a particular risk, because they typically have broader access to data than other apps, Westin said. For example, social networks often tap into contact lists and photos.
Finally, employees should be advised to watch their phones more closely than usual and be cautious about using them in public. Thieves are looking for smartphones because of the resale value.
“It’s like holding a $ 500 bill,” Westin said. “(Employees) are more likely to have their phones stolen physically over the holidays.”
This year, mobile sales on Thanksgiving and the day after, called Black Friday, accounted for nearly 26 percent and about 22 percent of total online sales, respectively, according to IBM’s analysis of 800 U.S. retail websites. On both days, people spent significantly more with their mobile devices than a year ago.
Chief Constable Sir Stephen House confirms eight deaths following the helicopter crash
Eight people are now confirmed to have died after a police helicopter crashed into a busy pub in Glasgow city centre.
Three people inside the helicopter and five people inside The Clutha were killed after the Police Scotland aircraft came down at 22:30 on Friday.
A further 14 people are being treated for “very serious injuries” in hospitals across the city.
A major investigation is under way and the Air Accidents Investigations Branch will conduct an inquiry into the crash.
Dr Jennifer Armstrong, medical director at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said that of the 32 people taken to local hospitals after the crash, 18 had now been treated and discharged.
She confirmed that 14 people were still being treated for serious injuries.
“The main injuries we have seen include chest injuries, head injuries, long-bone fractures and lacerations,” she said.
It is thought that about 120 people were in the pub at the time of the crash.
Many were rescued or escaped but others were trapped by a collapse on the left-hand side of the building.
The three occupants of the helicopter who died were two police officers and a civilian pilot.
A significant number of personnel from Police Scotland, The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Scottish Ambulance Service are still at the scene.
Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Stephen House told a news conference on Saturday afternoon that they would remain there for some time.
Strange to walk through Argyle Street to the scene and see so many people doing their Christmas shopping just a few hundred yards from the scene.
The King Street car park next to the scene is full of cars, and buses are passing just 100 yards from the cordon.
There is no debris on our side of the cordon – it’s hard to believe what has happened just a few yards away.
We can see the blue and green tarpaulins on top of the roof of the pub, but there is no activity on that roof.
On our side of the cordons, a pack of around 40 journalists and photographers are taking statements from eyewitnesses and waiting for news.
He said: “This is a complex and ongoing rescue operation. It will not be a quick operation. It is a very complicated and indeed dangerous scene.”
Chief Constable House said the operation would go on “for many days yet”.
He paid tribute to the emergency service personnel who were working at the scene and the people of Glasgow who disregarded their own personal safety to help survivors in the aftermath of the crash.
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the same news conference that the increased death toll from the crash was “news that everybody today has been both dreading and expecting”.
“Our hearts go out to everyone who has been bereaved. It is impossible to imagine the grief and loss that they are experiencing,” she said.
“They should know that the thoughts and prayers of everyone across the city, and indeed across Scotland, are with them at this unimaginably difficult time.
Ms Sturgeon also praised the courage and fortitude of the emergency services and people of Glasgow in the aftermath of the crash.
She added: “I think we were all moved last night by the way in which those who were in and around the scene did everything possible to help and the outpouring of concern and kindness today, I’m sure, will be a comfort to those affected.”
A large area of the city centre has been cordoned off
Mass held at St Andrew’s Cathedral in city for those involved in crash and emergency services involved in response
Council has cancelled St Andrew’s Day celebrations in George Square as a mark of respect
A minute’s silence was held ahead of the Falkirk v Rangers match
Flags are flying at half-mast on Scottish government buildings
Injured were taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Western Infirmary and the Victoria Infirmary
Police Scotland Casualty Bureau number is 0800 092 0410 - for those concerned about relatives
Glasgow City Council has opened a family reception centre at 40 John Street
Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond earlier described it as a “black day for Scotland.”
Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute to the bravery of the “ordinary Glaswegians” who rushed to help.
The Queen has said her thoughts and prayers are with the victims of crash.
The Police Scotland helicopter which crashed was a twin-engine Eurocopter EC135 T2.
