After the Power Grabs: Gov Doesn’t Care What Happens to Us – It’s On to the Next Grabs

How many times has government royally messed up something?  And not fired anyone?  Or done anything that remotely resembles improving their performance?

Oh so very often.  In part because they don’t care – once they have the power, they don’t care what happens to us.  In part because they are too busy planning their next grabs.

A pristine example?

Federal Union Says (Office of Personnel Management) OPM Breach Hit Every Federal Employee

The OPM Breach Is a Catastrophe

First the government must own up to its failure. Then the feds should follow this plan to fix it.

Good luck with that.

China Blamed for Massive Breach of US Government Data

Except:

China Gets Pass from Obama on ‘Devastating’ OPM Hack

Did government yet again ignore the rules they mandate we follow?

Reacting to Chinese Hack, the Government May Not Have Followed Its Own Cybersecurity Rules

At least the government immediately realized the breach, right?

Officials: Chinese Had Access to U.S. Security Clearance Data for One Year

The considerable lag time between breach and discovery means that the adversary had more time to pull off a cyber-heist of consequence….

Well it’s just the one, right?

Second Data Hack Might Be Bigger Than First OPM Breach

The second intrusion “involved a different system and a different set of data, and I think you could logically conclude that … a larger amount of data and information was potentially affected,” (White House spokesman Josh) Earnest said.

Government vigilance – there’s nothing like it.

Via: Human Events

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[VIDEO] Did Hack Include Files of CIA and Military Personnel? OPM Director: ‘I Would be Glad to Discuss That in a Classified Setting’

(CNSNews.com) - When Office of Personnel Management Director Katherine Archuleta testified in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee last week she said that the personnel records of about 4.2 million current and former federal employees had been “compromised” by a “cyber intrusion” into the OPM’s computer systems.

She also said that “an additional OPM system was compromised.”

“These systems included information based on the background investigations of current, former and prospective federal government employees, as well as other individuals,” Archuleta told the committee under oath.

When Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz asked Archuleta whether this included the files on military and CIA personnel, Archuletta gave him an identical answer to each question.

“I would be glad to discuss that in a classified setting,” she said.

Here is part of the exchange between Achuleta in Chaffetz in which Archuleta says she will discuss “in a classified setting” whether the hack involved files of military and CIA personnel:

Chaffetz: Ms. Archuleta, my question for you is how big was this attack? How many federal workers have been compromised? We've heard 4 million, we've heard 14 million. What's the right number? Your microphone, please.

Archuleta: Sorry. During the course of the ongoing investigation into the cyber intrusion of OPM that compromised the current, the personnel records of current and former federal employees that we announced last week, that number is approximately 4.2 million. In addition, in the investigation of that breach, we discovered, as I mentioned in my testimony, an additional OPM system was compromised. And these systems included information based on the background investigations of current, former and prospective federal government employees, as well as other individuals.

Because different agencies feed into OPM background-investigation systems in different ways, we are working with the agencies right now to determine how many of their employees were affected. We do not have that number at this time but we will get back to you once we have more information.

Chaffetz: What's your best estimate? Is the 14 million number wrong or accurate?

Archuleta: As I said before, we do not have an estimate because where this is an ongoing investigation.

Chaffetz: How far back does it go? The information that your telling me--you have former employees, current employees, and potential employees. So, how far back does this information go that was in your system?

Archuleta: Thank you for that question, Mr. Chaffetz. I would have to respond, again, it's because it's an ongoing investigation.

Chaffetz: It has nothing to do with impeding an investigation. You should know what information you have and what you don't, so this is not going to slow down any investigation. People have a right to know. The employees have a right to know. How far back does your information database go that was compromised?

Via: CNS News

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FlashCritic: China Gets Pass from Obama on ‘Devastating’ OPM Hack to Preserve Strategic Dialogue and Summit

The Obama administration continues to play down one of the nation’s most damaging Chinese cyber espionage operations in order to maintain a dialogue with China and host a summit for its leader this fall.

