February 5, 2016


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/twitter-reveals-it-has-suspended-125000-isis-related-accounts/

Twitter reveals it has suspended 125,000 ISIS-related accounts
By MARGARET BRENNAN, REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS
February 5, 2016 Last Updated Feb 5, 2016 3:37 PM EST

Play VIDEO -- White House officials meet with top tech executives


Twitter announced on Friday afternoon that it has suspended at least 125,000 accounts that are related to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) since mid-2015.

They were suspended, the social media network said, after threatening or promoting terrorist acts related to ISIS.

"Like most people around the world, we are horrified by the atrocities perpetrated by extremist groups. We condemn the use of Twitter to promote terrorism and the Twitter Rules make it clear that this type of behavior, or any violent threat, is not permitted on our service," the network said in a blog post on Friday.

This disclosure is significant as it marks the first time that Twitter has made these activities public and appears to be a response to pressure from the White House as well as the French, Australian and British governments. It is also the most prominent and significant action by a technology firm since Obama administration cabinet officials flew across the country last month to ask Silicon Valley for help.


Twitter said it has expanded the size of their teams that actively search for these types of accounts by applying spam-fighting algorithms. The social media network has said there is no "magic algorithm" for identifying terrorist content.

It made the announcement on its policy account.

The terrorist group has largely relied on social media, especially Twitter, to spread its propaganda and recruit Westerners. A report from Brookings last year delved into ISIS's presence on Twitter and found that there are as many as 90,000 accounts supporting the group worldwide. Nearly one in five ISIS supporters used English as their primary language, the report said.

Twitter says it has witnessed terrorists moving off of Twitter, which could mean they're going to less transparent platforms. The Brookings report pointed out that this could be potentially dangerous.

"The process of suspensions does create certain new risks. Most importantly, while suspensions appear to have created obstacles to supporters joining ISIS's social network, they also isolate ISIS supporters online," the report said.

Last month, the White House dispatched top national security officials to Silicon Valley to ask for the tech industry's help in disrupting terrorist activity on the Internet. The officials who attended the meeting in San Jose, California included Attorney General Loretta Lynch, FBI Director James Comey and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, among others.

In his address to the nation following the Dec. 2 San Bernardino attack, President Obama called for the private sector and government to work together to combat terrorism and counter violent extremism online.

Margaret Brennan
Principally assigned to the State Department, Margaret Brennan also serves as a CBS News general assignment correspondent based in Washington, D.C.



"Like most people around the world, we are horrified by the atrocities perpetrated by extremist groups. We condemn the use of Twitter to promote terrorism and the Twitter Rules make it clear that this type of behavior, or any violent threat, is not permitted on our service," the network said in a blog post on Friday. This disclosure is significant as it marks the first time that Twitter has made these activities public and appears to be a response to pressure from the White House as well as the French, Australian and British governments. It is also the most prominent and significant action by a technology firm since Obama administration cabinet officials flew across the country last month to ask Silicon Valley for help. Twitter said it has expanded the size of their teams that actively search for these types of accounts by applying spam-fighting algorithms. The social media network has said there is no "magic algorithm" for identifying terrorist content. …. Twitter says it has witnessed terrorists moving off of Twitter, which could mean they're going to less transparent platforms. The Brookings report pointed out that this could be potentially dangerous. "The process of suspensions does create certain new risks. Most importantly, while suspensions appear to have created obstacles to supporters joining ISIS's social network, they also isolate ISIS supporters online," the report said.”


If we are to avoid having Big Brother police American Internet activities, groups like Twitter should be able to make a real difference. Others such as Facebook should step up to the plate as well. While they are at it they should close down the online prostitution and porn sites as well. Those things are not harmless. Even dating sites have been the information source that pointed out a possible victim for a would be rapist or murderer on several different occasions.

The Internet, in a way, is a jungle, in which we ordinary citizens must watch our activities closely for our own safety. Letting a teenager contact chat rooms, etc., without supervision has caused teens to be raped and worse as a predator posed as another young person, gaining their trust. The presence of things like “sexting” is equally bad. Even without physical contact, that sort of thing harms young people mentally and emotionally, as their minds are maturing and can go in either direction. They need to view sex as a part of a loving relationship rather than merely a “rite of passage.” Then there are the Dark Web of suspicious to dangerous websites. See below.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_web is a site explaining the so-called Dark Web. See the following from this article.

“The dark web is the World Wide Web content that exists on darknets, overlay networks which use the public Internet but which require specific software, configurations or authorization to access.[2][3] The dark web forms a small part of the deep web, the part of the Web not indexed by search engines, although sometimes the term "deep web" is confusingly used to refer specifically to the dark web.[4][5][6][7][8]

The darknets which constitute the dark web include small, friend-to-friend peer-to-peer networks, as well as large, popular networks like Freenet, I2P, and Tor, operated by public organizations and individuals. Users of the dark web refer to the regular web as the Clearnet due to its unencrypted nature.[9] The Tor dark web may be referred to as onionland,[10] a reference to the network's top level domain suffix .onion and the traffic anonymization technique of onion routing.

