Man shot in head; police search for shooter

Man shot in head; police search for shooter: "TEXAS CITY – Police were canvassing an apartment complex for the person who shot a man in the head Monday."

Repairs underway on Ike-damaged seawall

Repairs underway on Ike-damaged seawall: "GALVESTON, Texas (AP) - The Army Corps of Engineers says repairs to Galveston's Hurricane Ike-damaged seawall should be finished by April 1.
Ike stormed ashore on Sept. 13, 2008, leaving behind sinkholes in the sidewalk atop the tourist-popular..."

Three Hitchcock game rooms raided, shut down

Three Hitchcock game rooms raided, shut down: "Galveston County Sheriff’s Office deputies raided three Hitchcock game rooms Wednesday night as part of an ongoing crackdown on illegal gambling."

The Chertoff Group has Burson Marstellar P.R. Firm viewing Blog?

Just wondering if Michael Chertoff hired this Public Relations firm for PERCEPTION MANAGEMENT.The only perception we have is off the tick , those who use government to increase personal wealth , while the common man goes about his daily business unsuspecting of what is happening behind the scenes.   .On yesterday we posted information on the Chertoff Group


Burson Marstellar

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Country	United States
Region	District Of Columbia
City	Washington
ISP	Burson Marstellar
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6th January 2010	08:41:07	Page View	No referring link galvestontx.blogspot.com/2010/01/chertoff-group.html

 

Earth’s tides may help predict planet’s most violent earthquakes

Earth’s tides may help predict planet’s most violent earthquakes: "Washington, January 6 (ANI): In a new research, scientists have determined that Earth’s tides may help predict some of the most violent earthquakes on the planet.
As tectonic stresses build along a fault, researchers have long suspected that Earth’s crust would show some sign that it is about to break.
They have examined everything from radon [...]"

Government Collection of Private Information: PATRIOT Act Reauthorization

Government Collection of Private Information: PATRIOT Act Reauthorization: "

CRS Report

• Anna C. Henning, Coordinator Legislative Attorney


• Elizabeth B. Bazan, Legislative Attorney


• Charles Doyle, Senior Specialist in American Public Law


• Edward C. Liu, Legislative Attorney


• 30 pages


• December 9, 2009

Shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress enacted the USA PATRIOT Act, in part, to “provid[e] enhanced investigative tools” to “assist in the prevention of future terrorist activities and the preliminary acts and crimes which further such activities.” To that end, the Act eased restrictions on the government’s ability to collect information regarding people’s activities and conversations, both in domestic criminal investigations and in the realms of foreign intelligence gathering and national security. The changes are perceived by many to be necessary in light of the new breed of threats in a post-9/11 world. The expanded authorities also prompted concerns regarding the appropriate balance between national security interests and civil liberties. In part for that reason, the changes were revisited and modified in subsequent measures.

Several pending legislative proposals would further adjust USA PATRIOT Act provisions and

related authorities for the government’s collection of private information. Examples of relevant

bills include the USA PATRIOT Act Sunset Extension Act of 2009 (S. 1692) and the USA

PATRIOT Amendments Act of 2009 (H.R. 3845), which were reported or ordered to be reported

from their respective judiciary committees.

The current legislative debate is catalyzed, in part, by a sunset date of December 31, 2009, for

three amendments which expanded authorities for the collection of foreign intelligence

information.6 However, pending bills cover a range of authorities expanded by the USA

PATRIOT Act in addition to the expiring provisions.

This report discusses the history of constitutional interpretations and legislative responses

relevant to the collection of private information for criminal investigation, foreign intelligence

gathering, and national security purposes. Next, it summarizes the relevant statutory frameworks

and changes made by the USA PATRIOT Act and subsequent measures. It then examines

congressional oversight, judicial review, and “minimization procedures” designed to limit the extent of government intrusions where possible. Finally, it discusses several related matters likely to play a role in the legislative debate surrounding reauthorization of the expiring provisions.

…

Lowering of the Wall Between Criminal Investigations and Foreign Intelligence Gathering

The USA PATRIOT Act lowered somewhat the wall traditionally separating criminal

investigation from foreign intelligence gathering. Prior to the Act, FISA required that foreign

intelligence gathering be the sole or primary purpose of an investigation; thus, activities

conducted with an additional rationale of criminal investigation were required to adhere to

criminal procedure requirements. Section 218 of the Act amended the standard to require that

foreign intelligence gathering be a “significant” rather than “the [sole]” purpose of surveillance or

a search for which a court order is sought under FISA.87 Thus, the presence of ancillary criminal

investigation purposes no longer eliminates the ability to rely on FISA authorities, so long as a

significant foreign intelligence purpose also exists. