[Cryptography] changing crypto policy? Not Deborah Ross

John Newman jnn at synfin.org
Mon Oct 17 18:54:54 PDT 2016


My god... something cross posted from the crypto list??

But Juan says that list is MODERATED and only 'nerds' talk there....   ;)

John

> On Oct 17, 2016, at 11:22 AM, grarpamp <grarpamp at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: John Gilmore <gnu at toad.com>
> Date: Mon, Oct 17, 2016 at 7:35 AM
> Subject: Re: [Cryptography] changing crypto policy?  Not Deborah Ross
> To: ljeanc at gmail.com
> Cc: cryptography at metzdowd.com
> 
> 
> While current Congressional oversight of the intelligence agencies is
> irrelevant or actively harmful, Deborah Ross doesn't seem like the
> reformer that L. Jean Camp suggested she might be.  Try Ross's
> National Security plans page here:
> 
>  https://www.deborahross.com/issues/national-security/keeping-americans-safe/
> 
> There she proposes lots of useless or harmful but "tough" measures.
> Here's the most relevant one for us:
> 
>  Strengthen our intelligence capabilities: When Republicans shutdown
>  the federal government for 16 days in 2013, roughly 70% of our
>  nation's intelligence personnel were off the job.  These analysts
>  are on the front lines of identifying and disrupting terrorist
>  plots, and helping us learn about the inner workings of ISIS.  They
>  should have the resources they need and certainty that outside
>  parties won't politicize or sabotage their operations.
> 
> Ross's whole paragraph is deliberately misleading.  During that
> government shutdown, all NSA and other classified personnel key to our
> military and anti-terrorism programs remained on duty.  The list of
> such departments in each federal agency during the shutdown is
> archived here:
> 
>  https://archive-it.org/collections/3938
> 
> Here she says a tiny bit more about intelligence:
> 
>  https://www.deborahross.com/issues/national-security/
> 
>  Protecting Americans is Deborah's top priority. She believes our
>  national security is strongest when we use all the tools at our
>  disposal: a modern military, the most sophisticated and capable
>  negotiators, and an intelligence community that will stay one step
>  ahead of our enemies.
> 
> Doesn't sound like somebody whose first priority would be to terminate
> NSA's domestic spying, NSA interference with computer security, reform
> government secrecy, chop NSA's budget as punishment for past bad
> behavior, etc.  A quick web search for "Deborah Ross" and "NSA" turned
> up exactly one article, which includes nothing from her or her aides
> that even addresses NSA, wiretaps or intelligence agencies.  It's
> about her opponent Richard Burr being a big NSA-lover and working with
> Sen. Feinstein to build a better police state.  Ross absolutely could
> have made mass surveillance one of her campaign issues, since her
> opponent is hip-deep in it, but she didn't:
> 
>  http://rare.us/story/one-of-the-nsas-biggest-cheerleaders-is-facing-a-tougher-than-expected-reelection/
> 
> Also, electing her would not get her onto the Intelligence committee.
> It would merely remove her opponent from it.
> 
> If any Cryptography list member actually wants to vote for someone
> whose stated policy is to stop all NSA domestic wiretapping and
> "metadata" collection, skip Deborah Ross and vote for Gary Johnson for
> President.  He has a clue on the issues that concern this mailing list:
> 
>  https://www.johnsonweld.com/personal_freedom
>  https://www.johnsonweld.com/internet_freedom_and_security
> 
>        John
> 
> PS: Recently leaked Podesta emails confirm that Ms. Clinton has no
> plans to improve anything on the NSA front:
> 
>  "Clinton won't budge on mass surveillance stance, leaked emails reveal"
>  http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/clinton-wont-budge-mass-surveillance-stance-leaked-emails-reveal-1586175
> _______________________________________________
> The cryptography mailing list
> cryptography at metzdowd.com
> http://www.metzdowd.com/mailman/listinfo/cryptography



More information about the cypherpunks mailing list