Content[edit]

A December 2014 study by Gareth Owen from the University of Portsmouth found that the most commonly requested type of content on Tor was child pornography, followed by black markets, while the individual sites with the highest traffic were dedicated to botnet operations.[18] Many whistleblowing sites maintain a presence[19] as well as political discussion forums.[20] Sites associated with Bitcoin, fraud related services and mail order services are some of the most prolific.[18] To counter the trend of controversial content, the artist collective Cybertwee held a bake sale on an onion site.[21]”

Darknet markets[edit] -- Main article: Darknet market

Commercial darknet markets, which mediate transactions for illegal drugs and other goods, attracted significant media coverage starting with the popularity of Silk Road and its subsequent seizure by legal authorities.[25] Other markets sell software exploits[26] and weapons.[27]

Hacking groups and services[edit]

Many hackers sell their services there individually or as a part of groups.[28] Such groups include hackforum, Trojanforge, Mazafaka, dark0de and the TheRealDeal darknet market.[29] Some have been known to track and extort apparent pedophiles.[30]

Fraud services[edit]

Main article: Carding (fraud)

There are numerous carding forums, as well as fraud and counterfeiting services.[31] Many such sites are scams themselves.[32]

Hoaxes and unverified content[edit]

Main article: Hoax

There are reports of crowdfunded assassinations and hitmen for hire,[27][33] however these are believed to be exclusively scams.[34] The creator of Silk Road was arrested by the FBI for his site and allegedly hiring a hitman to kill six people, although the charges were later dropped.[35][36]

There is an urban legend that one can find live murder on the dark web. The term "Red Room" has been coined based on the Japanese animation and urban legend of the same name. However the evidence points towards all reported instances being hoaxes.[37][38]

On June 25, 2015, a creepy indie game Sad Satan was reviewed by Youtubers Obscure Horror Corner which they claimed to have found via the dark web. Various inconsistencies in the channel's reporting cast doubt up the reported version of events.[39]

Phishing and scams[edit]

Phishing via cloned websites and other scam sites are numerous,[40][41] with darknet markets often advertised with fraudulent urls.[42][43]

Puzzles[edit]

Puzzles such as Cicada 3301 and successors will sometimes use hidden services in order to more anonymously provide clues, often increasing speculation as to the identity of their creators.[44]

Illegal and ethically disputed pornography[edit]

There is regular law enforcement action against sites distributing child pornography[45][46] – often via compromising the site by distributing malware to the users.[47][48] Sites use complex systems of guides, forums and community regulation.[49]

Other content includes sexualised torture and killing of animals[50] and revenge porn.[51]

Terrorism[edit]

There are at least some real and fraudulent websites claiming to be used by Daesh, including a fake one seized in Operation Onymous.[52] In the wake of the November 2015 Paris attacks an actual such site was hacked by an Anonymous affiliated hacker group GhostSec and replaced with an advert for Prozac.[53]


DEFINITIONS -- What is botnet (zombie army)? - Definition from WhatIs.com
searchsecurity.techtarget.com › Malware › Network security
A botnet (also known as a zombie army) is a number of Internet computers that, although their owners are unaware of it, have been set up to forward transmissions (including spam or viruses) to other computers on the Internet.



Oregon Standoff Ended – Four Articles


http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/04/465599499/indictment-details-charges-against-ammon-bundy-other-militants

Indictment Details Charges Against Ammon Bundy, Other Militants
BILL CHAPPELL
Updated February 4, 20163:16 PM ET
Published February 4, 20163:00 PM ET


The federal indictment of Ammon Bundy and 15 other militants accuses them of conspiracy and using threats and intimidation to maintain their occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, as well as trying to coerce the local population.

For the past week, only four militants have remained at the refuge near Burns, Ore. At least 11 militants, including Bundy and his brother, Ryan, are being held without bail; another militant, LaVoy Finicum, was killed in last Tuesday's arrest operation.

Released Thursday morning, the grand jury's indictment says that one or more of the 16 listed conspirators engaged in the following acts:

Occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge "by force while using and carrying firearms";
Warned the Harney County sheriff of "extreme civil unrest" if their demands weren't met;
Brandished and carried firearms inside the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and "prevented federal officials from performing their official duties by force, threats and intimidation";
Threatened violence "against anybody who attempted to remove them";
Traveled to Harney County, Ore., "to intimidate and coerce the population ... in order to effectuate the goals of the conspiracy."

Reporting on the holdouts at the nature refuge, here's member station Oregon Public Broadcasting:

"The four remaining occupants of the Malheur refuge are among the indicted: Sean Anderson, Sandra Lynn Pfeifer Anderson, David Lee Fry and Jeff Wayne Banta.

"As of Wednesday, those four were still occupying the refuge, although all outside communication was cut with the occupiers that afternoon. David Fry had told OPB that the FBI warned them if he or the others inside the refuge spoke with media, they would lose access to incoming calls. Before communication with the militants was cut, OPB had several phone conversations with the occupiers. They described their life inside the refuge and said they had enough food and fuel to continue the occupation for an extended time."

Note: OPB refers to Oregon Public Broadcasting.



http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/02/a_week_after_telling_refuge_ho.html

A week after telling Oregon standoff holdouts to go, Ammon Bundy now tells police to leave
By Everton Bailey Jr. | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on February 04, 2016 at 2:29 PM, updated February 04, 2016 at 7:12 PM

Photograph -- Competing protests took hold of Burns, Oregon on Monday, Feb. 1. The anti-government standoff of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge divided the crowd, with hundreds in support and hundreds against. The armed occupation of the refuge headquarters began Jan. 2. and entered its second month Monday.
Recording of Bundy’s Statement: Listen to Ammon Bundy's statement.


Ammon Bundy, leader of the monthlong armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge, said from jail Thursday that the takeover was "a needed action" and called on state and federal law enforcement officials to leave eastern Oregon.

Bundy's attorneys in Eugene released an audio statement from their client after he learned of his federal indictment related to the Jan. 2 takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns. He has been charged along with 15 others with conspiracy to impede federal officers through intimidation, threats or force.

Bundy, his older brother, Ryan Bundy, and others were arrested last week. One of the occupiers, Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, 54, was shot and killed by state police after he sped away from a traffic stop related to the arrest, rammed into a snowbank and then emerged from his truck with his hands up but then reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, according to the FBI. He was carrying a loaded 9mm handgun, the FBI said.

Four other people remain on the federal property as of Thursday. They're among those facing indictment.

"Government officials chose to end our educational efforts with attacks of force and it appears they attempt to do it again," Bundy said in the minute-and-a half statement. "Go home, Oregon State Police. You have already killed enough. Go home, FBI. It is time to end this."

Bundy also said the takeover of the refuge was the "duty of the people," because of perceived injustices against Dwight Hammond Jr., 74, and Steven Hammond, 46, two ranchers now in federal prison for arson convictions.

This is the latest in a series of messages released by Bundy through his attorneys. He has called repeatedly for the remaining holdouts at the refuge to go home. He didn't make that plea this time.

Lissa Casey, one of Bundy's attorneys, said he has received more than 230 donations ranging from $2 to $1,000 for his defense fund.



http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/02/oregon_standoff_day_35_what_yo_1.html

Oregon standoff Day 35: What you need to know Friday
inside Ye Olde Castle, a restaurant in Burns, Oregon, January 2016. Beth Nakamura/Staff | The Oregonian/OregonLive
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5, 2016

Photographs -- Inside Ye Olde Castle, a restaurant in Burns, Oregon, January 2016. Beth Nakamura/Staff


As we enter Day 35 of the standoff at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, here are the latest developments:

● Ammon Bundy, leader of the monthlong armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge, said from jail Thursday that the takeover was "a needed action" and called on state and federal law enforcement officials to leave eastern Oregon. Bundy's attorneys in Eugene released an audio statement from their client after he learned of his federal indictment related to the Jan. 2 takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns. He has been charged along with 15 others with conspiracy to impede federal officers through intimidation, threats or force.

● Ammon Bundy and 15 others accused in the armed takeover of a federal wildlife refuge — including four people who remain at the bird sanctuary — have been indicted on charges of conspiracy to impede federal officers through intimidation, threats or force. A federal grand jury returned the indictments Wednesday and they were unsealed Thursday morning.

● The four remaining holdouts at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge say they are down to a single link to the outside world – an FBI-provided cellphone. They continue to camp out at the headquarters compound roughly 30 miles southeast of Burns, refusing FBI demands that they surrender. They are the last armed militants of an ever-changing cast that took over the refuge on Jan. 2.

● Accused co-conspirator Shawna Cox has asked a judge to lift an order barring her from attending Friday's funeral for Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, who was killed last week when authorities arrested leaders of the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns. "Ms. Cox is not seeking permission to attend a reception or make a home or social visit in connection with the scheduled funeral," her lawyer, Tiffany Harris, wrote in the emergency motion Thursday. "Her request is limited to entering a church, offering prayers and condolences, and then returning home."

● Robert "LaVoy" Finicum was shot to death by the side of a remote Oregon road. Few were there to see him die, but hundreds of people around the country have indicated they will attend rallies and vigils in memory of his death this weekend. Finicum was a prominent figure in the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. He was fatally shot by Oregon State Police on the 25th day of the occupation during a traffic stop that ended with the arrest of key leaders of the occupation. The funeral is Friday, Feb. 5, in Kanab, Utah, Finicum's family said. More than 30 memorials, candlelight vigils and rallies in at least 17 states are planned for Feb. 5, Feb. 6 and Feb. 7.

● Robert "LaVoy" Finicum lived a cowboy's life in Arizona before becoming the spokesman for the takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge, but years before that he worked as an apartment manager in the Portland area. A memorial service is scheduled for him in Utah on Friday, Feb. 5. Finicum, 54, was shot and killed during a traffic stop by police in Oregon last week as leaders of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupation traveled to John Day for a meeting. Records and interviews show he also spent several years in Oregon decades earlier.

● Duane Leo Ehmer, who his lawyer called a symbol of the "lone cowboy'' during the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, will be released under GPS monitoring, home detention and travel restrictions. U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice M. Stewart found Ehmer, the only one of 16 defendants who is from Oregon, was not a flight risk. She also agreed with his defense lawyer that Ehmer's involvement in the refuge occupation was limited, finding he was not an "inciter,'' but more of a "joiner.''

