Russia is WAY too close to Compromising Communications Cables

 

Russian aggression and look who is in the White House…..chilling….

Submarine Cable Map

PopularScience: For the past five years, John Rennie has braved the towering waves of the North Atlantic Ocean to keep your e-mail coming to you. As chief submersible engineer aboard the Wave Sentinel, part of the fleet operated by U.K.-based undersea installation and maintenance firm Global Marine Systems, Rennie–a congenial, 6’4″, 57-year-old Scotsman–patrols the seas, dispatching a remotely operated submarine deep below the surface to repair undersea cables. The cables, thick as fire hoses and packed with fiber optics, run everywhere along the seafloor, ferrying phone and Web traffic from continent to continent at the speed of light.

The cables regularly fail. On any given day, somewhere in the world there is the nautical equivalent of a hit and run when a cable is torn by fishing nets or sliced by dragging anchors. If the mishap occurs in the Irish Sea, the North Sea or the North Atlantic, Rennie comes in to splice the break together.

On one recent expedition, Rennie and his crew spent 12 days bobbing in about 250 feet of water 15 miles off the coast of Cornwall in southern England looking for a broken cable linking the U.K. and Ireland. Munching fresh doughnuts (a specialty of the ship’s cook), Rennie and his team worked 12-hour shifts exploring the rocky seafloor with a six-ton, $10-million remotely operated vehicle (ROV) affectionately known as “the Beast.”

As  Russia scopes undersea cables, a shadow of the United States’ Cold War past

WaPo: On Sunday, the New York Times reported that Russian submarines and spy ships are operating near vital undersea fiber-optic cables that transmit the majority of the planet’s communication and economic data.

The fear, the report stipulates, is that Russia might be looking for weak spots that could be attacked and severed during a conflict.

Though the tactics and threat are reminiscent of the Cold War, the Russians appear to be taking a page out of the book that the U.S. Navy and the NSA wrote in the 1970s in a series of undersea wire-tapping missions that became known as Operation Ivy Bells.

Briefly mentioned in the Times report, Operation Ivy Bells is written about extensively in the book “Blind Man’s Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage” by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew. The missions used submarines to listen in on previously untapped Soviet “hard-lines” to glean information about Soviet ballistic missile submarine deployments and strategy.

In 1970, at the height of the Cold War, James Bradley, the director of undersea warfare at the Office of Naval intelligence dreamed up one of the most daring submarine spy missions in modern history. He wanted to send the specially outfitted 350ft nuclear-powered submarine, the Halibut, to land over the ocean floor under the Sea of Okhotsk and tap a phone line that connected the Soviet submarine base at Petropavlovsk to its Pacific Fleet headquarters near Vladivostok.

Besides the risk of international incident if Halibut was caught or detected, there was no evidence that the phone line even existed. The only evidence that Bradley had was the notion that the sub base in Petropavlovsk was probably required to give constant updates back to its higher headquarters. So Bradley, sitting in his Pentagon office at 3 a.m., thought back to his childhood, racking his brain to figure out where the Soviets might have laid their cables.

According to “Blind Man’s Bluff,” Bradley, in his predawn stupor, recalled from his youth written signs that had been posted along the Mississippi River to mark undersea cables. The signs, posted along the shore, were meant to prevent passing from hooking the cables with their anchors.

With this in mind, Bradley reasoned that there had to be similar signs near the shallower points on the Sea of Okhotsk.

So, with Bradley’s childhood in mind, “the most daring acts of tele-piracy of the Cold War” was born.

After an extensive multi-year refit that began in the late 60s, Halibut was ready to depart from Mare Island Naval Shipyard outside of San Francisco for Okhotsk in 1972. One of the sub’s most noticeable additions was a giant hump mounted behind its conning tower, a hump that was publicly declared as a hangar for a deep sea rescue vehicle but was actually a “decompression and lockout chamber” for the team of divers that would exit the sub to tap the Soviet cables.

So in October 1972, the crew of Halibut made its way across the Pacific, its older nuclear reactor pushing her across the sea at just over 10 knots. First the spy sub moved north to the Aleutian Islands, then past the Bering Straight and into the Sea of Okhotsk. The captain of the Halibut, Navy Cmdr. Jack McNish, had not told the crew where it was going—only that they were leaving home for three months and that they were searching for the remnants of a new Soviet infared anti-ship missile that the United States was desperately seeking a counter-measure for.

