Dumbing Down of American

Two years after super-hack of US secrets, White House agency getting worse at cyber-defense

The White House Office of Personnel Management, two years ago the focus of the worst cybersecurity intelligence breach in U.S. history, is actually regressing in its efforts to provide adequate defenses against further cyber-intrusions, according to a new report by the agency’s own Inspector General.
The report is depressing news for an agency that has been in more-or-less continuous turmoil since a devastating cyber-attack in March 2014 stole the sensitive personal information of some 25 million U.S. government employees, including millions of security clearance files, from the agency files and those of two of its important contractors. The fingerprint data of some 5.6 million of those employees was also stolen.
According to a scathing report on the break-in published two months ago by the Republican majority on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the intelligence value of the theft, carried out from China, “cannot be overstated, nor will it ever be fully known.”
What is clear, however, is that despite improvements that the Inspector General acknowledges, the agency known as OPM is still stumbling toward an adequate response to the disaster, along with other high-profile and expensive efforts to modernize its information technology and security, and has had a “significant regression” in complying with information security requirements along the way.
The latest IG report notes that the agency is still suffering from high staff turnover in sensitive info-security jobs and top management—including five Chief Information Officers in three years—as well as  longstanding failures to check security controls on computer systems to make sure they are adequate.
It is also lethargic in dealing with a variety of longstanding security weaknesses and has still not taken action on scores of security recommendations laid out in previous Inspector General reports—some made years before the catastrophic hack.
Among other things, the report notes that only two of the agency’s major computer applications comply with the government’s own standards for verifying user identities, which date back to 2012.
Among the 18 “major” computer systems that have not been given a renewed OK on their security controls, the report notes, are five that are owned by the Chief Information Officer, two that belong to the chief financial officer, and four systems that were inherited  by a newly amalgamated National Background Investigation Bureau, a reformed chunk of the bureaucracy that now operates under the Department of Defense.
One of the systems is also owned by the Office of the Inspector General.
Indeed, according to the report, OPM, despite “several initiatives underway,” still lacks a full inventory of its many servers, databases and software, let along the important issue of how they are linked with each other—fundamentals of a robust cyber-defense.
The report drily notes that lack of what it calls a “mature inventory system significantly hinders OPM’s efforts related to oversight, risk management, and securing the agency’s information systems.”
In another section, the document observes that even when OPM scanning turns up less-than-critical weaknesses, the agency does not track the efforts made to correct them,  “there is a significantly increased risk that these weaknesses will not be addressed in a timely manner, and that the systems will indefinitely remain susceptible to attack.”
To fix the problems—or at least address them—the audit report offers up a barrage of 26 recommendations, with notes alongside many of them to show they are repeats of recommendations made years before.
For its part, the agency management concurs with almost all of them, including new staffing hires and appropriate inventories.
It balked slightly, however, at a diffident suggestion that the Director of OPM—currently, Acting Director Beth Colbert—“consider shutting down information systems that do not have a current and valid [security] Authorization.”
The agency said it would prefer to make its own “risk-based decision” on whether to keep operating a system without that clearance, then forward it’s evaluation to the OPM head for “ultimate decision.”
Perhaps that is progress: the Inspector General first made the shut-down suggestion in 2014—the year of the great cyber-theft—without any apparent effect.
A spokesman for OPM declined to comment on a number of questions from Fox News about the audit and the time-table for following through on various recommendations.