● U.S. District Court Chief Justice Michael W. Mosman affirmed a decision to detain Pete Santili pending trial, saying he was disturbed by several remarks Santilli made on his online broadcasts promising to shoot federal officers if they came to take him or his guns away.



http://www.oregonlive.com/oregon-standoff/2016/02/sheriffs_association_no_suppor.html#incart_story_package

By Tony Hernandez | The Oregonian/OregonLive
on February 05, 2016 at 7:39 AM, updated February 05, 2016 at 7:41 AM


The Oregon State Sheriff's Association released a statement Friday morning that opposes the views of the occupiers of a federal wildlife refuge outside of Burns.

The statement describes the role the sheriff plays within the executive branch of a county government. While the association supports the occupier's right to challenge the government for change, it does not agree with citizens who want change by using illegal actions and threats of violence, according to the statement.

Read the full statement below:

Response to Questions Regarding the Oregon Office of Sheriff

Sheriffs in all 36 Oregon counties have taken an oath to support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of Oregon, and the laws thereof. Our oath is our pledge to you, to be conservators of the peace for our citizens, while being respectful of the rights afforded to all of us under the Constitution.

What a great state and nation we live in that allows everyone to express their opinion, hold a sign in protest, lobby for change and live free without fear of retaliation from the government. Our founding fathers created a system of government consisting of three branches: legislative, judicial and executive.

Sheriffs and Sheriff's Offices are part of the executive branch, charged with enforcement of laws as directed by the legislative branch and interpreted by the judicial branch. Under our system of government, the judicial branch is given the authority to interpret the Constitutionality of our laws.

We are a nation of laws, and the executive branch cannot override the laws passed by the legislative branch, nor can we ignore the clear guidance of the judicial branch. There is a process for changing the laws of our great nation and for amending our Constitution, and that process does not involve the armed takeover of government facilities and disruption of an entire community.

We fully support the expression of political opinions, and advocating for change within the legal system – that is what sets our country apart from developing countries where the government is changed by an armed takeover.

Recently, men and women have broken the law and encouraged others to take up arms against our local and federal governments. These individuals have used firearms and their interpretation of the Constitution to justify their criminal behavior. These militia men and women have broken into publicly owned buildings, disrespected Native American heritage and intimidated and harassed local residents and officials.

These men and women are asking for change, and we support their right to challenge our government to make change. However, we do not agree with or support any citizen or elected official who would advocate for change in a manner that includes illegal action, threats of violence, or violence against any citizen of the United States.

-- Tony Hernandez
thernandez@oregonian.com
503-294-5928
@tonyhreports



SUMMARIES AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

OREGON LIVE FEB 5 -- Accused co-conspirator Shawna Cox has asked a judge to lift an order barring her from attending Friday's funeral for Robert "LaVoy" Finicum, who was killed last week …. The funeral is Friday, Feb. 5, in Kanab, Utah, Finicum's family said. More than 30 memorials, candlelight vigils and rallies in at least 17 states are planned for Feb. 5, Feb. 6 and Feb. 7. …. U.S. Magistrate Judge Janice M. Stewart found Ehmer, the only one of 16 defendants who is from Oregon, was not a flight risk. She also agreed with his defense lawyer that Ehmer's involvement in the refuge occupation was limited, finding he was not an "inciter,'' but more of a "joiner.'' ● U.S. District Court Chief Justice Michael W. Mosman affirmed a decision to detain Pete Santili pending trial, saying he was disturbed by several remarks Santilli made on his online broadcasts promising to shoot federal officers if they came to take him or his guns away.”

INDICTMENT DETAILS FEB 4 -- “Occupied the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge "by force while using and carrying firearms";
Warned the Harney County sheriff of "extreme civil unrest" if their demands weren't met;
Brandished and carried firearms inside the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge and "prevented federal officials from performing their official duties by force, threats and intimidation";
Threatened violence "against anybody who attempted to remove them";
Traveled to Harney County, Ore., "to intimidate and coerce the population ... in order to effectuate the goals of the conspiracy." . . . . "The four remaining occupants of the Malheur refuge are among the indicted: Sean Anderson, Sandra Lynn Pfeifer Anderson, David Lee Fry and Jeff Wayne Banta. "As of Wednesday, those four were still occupying the refuge, although all outside communication was cut with the occupiers that afternoon.”

OREGON LIVE FEB 4 -- “Bundy also said the takeover of the refuge was the "duty of the people," because of perceived injustices against Dwight Hammond Jr., 74, and Steven Hammond, 46, two ranchers now in federal prison for arson convictions. This is the latest in a series of messages released by Bundy through his attorneys. He has called repeatedly for the remaining holdouts at the refuge to go home. He didn't make that plea this time. Lissa Casey, one of Bundy's attorneys, said he has received more than 230 donations ranging from $2 to $1,000 for his defense fund.”