Once inside the Sea of Okhotsk, the Halibut slowly patrolled with its periscope up, scanning the coastline for Bradley’s signage that would mark the cables. And then, after a week of patrolling with no luck, the Halibut found a sign on the northern shore of the Sea of Okhotsk that said something to the extent of “Do Not Anchor. Cable Here” in Russian.

The Halibut, after locating the sign, launched a specially designed submersible or “fish,” that then proceeded to search for the cables. The fish had a very basic video camera, and a higher definition camera. While the video was relayed in real-time back to the submarine, the film from the camera had to be retrieved from the fish and subsequently developed while the Halibut was near the surface so that the sub’s dark room could properly vent or “snorkel” the chemicals used to develop the film.

Hours after the fish’s launch, footage began to come back of foot-long bumps in the sand, a sort of Morse code etched in the sea bottom. The Halibut had found the cables.

According to “Blind Man’s Bluff,” the fish was then retrieved and the film developed, revealing the Soviet cables strewn along the seafloor.

After identifying the cables, McNish maneuvered the Halibut well outside the 3-mile territorial limit of the Soviet Union and located a spot just above the cable where he could lower the submarine’s two massive anchors in a sort-of hover.

Using specially designed rubber wet suits that fit loosely and were pumped full of hot water to counter the freezing temperatures of the Sea of Okhotsk, the divers departed the Halibut armed with pneumatic air-guns to blow debris off the cables and emergency oxygen bottles in case their “umbilical cords” that connected them back to the Halibut were severed.

The wire-tap, according to “Blind Man’s Bluff,” was three-feet long and composed of a tape recorder and a lithium ion battery. A connector would wrap around the cable and draw out the words and data through induction. There was no cutting into the cable.

For the next few hours the recording device attached to the cable relayed Soviet communications back to a select group of spies aboard the Halibut who would then, after the completion of the mission and a successful return to port, send the tapes to Fort Meade, Md, where they would be subsequently analyzed.

With the tap successful, the Halibut then moved to its secondary mission of locating the Soviet missile fragments before returning to port. With the mission a success, Bradley saw a future filled with taps around the globe that could record for months and years continuously, without the presence of an American sub to collect the data.

In August 1972, the Halibut departed once more for the Sea Okhotsk to repeat the tap. This time, however, the sub was rigged with explosives in case the sub and her crew were ever compromised. This time too, according to Blind Man’s Bluff, McNish told his crew about their actual mission and the risks it entailed.

In the years following more submarines would be outfitted like Halibut, and they too would conduct similar wire-taps. Operation Ivy Bells had begun.

 

Democrat Donor for Obama and Julian Castro Charged with Fraud

Who checks the backgrounds of these people and where the money really comes from? Of course, rhetorical but this is a constant verse in Washington DC, just look at Hillary ad Bill’s history on donors.

Imagine the cost to BP over the oil spill lawsuits and how many are going to give the money back? Heh….

Obama fundraiser, Julian Castro patron indicted on fraud charges

Carney at WashingtonExaminer: Multimillion-dollar Democratic donor and Obama fundraiser Mikal Watts was indicted on fraud charges this week. Federal prosecutors say his class-action suit against BP after the oil spill was built in part on phony clients.

Watts’ attorney said the charges “are related to allegations that Watts committed fraud or forgery when he claimed to represent 44,000 clients in litigation against BP PLC,” as the Associated Press puts it.

Watts, according to FEC records, has given $2.3 million to Democratic causes and candidates over the years, including nearly $90,000 to Barack Obama. He also bundled at least $500,000 for Obama and hosted multiple fundraisers in his San Antonio mansion for Obama.

He has his own basketball gym on his property, and in 2012, he held a $35,800-a-plate fundraiser there, in a nod to the president’s “love of basketball,” as Watts put it. In 2008, he was on Obama’s National Finance Committee.

Watts has visited the Obama White House three times, according to visitor logs.

Obama, since 2010, has fought to change the law that limits some of BP’s liability — a policy change that would directly profit plaintiffs’ lawyers suing BP.

Watts was also the primary patron for Democratic rising star Julian Castro, having made possible Castro’s first mayoral run in San Antonio by paying the budding politician a “referral fee” of at least 1 million dollars, as my colleague Byron York wrote in a piece on Castro last year.