In a statement, Eurocopter said its experts were “on standby to support the investigation in every way possible”.
“An accident investigation team from Eurocopter is on its way to Scotland to assist the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch and the BFU (German AAIB) in its efforts to investigate the cause of the accident,” the statement said.
Helicopter operator Bond Air Services said it was working with the police and emergency services.
A statement added: “Our thoughts are with those who have been affected by this tragic incident.”
William Byrne, 45, from Coatbridge, who was in the pub when the helicopter came down, returned to the scene on Saturday morning.
“There was a loud bang. Then there was dust and the lights went out. It was surreal,” he told BBC Scotland.
“We didn’t know what had happened. At our side of the pub at least two people were trapped under the gantry. Myself and others lifted it up and managed to get them out. I spent some time with one injured man.”
He added: “At our side of the pub I would say there were less than 10 people injured, mainly walking wounded, not seriously injured. One girl had clearly been hit on the head – she had a big bump.
“The other side of the pub took the brunt. Myself and my friends managed to get out without a scratch. Everyone helped everyone else to get out.”
About 250 people attended a special service at St Andrew’s Cathedral on Saturday afternoon.
Archbishop Philip Tartaglia told worshipers: “We pray for those who have lost their lives, who are injured, the bereaved, and the emergency services and members of the public.
“We pray for our city of Glasgow, which is in mourning today.”
The band who were playing in the pub at the time of the crash, Esperanza, released a statement on their Facebook page.
Bassist Jess wrote: “Waking up and realising that it is all definitely horribly real. Despite the situation everyone was so helpful and caring of each other.
“The police, ambulances, firefighters all did a stellar job and continue to do so today in extremely difficult conditions.”
Eddie Waltham, a former firefighter who had a friend inside the pub, told the BBC: “A roof joist came down and hit him and pushed him towards the window which is at the left side of the left door.”
He added later: “My own reaction was to run straight up to the pub.
“It was amazing to watch just how people were trying so hard to get into this building.”
Gordon Matheson, the leader of Glasgow City Council, said his heart went out to the families affected.
He also praised the response of ordinary people in the area before the emergency services arrived.
Mr Matheson said: “People who were in the pub, the people who were in the streets and who just helped out their fellow human beings who were out having a good time.
“It’s Glasgow at its best you know, if people are in need the spontaneous response is to go to their help. And I want to pay great tribute to that and I’m very proud as leader of the city that that was the reaction. It doesn’t surprise me.”
First Minister Alex Salmond said: “This is a black day for Glasgow and Scotland but it is also St Andrew’s Day and we can take pride in how we respond to adversity.
“The response from our emergency services and citizens has been exemplary.”
Prime Minister David Cameron said: “This is a tragic event and our deepest sympathies are with the families and friends who lost a loved one last night.
“I want to thank the emergency services who worked tirelessly throughout the night and I also want pay tribute to the bravery of the ordinary Glaswegians who rushed to help.
“We have offered the Scottish government our support in any way we can and we are all wishing a speedy recovery to those who are injured.”
Labour leader Ed Miliband described the crash as an “unimaginable horror”.
He added: “My thoughts are with… the people of Glasgow who are an incredibly strong people, who showed, I think last night, in their reaction when the helicopter hit, a great bravery, a great courage, great calm in the midst of all this.”
In 1990, a police sergeant was killed when a Bell Jet 206 helicopter crashed in bad weather at Newton Mearns in East Renfrewshire.
Were you in the area? Have you been affected? You can contact us using the form below.
Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you canupload here.
Cindy Cohn and Trevor Timm EFF.org November 26, 2013
We’ve heard from lots of folks who are passionately concerned about the NSA’s mass spying, but are struggling to get their friends and family to understand the problem and join the over a half-million people who have demanded change through stopwatching.us and elsewhere.
You can also check out this new video from filmmaker Brian Knappenberger (writer and director of We Are Legion: the Story of the Hacktivists):
Note: clicking this thumbnail will take you to the New York Times’ website.
