There is a whole lot going on today, but I want to focus on just a few things: the Chinese, Planned Parenthood, and the CNN GOP Debates.
Now to turn to the Chinese. I caught a report by Catherine Herridge of Fox News on an incredibly troubling revelation about the hacked information by the Chinese of those in this country who applied for security clearance. It is startling in its scope and potential for malice. From Fox News:
A private industry IT security firm tells Fox News that personal data stolen over the span of several high-profile U.S. cyber breaches is being indexed by China’s intelligence service into a massive Facebook-like network.
According to CrowdStrike founder Dmitri Alperovitch, Chinese hackers are using information gained from the breaches of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, as well as intrusions into the Anthem and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield health insurance networks, to build a complete profile of federal employees in what the company calls a “Facebook of Everything.”
“That can now be used to embarrass you publicly and force you to work for the Chinese government,” Alperovitch told Fox News. “It’s, in effect, a private version of Facebook with much more detail about your life than even Facebook has that the Chinese now have access to.” Current and former intelligence officials echoed the assessment.
As Fox News has reported, the most sensitive information stolen in the OPM breach was lifted from what is known as the Standard Form 86, or SF-86. The 127-page security clearance application is essentially a road map to your life. It contains highly detailed information on everything from where an applicant lived and worked, to personal references, family members, friends and associates, as well as drug history and intimate health information.
What’s startling is the fact that virtually all government employees and contractors who hold the top echelon of U.S. security clearances were impacted by the OPM breach, even the Director of the FBI. James Comey joked at an intelligence and national security summit last week that had his SF-86 been stored in a strongly encrypted database “maybe someone wouldn’t be reading it today.” […] (Click here to read the rest.)
Holy. Crappydoo. This is astonishing in the access China has now gained into many of the upper echelons of Intelligence and Government workers. And they are getting away with it. Oh, Obama may talk tough, but what has been the comeuppance for China? Nothing. I mean, really – would you expect any less from Mr. Red Line? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Meanwhile, yet another video has come out about Planned Parenthood. The media has done a terrible job of covering this so they could provide cover, especially as the Campaign season ramps up. But one should not take the fact that this is Number Ten in the video series to mean it is less important than the others. Nope, not by a long shot. From The Federalist:
[…] “We have independent colleagues who generate a fair amount of income doing this,” Deb VanDerhei, the national director for the Consortium of Abortion Providers at PPFA. “Obviously we would have a huge P.R. issue, by doing this,” she said while sipping a pint of beer at a party.
VanDerhei wasn’t the only Planned Parenthood official who was concerned about the image problem associated with harvesting and selling aborted baby parts.
“This could destroy your company and us, if we don’t time those conversations correctly,” said Dr. Vanessa Cullins, vice president for external medical affairs for PPFA. […]
Let’s be clear here: they are not worried about what they are actually DOING. No, they are worried about the APPEARANCE of what they are doing. That is, making money, and a “fair amount,” by selling baby organs.
Don’t think for a second they are not aware of how disgusting this is:
[…] “Nothing is written. There’s nothing in stone,” Dr. Deborah Nucatola said in what appears to be footage from the first video CMP released on Planned Parenthood’s organs-for-cash scheme. “Folks will ask the national office questions, and we certainly have answers to those questions, but we don’t have a policy per se and that’s by choice.”
“If they do it, that’s fine. We’re not going to say no, but we want them to really think about the New York Times‘ headline,” VanDerhrei said. “It’s an issue you might imagine that we’re not comfortable talking about on email? And so we want to have the conversation in person.” […] (Click here to read the rest.)
Yeah – they know what they are doing. And what they are doing is abhorrent. That the media continues to provide them cover, though, is appalling.
But that seems to be how the media rolls, particularly during Campaign seasons. Hence why it will be interesting to see how CNN handles the GOP Debate tonight (Weds.). I am really glad that Carly Fiorina has made it to the Big Kids’ Table, but I fear that most of the time, like most of the “news” now, will be focused on Donald Trump.
Again, a little math lesson for those who seem to be using Common Core Math (talking to you, Fox News): 100% – 27% = 73%. That big number? The 73%? That is the number of us who do NOT support Donald Trump, are sick to death of hearing about him, sick to death of the media providing HIM cover by dismissing the many flip flops, irrational assertions, and lack of anything substantive he has said by providing him countless minutes of free ad time, including airing entire speeches. How about giving some of the other FAR More qualified candidates that kind of time? Like, I dunno, say Ben Carson, who is essentially tied with Trump now. Or Walker. Or Rubio. Or Cruz. Or Fiorina. Or Kasich. The list goes on of decent people who are far more qualified by experience and temperament that Trump will ever be. He is a snake oil salesman, a man who has failed in a NUMBER of his enterprises, including a MASSIVE bankruptcy of one of his star resorts (Time Magazine has a Top Ten Trump Failures List that is worth perusing). Just because much of the media allows him to brush that off, and his minions get angry if anyone even dare assert that Trump is not the “Be-All-End-All, what he has done, what he has said, matters to us. To that end, Sen. Rand Paul has declared he is going to come out with guns blazing to reveal Trump for the poseur he is.
The two debates, first one at 6:00pm EST, and second one at 8:00pm, EST, will be moderated by the same people, and will be on CNN.
This is an Open Thread!
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