Posted by
David Bollinger on Tuesday, September 01, 2009 1:46:02 AM
Tonight, I thought I'd try reasoning with him...
As Americans, we have generally been careful not to give our LEOs power in a way that makes it possible to easily abuse that power. For example, we limit random stops for sobriety checks because they unjustly accuse, by implication, the innocent of a crime. We want our police to be able to catch drunk drivers, but at the same time we don't want to offer an unscrupulous officer too tempting an opportunity to abuse that power.
Sen. Rockefeller is introducing a bill that would give the President the right to essentially shut down the Internet in an emergency. On the surface of it, that seems like a reasonable idea. However, the justification is that our power grid and other infrastructure is vulnerable to disruption by malevolent persons hacking into the system via the Internet and wreaking havoc.
The problem is that the bill leaves the definition of "emergency" vaguely defined and in the hands of a single man. This is the "paragon of virtue" argument—the ill-advised assumption that the persons who can make that decision is utterly trustworthy—and will stay that way. I think you know that I don't trust President Barack Obama, but that's beside the point. I wouldn't want President Reagan to have that power. As I understand the bill, it makes it possible for a power-mad individual to cut off the Internet simply as a means of silencing dissent, a violation the the First Amendment we must not permit.
Explain to me why it doesn't make sense to hire a trusted security firm to actively work to harden these vulnerable systems? Such a bill would be simple, targeted, with a narrow focus and no further "powers" granted to a single individual.
I am opposed to Sen. Rockefeller's initiative and I wish you to be as well.
Oh, by the way, Congress.org is reporting that So far, 74 percent of Congress.org users who have written their Members have opposed health care reform. This suggests that a Congressman who supports ObamaCare is not acting according to the wishes of her constituents.