But you also need to be prepared to respond to the common refrains of folks confused, nonplussed, or simply exhausted from the headlines. So here’s a cheat sheet to help you talk about the NSA spying when you’re with family and friends.
I have nothing to hide from the government, so why should I worry?
There are a few ways to respond to this, depending on what you think will work best for the person raising the question.
• Point out how mass surveillance leaves you at the mercy of not only the NSA, but also to the DEA, the FBI and even the IRS. We know that the government claims that any evidence of a “crime” can be sent to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
• Tell them that, even if you don’t think you have something to hide, it’s possible the government thinks you do, or can create some concern about you (or your friends or loved ones). There are so many laws and regulations on the books, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner said the Congressional Research Service did not have the resources to count them all. One legal expert has argued that the average person likely commits three felonies a day without ever realizing. So, you may be technically breaking a law you have no idea about.
• We all benefit from a system that allows privacy. For example, when journalists can speak to sources without the specter of surveillance, helping fuel investigative journalism and the free flow of information. And this is not just a hypothetical—the Department of Justice subpoenaed the phone records of Associated Press journalists in an effort to track down government whistleblowers. And it’s not just journalists. Activists, political organizers, lawyers, individuals conducting sensitive research, businesses that want to keep their strategies confidential, and many others rely on secure, private, surveillance-free communication.
Isn’t the NSA using the mass spying to stop terrorists?
Even the NSA cannot point to a single terrorist attack they’ve stopped using the Patriot Act phone surveillance program that sweeps up virtually every phone record in the United States. They’ve thrown out many numbers claiming that the information was helpful in some capacity, including repeatedly claiming that it thwarted some 54 attacks, but those numbers have been thoroughly debunked.
The only remaining example the NSA points to is known as the “Zazi case.” However, in that case, the Associated Press reported that the government could have easily stopped the plot without the NSA program, under authorities that comply with the Constitution. Sens. Ron Wyden and Mark Udall have been saying this for a long time.
That’s the point here: we can stop terrorists with law enforcement authorities that this country has been using for decades. We don’t need to upend the Constitution to keep the nation safe.
The government will not abuse its power.
Some people believe that the government will never abuse its power, especially when the party they support is in office. You should remind these people that the government has a long history of overstretching its surveillance powers and using that information to try to blackmail people. Example of this include the NSA spying on Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, and even some sitting senators in the 1960s. Imagine how Sen. Joe McCarthy’s investigations might have gone if he had access to this kind of spying.
We already have evidence of abuse of power. We know that the NSA analysts were using their surveillance powers to track their ex-wives and husbands, and other love interests. They even had a name for it, LOVEINT. The FISA court has also cited the NSA for violating or ignoring court orders for years at a time. And those are just self-reported abuses. An independent investigation might reveal even more.
Allowing mass spying is patriotic.
Stopping untargeted seizure of information is one of the key reasons we fought the War of Independence and drafted the Fourth Amendment. During colonial times, the “crime” was tax evasion—remember the Boston Tea Party? The British crown issued Writs of Assistance, which were general warrants that allowed the British authorities to search through anyone’s papers in order to find those who were skirting the taxes. American patriot James Otis Jr. argued against the “hated writs” but lost his case in the British courts. John Adams noted that from that case, “the child independence was born.”
Since that time, warrants have had to specify the persons and places searched. Mass surveillance by the NSA does neither. In short, one of our countries’ founding principles is the prohibition on mass searches and seizures.
Kids today (or my friends) post everything they do on Facebook or Twitter, why should we care if the government can see too?
What people choose to put on Facebook or Twitter (or Instagram or Tumblr or some other service) is almost always curated. People put the best or sometimes the worst things that happen to them online, but studies show they still keep things private, and restrict the audience for other information. A new poll shows young people may even be more privacy conscious than older adults.
We all know someone whose Facebook feed continued to show happy pictures even as they went through a terrible breakup or divorce. The point of privacy is control over the information that is available about you. Some people choose to share more, some choose to share less, but nearly everyone wants the power to pick and choose what information is available about them to their friends and to strangers, like future employers or NSA agents.