Now, for a note on media bias:

The Washington Post’s only story on Watts’ indictment is an AP story, running under the headline “Defense Attorney: Texas Lawyer Indicted Over Oil Spill Fraud.” The words “Obama,” “Democrat,” “Castro” and “fundraiser” never appear in the piece.

The Post’s 2013 story on BP’s accusations against Watts also omitted his prominent role in the Democratic world.

The New York Times’ headline: “Indictment Ties Lawyer to Fraud on BP Spill.” The first paragraph describes him only as “a prominent Texas lawyer.” In the final paragraph, the Times notes, “In addition to his reputation as an intimidating plaintiff’s lawyer, Mr. Watts is a high-profile fund-raiser for Democrats at the local, state and national levels. In July 2012, he hosted a $35,800-a-plate event for President Obama inside a gymnasium on the grounds of his home.”

When the Times first reported on Watts’ potential sketchiness in 2011, they totally omitted that he was a prominent Democratic donor and fundraiser.

What would happen if Watts were a Republican fundraiser? It turns out we have some clues.

Timothy Durham was a Republican fundraiser and donor who had given about $800,000 to Republicans. In 2011, federal prosecutors indicted him “on suspicion of operating a Ponzi scheme that bilked investors out of $200 million,” as the Washington Post put it.

“A Republican Fund-Raiser is Indicted in a Ponzi Scheme,” blared The New York Times headline.

The lead: “A prominent Republican fund-raiser was charged Wednesday …” The second paragraph began, “The fund-raiser, Timothy Durham, 48, was arrested early in the morning …” Later in the piece, “Mr. Durham donated more than $800,000 to the Republican Party and candidates in Indiana, including almost $200,000 to Gov. Mitch Daniels.”

The Post item mentioning Durham’s indictment described Durham as “a GOP donor and former chief executive of National Lampoon …”

So a Democratic donor directly tied to the president and the single biggest Democratic “rising star” gets his political activity mostly ignored, while a Republican donor who gave half as much gets his politics in the headlines.

Trial lawyers were the top industry giving to House and Senate candidates in the 2014 election, so this story also exemplifies the trends in campaign finance.

As I’ve written many times before, big money gets a lot more media scrutiny on one side of the aisle than it does on the other.

Iran Defying Iran Deal, WH and Kerry Still Trust ‘Em

Iran holds 4 Americans in their prisons, while the Obama administration says the track for talks to have them released was separate from the Iran talks. Yet, it must be know, the United States actually holds several Iranians in our prisons and one such detainee Iran wants back badly.

Iran wants it both ways as noted with this scientist they demand to be released.

An Iranian-American engineer has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for sending sensitive U.S. military documents to his native Iran.

U.S. prosecutors say Mozaffar Khazaee, who had worked as an employee of U.S. defense contractors, stole and shared with Iran information on U.S. military jet engine programs over the span of several years.

Khazaee, a 61-year-old dual citizen, was arrested in January 2014 as he tried to leave the United States with sensitive military documents in his luggage.

A swap is likely part of the obscure talks with John Kerry and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif.

The matter of the PMD’s (Possible Military Dimension) sites are still in dispute and Iran declares they are defying the JPOA by stating they will not remove the uranium stockpile. They will also not repurpose the heavy water reactor, both of which are stipulations of the JPOA.

“Any action regarding Arak and dispatching uranium abroad … will take place after the PMD file is closed,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote in a letter to President Hassan Rouhani.

The letter, published on Khamenei’s website, approved implementation of a nuclear deal agreed with world powers in July, subject to certain conditions.

Meanwhile, the waivers are being signed to lift selected sanctions against Iran, demonstrating the White House, the State Department and the National Security Councils as well as those Democrats in Congress have not said a single word about the contraventions of the P5+1 Iran agreement.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The United States approved conditional sanctions waivers for Iran on Sunday, though it cautioned they will not take effect until Tehran has curbed its nuclear program as required under a historic nuclear deal reached in Vienna on July 14.

“I hereby direct you to take all necessary steps to give effect to the U.S. commitments with respect to sanctions described in (the Iran deal),” U.S. President Barack Obama said in a memo to the secretaries of state, treasury, commerce and energy released by the White House press office.

