“Russia Hacking”

February 3, 2017

The Russian hacking group, identified as APT 29, also known as ‘Cozy Bear’ (with connections to the Russian Security Service FSB) has been identified by PST of Norway as the group behind the hacking of nine email accounts targeting the Labour Party of Norway and other institutions.  On Friday, according to BBC News, Norway announced it had chosen Germany’s Thyssenkrupp (TKMS) to deliver four submarines to its navy, part of a wider military upgrade.  Following reports of this hacking, PST head, Marie Benedicte Bjornland said, “The intelligence activities of Russia in particular have the potential to be more dangerous now than before.”  Recently, Norway announced it would allow more than 300 US troops to be stationed on its soil for a trial period in 2017.  (BBC News, Friday, February 3, 2017)

It is thought by some in the intelligence area that Russia’s Vladimir Putin is trying to assert a wider influence in the world and is using the hacking group APT 29 (‘Cozy Bear’) to do so.

If true, this marks the beginning of a new form of terrorism, or some will say ‘cyber warfare’.  Of course, both Israel and the United States have this capability.  China has similar capabilities.  Apparently, North Korea has dabbled in this also, attacking Sony for its non-flattering depiction of Kim Jong-un.  I expect other governments are either working on the same, or at least shoring up their defenses against it.

The ability to either take down or overwhelm sites connected to the Internet provides great power for disruption of our modern life.  Think of how attacks on the electrical grid, banking, commerce, the dissemination of news and even Facebook posting would disrupt life as we know it!  My son, who plays on Internet gaming sites once had his account hacked by someone in China trying to “steal his loot” earned in the game.  He actually traced the person on Google earth, sent a photo of the building to him as the identified hacker, and with construction of new firewalls essentially dared him to try again.  The hacker tried a second time to break down his defenses, but could not do so.  This was my first personal experience with ‘hacking’ in my family.

Perhaps you have had your identity compromised by the Russian or Ukrainian hackers who penetrated Yahoo and stole over 500 million e mail accounts. Or perhaps you lost your banking credit identity in the hack on Target.  Apparently, such thefts of identity earn hackers either big money or simply the bragging rights to other hackers “I did it”.  Such is our brave new world.  It is a new form of terrorism.  I may be early in labeling this as such, but I do not expect I am wrong in this assessment.

Stealing my bank account, destroying my internet access in this modern world which relies on quick and safe exchange of information is no different than breaking into my home and stealing my wife’s jewelry from her dressing table!  It is like that which has been said on many occasions, “Your rights end where my nose begins!”

My son, who is very adept at internet searches and the like, says that on the internet often people will simply ‘lob’ comments at one another, often anonymously, and sometimes not only attack the other person’s ideas, but also will attack the other person’s character and well-being.  Either by trying to shame, overwhelm, or bully –instead of seeking a conversation among peers (equals), they will simply demean and/or ignore or attack.  What type of communication between human beings is that?  It is no different than the tribal wars of our ancestors, who raided other’s communities, killed all the men, and took the women and children home as ‘booty’!

I argue in our modern democratic society, if we wish to keep this type of society, allowing ‘freedom of speech and expression of ideas’, such behaviors demonizing our neighbors is counterproductive to the larger good of all.  Because there are so many more of us, no matter of what tribal group we claim to originate from, whether black, white, Hispanic, mixed race, or assimilated American from another place, we have the need to live together in at least some harmony, in order to protect our own rights and privileges as citizens and the rights of others to live in peace.  In other words, what benefits you also benefits me!  I do not lose anything by giving you the same rights and freedoms which I enjoy.  As you work to preserve your freedoms, you also are working to preserve mine and vice versa.

It is unfortunate the administration of Trump does not espouse this simple concept between peoples.  Where President Trump seeks exclusion of persons unlike himself, I seek inclusion of those unlike me.  Where he seeks to label immigrants from Moslem nations as “terrorists”, I seek to welcome them as my brothers, sisters and friends.  Obviously, each nation must protect its own borders and do vetting to determine which persons truly are terrorists, so they can either be placed in prison or excluded from the benefits of a free societal life.  We do not, as they say, “roll over and play dead.”  What I fear is that this administration if using their “extreme vetting” as a way to exclude the followers of Islam.  This is religious discrimination, strictly forbidden by our constitution.  Those seeking asylum have rights under our constitution, which some deny to them.  If an administration of our government can exclude one group, they can also exclude others.  Trump and Bannon have tried to frame the debate as “terrible times” to justify their “terrible decrees”.  The times are no more nor less terrible than they have been for the last 50 years.  There will always be crises between nations.