Google and Facebook have my information, so why shouldn’t the NSA?
There are many privacy problems with how the giant Internet companies gather and use so much of your personal data. However, Google and Facebook do not have the power to arrest you and, unlike government surveillance, there are other choices for communication tools. For example, you can use DuckDuckGo instead of Google search.
Remember: while we may not like how companies collect a lot of our information, they are not under the same requirement to follow the Fourth Amendment. We need to protect the private information held by companies too, but the Constitution provides a foundation that always protects our communications from the prying eyes of government.
It’s just metadata, so why should I care?
For the mass phone record collection program, the NSA has said it is not “listening in” to telephone calls. Instead they are collecting a record of everyone you call, who calls you, when you’re on the phone, the length of your phone call, and at times, even your location.
This “metadata” can be as invasive as the content of your conversations. It can reveal your religious and political views, who you are dating (and when you break up), who your spouse and children are, your movements, and even information your closest friends and family don’t know, such as medical conditions.
Additionally, the government is getting more than just metadata. We also know the government has obtained online content, including email, under separate programs, and used the data based on a guess that you are 51 percent likely to be foreign, by scanning large a portion of the total number of emails entering and exiting the United States. Metadata is only a part of the government spying programs.
This sucks, but there’s nothing I can do!
Actually there is plenty you can do! First, join the over half-million others and sign our petition at stopwatching.us. Then call your representative in Congress—there are bills going through Congress right now that could curtail some of this spying and bring real transparency and accountability to the NSA. There are also some that need to be opposed so we don’t end up legalizing much of this illegal surveillance.
There’s lots you can do to fight NSA surveillance. But one of the most important things you can do is explain why this issue is important to friends and family. So please share this guide widely.
This article was posted: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Cindy Cohn and Trevor Timm EFF.org November 26, 2013
We’ve heard from lots of folks who are passionately concerned about the NSA’s mass spying, but are struggling to get their friends and family to understand the problem and join the over a half-million people who have demanded change through stopwatching.us and elsewhere.
You can also check out this new video from filmmaker Brian Knappenberger (writer and director of We Are Legion: the Story of the Hacktivists):
Note: clicking this thumbnail will take you to the New York Times’ website.
But you also need to be prepared to respond to the common refrains of folks confused, nonplussed, or simply exhausted from the headlines. So here’s a cheat sheet to help you talk about the NSA spying when you’re with family and friends.
I have nothing to hide from the government, so why should I worry?
There are a few ways to respond to this, depending on what you think will work best for the person raising the question.
• Point out how mass surveillance leaves you at the mercy of not only the NSA, but also to the DEA, the FBI and even the IRS. We know that the government claims that any evidence of a “crime” can be sent to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
• Tell them that, even if you don’t think you have something to hide, it’s possible the government thinks you do, or can create some concern about you (or your friends or loved ones). There are so many laws and regulations on the books, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner said the Congressional Research Service did not have the resources to count them all. One legal expert has argued that the average person likely commits three felonies a day without ever realizing. So, you may be technically breaking a law you have no idea about.
• We all benefit from a system that allows privacy. For example, when journalists can speak to sources without the specter of surveillance, helping fuel investigative journalism and the free flow of information. And this is not just a hypothetical—the Department of Justice subpoenaed the phone records of Associated Press journalists in an effort to track down government whistleblowers. And it’s not just journalists. Activists, political organizers, lawyers, individuals conducting sensitive research, businesses that want to keep their strategies confidential, and many others rely on secure, private, surveillance-free communication.
Isn’t the NSA using the mass spying to stop terrorists?
Even the NSA cannot point to a single terrorist attack they’ve stopped using the Patriot Act phone surveillance program that sweeps up virtually every phone record in the United States. They’ve thrown out many numbers claiming that the information was helpful in some capacity, including repeatedly claiming that it thwarted some 54 attacks, but those numbers have been thoroughly debunked.
The only remaining example the NSA points to is known as the “Zazi case.” However, in that case, the Associated Press reported that the government could have easily stopped the plot without the NSA program, under authorities that comply with the Constitution. Sens. Ron Wyden and Mark Udall have been saying this for a long time.
