Sunday, October 14, 2012
Facilitator is needed for cybersecurity
Column: Facilitator is needed for cybersecurity
By Sen. Saxby Chambliss and Sen. Ron Johnson
Originally printed in Politico
There is widespread agreement across America that cybersecurity is an urgent national priority and the federal government needs to play a major role. The threat of a cyberattack is real, and its consequences could prove devastating to our economic and national security. Effective action cannot come too soon.
Any solution to cybersecurity must allow the private sector, which owns 85 percent of our nation’s critical infrastructure, the freedom to use all tools at its disposal to protect against cyber intrusions. Business owners understand the need to protect themselves in the cyber domain and are devoting considerable resources to do so. Industry is right to expect that any Senate legislation will complement their current efforts.
As much as possible, Washington should facilitate — rather than dictate — cybersecurity.
When the Cybersecurity Act was brought to the floor last week, without either a hearing or a markup, industry understandably mobilized to express alarm. The bill’s proposed framework creates a government-based solution that hampers the private sector’s agility and ingenuity to meet this rapidly evolving threat.
The list of those opposed is telling. It includes the Chamber of Commerce, the American Petroleum Institute, the Internet Security Alliance, the Business Roundtable, IBM, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and the National Association of Manufacturers.
They are raising legitimate concerns that the “voluntary” framework offered to industry is overly burdensome and prescriptive. It could quickly turn into a mandatory regulatory scheme. Increased bureaucracy and uncertain liability protections would actually slow the sharing of threat information between business and government. Resources better spent on innovation and deterrence would be diverted to satisfy government notions of compliance.
Meanwhile, the number of cyberattacks on federal networks rose 39 percent in 2010, according to the Office of Management and Budget, while the number of incidents on private networks went down.
In 2011, incidents on federal networks went up again — this time by 5 percent. At the same time, only 18 percent of federal agencies’ nearly $76 billion information technology budget was spent on security. Of that amount, 76 percent of IT security costs at nondefense agencies were spent feeding a bloated bureaucracy.
The federal bureaucracy simply cannot compete with the private sector’s expertise and dexterity in identifying and implementing effective solutions. Before dictating standards to businesses, the government should certify that it meets the same levels of IT security and efficiency that it intends to impose on the private sector.
There is a legitimate role for government in protecting the Internet. But we must work with — not against — business to identify a solution.
Unfortunately, the message to industry this week is: We’ve run out of time and we’re passing a bill. If it’s flawed, don’t worry; we’ll fix it in conference.
That is a risk we cannot take. The impact that this legislation will have on the economy and the private sector is still unknown. The Congressional Budget Office has not had an opportunity to analyze its cost — which is an expected step under standard procedure.
Any analysis would undoubtedly be complicated by one provision that allows up to six months after enactment for the Office of Management and Budget to tell Congress what resources and staff would be needed for specific responsibilities. Meanwhile, our national debt nears $16 trillion, real unemployment is almost 11 percent and there is a $1.75 trillion annual regulatory burden on the economy.
Affected parties have legitimate concerns about the effects this legislation will have if it becomes law. These should have been addressed before the floor debate. Congress can and should solve the problem this year.
But in doing so, we must not lose sight of our obligation to deliver to the American people the best product for both our economy and our national security.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) is the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) serves on the Budget and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Our Community Coming Together to Create a Masterpiece.
Check the following website for information on all the artist at this historic event at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Great_Day_in_Harlem
As an emergency manager always changing perspective, thinking inside, outside, and out of the box entirely this photo was remade as a Gordon Parks photo in the 70's of the remaining surviving musicians.
I'd like to know of the remaining children alive in the photo that added character to original. One even reminds me of Wesley Snipes.
This really would have been living history.
Charles D. Sharp
Chief Executive
Black Emergency Managers Association
As an emergency manager always changing perspective, thinking inside, outside, and out of the box entirely this photo was remade as a Gordon Parks photo in the 70's of the remaining surviving musicians.
I'd like to know of the remaining children alive in the photo that added character to original. One even reminds me of Wesley Snipes.
This really would have been living history.
