New Maryland legislation targets water, electricity to NSA HQ

A parody of the National Security Administration's logo, created by EFF designer Hugh D'Andrade to help publicize EFF's case against NSA illegal spying, 1st Unitarian v. NSA: https://www.eff.org/node/75009

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Tenth Amendment Center

The OffNow coalition has now marched state and local efforts to stop unconstitutional NSA spying right onto the agency’s front porch.
Late last week, Maryland State Delegate Michael Smigiel introduced the Fourth Amendment Protection Act to end all state cooperation with the National Security Agency (NSA).
Based on model legislation drafted by a transpartisan coalition organized by the Tenth Amendment Center (TAC) and the Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC), HB1074 would ban Maryland state or local government from providing water, electricity or other resources to the NSA while it engages in warrantless mass-surveillance, and would make shared collected data inadmissible in state courts.
Smigiel said that even though the NSA has deep roots in Maryland, the state should no longer support an agency that ignores constitutional constraints and tramples on the privacy rights of the people.
“I want Maryland standing with its back to its people holding a shield. Not facing them holding a sword,” he said.
Ft. Meade serves as the home base for the NSA, and resource needs have created significant issues for the agency for more than 10 years. In 2006, the Baltimore Sun reported that the agency had maxed out the Baltimore-area power grid, causing insiders to fear that the problem “could force a virtual shutdown of the agency.”
While the NSA alleviated some of those concerns with new facilities in Utah, Texas and elsewhere, they still remain an issue. In December, the agency signed a new contract with Howard County, Md., to provide up to 5 million gallons of water per day to cool supercomputers in a new data center slated to open in 2016.
“Maryland has almost become a political subdivision of the NSA,” TAC executive director Michael Boldin said. “The agency relies heavily on state and local help. This bill bans all of it.”
Smigiel said the bill is not merely a symbolic gesture. The Elkton Republican has a track record of working with Democrats on civil liberties related legislation, and said he believes he can garner the bipartisan support necessary to move the bill forward.
BORDC executive director Shahid Buttar called coming together across party lines to oppose unconstitutional NSA spying “imperative.”


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Parent arrested at forum after questioning use of common core

Parent arrested at forum after protesting use of common core

He was being removed for not following format to ask questions and is charged with second-degree assault of police officer

Parent removed and arrested from Maryland State Board of Education meeting on Common Core for speaking out of turn. (Video courtesy of Ann Miller at Baltimore County Republican Examiner)

By Liz Bowie, The Baltimore Sun

6:34 p.m. EDT, September 20, 2013

Robert Small said he wanted to express his dismay over the introduction of a new school curriculum at a public forum Thursday night in Towson, but instead the Ellicott City parent was pulled out of the meeting, arrested and charged with second-degree assault of a police officer.
Small stood and interrupted Baltimore County School Superintendent Dallas Dance during a question-and-answer session and began to tell the audience that he believed the new curriculum was lowering the standards of education and was intended to prepare students for community colleges. "You are not preparing them for Harvard," he said.
The format of the forum did not allow the public to stand and ask a question. Instead, those who wanted questions answered had to write them on a piece of paper. Dance read the questions and had members of a panel, which included state schools Superintendent Lillian Lowery, answer them.
When Small started speaking, Dance told him that he believed his question would be answered, but Small continued to talk. After a couple of minutes, a security guard confronted Small, saying, "Let's go. Let's go."
Small, 46, asked him if he was an officer and the security guard, an off-duty Baltimore County police officer, showed him a badge. The officer grabbed Small's arm and pulled him toward the aisle. The audience gasped and some people sitting nearby got out of their seats.
As he was being taken out, Small said, "Don't stand for this. You are sitting here like cattle." Then he said, "Is this America?"
The officer pushed Small and then escorted him into the hall, handcuffed him and had him sit on the curb in front of the school. He was taken to the Towson precinct and detained. Small was charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, which carries a fine of $2,500 and up to 10 years in prison, and disturbing a school operation, which carries a fine of $2,500 and up to six months.