That’s the point here: we can stop terrorists with law enforcement authorities that this country has been using for decades. We don’t need to upend the Constitution to keep the nation safe.
The government will not abuse its power.
Some people believe that the government will never abuse its power, especially when the party they support is in office. You should remind these people that the government has a long history of overstretching its surveillance powers and using that information to try to blackmail people. Example of this include the NSA spying on Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, and even some sitting senators in the 1960s. Imagine how Sen. Joe McCarthy’s investigations might have gone if he had access to this kind of spying.
We already have evidence of abuse of power. We know that the NSA analysts were using their surveillance powers to track their ex-wives and husbands, and other love interests. They even had a name for it, LOVEINT. The FISA court has also cited the NSA for violating or ignoring court orders for years at a time. And those are just self-reported abuses. An independent investigation might reveal even more.
Allowing mass spying is patriotic.
Stopping untargeted seizure of information is one of the key reasons we fought the War of Independence and drafted the Fourth Amendment. During colonial times, the “crime” was tax evasion—remember the Boston Tea Party? The British crown issued Writs of Assistance, which were general warrants that allowed the British authorities to search through anyone’s papers in order to find those who were skirting the taxes. American patriot James Otis Jr. argued against the “hated writs” but lost his case in the British courts. John Adams noted that from that case, “the child independence was born.”
Since that time, warrants have had to specify the persons and places searched. Mass surveillance by the NSA does neither. In short, one of our countries’ founding principles is the prohibition on mass searches and seizures.
Kids today (or my friends) post everything they do on Facebook or Twitter, why should we care if the government can see too?
What people choose to put on Facebook or Twitter (or Instagram or Tumblr or some other service) is almost always curated. People put the best or sometimes the worst things that happen to them online, but studies show they still keep things private, and restrict the audience for other information. A new poll shows young people may even be more privacy conscious than older adults.
We all know someone whose Facebook feed continued to show happy pictures even as they went through a terrible breakup or divorce. The point of privacy is control over the information that is available about you. Some people choose to share more, some choose to share less, but nearly everyone wants the power to pick and choose what information is available about them to their friends and to strangers, like future employers or NSA agents.
Google and Facebook have my information, so why shouldn’t the NSA?
There are many privacy problems with how the giant Internet companies gather and use so much of your personal data. However, Google and Facebook do not have the power to arrest you and, unlike government surveillance, there are other choices for communication tools. For example, you can use DuckDuckGo instead of Google search.
Remember: while we may not like how companies collect a lot of our information, they are not under the same requirement to follow the Fourth Amendment. We need to protect the private information held by companies too, but the Constitution provides a foundation that always protects our communications from the prying eyes of government.
It’s just metadata, so why should I care?
For the mass phone record collection program, the NSA has said it is not “listening in” to telephone calls. Instead they are collecting a record of everyone you call, who calls you, when you’re on the phone, the length of your phone call, and at times, even your location.
This “metadata” can be as invasive as the content of your conversations. It can reveal your religious and political views, who you are dating (and when you break up), who your spouse and children are, your movements, and even information your closest friends and family don’t know, such as medical conditions.
Additionally, the government is getting more than just metadata. We also know the government has obtained online content, including email, under separate programs, and used the data based on a guess that you are 51 percent likely to be foreign, by scanning large a portion of the total number of emails entering and exiting the United States. Metadata is only a part of the government spying programs.
This sucks, but there’s nothing I can do!
Actually there is plenty you can do! First, join the over half-million others and sign our petition at stopwatching.us. Then call your representative in Congress—there are bills going through Congress right now that could curtail some of this spying and bring real transparency and accountability to the NSA. There are also some that need to be opposed so we don’t end up legalizing much of this illegal surveillance.
There’s lots you can do to fight NSA surveillance. But one of the most important things you can do is explain why this issue is important to friends and family. So please share this guide widely.