There will always be (at least in the modern world) terrorists among us.  Studies of who actually commits acts of terrorism show that in most cases it is the home grown variety (that is those already living among us) who are more likely to be the source of the next terrorist act.  If President Trump really wanted to help stop the next terrorist act, he will not only guard our airports and gateways into the nation, but he will register every citizen who owns guns and do extreme vetting against persons who buy assault weapons, assemble components for bombs and who are members of radical white supremacy groups, the new black panthers and others like this.  We all have the right under the second amendment to own guns, but we do not have the right to advocate and arm ourselves for sedition.

President Trump could also take the money designated for the Mexican Border Wall and instead fund institutions which help the mentally ill and those unstable of mind so they might receive treatment by physicians instead of having time to become radicalized by the internet or being placed in prison where they have time to plan their next attack on innocents praying in church, watching a movie at a local theater, or dancing in a night club.  President Trump, are you doing anything about these threats to our freedoms?

Every citizen in this great United States of America, every green card visa holder and those visiting as tourists, students and for family relations wants a safe and prosperous America!  What we do not want is for a man of erratic mind and bellicose temperament to so disturb our American way of life so that we come to fear him more than we fear the terrorist among us!  Are you listening Mr. Trump?  Do you listen to anyone except your closest advisors?  Do you hear your citizens talking to you?  Your apparently listen to the 50 million who actually voted for you.  Are you listening to the other 250 million who live in this nation, too?  If you are the President of all the people as you said you would be, then why are you not listening to me?

My family immigrated to America more than a hundred years before yours did.  Does that make me a better American than you?  As I recall, my family did not choose to exclude yours.  What if the next President is living here among as a natural born American from Mexico, Syria or Pakistan?  Suppose that person chose to exclude white men with German and Scottish heritage.  It would make it hard for you to get in here, wouldn’t it?

I only advocate that you, as President of the United States of America, treat all citizens and those seeking citizenship as equals under the law of this nation.  No one asks for preferential treatment, only that we all be treated equally under the law of this nation.  Is that so unreasonable that you cannot hear it?  Do you know that you must live under the law just like us?  Do you know that even when you proclaim executive orders they must agree with the laws of the nation?  Your role as executive of the nation is to enforce the law; it is not to make new ones.  That right under our constitution is reserved for Congress.  You can introduce legislation, but you cannot pass it without Congressional approval.  You can sign legislation and even veto it, but it was not our founder’s intention that you should rule as emperor.

Your interpretation of the world is that many are against us.  That may, in fact, be true.  However, the corollary of this is that there are also many who are for us, too.  If you have sense enough to be President, you should have sense enough to know our friends are more important to us and our well-being as a nation than our enemies!  If you go to war, will anyone join with you?

Your executive orders have already served to disturb our allies in European NATO.  You have cozied up to the world’s greatest dictator, Vladimir Putin.  You have not acknowledged the reality of the Russian hacking of this nation, Britain, and Norway.  It makes me question your judgment as President!  It makes me less confident that you will make the best choices as our commander and chief!

The Russian’s hacking of Norway may not seem to be consequential to you.  In fact, you even rejoiced when the same Russians hacked your opponents Hillary Clinton’s email files!  In fact, you encouraged the hackers to do even more hacking!  You are not a man I want in charge of the nuclear trigger.  I pray to God you have enough sensible generals who have lived through the Cold War to knock some sense into your thick head!

You call those who criticize you, ‘cry babies’ who cannot accept the new reality you are trying to bring us.  You tell career diplomats of our foreign service to “either get with the program or get out”, even though they are only trying to give you good advice.  I am not crying.  I am simply reminding you as our President of your responsibility to protect us as USA citizens from enemies both foreign and domestic.  You swore an oath to do this on your Grandmother’s Bible.  I hope and pray you plan to keep this oath!

If not, I am sure another will do a better job than you!  God help you, Mr. Trump.  God help you!  I am praying for your soul to find the light of a new day!  May you see clearly with God’s help to know who are your enemies and you are truly your friends!  Whether you believe it or not, I am being a good friend to you, as I have been every day since your election as President!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen!

“Amen!  We praise you, our only Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!”

Let all of God’s people say, “Amen!”  “Amen!  We praise you, Lord Jesus Christ, God of this world and God of the whole universe!”

A Voice Crying in the Wilderness, “Make straight in this desert a Highway for our God!”  “Amen!”