Weeks after the discovery that millions of personal records on federal workers was stolen by Chinese hacker in an intelligence operation, the president and his advisers failed to condemned the state-sponsored security breach whose damage continues to worsen almost weekly.

The Obama administration, in a sign of its apparent unwillingness to take any steps against China for the hacking, will go ahead with the hosting this week of the latest Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington. The dialogue is known for producing little in the way of tangible results of regular meetings between senior U.S. and Chinese officials. The questionable diplomacy is said its supporters to advance U.S. interests. However, keeping secret the Chinese connection to the cyber attack is likely to encourage further attacks.

Daniel Russel, assistant secretary of state for East Asia, made no mention in a briefing for reporters whether the Chinese role in the OPM hack would be discussed at the dialogue, which begins Tuesday.

Instead, he said cyber security would be discussed in the Strategic Security Dialogue that he said, “really is germane to building a relationship of trust between the U.S. and China. It’s an important common concern.”

China has denied any role in the OPM attack, as it has done in the past when Chinese hacking has been exposed on numerous occasions.

“We don’t always see eye to eye, but the fact is that global challenges require that we cooperate,” Russel said.

Via: WFB

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TOP TEN TRENDS OF 2023: THE YEAR IN REVIEW

As we look back at the year 2023, we can see ten important trends that will continue to shape our lives in 2024—and beyond.    

First, America has not fully recovered from its military defeat in 2021 at the hands of China. 

The US has had to reconcile itself to an inferior status in the Pacific—and perhaps the world.  To be sure, the actual military losses suffered by the US were minimal; the American surveillance satellites, blinded by Chinese lasers, have now all been replaced—albeit they are limited to new orbits that do not violate China’s Sovereignty Zone.   The three US aircraft carriers that were sunk in the first ten minutes of the conflict represented a great loss of life, of course, but as  the Sharpton-Paul Commission concluded in 2022, the US had no legal authority, in the first place, to patrol that close to Chinese waters.   Moreover, now that Taiwan has accepted reunification with Beijing, and now that Japan, the Philippines, and South Korea have agreed to accept People’s Liberation Army “Friendship Bases” on their territories, experts can cite no reason for the US Navy to venture east of Hawaii.  

On the other hand, the stock market continues to hit record highs, although skeptics attribute this rise to the inflationary policies of the Federal Reserve, as opposed to the basic strength of the US economy. 

Second, we have seen the final elimination of US influence in the Middle East.   It’s been eight years now since President Obama pulled the last American troops out of Afghanistan.  The US had high hopes for the 2015 peace agreement between the late Hamid Karzai and the Taliban, but those hopes were dashed the following day.   

Via: Breitbart

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U.S. airlines advised to give China flight plans over new defense zone

WASHINGTON/TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States advised its commercial airlines to notify Chinese authorities of flight plans when travelling through an air defense zone that Beijing established a week ago over the East China Sea, ratcheting up regional tensions.

The United States said it expected U.S. carriers to operate in line with so-called notices to airmen issued by foreign countries, adding, however, that the decision did "not indicate U.S. government acceptance of China's requirements.

The advice is in contrast with America's close ally Japan, where the two major airlines have agreed with the Japanese government to fly through the zone without notifying China.

Beijing wants foreign aircraft passing through the zone - including passenger planes - to identify themselves to Chinese authorities.

A U.S. administration official said China's action appeared to be a unilateral attempt to change the status quo in the East China Sea, which could "increase the risk of miscalculation, confrontation and accidents".

"We urge the Chinese to exercise caution and restraint, and we are consulting with Japan and other affected parties throughout the region," the official said.

The zone includes skies over islands at the heart of a tense territorial dispute between Japan and China and represents a historic challenge by the emerging new world power to the United States, which has dominated the region for decades.

Via: Yahoo News

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[VIDEO] Protesters slam Jimmy Kimmel over 'kill everyone in China' joke

More than 1,000 people picketed ABC’s headquarters in Burbank on Saturday to protest a Jimmy Kimmel segment that joked that the United States should “kill everyone in China.”