This article was posted: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Busting Eight Common Excuses for NSA Mass Surveillance http://isbigbrotherwatchingyou.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/528d9__national_security_agency__printer_famfamfam.gif
Cindy Cohn and Trevor Timm EFF.org November 26, 2013
We’ve heard from lots of folks who are passionately concerned about the NSA’s mass spying, but are struggling to get their friends and family to understand the problem and join the over a half-million people who have demanded change through stopwatching.us and elsewhere.
You can also check out this new video from filmmaker Brian Knappenberger (writer and director of We Are Legion: the Story of the Hacktivists):
Note: clicking this thumbnail will take you to the New York Times’ website.
But you also need to be prepared to respond to the common refrains of folks confused, nonplussed, or simply exhausted from the headlines. So here’s a cheat sheet to help you talk about the NSA spying when you’re with family and friends.
I have nothing to hide from the government, so why should I worry?
There are a few ways to respond to this, depending on what you think will work best for the person raising the question.
• Point out how mass surveillance leaves you at the mercy of not only the NSA, but also to the DEA, the FBI and even the IRS. We know that the government claims that any evidence of a “crime” can be sent to the appropriate law enforcement agencies.
• Tell them that, even if you don’t think you have something to hide, it’s possible the government thinks you do, or can create some concern about you (or your friends or loved ones). There are so many laws and regulations on the books, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner said the Congressional Research Service did not have the resources to count them all. One legal expert has argued that the average person likely commits three felonies a day without ever realizing. So, you may be technically breaking a law you have no idea about.
• We all benefit from a system that allows privacy. For example, when journalists can speak to sources without the specter of surveillance, helping fuel investigative journalism and the free flow of information. And this is not just a hypothetical—the Department of Justice subpoenaed the phone records of Associated Press journalists in an effort to track down government whistleblowers. And it’s not just journalists. Activists, political organizers, lawyers, individuals conducting sensitive research, businesses that want to keep their strategies confidential, and many others rely on secure, private, surveillance-free communication.
Isn’t the NSA using the mass spying to stop terrorists?
Even the NSA cannot point to a single terrorist attack they’ve stopped using the Patriot Act phone surveillance program that sweeps up virtually every phone record in the United States. They’ve thrown out many numbers claiming that the information was helpful in some capacity, including repeatedly claiming that it thwarted some 54 attacks, but those numbers have been thoroughly debunked.
The only remaining example the NSA points to is known as the “Zazi case.” However, in that case, the Associated Press reported that the government could have easily stopped the plot without the NSA program, under authorities that comply with the Constitution. Sens. Ron Wyden and Mark Udall have been saying this for a long time.
That’s the point here: we can stop terrorists with law enforcement authorities that this country has been using for decades. We don’t need to upend the Constitution to keep the nation safe.
The government will not abuse its power.
Some people believe that the government will never abuse its power, especially when the party they support is in office. You should remind these people that the government has a long history of overstretching its surveillance powers and using that information to try to blackmail people. Example of this include the NSA spying on Martin Luther King Jr., Muhammad Ali, and even some sitting senators in the 1960s. Imagine how Sen. Joe McCarthy’s investigations might have gone if he had access to this kind of spying.
We already have evidence of abuse of power. We know that the NSA analysts were using their surveillance powers to track their ex-wives and husbands, and other love interests. They even had a name for it, LOVEINT. The FISA court has also cited the NSA for violating or ignoring court orders for years at a time. And those are just self-reported abuses. An independent investigation might reveal even more.
Allowing mass spying is patriotic.
Stopping untargeted seizure of information is one of the key reasons we fought the War of Independence and drafted the Fourth Amendment. During colonial times, the “crime” was tax evasion—remember the Boston Tea Party? The British crown issued Writs of Assistance, which were general warrants that allowed the British authorities to search through anyone’s papers in order to find those who were skirting the taxes. American patriot James Otis Jr. argued against the “hated writs” but lost his case in the British courts. John Adams noted that from that case, “the child independence was born.”
Since that time, warrants have had to specify the persons and places searched. Mass surveillance by the NSA does neither. In short, one of our countries’ founding principles is the prohibition on mass searches and seizures.