Read More Here

• Related
• Carroll commissioner forms Common Core study group

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Examiner .com

School Supers have parent arrested from Common Core meeting

September 20, 2013

School Superintendents receive an F grade for Common Core meeting
Dr. Dallas Dance, Superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools, and Lillian Lowery, Maryland Superintendent, had the opportunity Thursday night to make minor amends at an MSDE-sponsored informational meeting after a three-plus year information blackout on Common Core, the new federal curriculum for Maryland schools.
Instead, Dr. Dance added insult to injury by screening, omitting, and editing parents’ questions.
Questions from the audience of about 160 people, which consisted of parents, PTA members, teachers, and school administrators, were submitted on cards prior to and during the 1-1/2 hour meeting for the Q&A period which lasted about 40 minutes.
Dr. Dance chose which questions to read or omit, opting for teacher and school administrator or softball questions. But he also altered the wording of the questions themselves.
My submitted question:
“What is the process for parents to review what data has been or will be collected on our kids, where it is stored, how it will be used, and with whom it has or will be shared? What are parents options for opting out of data collection on our kids?”
What Dr. Dance read:
“As a parent, I’ve heard a lot of information around the state Longitudinal Data system. What is the process to review what data is being collected on students, where is it stored, how will it be used, with whom will it be shared?”
After the question was answered, I called out, “Can parents opt out?”, but was ignored.
My submitted question:
“Although Common Core was adopted by MDE three years ago, in exchange for a quarter Billion dollar federal incentive grant through Race To The Top which is conditioned upon adherence to Common Core, parents weren’t informed until after its implementation. The MDE has not valued nor requested parental input. Instead, there was no transparency or even the courtesy of notifying parents much less consulting them. No wonder parents are up in arms. You’ve awakened the Mama Bear. Why haven’t parents across the state heard of Common Core until the month of its implementation?”
What Dr. Dance read:
“As a parent, I was a little disappointed that I’m just starting to hear so much information around the Common Core state standard. I want to be informed as most parents across our state. As a parent, how can I learn more information around Common Core?”


Read More Here

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Study: When you're at the wheel, a growing network of police cameras are on your tail

Image Source

• Article by: ANNE FLAHERTY , Associated Press
• Updated: July 17, 2013 - 8:24 PM

WASHINGTON — You can drive, but you can't hide.

A rapidly growing network of police cameras is capturing, storing and sharing data on license plates, making it possible to stitch together people's movements whether they are stuck in a commute, making tracks to the beach or up to no good.

For the first time, the number of license tag captures has reached the millions, according to a study published Wednesday by the American Civil Liberties Union based on information from hundreds of law enforcement agencies. Departments keep the records for weeks or years, sometimes indefinitely, saying they can be crucial in tracking suspicious cars, aiding drug busts, finding abducted children and more.

Attached to police cars, bridges or buildings — and sometimes merely as an app on a police officer's smartphone — scanners capture images of passing or parked vehicles and pinpoint their locations, uploading that information into police databases.

Over time, it's unlikely many vehicles in a covered area escape notice. And with some of the information going into regional databases encompassing multiple jurisdictions, it's becoming easier to build a record of where someone has been and when, over a large area.

While the Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that a judge's approval is needed to use GPS to track a car, networks of plate scanners allow police effectively to track a driver's location, sometimes several times every day, with few legal restrictions. The ACLU says the scanners are assembling a "single, high-resolution image of our lives."

"There's just a fundamental question of whether we're going to live in a society where these dragnet surveillance systems become routine," said Catherine Crump, a staff attorney with the organization. The group is proposing that police departments immediately delete any records of cars not linked to any crime.

Although less thorough than GPS tracking, plate readers can produce some of the same information, the group says, revealing whether someone is frequenting a bar, joining a protest, getting medical or mental help, being unfaithful to a spouse and much more.


Read More  Here

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If you lost your water source tomorrow would you be prepared?

Are You Prepared for a Water Emergency?

July 16, 2013

Wikimedia Commons

Barking Window

Earl Griffin

Listening to the radio on the way into work this morning I learned that hundreds of thousands of people will be without water for “days.” 