Several senior U.S. officials, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said actual implementation of the deal was still at least two months away. In addition to Washington’s conditional orders to suspend U.S. nuclear-related sanctions, U.S. officials said the United States, China and Iran were re-emphasizing their commitment to the redesign and reconstruction of the Arak research reactor so that it does not produce plutonium.

The fate of the Arak reactor was one of the toughest sticking points in the nearly two years of negotiations that led to the July agreement.

Other steps Iran must take include reducing the number of uranium-enrichment centrifuges it has in operation, cutting its enriched uranium stocks and answering U.N. questions about past activities that the West suspects were linked to work on nuclear weapons.

Kerry noted that the IAEA had already said Iran had met its obligation to provide answers and access to the agency.

The Democrats, the White House and the State Department have a real talent for ignoring threats, facts and actions when it comes to reality.

It is beyond dispute that each item in question for Iran and the JPOA, Iran is rupturing the agreement and Barack Obama is ignoring the infractions. Perhaps someone should begin to ask Hillary about the JPOA since it was her State Department that deployed Jake Sullivan to open the Iran doors to these talks…what is she thinking now?

Obama Orders Public Schools to Teach Immigration Acceptance

How about calling your Congressperson and the State Education Board and express some outrage?

Introduction

As a nation of immigrants, the United States has benefited tremendously from the talents, values, and contributions of newcomers to our shores. In the face of immense barriers, many undocumented youth have exhibited exemplary perseverance, work ethic, and leadership. Yet hurdles and challenges remain. Many educators, counselors, and school leaders have expressed interest in learning how to better support all children so that they can achieve educational and economic success – regardless of actual or perceived immigration status. Informed by research and promising practices, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) has compiled this Resource Guide to assist and enhance State and local efforts to support undocumented youth at the secondary and postsecondary school levels. However, high-quality early learning and elementary education is critical to college and career success for all children. Therefore, the Department will in coming months release a separate resource guide on early learning and elementary education that includes promising practices for serving undocumented children and children of undocumented parents. The Department hopes that educators, schools, and campuses will, as they see fit, draw upon the tips and examples in this Guide to better support undocumented youth and, ultimately, move us closer to the promise of college and career readiness for all.  Read the full document here.

Schools Ordered to Help Illegal Aliens, Hold “Undocumented Immigrant Awareness Day”

The Obama administration is ordering the nation’s public schools to support illegal immigrant students, promote the president’s amnesty and “embrace and value” the diversity and cultural backgrounds of the foreigners receiving a free, American taxpayer-funded education.

In a 63-page “Guide for Success” issued this month, the U.S. Department of Education directs teachers in the nation’s publicly funded schools to “understand the cultural and educational backgrounds” of their students and to “model multicultural sensitivity.” Teachers should also “engage in self-reflection to address personal biases and increase multicultural competence,” according to the new mandate that also orders the incorporation of diversity and immigration into instruction. “Plan and host trainings on multicultural issues that educate teachers and staff about the unique needs and challenges of undocumented students,” the document says.

Educators are also instructed to “withhold judgment and biases about immigration status.” This means that school personnel “should not make assumptions about students’ immigration status – including assuming that ethnicity or speaking languages other than English imply non-citizen status.” If a student discloses that he or she is an illegal immigrant school personnel must “convey openness and assurance of confidentiality.” Schools must also establish “safe spaces” where undocumented youth can share freely, engage with their peers and build a support system. “Individually addressing fears of deportation in a sensitive manner may be needed,” according to the new public education guide.

The goal, according to an agency statement, is to help educators and school staff support the academic success of undocumented youth and to debunk misconceptions by clarifying the legal rights of undocumented students. The guide also includes information about financial aid options available to illegal immigrant students and support for youth that want to apply for an Obama amnesty program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). “We know undocumented youth face unique challenges and we also know that educators and other caring adults in schools and colleges can play a major role in helping all students, including undocumented students, to achieve at the highest levels,” said John King, deputy secretary of education.

Nearly 700,000 illegal aliens have been granted benefits under DACA, but 1.5 million are eligible and the administration wants to maximize the numbers. In the coming years an additional 400,000 illegal alien children will become eligible, the administration reveals in its new education mandate. “To ensure that undocumented youth receive an equitable education that prepares them for college and career, it is imperative that educators and other personnel understand the unique needs of these students and receive high-quality training and support on how to best serve them,” the new guide states.