Kids today (or my friends) post everything they do on Facebook or Twitter, why should we care if the government can see too?
What people choose to put on Facebook or Twitter (or Instagram or Tumblr or some other service) is almost always curated. People put the best or sometimes the worst things that happen to them online, but studies show they still keep things private, and restrict the audience for other information. A new poll shows young people may even be more privacy conscious than older adults.
We all know someone whose Facebook feed continued to show happy pictures even as they went through a terrible breakup or divorce. The point of privacy is control over the information that is available about you. Some people choose to share more, some choose to share less, but nearly everyone wants the power to pick and choose what information is available about them to their friends and to strangers, like future employers or NSA agents.
Google and Facebook have my information, so why shouldn’t the NSA?
There are many privacy problems with how the giant Internet companies gather and use so much of your personal data. However, Google and Facebook do not have the power to arrest you and, unlike government surveillance, there are other choices for communication tools. For example, you can use DuckDuckGo instead of Google search.
Remember: while we may not like how companies collect a lot of our information, they are not under the same requirement to follow the Fourth Amendment. We need to protect the private information held by companies too, but the Constitution provides a foundation that always protects our communications from the prying eyes of government.
It’s just metadata, so why should I care?
For the mass phone record collection program, the NSA has said it is not “listening in” to telephone calls. Instead they are collecting a record of everyone you call, who calls you, when you’re on the phone, the length of your phone call, and at times, even your location.
This “metadata” can be as invasive as the content of your conversations. It can reveal your religious and political views, who you are dating (and when you break up), who your spouse and children are, your movements, and even information your closest friends and family don’t know, such as medical conditions.
Additionally, the government is getting more than just metadata. We also know the government has obtained online content, including email, under separate programs, and used the data based on a guess that you are 51 percent likely to be foreign, by scanning large a portion of the total number of emails entering and exiting the United States. Metadata is only a part of the government spying programs.
This sucks, but there’s nothing I can do!
Actually there is plenty you can do! First, join the over half-million others and sign our petition at stopwatching.us. Then call your representative in Congress—there are bills going through Congress right now that could curtail some of this spying and bring real transparency and accountability to the NSA. There are also some that need to be opposed so we don’t end up legalizing much of this illegal surveillance.
There’s lots you can do to fight NSA surveillance. But one of the most important things you can do is explain why this issue is important to friends and family. So please share this guide widely.
This article was posted: Tuesday, November 26, 2013 at 12:19 pm
Energy bills have risen at EIGHT times the rate of average earnings http://thedailynewsreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/1fc8b__article-0-19FABC11000005DC-474_634x309.jpg
PUBLISHED: 10:18 EST, 17 November 2013 | UPDATED: 10:50 EST, 17 November 2013
Energy bills have risen at a rate eight times higher than average earnings over the past three years, according to Citizens Advice.
The charity has found that the ‘Big Six’ suppliers have increased their gas and electricity prices by on average 36 per cent since October 2010, during which time earnings have risen by a measly 4.4 per cent.
Prices have also easily outstripped the rate of inflation as well, almost four times the 10.2 per cent increase in the last three years.
Rise: Energy bills have risen by 36 per cent in the last three years.
Energy firms have shown no sign of putting a stopper on rises either, with recent announcements seeing rises of up to 10.4 per cent set to come in this winter, and Citizens Advice fears that people are racking up serious debts to pay for their winter energy bills.
Chief executive Gillian Guy said: ‘Enormous escalations in energy prices are creating a desperate situation in many households.
‘People find they do not have enough money coming in to pay for everyday essentials as increases in daily costs are outstripping low rises in earnings.
‘As we head into winter, and the latest price rises begin to kick in, more and more people are likely to reach crisis point as they struggle to heat their homes and feed their families.
‘People should not have to get into debt in order to have a warm home. Energy companies and the Government need to look at how they can reduce the pressure energy bills are putting on people’s finances.’
Energy providers have been attempting to pin the blame for rising costs on green taxes levied by the Government, but energy secretary Ed Davey told the Mail on Sunday today he feels these firms may be ‘too profitable’.