OREGON LIVE – SHERIFF’S ASSOCIATION -- “There is a process for changing the laws of our great nation and for amending our Constitution, and that process does not involve the armed takeover of government facilities and disruption of an entire community. We fully support the expression of political opinions, and advocating for change within the legal system – that is what sets our country apart from developing countries where the government is changed by an armed takeover. Recently, men and women have broken the law and encouraged others to take up arms against our local and federal governments. These individuals have used firearms and their interpretation of the Constitution to justify their criminal behavior. These militia men and women have broken into publicly owned buildings, disrespected Native American heritage and intimidated and harassed local residents and officials.”


I agree totally with the statement of the Sheriff’s Association. We are a government of laws over violence as a means of necessary change and a peaceful national life. We don’t want to become like some “Third World” countries, ruled by a strongman and his army of “yes men.” These militias, which are becoming too populous across the country and which have been advocating violence against “the government” for at least a couple of decades now. Such a means of change is illegal. SEE Related information below.

For a sample of the far, far rightist views on overthrow of the government by force, see the following article from Stormfront, which according to Wikipedia is “a white nationalist, [3] white supremacist [4] and neo-Nazi [5] Internet forum that was the Web's first major racial hate site.” Their view on the matter is given here: “https://www.stormfront.org/forum/t491877/, http://www.wakeupfromyourslumber.com/node/6877, “Corrupt U.S. Congress pass the law that criminalize "Advocating overthrow of Govt" in 2006, U.S. Code Title 18, Part I, Chapter 115, § 2385. Advocating overthrow of Government, Passed January 2, 2006.” The real origin of this legal position goes back to the beginning of our country.

The right of the US government to arrest, imprison and fine those who do take up arms against the US government isn’t something new, as Stormfront is trying to say, but a basic part of Constitutional Amendment 1, adopted in the 1700s shortly after our government was formed. It is also simple logic. No nation can afford to allow such activities, especially when taken beyond an avowal of purpose into the realm of action, as occurred in January to go unpunished. These “Patriots” have been chanting their mantra of “states rights, hatred of blacks and religious people other than fundamentalist Christians, and a return to a truly lawless condition in which anybody with enough guns behind him can simply take over and get away with it.

The following articles deal with the law concerning unlawful attempts such as what the Bundys have been doing. The Smith Act deals mainly with the Communist Party and aliens, and does not mention the White Supremacist, Neo-Nazis or the generally anti-government groups such as Bundy’s. That isn’t surprising, because it was made in the period around WWII when Roosevelt was in office.

Many of these Militia related groups are literally against any government that can exercise control over local affairs of any kind. To me, they are Anarchists and fools, though they say they base their views on the earliest days of the US government which makes them “Patriots,” and therefore the good guys. They are cherry picking statements from the Constitution, just as too many Christian and Islamic radicals select specific parts of their respective holy books to justify violence. There is a vicious streak in any individual who wants to be a part of such a group. Whether they want the overthrow of the US government or merely violence for its’ own sake, they are in my book “outlaws.”



http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread556577/pg1, whatukno -- posted on Mar, 30 2010 @ 12:13 AM link -- TITLE 18 > PART I > CHAPTER 115 > § 2384

Seditious conspiracy --

“If two or more persons in any State or Territory, or in any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, conspire to overthrow, put down, or to destroy by force the Government of the United States, or to levy war against them, or to oppose by force the authority thereof, or by force to prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States, or by force to seize, take, or possess any property of the United States contrary to the authority thereof, they shall each be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.

You could be subject to a fine. Or you could be jailed for up to 20 years.

Sorry, your little song and dance with the Declaration of Independence doesn't cut it. It in fact is a crime to conspire to bring down the United States Government by force. Sorry internet revolutionaries. But those are the facts. In fact in a way you are putting a lot of liability on the ownership of ATS for discussing such things on a public forum.”

The US attempts to regulate speech are summarized in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_Act.

It was used against Nazis, racists, Communists and even unions. From that article, “Approximately 215 people were indicted under the legislation, including alleged communists, anarchists, and fascists. Prosecutions under the Smith Act continued until a series of United States Supreme Court decisions in 1957[1] reversed a number of convictions under the Act as unconstitutional. The statute has been amended several times.”

SEE ALSO: http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment1/annotation13.html, Annotation 13 - First Amendment. FOR LEGAL COMMENTARY SEE THIS EXCERPT:

“Maintenance of National Security and the First Amendment, Preservation of the security of the Nation from its enemies, foreign and domestic, is the obligation of government and one of the foremost reasons for government to exist. Pursuit of this goal may lead government officials at times to trespass in areas protected by the guarantees of speech and press and may require the balancing away of rights which might be preserved inviolate at other times. The drawing of the line is committed, not exclusively but finally, to the Supreme Court. In this section, we consider a number of areas in which the necessity to draw lines has arisen.