Burbank police said they responded to the protest in the 2300 block of Riverside Drive after some demonstrators went into a restricted area. However, police said the protest was peaceful and no one was arrested.

The protest was part of a nationwide move backed by Chinese American organizations against the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” recurring segment called “Kids' Table.” Similar protests...

Via: LA Times

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China Lectures Obama as Shutdown Enters Week Two with No End in Sight

As the U.S. government moved into the second week of a shutdown on Monday with no end in sight, Chinese officials warned President Barack Obama and Congress Monday that the "clock is ticking" to avoid a U.S. default that could hurt China's interests and the global economy.

China, the United States' largest creditor, is "naturally concerned about developments in the US fiscal cliff," vice finance minister Zhu Guangyao told the BBC.

"The executive branch of the US government has to take decisive and credible steps to avoid a default on its Treasury bonds," he said, referring to President Obama.

Editor's Note: 22 Hidden Taxes and Fees Set to Hit You With Obamacare. Read the Guide to Protect Yourself. 

"It is important for the US economy as well as the global economy."

"We hope the United States fully understands the lessons of history," Mr Zhu said, referring to a similar deadlock in 2011 that led to a downgrade of the US "AAA" credit rating.

A deadlocked U.S. Congress, meanwhile, confronted an October 17 deadline to increase the nation's borrowing power or risk default.

But Republican House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner vowed not to raise the U.S. debt ceiling without a "serious conversation" about what is driving the debt, while Democrats said it was irresponsible and reckless to raise the possibility of a U.S. default.

The last big confrontation over the debt ceiling, in August 2011, ended with an 11th-hour agreement under pressure from shaken markets and warnings of an economic catastrophe if there was a default.

A similar last-minute resolution remains a distinct possibility this time.

Equities investors were unnerved by the apparent hardening of stances over the weekend. U.S. stocks opened sharply lower on Monday and European shares fell to a four-month low.

In comments on Sunday television political talk shows, neither Republicans nor Democrats offered any sign of impending agreement on either the shutdown or the debt ceiling, and both blamed the other side for the impasse.

Via: Newsmax

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U.S. Government's Foreign Debt Now $47,495 Per Household

(CNSNews.com) - The debt that the U.S. government owes to foreign interests now equals approximately $47,495 for each household in the United States, according to the latest data released by the U.S. Treasury and the Census Bureau.

The portion of the U.S. government’s foreign debt now owed to interests in Mainland China is about $10,090 per household.

At the end of August, the latest period reported by the U.S. Treasury, foreign interests held a total of $5,430,000,000,000 in U.S. government debt. According to the Census Bureau’s latest estimate (which was for June 2012) there were 114,328,000 households in the United States. Therefore, the total U.S. government debt held by foreign interests was about $47,494.93 per household.

Back in January 2009, foreign interests held a total of $3,071,700,000,000 in U.S. government debt. That month, according to the Census Bureau, there were 111,079,000 households in the United States. Therefore the total U.S. government debt held by foreign interests was about $27,653.29 per household.

Since January 2009, the total U.S. government debt held by foreign interests has climbed from approximately $27,653.29 per household to approximately $47,494.93 per household—an increase of about $19,841.64 per household.

Among foreign interests, those in Mainland China hold the largest share of the U.S. government’s debt. The Mainland Chinese, according to the Treasury, owned $1,153,600,000,000 in U.S. Treasury securities as of the end of August.

Back in January 2009, interests in Mainland China held only $739.6 billion in U.S. government debt. That month, the U.S. government owed about $6,658 per American household to interests in China. As of the end of August, the U.S. government owed about $10,090 per American household to interests in China—an increase since January 2009 of about $3,432 per household.

Via: CNS News

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GAI RESPONDS TO OBAMA 'FACT CHECK' OF FRAUDULENT DONATIONS REPORT

The Government Accountability Institute (GAI) on Wednesday called out the Obama campaign for refusing to address the ownership of the Obama.com domain by a campaign bundler who lives and has business interests in China. GAI also alleged that the Obama campaign has not fully addressed its weak online security measures to prevent fraudulent or foreign campaign donations. 