How many days? The official speaking on the radio would not say.
It would be difficult to come up with a worse time to deprive hundreds of thousands of people of life giving water. Today’s heat index is expected to hit 105 degrees Fahrenheit! Similar heat indices are expected throughout the remaining week.
According to the report the problem is found in a “Fifty four inch main that is without redundancy.” Monitors indicate that the main is going to blow. It is believed by the water provider that allowing the main to blow and then performing the repair would mean the end user would be without water even longer and that the repair would be more expensive.
How many of the people who will be affected by this water emergency will hear this warning? How many of those who do hear it will do so in time to act before the water is cut off and what little water is available in stores is gone?
How many of the people who hear this warning in time will act?
What should they do to prepare for a water emergency that will certainly last for days?
In heat like this each person needs two gallons of water a day. Having two gallons will provide at least a gallon for drinking and a little water for personal washing.
The official in the interview said that the water emergency would last for, “days.” He would not elaborate further. Does that mean two days, five days, or thirty days?
Let us suppose for the moment that the water emergency may go on for a as little as a week. Let us also suppose that we are planning for a family of four. Each person will need two gallons of water per day. Remember this only allows for drinking, cooking, and some personal washing. Never mind flushing the toilet, bathing, or washing clothes or dishes!
Based on the bare minimum of two gallons a day, a family of four will require at least eight gallons of water per day. Just to provide drinking water for a family of four for one week you must set aside fifty six gallons of water – or just a little more than one fifty five gallon drum full of water. That will get you through ONE WEEK!
Unless of course you have friends and family who are in need and come to you for help…
What will you do then?
If you are selfish you will turn them away. If you are a little more thoughtful you will prepare something extra for those who may come begging when they realize that you have resources that they do not.
If you are the thoughtful type you may well need to set aside twice what your family needs to offset the suffering of others!
Storing water takes up a great deal of space – especially if you are the kind of person who thinks that buying cases upon case of individual bottles in smart.
Consider storing water in food grade fifty five gallon drums. It will take up much less space! The up front cost of buying food grade drums can be expensive but it will be much less costly then purchasing cases of individual bottles. Another benefit that drives down the cost is that you can reuse the drums again and again. Two drums will store enough water to provide a family of four with drinking water for two weeks during a water emergency like the one about to occur in southern Prince George’s County. Four drums will provide that same family with drinking water for a month or will ensure you have a little something to share with the ill prepared during a shorter emergency.
Be mindful though – that much water is very heavy. Plan accordingly to prevent damage to your home. If possible keep it on the ground floor. It may also be a good idea to store barrels in separate areas to distribute weight.
If you choose to use fifty five gallon drums you have the added benefit of having a drum or two to convert to rain barrels should the need arise.
During an ongoing water emergency you will quickly find that life does not continue as we know it today. Due to a lack of water the washing machine will no longer clean your clothes. The dishwasher will no longer wash your dishes. Showers will no longer flow. Toilets will stop flushing!
Your drinking water is only for drinking, cooking, and personal washing. That precious two gallons a day will not provide water for dirty dishes, laundry, or toilets.
So what do you do?
The hard facts are these: During an ongoing water emergency you will have to make serious changes in the way you deal with sanitation.
Paper plates and plastic cups, and bowls purchased in bulk will help offset the need to wash dishes – at least in the short term.
Hand sanitizer provides a means to clean dirty hands and frees up more water for drinking.
You may find it necessary to wear your clothes longer between cleaning than you prefer. Hand wash under garments, using as little water and possible, will make life a bit more pleasant. Let the jeans and outer shirts go. During a water emergency (remember we are not talking about life as per usual here – this is and EMERGENCY and there is no water flowing from the tap) things will change – there simply won’t be enough water to live as we are accustomed.
Whatever you do – do NOT use your drinking water for anything other than drinking, cooking, and a bit of personal washing!
As for as bathroom habits go here are some tips:
You need heavy duty garbage bags. Empty your toilet bowl of water then line the emptied bowl with the heavy gauge plastic trash bag. Use the toilet this way. If you have kitty litter sprinkle a little over the contents of the bag after each use. Saw dust or even leaves are also good alternatives to kitty litter. Doing this helps keep the smell down. Replace the bag as needed. Do not wait until the bag is to heavy to manage or until it becomes so heavy it may burst! Place the bags of waste outside your home for trash pick up.
I suggest listening to the radio for public service announcements. Your local government may have different or additional instructions for you to follow. If they do provide direction in this regard you should pay attention. If they do not that is just fine – you know how to proceed.
Don’t forget hand sanitizer!
When the water is off cooking soups and stews (that are full of water) is a good idea!
Drinking alcohol and soda is a bad idea. Both of these dehydrate!
During a water emergency dehydration is a much greater problem than normal. Be sure that everyone in your home is drinking plenty of water! The onset of diarrhea can quickly become an emergency! Be prepared with anti-diarrhea meds. If they don’t work – seek medical attention!
Standing in line made up of angry, desperate people with jugs, pans, and buckets waiting for your turn at a spigot at the back of a tanker truck is a terrible way to spend your time. If you prepare in advance for your and your family’s needs, the likelihood of you having to brave those desperate lines will be much lower.
The math is simple: Two gallons of water for drinking, cooking, and a bit of personal washing – per person, per day is the absolute minimum you should plan for.
Paper and plastic dishes will give you something to eat off of without having to use vital water resources for washing. Keep in mind though that the is a short term solution.
Set aside more water for cleaning undergarments – do not use your drinking water for this! Let your outer garments go.
Heavy plastic bags (the strongest you can find) to line your toilet will allow the bathroom to continue to be used with only some inconvenience.
Don’t forget to store – and use, hand sanitizer!
We are all responsible for ourselves and for our families. This water emergency comes with a warning – most emergencies do not! Don’t count on the government, the community, or your neighbors to provide for you. Take action now so that your family need not fear a water emergency or any other emergency.

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Barking Window (BW) where  this  article first  appeared promotes a philosophy of self reliance. This is a place for those who believe in the wisdom of being prepared for hard times and recognize the value of doing it yourself.

All of our writers are able proponents of self reliance. We have different political views. We follow different spiritual paths. We do not write with an agenda beyond that of promoting self reliance and disaster preparedness. Rather the writers who are good enough to share their work on BW have a genuine desire to contribute to a pool of knowledge that may benefit the reader.

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