Punishment of Advocacy .--Criminal punishment for the advocacy of illegal or of merely unpopular goals and of ideas did not originate in the United States in the post-World War II concern with Communism. Enactment of and prosecutions under the Sedition Act of 1798 1 and prosecutions under the federal espionage laws 2 and state sedition and criminal syndicalism laws 3 in the 1920's and early 1930's have been alluded to earlier. 4 But it was in the 1950's and the 1960's that the Supreme Court confronted First Amendment concepts fully in determining the degree to which government could proceed against persons and organizations which it believed were plotting and conspiring both to advocate the overthrow of government and to accomplish that goal.
The Smith Act of 1940 5 made it a criminal offense for anyone to knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advise, or teach the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing the Government of the United States or of any State by force or violence, or for anyone to organize any association which teaches, advises, or encourages such an overthrow, or for anyone to become a member of or to affiliate with any such association. No case involving pros ecution under this law was reviewed by the Supreme Court until in Dennis v. United States 6 it considered the convictions of eleven Communist Party leaders on charges of conspiracy to violate the advocacy and organizing sections of the statute. Chief Justice Vinson's plurality opinion for the Court applied a revised clear and present danger test 7 and concluded that the evil sought to be prevented was serious enough to justify suppression of speech. ''If, then, this interest may be protected, the literal problem which is presented is what has been meant by the use of the phrase 'clear and present danger' of the utterances bringing about the evil within the power of Congress to punish. Obviously, the words cannot mean that before the Government may act, it must wait until the putsch is about to be executed, the plans have been laid and the signal is awaited. If Government is aware that a group aiming at its overthrow is attempting to indoctrinate its members and to commit them to a course whereby they will strike when the leaders feel the circumstances permit, action by the Government is required.'' 8 ''The mere fact that from the period 1945 to 1948 petitioners' activities did not result in an attempt to overthrow the Government by force and violence is of course no answer to the fact that there was a group that was ready to make the attempt. The formation by petitioners of such a highly organized conspiracy, with rigidly disciplined members subject to call when the leaders, these petitioners, felt that the time had come for action, coupled with the inflammable nature of world conditions, similar uprisings in other countries, and the touch-and-go nature of our relations with countries with whom petitioners were in the very least ideologically attuned, convince us that their convictions were justified on this score.'' 9




http://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/nasa-scripps-institution-of-oceanography-shake-up-earthquake-warning-systems

NASA, Scripps Institution of Oceanography Shake-up Earthquake Warning Systems
Feb. 3, 2016

Photograph -- GPS station Dr. Bock’s colleagues (background) with a typical GPS station in southern California. They have installed inexpensive sensors that monitor for earthquakes while collecting GPS, pressure, temperature and seismic data in real-time at 25 stations, as part of the natural hazards warning systems being jointly developed by Scripps Institution of Oceanography and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Credits: Marc Tule
Photograph -- First responders from California help search for tsunami victims in Ofunato, Japan, in 2011. To minimize casualties in the event of a future earthquake in California, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Scripps Institution of Oceanography are teaming-up to more rapidly and accurately assess earthquake magnitudes and fault slip.
Credits: “Operation Tomodachi” by Tech. Sgt. Daniel St. Pierre, licensed under CC 2.0


The fault lines running beneath California’s clay, sand and loam are rarely visible, and yet never far from mind for the tens of millions of people who call the state home. Even before California’s next major quake hits, its implications are already reverberating through research and first responder communities.

“When disaster strikes, the quality of the response—and therefore the number of lives saved—usually comes down to this: how good is the information you’re working off? And how quickly can you get it?” explained Rusty Sailors, the chief executive officer of LP3, a security firm, and an experienced first responder.

The most important information that is immediately needed for earthquake disasters is the location, depth, and magnitude of the earthquake. Despite the devastation that earthquakes—and the tsunamis they cause—continue to wreak, the methods of quickly determining an earthquake’s magnitude remain insufficient. The most common method of establishing an earthquake’s magnitude is using seismic sensors on the ground that measure the shaking of the earth’s crust.

“The problem with this is,” explained Dr. Yehuda Bock from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, “the magnitudes based on seismic data becomes less reliable at the upper end of the register. In other words, one can erroneously calculate that the magnitude of an earthquake will be an 8.0 instead of a 9.0, although a 9.0 is about 30 times more severe.” Getting a more accurate magnitude calculation using only seismic data for earthquakes takes time, often upwards of 20 to 25 minutes for the largest earthquakes. As a result, initial response efforts are often guided—and at times misguided—by preliminary analysis that tend to underestimate the earthquake’s magnitude.

“With the 2011 earthquake in Japan,” Bock continued, “they used seismic data alone to estimate the earthquake’s magnitude—and they underestimated it.” Underestimating the magnitude of an earthquake can mean that too small of an area receives hazard warnings, that those who receive the warning are under-prepared for the actual event, and that authorities will likewise underestimate the tsunami hazard zone. “So even if they did everything right after underestimating the magnitude—the tsunami modeling, the hazard zone mapping, giving directions to evacuation routes—they were still moving people out of a hazard zone that was way too small,” Bock explained. “There were a lot more casualties because of that.”

Authorities and first responders need better data to accurately and quickly assess the risk associated with the earthquake. Bock, in collaboration with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, looked to space.

