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TheNutcracker

TheNutcracker's Journal
TheNutcracker's Journal
March 20, 2015

“Crisis Level”: Report Says Many Govt. Officials in US Convicted of Child Porn, Sex Abuse Crimes

“Crisis Level”: Report Says Many Govt. Officials in US Convicted of Child Porn, Sex Abuse Crimes
Thursday, March 19, 2015 14:13

http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2015/03/crisis-level-report-says-many-govt-officials-in-us-convicted-of-child-porn-sex-abuse-crimes-3124838.html

all docs provided throughout:

At least 22 local, state, and federal government officials in the US — including leading military and police figures — have been convicted of child pornography and child sex abuse crimes in recent years, according to a new report.

Using public records and news accounts, the Daily Beast reported Monday on the staggering epidemic of child porn, sex abuse, and violent rape crimes in Washington and beyond.
The most recent arrest occurred last month. Daniel Rosen, a senior State Department official, was caught soliciting sex online with a minor.
In January, the former acting director of cyber security for the US Department of Health and Human Services was sentenced to 25 years in prison after a child pornography conviction. Timothy DeFoggi, 56, engaged in a child exploitation enterprise tied to a secret online website where sexually explicit images of children were shared among members.

DeFoggi “exchanged private messages with other members where he expressed an interest in the violent rape and murder of children” between March and December of 2012, prosecutors alleged.
The Daily Beast goes on to mention several cases: a former special agent with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security sentenced to seven years in prison for possessing about 30,000 images of child porn on his home computer; a foreign service officer given 20 years in prison for possession of child porn and videotaping sex with girls while he worked as a consular officer; a former CIA station chief in Algeria sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for drugging and raping a woman, among other offenses; and six former Homeland Security Department employees who are serving time in prison for crimes that include possession of child pornography, soliciting sex with minors, and human sex-trafficking.

In 2011, a US Army lawyer in Virginia pleaded guilty to raping an infant and producing and distributing violent images of child abuse.

In 2012, a police captain in Ganby, Conn., was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession and trade of videos

“horrifically depicted children being sexually abused by adults,” according to a US prosecutor, including babies bound and tortured.

Writing for Medium, researcher Lori Handrahan has documented child sex crimes within the US military, US government, and beyond. She has observed that many officials are caught downloading child porn on their work computers, barely attempting to cover up their crimes.
Handrahan, among others, documented last year that David O’Brien — a top nuclear scientist for the US government at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida — was sentenced to five years in prison for child porn possession and distribution. O’Brien had “taken pictures of his granddaughter and placed images of her head over images of children being sexually abused. He also had pictures of Air Force employees transposed over sex abuse images.”
The sad, sordid details continue, the scope of which authorities are unlikely to completely understand.

Handrahan has written that the US Department of Justice does not gather comprehensive data on child porn arrests, so it is unclear just how many government employees have faced such charges, or how many are even involved in the underground child porn industry.

“Child porn within our government agencies has reached crisis level,” she wrote in a recent Medium post.
In September, US Rep. Mark Meadows introduced legislation, the Eliminating Pornography from Agencies Act, that would officially prohibit workers on Uncle Sam’s payroll from browsing adult content on federal computers and devices.

“It’s appalling that it requires an act of Congress to ensure that federal agencies block access to these sites at work,” Meadows said in a statement.

As the Daily Beast noted, the legislation has no co-sponsors among the 434 other members of the US House.
Earlier this month, CBS News reported that based on a detailed administrative process — including a lengthy appeals system — that is meant to protect against politically motivated firings, civil service terminations based on infractions such as viewing pornography at work are a rare occurrence.

One “top level” employee at the US Environmental Protection Agency has remained on the payroll despite being accused of “viewing porn two to six hours a day while at work, since 2010,” CBS reported. Investigators found about 7,000 porn files on his computer, and even caught the employee watching porn on the job.
According to a 2012 Justice Department report, between 2007 and 2012, more than 11,447 people were convicted in US federal court for crimes related to the sexual abuse of a minor.

