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Security Debrief

Guy Fawkes Meets Uncle Sam

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June 22, 2011

One of the more interesting parts of the rejuvenated Anarchist movement has been the adoption of Guy Fawkes as a hero. The Internet movements like Anonymous and a number of other Lulzs have been doing their level Guy Fawkes’ best to flex their muscles against the man. And so Uncle Sam, in the guise of the U.S. Government, is finding out the wild frontier of cyber space is not about to be intimidated by Washington laws or declarations. We focus on nation states. In the new frontier, all the Guy Fawkes are the same.

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Will San Francisco Ever Get It?

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June 17, 2011

San Francisco is beautiful, historic and diverse. But as nice as that city is, I remain disturbed by its anti-military reputation. The SF Police and Human Rights Commission held hearings on Joint Terrorism Task Force operations in San Francisco. The hearings specifically addressed the FBI Domestic Investigations and Operations Guidelines that allow the JTTF to commence an investigation/surveillance without a direct nexus to criminal activity. I wonder if residents of San Francisco and the SFPD will ever “get it.”

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Attorney General Guideline Changes Impacting FBI Intelligence Collection Operations

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June 15, 2011

The media is reporting changes to the Attorney General Guidelines. it looks like expanded authority to conduct physical surveillances, polygraphs of informants and limited attendance at public functions is not much change in terms of intrusion into the civil liberties of our population. I understand that some people may be alarmed; however, I know that the FBI’s agents charged with collecting intelligence within the United States are closely supervised – I was one of them.

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Supreme Court Ruling Opens Floodgate to More State Immigration Regulation, Stronger Federal Preemption Statute Needed

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June 6, 2011

After much anticipation and speculation, the Supreme Court decided that, in essence, states may enact their own employment eligibility and employer sanction laws. The name of the case is Chamber of Commerce of the United States v. Whiting, and we have to expect more states joining the ranks of Arizona and others already with verification laws on the books

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Black Swan in MA: How Elected Officials Can Contribute to Community Resilience

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June 3, 2011

By Keith Stefanelli
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has experience working through emergencies – on Wednesday, he was again guiding emergency response, this time to a fatal tornado outbreak in Central and Western Massachusetts. This made me wonder: What if Governor Patrick had lost the 2010 Gubernatorial Election, and Massachusetts had a new Governor, less experienced in emergency response? What if the next Black Swan event of statewide or national significance occurs on the Inauguration Day of a new Governor or President?

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Cybersecurity – The End of the Beginning

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May 31, 2011

I have closely watched the reaction to the Obama Administration’s recent moves on cyberspace – 20th century mentalities dealing with a 21st century problem. This frontier is without rules or rulers. However, we have not only a national stake in cyberspace through our defense structure; we also have a vast commercial stake with our banking, electrical and other major national industries depending on its viability and safety. We are at the end of the beginning of cyberspace and the lawless frontier.

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A Memorial Day Thank You

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May 26, 2011

Our country is facing some hard times right now, much worse than any time in my lifetime. Despite our problems of today, there still have been millions of great Americans who dedicated their lives to making this country great. As we approach Memorial Day, I would ask that each of us take a moment and thank those who have blazed a path before us and who have built a way of life that all others envy.

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ICE, Dept. of Labor Reach MOU on Immigration Enforcement

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May 26, 2011

On March 31, the Department of Labor and Department of Homeland Security released the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding regarding worksite enforcement of immigration laws in the event of a DOL investigation of labor dispute. So who cares, one might ask? We care because this is yet another reminder of the difficult task employers have to balance the interest of immigration compliance and managing labor relations.

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Executive Order on Disclosure Doesn't Go Far Enough

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May 25, 2011

The draft Executive Order mandating that federal contractors declare donations as part of the competitive process is being reviled as unfair, unnecessary and unconstitutional. Others celebrate it as a necessary level of transparency to combat corruption. Both are true and false, but neither addresses the real issue – as long as politicians can be bought through the donor process, there will be corruption in procurement.

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