Traditional seismic measurements enable researchers to measure one of the two ways that the earth moves during an earthquake: the dynamic shaking of the ground. There is also a second type of movement: the permanent displacement of the earth after the earthquake. The latter of these is responsible for the all too familiar images of roads and sidewalks bisected and no longer fully aligned. Bock and his colleagues sought to improve earthquake magnitude measurements by collecting data on the permanent displacement at GPS sites and marrying them with seismic measurements.

“GPS technology had been around for awhile,” Bock said, referring to the satellite-based navigation system that now is commonly used in cars, smart phones and even some watches. A challenge with GPS data, however, has been its accuracy. GPS measures the location of a sensor on the ground by calculating how long it takes for a satellite transmission to reach the ground. The accuracy of that data, however, depends on how much water vapor it passes through in the atmosphere along the way.

“NASA saw the potential, and had the know-how, to take GPS to the next level to help provide more accurate and timely information,” Bock said. To enhance the accuracy of GPS data, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Scripps Institution of Oceanography have upgraded scientific GPS stations with sensors that monitor for earthquakes while collecting GPS, pressure, temperature and seismic data in real-time across southern California. The weather data is used to account for the water vapor that the GPS signal travels through, thereby enhancing the accuracy of the GPS data. The stations then send the information to Scripps via the internet and radio waves—which travel faster than shock waves—where scientists use the GPS data to measure exactly where and by how much the ground moved during an earthquake. The GPS data are then inputted into computer models to estimate the earthquake’s location, magnitude, depth, and tsunami potential. This can all happen within minutes, enabling rapid and more accurate earthquake data than ever before.

“I look forward to the day when these alerts will become immediately available to first responders—right to their trucks and battalion chiefs,” Sailors said. “Yehuda [Bock] is really passionate about ensuring this information gets into the hands of the people who need it most. We’ll get there.”

“If only they had implemented something like this in Japan in 2011,” Bock said. He recognizes the lives that could have been saved if tsunami modeling there had been based on more accurate and rapid earthquake magnitude data; and he—along with his NASA colleagues—want to ensure that this new earthquake technology is in the hands of the California emergency response community.

NASA is beginning to work with NOAA‘s Tsunami Warning Centers to evaluate NASA’s new technology at NOAA for use in their tsunami early warning system. There are also plans to expand the geographic reach of these technologies, so that they will one day span the Pacific Rim. The possibilities are, of course, global.

As with all innovations, there is already an unforeseen opportunity to apply this technology. The GPS-enhanced earthquake stations are being installed on buildings—such as hospitals, bridges and skyscrapers—to determine, after an earthquake hits, how far the building permanently traveled through a shift in the earth’s crust. This information will enable authorities to more effectively and quickly “tag” buildings as safe, temporarily dangerous or condemned.

“The only way to address natural disasters today is to get high enough to really see what’s going on,” Bock said. “NASA gives us this.”

Those involved in the project hope a major quake will never strike and put these technologies to the test. Bock, Sailors, NASA and many others, however, are breaking ground now to help safeguard as many lives as possible in case California experiences another major earthquake.



“The problem with this is,” explained Dr. Yehuda Bock from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, “the magnitudes based on seismic data becomes less reliable at the upper end of the register. In other words, one can erroneously calculate that the magnitude of an earthquake will be an 8.0 instead of a 9.0, although a 9.0 is about 30 times more severe.” …. “With the 2011 earthquake in Japan,” Bock continued, “they used seismic data alone to estimate the earthquake’s magnitude—and they underestimated it.” Underestimating the magnitude of an earthquake can mean that too small of an area receives hazard warnings, that those who receive the warning are under-prepared for the actual event, and that authorities will likewise underestimate the tsunami hazard zone. …. The GPS data are then inputted into computer models to estimate the earthquake’s location, magnitude, depth, and tsunami potential. This can all happen within minutes, enabling rapid and more accurate earthquake data than ever before. “I look forward to the day when these alerts will become immediately available to first responders—right to their trucks and battalion chiefs,” Sailors said. …. NASA is beginning to work with NOAA‘s Tsunami Warning Centers to evaluate NASA’s new technology at NOAA for use in their tsunami early warning system. There are also plans to expand the geographic reach of these technologies, so that they will one day span the Pacific Rim. The possibilities are, of course, global. As with all innovations, there is already an unforeseen opportunity to apply this technology. The GPS-enhanced earthquake stations are being installed on buildings—such as hospitals, bridges and skyscrapers—to determine, after an earthquake hits, how far the building permanently traveled through a shift in the earth’s crust.”


Scientists have been trying to forecast an earthquake since the first time I saw one of those articles in the 1970s. The science was vague and murky and suspense element was employed by the writer to the fullest extent possible. Methods such as measuring electrical impulses and mysterious “lights” seen in an active area, plus the sudden running and “strange behavior” of animals have been suggested. It is very possibly true that animals, with their generally superior senses, can actually feel the earliest beginning of a quake, which then becomes dangerous. Unfortunately, a mountain lion will also spook a herd of deer, horses or cattle causing them to suddenly run.