GAI President Peter Schweizer said GAI was “troubled by the fact that the Obama campaign has nothing to say about one of the main concerns we detailed in our report: the mysterious Obama.com redirect website anonymously owned by China-based campaign bundler Robert Roche.” 

“Robert Roche has an unusually close relationship with the Chinese government, to whom he is dependent for the operation of his Chinese-based company, Acorn International,” Schweizer said. “At the same time, he owns this redirect website which sends international web traffic to a contribution page of the president’s campaign.”

The Chinese government has a history of trying influence American elections through campaign contributions, and Roche is not a random figure. He was seated at the head table of the China State Dinner in 2011.

Immediately after the progressive magazine Newsweek published a story, based on a nine-month GAI investigation of how easily foreigners can illicitly donate to President Barack Obama’s campaign due to lax online security measures, the Obama campaignresponded with a purported “fact-check” that tried to dismiss the report as a partisan attack on the Obama campaign.

Via Breitbart

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Obama to Coal Miners: “McDonalds is Hiring!”

Obama, the first President in history to declare war on the coal industry and who vowed to put the industry out of business, was curiously confident that every union coal miner would vote for him in the upcoming Presidential election—despite the fact that in doing so, they were putting themselves out of a job.

And Hugh Betcha, Ace Reporter and winner of MSNBC’s “Most Honest Reporter in America” award, 2012 was there. Hugh, the Head of the Stoos Views Media Conglomerate Natural Resources Bureau, and old friend of the President, and a reporter who enjoys special access to all branches of government, pulled no punches. As Obama sneaked his daily Marlboro inside the Oval Office, Hugh inquired of the President as to his chances of retaining the union coal miners’ vote in the upcoming election.

“Didn’t you promise to bankrupt the coal mining industry after you were elected President?” Hugh asked.

“Well, yes I did suggest that if you planned to start a coal fired energy plant in America you would find it hard to obtain a license or, if you did, you could not afford the cost of the EPA regulations we have imposed on the coal industry,” the President responded.

“You mean the extra scrubbers you are requiring of each coal fired plant—which will cost the industry over $180 billion in the next twenty years and is designed to put them all out of business?”
“Yes, we want to clean up this dirty industry and clean the air above our country.”

“Well, what about the dirty air wafting over the United States from China—where they are building a coal fired energy plant once a week and have no regulations?” Hugh asked pointedly.

“I cannot control what the Chinese do of course and since we owe them trillions we are not in much of a position to argue with them. The best I can do is put our own coal industry out of business and thereby clean the air—if only briefly until the Chinese smog drifts over.”

Via Canada Free Press

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Feds Use Stimulus Cash To Buy Chinese Solar Panels

Feds Ignore Rules And Use Stimulus Cash To Buy Chinese Solar Panels

Government officials blame unfair competition from China for the collapse of solar panel manufacturer Solyndra, but such concerns didn’t stop the federal government from breaking stimulus program rules to use Chinese solar panels atop a federal building housing the offices of a senator, congressman and several agencies.

Even the contractor questioned whether Chinese-made panels could be used under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the stimulus program that mandated use of U.S.-made products. His query in early 2010 was dismissed and the General Services Administration moved forward with using the Chinese panels on the Sen. Paul Simon Federal Building in Carbondale, Ill., records show.

Questions about the panels, which were assembled overseas, were raised in a four-page advisory memo sent by the inspector general to the GSA in the summer of 2011, but the findings take on added significance as government officials increasingly place blame on Chinese subsidies for troubles in the U.S. solar market.

Since last summer, Solyndra LLC and another solar company, Abound Solar, have filed for bankruptcy despite receiving generous federal loan guarantees. After both bankruptcies, government officials were quick to place blame on subsidies from China that allowed foreign solar panel manufactures to sell their products below cost, squeezing U.S. solar companies.

Meanwhile, the contractor on the Illinois building project, J.R. Conkey & Associates, initially questioned GSA officials on whether solar panels assembled in China could be used under the stimulus program, but a procurement officer told the company to proceed, according to records.

Via: Washington Times

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