NSA Able to Target Off-Line Computers Using Radio Waves
by Chris Carrington
Activist Post
Jan 15, 2014
A report by RT states that the NSA has implanted software in computers around the world that enables them to use surveillance of those machines even when they are off-line.
According to the report:
The secret technology uses covert radio waves transmitted from small circuit boards and USB cards clandestinely inserted into targeted computers, The New York Times reported. The waves can then be sent to a briefcase-sized relay station intelligence agencies can set up just miles away, according to NSA documents, computer experts and US officials.
The radio frequency technology – which often needs to be physically inserted by a spy, manufacturer or unwitting user – has helped US spies access computers that global adversaries have gone to great lengths to protect from surveillance or cyber-attack.
The NSA calls use of the infiltration software and radio technology – all part of a program known as Quantum -“active defense”against cyber-attacks, though it has condemned use of similar software by Chinese attackers against American companies or government agencies.
“What’s new here is the scale and the sophistication of the intelligence agency’s ability to get into computers and networks to which no one has ever had access before,”James Andrew Lewis, cyber security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told The Times.“Some of these capabilities have been around for a while, but the combination of learning how to penetrate systems to insert software and learning how to do that using radio frequencies has given the U.S. a window it’s never had before.”
Russia and China have been frequent targets of the technology, as have Mexican authorities and drug cartels.
Edward Snowden has released documents showing the locations of around 100,000 implanted computers around the globe, and last month Der Spiegel published details of the NSA ANT product data.
(Image from spiegel.de)The NSA maintains that the implanted systems gives an early warning of cyber attacks aimed at the US…something that many technology experts say is not strictly true.
The debacle over the NSA and its techniques has circled the globe, and there’s no sign yet that the firestorm of accusation against the department is going to stop anytime soon.
Chris Carrington is a writer, researcher and lecturer with a background in science, technology and environmental studies. Chris is an editor for The Daily Sheeple, where this first appeared. Wake the flock up!
New Hampshire House Passes Recreational Pot, Legalization Unlikely
by Elizabeth Renter
Natural Society
Jan 25, 2014
Last week, the New Hampshire House gave preliminary approval to legalize recreational pot. And though the measure isn’t likely to become law, with a state Senate opposed to ending marijuana prohibition, the passage by the House marks a significant step and a sign that things are changing.
The bill is reportedly modeled by those in Washington and Colorado and would allow people to possess up to one ounce of marijuana. It would tax and regulate pot and also allow citizens to grow a total of six plants.
The first attempt to pass the measure failed, with two lawmakers tipping the scales to the opposing side. Only an hour later, they tried again and the bill passed 170-162, according to AlterNet. The House voted 170-162 after a 2 ½-hour heated debate to send the bill to its tax committee to review before taking a final vote.
The France reorganized its military presence in the Sahel around four bases
StratRisks
Jan 26, 2014
This is a huge field of operations as large as Europe, but almost entirely desert. “Armed terrorist groups” (GAT, according to military acronym) that travel does not know national boundaries, with a line drawn by former colonial administrations in the middle of … nothing. As his enemies, the French army, which is at the forefront in the war against the jihadists in the Sahel, decided to abstract these boundaries. To this end, the Ministry of Defence in depth reorganizes its military presence in Africa.This “regionalization of the Sahel” is being implemented: no ads mirobolantes but a discrete adjustment work here are the highlights.
Everything starts with an analysis of the threat after defeating – but not entirely removed – TGA in northern Mali in the first half of 2013, the French army and intelligence services, not surprisingly, found that these were, in part, scattered in neighboring states. Particularly in the south-western Libya, where has been a real “safe black hole” in the Fezzan around the triangle Oubari-Sebha-Mourzouk. It is from this base that the jihadists back back north Mali – nineteen of them were killed during a special operation in December – and Niger, where a significant terrorist act has recently been thwarted. The GAT borrow a line more than a thousand kilometers, after the pass of El Salvador, following the border between Niger and Algeria. The tracks also borrowed going well on the Algerian territory that Nigerian. France’s strategy is to cut the jihadists their rear base in Libya, where it is impossible to speak openly.
For the French military, three states in the region now form a single theater Mali, Niger and Chad.Their three governments involved in the fight against terrorism and cooperate with France.