“These crimes have ranged from production of obscene visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct to receipt, distribution, possession, and/or production of child pornography to the direct physical, sexual abuse of a minor,” the report said.

The Justice Department reported in 2010 that between 2005 and 2009, there was a 432 percent increase in child pornography films and files sent to National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for victim identification. In that time, 8,352 child porn cases were prosecuted, “and in most instances, the offenders used digital technologies and the Internet to produce, view, store, advertise, or distribute child pornography.”

Delivered by The Daily Sheeple

March 20, 2015

The Company Securing Your Internet Has Close Ties to Russian Spies

Source: Bloomberg Business

Kaspersky Lab has published reports on alleged electronic espionage by the U.S., Israel, and the U.K.—but it’s yet to look at Russia

Kaspersky Lab sells security software, including antivirus programs recommended by big-box stores and other U.S. PC retailers. The Moscow-based company ranks sixth in revenue among security-software makers, taking in $667 million in 2013, and is a favorite among Best Buy’s Geek Squad technicians and reviewers on Amazon.com. Founder and Chief Executive Officer Eugene Kaspersky used to work for the KGB, and in 2007, one of the company’s Japanese ad campaigns used the slogan “A Specialist in Cryptography from KGB.” The sales tactic, a local partner’s idea, was “quickly removed by headquarters,” according to Kaspersky Lab, as the company recruited senior managers in the U.S. and Europe to expand its business and readied an initial public offering with a U.S. investment firm.

In 2012, however, Kaspersky Lab abruptly changed course. Since then, high-level managers have left or been fired, their jobs often filled by people with closer ties to Russia’s military or intelligence services. Some of these people actively aid criminal investigations by the FSB, the KGB’s successor, using data from some of the 400 million customers who rely on Kaspersky Lab’s software, say six current and former employees who declined to discuss the matter publicly because they feared reprisals. This closeness starts at the top: Unless Kaspersky is traveling, he rarely misses a weekly banya (sauna) night with a group of about 5 to 10 that usually includes Russian intelligence officials. Kaspersky says in an interview that the group saunas are purely social: “When I go to banya, they’re friends.”

Kaspersky says government officials can’t associate his company’s data with individual customers and that he hasn’t had to worry about increased pressure to demonstrate loyalty to Vladimir Putin. “I’m not the right person to talk about Russian realities, because I live in cyberspace,” he says.

Nonetheless, while Kaspersky Lab has published a series of reports that examined alleged electronic espionage by the U.S., Israel, and the U.K., the company hasn’t pursued alleged Russian operations with the same vigor. In February, Kaspersky Lab researchers released a remarkably detailed report about the tactics of a hacker collective known as the Equation Group, which has targeted Russia, Iran, and Pakistan, and which cyber security analysts believe to be a cover for the U.S. National Security Agency. Kaspersky Lab hasn’t issued a similar report about Russia’s links to sophisticated spyware known as Sofacy, which has attacked NATO and foreign ministries in Eastern Europe. Sofacy was reported on last fall by U.S. cyber security company FireEye. While Kaspersky Lab is the most prominent cyber security business with close ties to the Russian government, that affinity with the country’s spooks reflects a years long shift by security companies toward choosing sides. Most major security-software makers work with the U.S. in some capacity. Any government relationships can make a company’s products harder to sell in a paranoid global marketplace, says Rick Holland, principal analyst of security and risk management for Forrester Research. “It’s a challenge for any security company out there,” Holland says. “What are your ties to government?”

'By'Carol Matlack, Michael A Riley and Jordan Robertson

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-19/cybersecurity-kaspersky-has-close-ties-to-russian-spies?cmpid=BBD031915ce
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It does make it a little more interesting that Snowden is in Russia. Was he aware of this?