Sessions well-documented praise of Rosa Parks belies 'racist' claims

When President-elect Donald Trump picked Jeff Sessions for attorney general Friday, critics zeroed in on racist remarks Sessions allegedly made decades ago – but the Alabama senator's 20-year history of honoring black civil rights icon Rosa Parks may not square with efforts to paint him as a bigot.
Sessions, 69, who advised Trump on immigration during the campaign, was U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Alabama from 1981 to 1993 before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996. He was re-elected to a fourth term in 2014 and is known for his hardline stance on illegal immigration in particular.
However, the pick was immediately blasted by opponents of Trump, who condemned Sessions as a backwards bigot who would harm the causes of immigrants and African-Americans.
TRUMP TAPS LOYALISTS FOR CABINET PICKS
“If you have nostalgia for the days when blacks kept quiet, gays were in the closet, immigrants were invisible and women stayed in the kitchen, Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions is your man,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill. in a fiery statement Friday.
“Senator Sessions’ record suggests that he will carry on an old, ugly legacy in this country’s history when civil rights for African-Americans, women and minorities were not regarded as core American values,” the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) President and CEO Cornell William Brooks said in a statement.
Critics revisited his failed 1986 nomination to a federal judgeship, which was shut down by the Senate Judiciary Committee after it heard testimony that Sessions had made racist remarks and called the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) “un-American” and “communist-inspired.” His failed prosecution of three civil rights workers on a tenuous case of voter fraud was also raised as a disqualifying issue.
Sessions was also accused of calling an African-American lawyer “boy” and was also alleged to have said Ku Klux Klan members were “okay," until he "learned they smoked marijuana.” Sessions said the comment was made in jest.
Many of Sessions’ modern-day critics have used the controversy to brand Sessions as a racist, with Gutierrez saying Sessions ran for the Senate “because he was deemed by the Senate Judiciary Committee as too racist to serve as a federal judge.”
“Thirty years ago, a different Republican Senate rejected Senator Sessions' nomination to a federal judgeship. In doing so, that Senate affirmed that there can be no compromise with racism; no negotiation with hate,” added Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
Yet, the narrative of Sessions as an unapologetic racist is complicated somewhat by his repeated advocacy for black civil rights hero Rosa Parks.
In 1999, Sessions called successfully for the Alabama native to be given the Congressional gold medal. In doing so, Sessions made a passionate call for lawmakers to renew the principle of equality under the law.
“As legislators, we should work to strengthen the appreciation for this fundamental governing principle by recognizing those who make extraordinary contributions towards ensuring that all American citizens have the opportunity, regardless of their race, sex, creed, or national origin, to enjoy in the freedoms that this country has to offer,” Sessions said, before calling Parks a “living embodiment of this principle.”
A year later, Sessions attached an amendment to an appropriations bill that gave $1 million to Alabama for the Rosa Parks Library, Museum and Learning Center at Troy State University Montgomery Campus as a way of memorializing the Montgomery Bus Boycott, for which Parks’ protest was the impetus.
In 2005, after Parks’ death, Sessions gave a passionate tribute to her on the floor of the Senate, saying “history will remember Rosa Parks for shaking America's conscience and changing the course of our Nation for the better.”
In 2012, Sessions introduced a resolution to the Senate floor, along with Michigan Democratic senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, to observe the 100^th anniversary of Parks’ birth.
“Her courage ignited major changes in our nation and lead a revolution in race relations. Mrs. Parks will always be remembered as a courageous individual, who confronted injustice head-on and, in so doing, changed our nation. Her legacy continues to endure,” Sessions said.
The Trump transition team, responding to the backlash against Sessions, noted Friday both Sessions’ advocacy of Parks, as well as his record as a senator and U.S. attorney in advancing civil rights.
“You know, when Senator Sessions was U.S. attorney, he filed a number of desegregation lawsuits in Alabama and he also voted in favor of the 30-year extension of the Civil Rights Act,” communications director Jason Miller said in a conference call. “He also voted to confirm Attorney General Eric Holder and even spearheaded the effort toward giving the Congressional Gold Medal to Rosa Parks.”
 “So we feel very confident that Senator Sessions has the background and the support to receive confirmation,” Miller said. 

Sean Hannity: Fanning flames instead of calling for calm is classic Obama

Given the chance to speak out on the world stage against the anti-democratic, alt-radical left protests against President-elect Donald Trump, President Obama on Thursday incredibly chose instead to encourage the out-of-control behavior.
“I would not advise people who feel strongly or are concerned about some of the issues that have been raised during the course of the campaign -- I wouldn't advise them to be silent,” Obama said, in a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Well, some of these protests have been violent, and the situation cries out for leadership from the White House. But the lack of condemnation falls in line with everything that President Obama stands for. I tried to warn the country and everyone back in 2008 that Obama was a disciple of the alt-radical left, pointing out that he embraces the Saul Alinsky “Rules for Radical” tactics.
TOUGHEN UP, CRYBABIES, TRUMP IS YOUR NEXT PRESIDENT
All the signs were there: He palled around with unrepentant domestic terrorists Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn, starting his political career in their living room. For 20 years, he sat in the pews of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the man who told his congregants “God d--- America.”
Since the president now refuses to speak out against these anti-democratic agitators, let me remind him about what has been going on:

• In the president's hometown of Chicago, a man was severely beaten by an angry mob after a traffic incident because they thought he was a Trump supporter.
• A  mother in Texas is under investigation after allegedly kicking her 7-year-old son out of the house because he voted for Donald Trump in a mock election at school.