In the region, France will have four main bases: N’Djamena (Chad), Niamey (Niger), Gao (Mali) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). A N’Djamena: combat aircraft Rafale and Mirage 2000, supported by tankers and ground forces – and the staff who will control operations in the Sahel. In Niamey, intelligence assets, including two new Reaper drones purchased in the United States and will be operational in the coming days. These monitoring devices controlled from the ground in Niamey are collocated with those of the U.S. Air Force. This base can also accommodate combat aircraft and Atlantique 2 maritime patrol, used both above the desert of the ocean. In Gao, land forces, with a large helicopter detachment. Finally, more discreetly, in Ouagadougou, the group of special forces Sabre operates throughout the area from the rear base. These four main bases, the French army will add support points further north, that is to say, closer to possible interception areas of terrorist groups. Two of them were chosen: Tessalit, in the far north of Mali, and Faya-Largeau in northern Chad. Another is still being sought in the north-eastern Niger, knowing that special forces are already present in the Arlit mining (northwest) area. These support points must have airstrip, even briefly, for depositing light vehicle or implement helicopters. Not to mention the collection of intelligence, human or electronic … In total, this device in the Sahel mobilize 3,000 French soldiers permanently with air assets nearly thirty aircraft (fighter, transport, helicopters, drones, etc).
The whole of this new device, which has not received baptism generic name, will be supported by three rear bases in Africa: Dakar (Senegal), Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire) and Libreville (Gabon). To compensate for the rise in the Sahelian zone, the number of Dakar and Libreville and those of Djibouti will be revised downwards. The abandonment of Abidjan, a time considered, is no longer valid, quite the contrary. Logistical role is even considered as a priority towards the Sahel. Djibouti, turned to another theater of operations – including Somalia – will see its numbers continue to decline.Relations between France and Djibouti government are no longer what they were … A regiment, the 13th DBLE has already left the country to settle in the United Arab Emirates.
In total, about 6,000 French soldiers who remain active in Africa, permanently, half the Sahel. That’s a lot. More so than any other Western country. The idea to withdraw from the continent, caressed in the drafting of the previous White Paper of Defence (2008), fizzled. France remains more than ever, a permanent African military power far beyond operations decided by François Hollande, Serval Sangaris Mali and the Central African Republic.
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[h/t: MediaMonarchy]
Illinois proposes ‘legalizing’ medical marijuana as long as patients surrender Second Amendment rights
by L.J. Devon, Staff Writer
Natural News
Jan 25, 2014
(NaturalNews) Lawmakers from the state of Illinois have proposed new medical marijuana rules that coerce patients to surrender their Second Amendment right in the application process.
The new medical marijuana “legalization” bill requires Illinois citizens to undergo a background check, be fingerprinted and pay an additional $150 fine for using marijuana for medical purposes.
On top of that and most disturbing of all, Illinois citizens will also be required to sign away their right to own a firearm in the application process.
Personal liberty and responsibility has become a dead idea in the state of Illinois, as the right to bear arms becomes a perishable right dictated through laws regulating strict control of a plant.
Illinois forcing citizens to give up their guns if they want medical pot
Under the new rules, people who want to treat themselves with something other than dangerous pharmaceutical drugs will be required to give up their guns in the process.
Both caregivers and patients will be required to surrender their firearms, and any state-approved FOID cards or concealed carry permits. According to the proposal, state police will be in charge of enforcing the gun control sanctions.
Moreover, the Department of Agriculture will be enlisted to develop rules for cultivation centers, and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation will be employed to draw up rules for dispensaries. More power to the state!
The plan also dictates the reasons for which caregivers can prescribe cannabis, outlining 41 specific medical conditions that pre-qualify patients to seek a patient registry medical marijuana ID card. The ID card will permit approved patients access to 2.5 ounces of medical marijuana every two weeks, to be administered by a certified caregiver.
Isn’t it strange how the state limits the potential of a plant but turns a blind eye toward the mass distribution, destruction, and death coming from many pharmaceutical drugs?
Regulations like these encourage continual, exaggerated health complaints
Additional rules require that patients be at least 18 years old and have a “bona fide” relationship with their caregiver. The caregiver will be required to certify a patient’s medical condition. This may inevitably encourage many people to exaggerate their medical condition while caregivers overprescribe just so users can get a recreational high. This will weaken entire defenseless generations who have given up their Second Amendment right just to get high. Regulations like these will make users more likely to mentally fabricate and overstate their “medical condition” just to “legally” obtain pot.
3 killed, 5 injured in Maryland mall shooting
RT
Jan 25, 2014
Police patrol outside a Sears store at Columbia Mall after a fatal shooting on January 25, 2014, in Columbia, Maryland. (AFP Photo/Jewel Samad)
A shooter opened fire at a mall in Columbia, Maryland on Saturday, killing two people and injuring one before apparently taking his own life, police say.
Four others were injured in the ensuing chaos. Howard County police say they do not know the motive behind the shooting. There is an indication that the suspect may have intended to kill more people.
“Because of concerns about any other weapons he may have or explosives, we are approaching this with an abundance of caution,” Howard County Police Chief Bill McMahon said, stressing that an investigation had just begun. “We’re getting assistance from some of our federal partners and making sure there are no explosives on the body of the deceased.”