It goes on to list symptoms—including depression and anxiety—that undocumented youth suffer as a result of the migration process, which can include family separation, detention and deportation. The stress of living in the U.S. illegally may be “exacerbated when, throughout critical moments of adolescent development, barriers prevent undocumented youth from sharing core experiences with their documented peers, such as driving and starting their first job,” the document reads. The Obama administration also aims to eliminate barriers encountered by illegal aliens who want to attend college by directing schools to highlight opportunities to help undocumented youth access postsecondary education. This includes encouraging scholarship sponsors to change their policies to be inclusive of undocumented students.

While the new illegal alien guide for academic success mainly targets elementary and high schools, there is a message for colleges and universities: “Build a supportive and welcoming institutional environment for undocumented students.” This includes hiring “culturally competent faculty,” publicly demonstrating support for undocumented students and hosting an “undocumented immigrant awareness day.” Colleges and universities should also alleviate fears that students may have about their immigration status.

 

Defunding Planned Parenthood and Committee Formed

Some, rather many are anti-Boehner as Speaker and are delighted he resigned. Yet on the way out the door, he has taken a positive measure against Planned Parenthood. Moving to create a commission to investigate the organization is a good thing and passing a measure in the House to defund it is even better. Others argue this is just theater as it may advance such that Barack Obama would veto the legislation. That is true, it could happen but the House took a very assertive step in this regard.

Boehner is forming a House Select committee to investigate ‘big abortion providers’ — namely Planned Parenthood
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced Friday the appointment of eight Republicans (four women and four men) to the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Select Investigative Panel focused on “big abortion providers” — namely Planned Parenthood.

He appointed Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) as panel chair.

Other members are Rep. Joe Pitts (PA), Rep. Diane Black (TN), Rep. Larry Bucshon (IN), Rep. Sean Duffy (WI), Rep. Andy Harris (MD), Rep. Vicky Hartzler (MO) and Rep. Mia Love (UT).

From the Speaker’s Friday news release:

Recent videos exposing the abortion-for-baby parts business have shocked the nation, and demanded action. At my request, three House committees have been investigating the abortion business, but we still don’t have the full truth. Chairman Blackburn and our members will have the resources and the subpoena power to get to the bottom of these horrific practices, and build on our work to protect the sanctity of all human life.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has five spots to fill, according to the Hill, but has yet to announce her appointments.

Planned Parenthood issued a statement through spokesman Eric Ferrero on Friday criticizing the panel:

Planned Parenthood has been cooperating fully with all of these investigations, even though they were all sparked by false and discredited claims and even though their political motive has become increasingly clear. Regardless of whether these investigations are focused on uncovering facts or pursuing a political agenda, we will continue to share the facts with all of these committees, which include that fetal tissue donation for medical research is an important but tiny part of Planned Parenthood’s work in just two states, that we’ve had guidance in place for more than a decade that goes well beyond the legal requirements, and that even doctored and discredited videos show no wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood.

Defunding

BREAKING: U.S. House passes bill to defund Planned Parenthood

The U.S. House voted today on legislation to halt the taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood, which has been caught harvesting the body parts of aborted babies, among other scandals.

The House approved H.R. 3762, a reconciliation bill which cannot be filibustered in the U.S. Senate, on a near party-line 240-189 vote. The bill can pass the Senate chamber with 51 votes, rather than than the 60-vote threshold.

H.R. 3762 places a freeze on certain federal payments to the abortion giant for one year. Only seven House Republicans voted in opposition to the measure, while one Democrat, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn), voted in favor.

Reps. Ken Buck (Col.) Bob Dold (Ill.), Richard Hanna (NY), Walter Jones (NC), Mark Meadows (NC) and Matt Salmon (AZ) were the seven Republicans who broke party ranks.

Planned Parenthood’s taxpayer funding has come under scrutiny over the past few months, in the wake of undercover videos revealing corporate Planned Parenthood executives discussing horrific fetal tissue procurement practices.

In August, the U.S. Senate held a historic vote to defund the abortion giant, with most senators in favor of the measure. The effort was halted, however, due to a filibuster by Senate Democrats.

The latest vote comes in the aftermath of 10 videos by The Center for Medical Progress, which detail Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry’s role in the trafficking of fetal body parts.

The videos also show top-level Planned Parenthood executives admitting how they sell the body parts of aborted babies, alter the abortion procedure to obtain intact organs, and perform what appears to be illegal partial-birth abortions.