These are just two of many examples. We've also seen continual protests all across the country that have resulted in the destruction of property, unlawful behavior and arrests.
Consider President Obama’s predecessor, President George W. Bush. He stayed out of the political arena, and he let Obama do his job. President Bush never responded to President Obama's relentless blaming and name calling. Instead, he took the “high road” Democrats often speak about but rarely travel.

FOUR ESSENTIAL THINGS DOUGLAS MACARTHUR WOULD TELL PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP

“I don't think it's good for the country to have a former president undermine a current president,” Bush told me in an interview a few years back, explaining why he didn’t respond to criticism from his successor. “I think it's bad for the presidency, for that matter.”
Why do I suspect President Obama will never show the same amount of grace and respect when it comes to Donald Trump and his presidency? Here's my prediction: President Obama will not be able to contain himself, and he will go after Mr. Trump every single chance he gets once Obama is out of office.
And here's another thing. After Donald Trump's sweeping victory, President Obama has been in complete and utter denial that the election had anything to do with him or his failed policies. The facts say otherwise. Since 2009, Democrats have lost 13 U.S. Senate seats, 64 U.S. House seats, 13 governorship and 33 statehouses.
Wow! What a legacy.
Our next president, Donald Trump, has been handed a huge mess. It is almost beyond repair, thanks to President Obama, and that's why this election was so important. But Republicans now have control, and no excuses for not fixing things.
President-elect Trump needs to keep in mind that the media is never going to like him, especially after WikiLeaks exposed that CNBC, MSNBC, CNN, The New York Times and many others were openly colluding with the Clinton campaign.
The president-elect also needs to understand the Republican establishment is not going to be his friend, either. He needs to stay focused and remember the promises he made to you, the American people. And unlike President Obama, when Trump takes office, he must call out lawless behavior disguised as protests when it threatens the lives and property of U.S. citizens.
Adapted from Sean Hannity's opening monologue on "Hannity" Nov. 17, 2016
Sean Hannity currently serves as host of FOX News Channel's (FNC) Hannity (weekdays 10-11PM/ET). He joined the network in 1996 and is based in New York. Click here for more information on Sean Hannity. 

High school students' mock Trump assassination highlights post-election bullying, harassment

We parents should be embarrassed as we have raised a nation of Idiots. 

A skit performed in a south Texas high school English class that portrayed the assassination of Donald Trump is just one of the latest cases of K-12 election hysteria.
Officials at San Antonio’s Marshall High School claim they took "appropriate action" following the skit, in which a student dressed as Trump was shot by a classmate, complete with gunfire sound effects from a cellphone. But some parents say harsher punishment was warranted, and critics worry that political polarization has found its way into schools.
STUDENTS TAKE UP TODDLER THERAPY AFTER TRUMP WIN
“Honestly I have run out of words to describe how angry I am and how shocked I am that they’re still in school today,” parent Melinda Bean told the San Antonio Express-News.
The misguided skit was just one in a slew of controversial acts happening across the country in the wake of Trump’s win over Democrat Hillary Clinton on Election Day.
Most media coverage following Trump’s victory has focused on sometimes violent protests in cities around the country, but it is now clear the election's reverberations are being felt all the way down to elementary schools.

• Students at a Detroit-area middle school reportedly chanted "build the wall" last week, in an apparent reference to Trump's call for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
• White students at a central Pennsylvania technical high school reportedly chanted “white power” in the hallways and referred to students of other races as their slaves.
• A 15-year-old Maryland boy wearing a Trump “Make America Great Again” hat was reportedly beaten by a group of high school students.
• Last week, a California high school student was also attacked after she expressed her support for Trump, in an attack captured on cellphone video.

