---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: John Gilmore <g...@toad.com> Date: Mon, Oct 17, 2016 at 7:35 AM Subject: Re: [Cryptography] changing crypto policy? Not Deborah Ross To: lje...@gmail.com Cc: cryptogra...@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 cryptogra...@metzdowd.com http://www.metzdowd.com/mailman/listinfo/cryptography