March 20, 2015

The Company Securing Your Internet Has Close Ties to Russian Spies

Source: Bloomberg Business

Kaspersky Lab has published reports on alleged electronic espionage by the U.S., Israel, and the U.K.—but it’s yet to look at Russia

Kaspersky Lab sells security software, including antivirus programs recommended by big-box stores and other U.S. PC retailers. The Moscow-based company ranks sixth in revenue among security-software makers, taking in $667 million in 2013, and is a favorite among Best Buy’s Geek Squad technicians and reviewers on Amazon.com. Founder and Chief Executive Officer Eugene Kaspersky used to work for the KGB, and in 2007, one of the company’s Japanese ad campaigns used the slogan “A Specialist in Cryptography from KGB.” The sales tactic, a local partner’s idea, was “quickly removed by headquarters,” according to Kaspersky Lab, as the company recruited senior managers in the U.S. and Europe to expand its business and readied an initial public offering with a U.S. investment firm.

In 2012, however, Kaspersky Lab abruptly changed course. Since then, high-level managers have left or been fired, their jobs often filled by people with closer ties to Russia’s military or intelligence services. Some of these people actively aid criminal investigations by the FSB, the KGB’s successor, using data from some of the 400 million customers who rely on Kaspersky Lab’s software, say six current and former employees who declined to discuss the matter publicly because they feared reprisals. This closeness starts at the top: Unless Kaspersky is traveling, he rarely misses a weekly banya (sauna) night with a group of about 5 to 10 that usually includes Russian intelligence officials. Kaspersky says in an interview that the group saunas are purely social: “When I go to banya, they’re friends.”

Kaspersky says government officials can’t associate his company’s data with individual customers and that he hasn’t had to worry about increased pressure to demonstrate loyalty to Vladimir Putin. “I’m not the right person to talk about Russian realities, because I live in cyberspace,” he says.

Nonetheless, while Kaspersky Lab has published a series of reports that examined alleged electronic espionage by the U.S., Israel, and the U.K., the company hasn’t pursued alleged Russian operations with the same vigor. In February, Kaspersky Lab researchers released a remarkably detailed report about the tactics of a hacker collective known as the Equation Group, which has targeted Russia, Iran, and Pakistan, and which cyber security analysts believe to be a cover for the U.S. National Security Agency. Kaspersky Lab hasn’t issued a similar report about Russia’s links to sophisticated spyware known as Sofacy, which has attacked NATO and foreign ministries in Eastern Europe. Sofacy was reported on last fall by U.S. cyber security company FireEye. While Kaspersky Lab is the most prominent cyber security business with close ties to the Russian government, that affinity with the country’s spooks reflects a years long shift by security companies toward choosing sides. Most major security-software makers work with the U.S. in some capacity. Any government relationships can make a company’s products harder to sell in a paranoid global marketplace, says Rick Holland, principal analyst of security and risk management for Forrester Research. “It’s a challenge for any security company out there,” Holland says. “What are your ties to government?”

'By'Carol Matlack, Michael A Riley and Jordan Robertson

Read more: Link to sourhttp://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-19/cybersecurity-kaspersky-has-close-ties-to-russian-spies?cmpid=BBD031915ce



It does make it a little more interesting that Snowden is in Russia. Was he aware of this?
March 19, 2015

Israel would be annihilated without U.S. and our money. Enough of the disrespect from Israel

toward our President!

All the media today..."Obama is now going to have a real hard time from Netti for the rest of his presidency".......really? Are you kidding me? All the money we give to Israel and they threaten us?

S T O P T H E F U N D I N G.....Then let's discuss this bullshit.

To treat President Obama like this, is to treat American citizens poorly, as it's OUR money!

March 18, 2015

Kraft recalls mac & cheese, says some boxes may contain metal pieces and recalls 6.5M boxes

It is the latest in a string of recalls by the food company over the past several months.

The company recalled 7.25-ounce size boxes of Kraft original flavor macaroni & cheese with "best when used by" dates of Sept. 18, 2015, through Oct. 11, 2015, with "C2" directly below the date. The "C2" refers to the production line on which the affected products were made.

The products were shipped in the United States and to several other countries, but not Canada.

The cases include single packages, three-pack boxes, four-pack shrink-wrapped packages and five-pack shrink-wrapped packages, the company said.