This close measurement, the use of radio wave and computers to broadcast a rapid response to police and fire departments, is believed to improve the accuracy of severity and location measurements, and broadcast the alarm in time to prepare people for the quake. NASA is incorporating new techniques to use “upgraded scientific GPS stations with sensors that monitor for earthquakes while collecting GPS….” Some conservatives complain about the cost of NASA projects, but in fact they have done a great deal of good for the country, from the well-known invention of Tang to significant scientific advances. This is one more interesting and positive advance under their auspices. NOAA, also, does more than forecast weather. Go to Google and search “space weather” for some beautiful and exciting things.



http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/03/465429197/obama-visits-mosque-in-u-s-for-first-time-during-his-presidency

Obama Visits Mosque In U.S. For First Time During His Presidency
CAMILA DOMONOSKE
Updated February 3, 20161:38 PM ET
Published February 3, 201612:32 PM ET

Photograph -- President Obama participates in a roundtable discussion with members of the Muslim community Wednesday while visiting the Islamic Society of Baltimore in Windsor Mill, Md. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
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Should The Phrase 'Islamic Extremism' Be Used? It's Debatable
Seventy percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning respondents said the next president should "be careful not to criticize Islam as a whole."


President Obama is delivering remarks at a mosque in Baltimore on Wednesday afternoon, in the first visit to an American mosque he's made during his presidency.

His visit, which will also include a roundtable with Muslim community members, is intended to "reaffirm the importance of religious freedom" to life in America, the White House says.

In his speech at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, the president is expected to say that rejecting bigotry is a core American value.

The president has visited mosques in other countries, but had not previously visited any in the U.S., The Associated Press reports. The wire service notes that Wednesday's speech is one of several religiously themed visits he's making this winter.

"He is set to speak to the nation's Christian leaders at the annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, and last week warned against the rise of religious intolerance during a ceremony at the Israeli Embassy," the AP writes.

Visiting a mosque to reiterate America's commitment to religious tolerance has a noteworthy precedent. Days after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, then-President George W. Bush visited the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C., to say that the intimidation of Muslims "should not and will not stand in America."

"The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam," Bush said. "That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace."

Obama's visit to the mosque in Baltimore comes amid heated rhetoric over Islam in America. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has called for a ban on Muslims entering the U.S., which was denounced by some Republican leaders.

Even setting aside such extreme proposals, many prominent Republicans and Democrats have very different approaches to rhetoric about Islam and terrorism. As NPR political reporter Jessica Taylor explained last November, Obama and the Democratic candidates all avoid referring to "radical Islam" or "Islamic extremism" when they're denouncing terrorism, preferring to call terrorists "extremists" or "jihadists." It's a careful tactic to draw a line between the religion of Islam and the actions of terrorists.

Republicans such as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have criticized that linguistic choice, and called on the president to denounce "radical Islam."

A Pew report released today suggests Americans in general are deeply divided on the issue and, like their leaders, are split along political lines.

Two-thirds of Republicans and Republican-leaning poll respondents said the next president should "speak bluntly, even if critical of Islam as a whole."

Overall, more people would like the next president to avoid criticizing Islam in general — 50 percent are so inclined, while 40 percent overall would prefer bluntness even if it involves criticism.

Approximately half of the 2,009 respondents said they personally know a Muslim. Pew has previously estimated there are about 2.75 million Muslims in the U.S., or less than 1 percent of the population.

A majority of those polled by Pew said U.S. Muslims face a lot of discrimination: 59 percent agreed with that statement, and even more, 76 percent, said that discrimination against Muslims is on the rise.


“His visit, which will also include a roundtable with Muslim community members, is intended to "reaffirm the importance of religious freedom" to life in America, the White House says. …. Visiting a mosque to reiterate America's commitment to religious tolerance has a noteworthy precedent. Days after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, then-President George W. Bush visited the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C., to say that the intimidation of Muslims "should not and will not stand in America." "The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam," Bush said. "That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace." …. Overall, more people would like the next president to avoid criticizing Islam in general — 50 percent are so inclined, while 40 percent overall would prefer bluntness even if it involves criticism. …. A majority of those polled by Pew said U.S. Muslims face a lot of discrimination: 59 percent agreed with that statement, and even more, 76 percent, said that discrimination against Muslims is on the rise.”


It's no big surprise that the newest minority group is receiving unlawful and immoral discrimination from the usual sources. Having a religion that is not approved and those ridiculous clothes is reason enough, and now al-Qaeda and ISIS have enflamed some of their several faiths – a minority actually – to potential acts of more or less pointless violence in various parts of the world, which is causing many Americans to fear assaults of all kinds.

Trump’s claim that he will mandate registration with the government for all of them is also not new. Several groups – including labor unions -- were required to register and sign a loyalty oath in the 1940s surrounding WWII, and all Japanese residents even if they were American citizens, were imprisoned. That was under the great liberal president FDR.

I want us, the citizens of the US -- to see all people as deserving of rights and personal safety despite their religion, race, gender, age, income and more. If an individual has actually done something damaging and illegal such as bombings, murders, rapes, or urging young men to go to a far off desert place and join a very dangerous and sadistic fascist “religious” group, then in my view they should be tried, prosecuted and put in a federal prison with good, strong walls and gates. Average Islamic people who are productive and living here in peace should not be treated in such a vile way. I don’t want to see Internment Camps here again.