The Big Six of British Gas, E.On, SSE, npower, EDF Energy and Scottish Power were hauled before a committee of MPs last month to explain their margins, and people are increasingly being encouraged to switch their energy plans to smaller and cheaper suppliers.
Citizens Advice said that 28 per cent of people who seek help with an energy problem also have a debt issue, with half of these in debt to their energy suppliers, while others have card or personal loan debts.
Ms Guy thinks green levies on energy companies should instead be raised via taxation to make it fairer on those struggling to stay afloat.
She said: ‘It’s absolutely essential that families on low incomes and pensioners get the necessary help to stay warm so I urge the Government not to cut the support that is currently available.
‘Levies are adding an unfair financial burden to poorer households. Paying for these costs through taxation would be a much fairer approach and would avoid low income households funding.’
A Saudi court has passed a sentence of eight years in prison and 800 lashes on a preacher convicted of raping his junior daughter and torturing her to death.
The court on Monday also ordered Fayhan al-Ghamdi to pay his ex-wife – the girl’s mother – one million Saudi riyals (USD 270,000) in blood money, Turki al-Rasheed, the mother’s lawyer, said on Tuesday.
Ghamdi’s second wife, who is accused of taking part in the crime, was sentenced to 10 months in prison and 150 lashes.
The five-year-old Lama was admitted to hospital in December 2011 with multiple injuries, including a crushed skull and extensive bruising and burns. She died several months later.
Ghamdi confessed to having used cables and a cane to inflict the injuries, human rights activists said earlier this year.
Saudi and foreign rights activists have strongly condemned the Saudi court’s verdicts in the case as too lenient.
“We are extremely disappointed,” said Saudi rights activist Aziza al-Yousef. “He should have been jailed for life or executed to serve as an example,” she urged.
Another activist, Khuloud al-Fahd, said she was also shocked by Ghamdi’s punishment.
“A few years ago, two burglars stole two sheep and were sentenced to five years in prison and lashes. How can a father who killed his daughter be condemned to such a light sentence?” she questioned.
In Saudi Arabia, rape and murder are among several crimes punishable by death.
However, a father cannot be executed for murdering his children, nor can husbands be executed for murdering their wives. They might face a jail sentence between five to 12 years if convicted.
In August, Saudi Arabia adopted the kingdom’s first law to criminalize domestic violence. But the law has not yet been implemented.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – At least eight people, including three children, were killed and 79 were wounded when a monster truck careened into a crowd at a show in northern Mexico, an official at the public prosecutor’s office in the city of Chihuahua said on Sunday.
Ayotte’s endorsement provides a major lift to the bipartisan effort. | AP Photo
Sen. Kelly Ayotte endorsed the Senate Gang of Eight immigration reform bill Sunday, providing a major lift to the bipartisan effort.
“Our immigration system is completely broken,” the New Hampshire Republican said, and the immigration reform legislation is “a thoughtful, bipartisan solution to a tough problem.” Ayotte went on to praise the border security provisions, the E-Verify program that secures employment verification data and the system for high-skilled workers.The bill is particularly crucial, she said, to ensure that “we don’t have another wave of illegal immigration.”
Ayotte also hailed the bill’s mechanisms to bring the U.S.’s current undocumented immigrants “out of the shadows” and offer them a “tough but fair” way to earn citizenship. Making them pay taxes, pass a background check and learn English is the right way to handle a difficult problem, she said.
On the threat of a Senate filibuster, Ayotte said that immigration must be debated because “the status quo is unacceptable.”
Earlier on Fox News Sunday, though, Sen. Rand Paul critized the Gang of Eight bill. While he said that “we have a broken visa system,” the Senate bill doesn’t address it properly. Paul said that “you need to expand the numbers of workers that are allowed to come into this country,” but that the legislation in the Senate “puts new caps” on workers.
Paul also said plainly that the Senate bill “doesn’t secure the border.” The Kentucky Republican said that he was “willing to compromise” and “wants to make the bill work,” but that the bill’s authors must come to him directly to address some of his concerns.
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