Consumers were asked to return the boxes for an exchange or a refund to the stores where they bought the items. They can also call Kraft consumer relations at 800-816-9432 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time.

Kraft has issued several recall notices in recent months. Kraft recalled almost 8,000 cases of Kraft American Singles in August because a supplier didn't store an ingredient properly. In June, Kraft recalled 260 cases of Velveeta cheese product because they did not contain appropriate levels of sorbic acid, and could spoil or lead to foodborne illness. In May, the company recalled certain cottage cheese products made in California because they were not stored at the right temperature. And in April, Kraft recalled 96,000 pounds of its Oscar Mayer wieners because they may have mistakenly contained cheese.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/ct-kraft-mac-and-cheese-recall-20150317-story.html

March 18, 2015

GOP budget cuts Medicare, raises Pentagon budget, AFTER they lose 500 million is supplies????

Cross post: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141041775


This amount should be removed from their budget and then some, (fines?) until they find our stuff. Enough!

March 18, 2015

Uncle Sam's Favorite Corporations: Identifying the Large Companies that Dominate Federal Subsidies

Over the past 15 years, the federal government has provided $68 billion in grants and special tax credits to business, with two-thirds of the total going to large corporations.

An excerpt from the Findings of this report: NextEra Energy, the parent of Florida Power & Light and number two on the list, got about 90 percent of its grants from Section 1603; number three NRG Energy got about 80 percent. Three other companies in the top ten also received large amounts in Section 1603 funds: Tenaska ($132 million), Duke Energy ($473 million) and Exelon ($208 million). Tenaska, however, received an even greater sum from allocated tax credit programs that subsidize coal power projects. Coal grants and allocated tax credits also accounted for most of the funds received by three other top-ten companies: Southern, Summit Power and SCS Energy.

As you see besides the money that Duke Energy stole from its customers for nuclear plants that will never be built and repairs to others they have stolen your tax dollar$ too.

more at link:
http://www.goodjobsfirst.org/sites/default/files/docs/pdf/UncleSamsFavoriteCorporations.pdf
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This is welfare for the richest and most profitable corporations in America. Why don't any of the news outlets make this their top story? Lamestream media...

Thanks, peace and be well...
Xxxx X. Xxxxxx

March 17, 2015

Hello Barbie :The Creepy Doll That Spies on Kids ... and their Parents

Mattel’s latest doll Hello Barbie dialogs with children, records their answers and sends the information back to a database via Wifi and Bluetooth.

Hello Barbie is “the world’s first interactive Barbie doll” … and it is rather creepy. Equipped with a microphone and internet connectivity, the doll asks questions to children, records their answers and send the information back to Mattel servers where it is filed and processed by a powerful algorithm.



http://vigilantcitizen.com/latestnews/hello-barbie-the-creepy-doll-that-spies-on-kids-and-their-parents/?utm_source=wysija&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=barbie+Email

March 13, 2015

Jeb Bush's emails detail communications with top donors

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Among the many thousands of emails Jeb Bush received as Florida governor are a string of notes from campaign donors asking for favors and making suggestions.

Invariably, Bush responded quickly. Sometimes, he appointed a person a donor had recommended for a position. Other times, he rejected advice about a piece of legislation.

It's an insight into Bush's work as governor that's possible only because his emails are open for review, something not yet available for those sent and received by Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state. Like Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, Bush used a personal email address and private server. But, positioning himself as a transparent candidate if he runs for the Republican nomination, he has posted online more than 275,000 emails from his two terms in office.

A review by the Associated Press of Bush's emails found that prominent donors to Bush and his family regularly urged him to appoint certain candidates for judgeships, public boards and other committees.

more at link....

Read more: http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/stateroundup/jeb-bushs-emails-detail-communications-with-top-donors/2221147



This is just a sample of what is out there today - The GQ public will lap this up!


Here are the rest - Huff Post- Herald, etc.
Link for all stories on this everywhere:

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=donors+often+wrote+to+former+governor+jeb+bush

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