Charles D. Sharp
Chief Executive
Black Emergency Managers Association
Map Guide to Musicians
1Hilton Jefferson 2Benny Golson 3Art Farmer 4Wilbur Ware 5Art Blakey 6Chubby Jackson 7Johnny Griffin 8Dickie Wells9Buck Clayton 10Taft Jordan 11Zutty Singleton 12Red Allen 13Tyree Glenn 14Miff Molo 15Sonny Greer 16Jay C. Higginbotham 17Jimmy Jones 18Charles Mingus 19Jo Jones 20Gene Krupa 21Max Kaminsky 22George Wettling 23 Bud Freeman 24Pee Wee Russell 25Ernie Wilkins 26Buster Bailey 27Osie Johnson 28Gigi Gryce 29Hank Jones 30Eddie Locke 31Horace Silver 32Luckey Roberts 33Maxine Sullivan 34Jimmy Rushing 35Joe Thomas 36Scoville Browne 37Stuff Smith 38Bill Crump 39Coleman Hawkins 40Rudy Powell 41Oscar Pettiford 42Sahib Shihab 43Marian McPartland 44Sonny Rollins 45Lawrence Brown 46Mary Lou Williams 47Emmett Berry 48Thelonius Monk 49Vic Dickenson 50Milt Hinton 51Lester Young 52Rex Stewart 53J.C. Heard 54Gerry Mulligan 55Roy Eldgridge 56Dizzy Gillespie 57Count Basie
1Hilton Jefferson 2Benny Golson 3Art Farmer 4Wilbur Ware 5Art Blakey 6Chubby Jackson 7Johnny Griffin 8Dickie Wells9Buck Clayton 10Taft Jordan 11Zutty Singleton 12Red Allen 13Tyree Glenn 14Miff Molo 15Sonny Greer 16Jay C. Higginbotham 17Jimmy Jones 18Charles Mingus 19Jo Jones 20Gene Krupa 21Max Kaminsky 22George Wettling 23 Bud Freeman 24Pee Wee Russell 25Ernie Wilkins 26Buster Bailey 27Osie Johnson 28Gigi Gryce 29Hank Jones 30Eddie Locke 31Horace Silver 32Luckey Roberts 33Maxine Sullivan 34Jimmy Rushing 35Joe Thomas 36Scoville Browne 37Stuff Smith 38Bill Crump 39Coleman Hawkins 40Rudy Powell 41Oscar Pettiford 42Sahib Shihab 43Marian McPartland 44Sonny Rollins 45Lawrence Brown 46Mary Lou Williams 47Emmett Berry 48Thelonius Monk 49Vic Dickenson 50Milt Hinton 51Lester Young 52Rex Stewart 53J.C. Heard 54Gerry Mulligan 55Roy Eldgridge 56Dizzy Gillespie 57Count Basie
Registration Closes October 19th: 2012 Science of Eliminating Health Disparities Summit
REGISTER
TODAY: If you have completed
the general registration, and have not selected your sessions, time is running
out and sessions are filling up.
Choose from more than
100 sessions including workshops, pre-summit sessions, plenary sessions, and
concurrent sessions, organized under three tracks and 16 themes across multiple
disciplines. National and international leaders in health disparities, as well
as experts in science, medicine, policy, public health, dentistry, academia and
the community, will share innovative interventions and highlight progress,
challenges and opportunities in implementing various strategies towards
eliminating health disparities. Visit approximately 1,000 posters, and be a part
of the Town Hall Forum to share your perspective on future directions to
accelerate the pace to eliminate health disparities.
REGISTRATION
DEADLINE:
Registration closes
on October 19th at 5:00 p.m. EST. There is no registration
fee. Space is limited therefore registration is required for the overall
conference, as well as workshops, pre-summit sessions and concurrent sessions.
To learn more about the 2012 Science of Eliminating Health Disparities Summit,
and to register, visit http://www.nimhd.nih.gov/summit_site/registration.html or e-mail 2012summit@mail.nih.gov
Sessions
Include:
Public
Housing and Public Health Practice: Addressing Oral Health Disparities Where
People Live
The
U.S.-Brazil Joint Action Plan to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Discrimination and
Promote Equality (JAPER): A Cooperative Approach to Addressing Social Exclusion
and Health Disparities
Testing
and Linkage to Treatment/Care for Vulnerable Asian American, Native Hawaiian,
and Pacific Islander Communities
The
Federal Environmental Justice Interagency Working Group: Improving Health and
Environment in Communities across America.
Food
Security, Health and Sustainable Development: Promotores, Food Security, and the
Latino Community: A Partnership between the HHS Office of Minority Health and
the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Research
and Community Efforts to Address Inner-City Asthma
Data
Collection Standards for Race, Ethnicity, Sex, Primary Language and Disability
Status.