Experts in child development and psychology say that this type of bullying has occurred in the past, this year it has taken on a more ominous tone and been seen a greater scale given how divisive the presidential campaign season was.
“This election was unusually nasty,” Judith Myers-Walls, a professor emerita of human development and family studies at Purdue University told FoxNews.com. “It was in many ways at a child’s level with the candidates at times acting like they were in pre-school.”
Myers-Walls said that with the pervasive media coverage and constant presence of the candidates on television, the Internet and social media, it is no wonder that young students picked up slogans – “Build the Wall” and “Lock Her Up” are just two examples – without even truly grasping what they mean.
It’s important, Myers-Walls said, that both parents and educators talk to students when they see them expressing these types of behavior and it’s even more important to know when to introduce them to what’s going on in regards to politics.
“You need to get a sense of where they are and what they feel about certain issues,” she said. “A lot of times children have some ideas that adults wouldn’t even think about.”

Vice President-elect Mike Pence booed at 'Hamilton'

Vice President-elect Mike Pence was booed on Friday night as he attended the Broadway musical “Hamilton” in New York.
The cast had a message for Pence after the show as he was walking out saying, “We sir, we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir.”
Some audience members took to twitter to report that the show was paused several times as the crowd booed Pence at certain lines of the show.
Cast member Brandon Dixon delivered the statement on behalf of the cast encouraging the audience to tweet and record the message.

More on this...

• Pence removing lobbyists from Trump transition team

• Pence: 'We're on the offense,' momentum is 'palpable' in final weekend of White House race

• Trump, Pence vow to 'repeal and replace' ObamaCare as enrollment begins

Dixon added, “We truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and work on behalf of all of us."
Dixon continued to say the show was “told by a diverse group of men, women of different colors, creeds and orientations."
The remarks were met with cheers from the audience in response.
Outside, many protesters jeered, including one woman who held up a sign with a line from the musical that always gets a cheer: "Immigrants, we get the job done."
Dixon's speech ended with a plea to donate to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Lead producer Jeffrey Seller said he hopes Pence would share the show's message of empathy saying, "I hope that maybe it inspires him to feel for those not like him."

Ford Mexico Cartoons

Obama to anti-Trump protesters: March on

President Obama, speaking at a press conference in Germany, passed up the opportunity Thursday to tamp down the anti-Donald Trump protests back home -- urging those taking part not to remain "silent."
The president fielded a question on the protests during a joint news conference in Berlin alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
"I suspect that there’s not a president in our history that hasn’t been subject to these protests," he answered. "So, I would not advise people who feel strongly or who are concerned about some of the issues that have been raised during the course of the campaign, I wouldn’t advise them to be silent."
He added: “Voting matters, organizing matters and being informed on the issues matter.”
Protests have broken out in cities across the country since Trump's upset victory last Tuesday. Some have been peaceful, but there have been incidents of violence -- and a demonstration last Thursday in Portland escalated into a destructive riot.
Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway repeatedly has called for Obama to speak out on the unrest.
“I am calling for responsibility and decency. I hope President Obama says, ‘Cut it out,'" she told "Fox News Sunday."
Obama, though, so far has not done so, speaking mostly in generalities.
"Whenever you have got an incoming president of the other side, particularly after a bitter election like this, it takes a while for people to reconcile themselves with that new reality. Hopefully, it's a reminder that elections matter and voting counts," he told reporters on Monday.
Asked about the president’s reaction to those carrying “He’s Not My President” signs, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the freedom to protest should be “exercised without violence” but that “it's not surprising that people are disappointed in the outcome, but it's important for us to remember, a day or two after the election, that we're Democrats and Republicans, but we're Americans and patriots first.”
While he expressed cautious optimism Thursday that Trump would be an ally to Europe, Obama advised the president-elect to avoid simply taking “a realpolitik approach” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Obama also suggested Trump not “cut deals when convenient,” and he urged him to stand up to Putin when Russia’s values "differ from international norms."
Obama also argued social media can erode a democracy, after a campaign in which the candidates' Twitter accounts -- especially Trump's -- acted as their own broadcasting outlets.
“If we are not serious about facts and what is true and what is not. Particularly in an age of social media when people are getting their information in soundbites and snippets ... if we cannot discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems,” he said.