Police have disabled what they described as “two crude devices that appeared to be an attempt at making explosives using fireworks.”
Maryland State Police patrol the Columbia Mall after a fatal shooting on January 25, 2014, in Columbia, Maryland. (AFP Photo/Jim Watson)
The victims were identified as Brianna Benlolo, 21, and Tyler Johnson, 25. Both were employees of Zumiez, the skate shop where the shooting took place. The name of the gunman has not yet been released.
“Investigators have tentatively identified the shooter and are following up on investigative leads. It is believed he died from a self-inflicted gun shot wound,” said the police statement
As the scene unfolded, customers were ordered by police to remain inside stores. The mall, which opens at 10:00 a.m. EST on Saturdays, was crowded with weekend shoppers.
The mall will remain closed on Sunday.
Senate committee OKs industrial hemp bill
Sun-Commercial: News
Jan 26, 2014
Associated Press
INDIANAPOLIS — Allowing farmers to grow hemp in Indiana could help boost the economy and dispel myths about a crop that can be used to make everything from paper to car parts, supporters told lawmakers Friday.
The testimony helped convince the Senate’s agriculture committee to unanimously approve a bill that would enable farmers to legally grow industrial hemp, but only if they or the state gets federal approval. Hemp is marijuana’s non-intoxicating cousin but it cannot be grown under federal law, though many products made from hemp, such as oils and clothing, are legal.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Richard Young, D-Milltown, said hemp fields flourished in Indiana before and during World War II, but petrochemical industries and other industries later lobbied against hemp — which can also be used to make fuel — to cut competition.
“This is a plant that has been used for centuries throughout the world and has tremendous potential,” Young said.
But lingering stereotypes have haunted efforts to legalize the crop ever since, said Neal Smith, chairman of Indiana National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. He wore a pin with showing the five-branched hemp leaf, which looks almost identical to a marijuana leaf but has two fewer branches.
Kentucky passed similar legislation last year, and eight other states have done the same, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The 1970 Controlled Substances Act requires hemp growers to get a permit from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The last permit was issued in 1999 — and expired in 2003 — for an experimental plot in Hawaii. U.S. Sens. Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky are co-sponsoring legislation that would federally legalize industrial hemp farming.
The economic benefits remain unclear, however, and whether Indiana would receive a permit is uncertain.
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[h/t: ActivistPost]
Senate Challengers Bring NDAA Issue to the Forefront
by Dan Johnson
P.A.N.D.A. People Against The NDAA
Jan 26, 2014
BOWLING GREEN – Activists around the nation have raised warnings about the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)’s detention provisions, sections 1021 and 1022, since the law was signed on December 31st, 2011. Alarm about those citizen detention provisions has now reached a Texas Senate race, and two challengers are vying for the support of the NDAA Resistance.
Dwayne Stovall, a candidate for U.S. Senate, released a public statement standing with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) against the “fast-tracked” 2014 NDAA on January 25. Senator Cruz opposed the 2014 NDAA because there was no fix to the detention provisions in 2012:
“The Constitution does not allow President Obama, or any President, to apprehend an American citizen, arrested on U.S. soil, and detain these citizens indefinitely without a trial. When I ran for office, I promised the people of Texas I would oppose any National Defense Authorization Act that did not explicitly prohibit the indefinite detention of U.S. citizens. Although this legislation does contain several positive provisions that I support, it does not ensure our most basic rights as American citizens are protected.”
Stovall noted:
“(January 25, 2014) – Tea Party-endorsed candidate for U. S. Senate, Dwayne Stovall, vigorously opposes the NDAA legislation recently fast-tracked through the Senate and passed with Sen. John Cornyn’s approval. The 493-page legislation embodies much of what is wrong with the federal government and highlights the reason that John Cornyn frequently gets it wrong for Texas…”
Yet although Stovall is challenging current Senator John Cornyn, a pro-NDAA Senator, he will be facing a further challenge from Congressman Steve Stockman (R-TX). Congressman Stockman is an amici curiae on Hedges v. Obama, a Federal lawsuit challenging the 2012 NDAA, section 1021, as unConstitutional. Though it is implied, Stovall does not go so far as to mention the detention provisions in his press release, while Congressman Stockman has put words to action. It remains to be seen which candidate takes a stronger stance against the 2012 NDAA this election.
In either case, thanks to the work of activists and grassroots organizers throughout the country sounding the alarm, it appears the NDAA will be a key issue in the minds of both voters and candidates in at least one U.S. Senate race.
You can make it an issue in every race. Show up at your town hall, ask hard questions, and show up at the debates. Make the NDAA a key issue in every race, and little by little, town by town, city by city, we can win this.
Until then, the Resistance marches on.
http://pandaunite.org/takeback
Dan Johnson is the Founder and National Director of People Against the NDAA
PN 