The
Economic and Public Health Burden of Global Tobacco Use: Current issues and
Lessons learned in Curbing the Epidemic
Addressing
American Indian Oral Health Challenges: Current Research and Promising
Approaches
Mobilizing
Partnerships and Resources to Address Homelessness
Housing
as a Contributor to Health Disparities: A Review of Progress and Remaining
Challenges
Webinar: October 17, 2012. MLK Jr. Day of Service January 21, 2013
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Deepwater Horizon: Monitoring and Environmental Impact
Press
Release
Deepwater
Horizon Incident
Joint Information Center
Joint Information Center
(713)
323-1670
You are subscribed to News Releases for RestoreTheGulf.gov. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
10/10/2012 09:55 PM EDT
NEW ORLEANS — The Federal On-Scene Coordinator for the Deepwater Horizon oil
spill in New Orleans issued a Notice of Federal Interest to BP and Transocean
Tuesday.
Coast Guard Capt. Duke Walker issued the NOFI following sample results from an oil sheen located in the vicinity of where the Deepwater Horizon drill rig exploded and sank more than two years ago.
The sheen was first reported to the National Response Center Sept. 16 by BP based on satellite images from the 9th and 14th overpasses in the Mississippi Canyon, block 252, approximately 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana. The sheen is not feasible to recover and does not pose a risk to the shoreline.
The Coast Guard, in concert with BP and NOAA, has conducted regular assessments of the sheen by aircraft and boat since its discovery. The observed sheen size has varied over time depending upon the conditions present. Samples of the sheen were taken by Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Morgan City Sept. 26 and sent to the Coast Guard Marine Safety Lab in New London, Conn. The Marine Safety Laboratory results indicate the sheen correlates to oil that originated from BP’s Macondo Well. The exact source of the sheen is uncertain at this time but could be residual oil associated with wreckage and/or debris left on the seabed from the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010.
The NOFI effectively informs BP and Transocean that the Coast Guard matched the sheen samples to the Deepwater Horizon spill or sunken drilling debris and that either party or both may be held accountable for any cost associated with further assessments or operations related to this sheen.
The Gulf Coast Incident Management Team remains committed to the continued cleanup of the Gulf Coast and all shorelines affected as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion. The FOSC is determined to continue response activities to remove all oil where it is technologically feasible, environmentally beneficial and safe for workers to perform recovery operations.
The public is reminded to contact the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802 to report all pollution incidents or the Coast Guard 8th District command center at 504-589-6225 in the event of any marine emergencies.
Coast Guard Capt. Duke Walker issued the NOFI following sample results from an oil sheen located in the vicinity of where the Deepwater Horizon drill rig exploded and sank more than two years ago.
The sheen was first reported to the National Response Center Sept. 16 by BP based on satellite images from the 9th and 14th overpasses in the Mississippi Canyon, block 252, approximately 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana. The sheen is not feasible to recover and does not pose a risk to the shoreline.
The Coast Guard, in concert with BP and NOAA, has conducted regular assessments of the sheen by aircraft and boat since its discovery. The observed sheen size has varied over time depending upon the conditions present. Samples of the sheen were taken by Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Morgan City Sept. 26 and sent to the Coast Guard Marine Safety Lab in New London, Conn. The Marine Safety Laboratory results indicate the sheen correlates to oil that originated from BP’s Macondo Well. The exact source of the sheen is uncertain at this time but could be residual oil associated with wreckage and/or debris left on the seabed from the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010.
The NOFI effectively informs BP and Transocean that the Coast Guard matched the sheen samples to the Deepwater Horizon spill or sunken drilling debris and that either party or both may be held accountable for any cost associated with further assessments or operations related to this sheen.
The Gulf Coast Incident Management Team remains committed to the continued cleanup of the Gulf Coast and all shorelines affected as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion. The FOSC is determined to continue response activities to remove all oil where it is technologically feasible, environmentally beneficial and safe for workers to perform recovery operations.
The public is reminded to contact the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802 to report all pollution incidents or the Coast Guard 8th District command center at 504-589-6225 in the event of any marine emergencies.
VOTE. Thought provoking words of Frederick Douglas
Make sure you vote!
Since BEMA's HQ Office is less than 10-blocks from the home of Frederick Douglas designated as a museum in Southeast Washington, D.C., these words have added meaning.
Charles Sharp. Chief Executive. Black Emergency Managers Association (BEMA)
“Though the colored man is no longer subject to barter and sale, he is
surrounded by an adverse settlement which fetters all his movements. In his
downward course he meets with no resistance, but his course upward is resented
and resisted at every step of his progress. If he comes in ignorance, rags and
wretchedness he conforms to the popular belief of his character, and in that
character he is welcome; but if he shall come as a gentleman, a scholar and a
statesman, he is hailed as a contradiction to the national faith concerning his
race, and his coming is resented as impudence. In one case he may provoke
contempt and derision, but in the other he is an affront to pride and provokes
malice.”
Frederick Douglass
These words 129 years later… Think about it!
Make sure
YOU
vote.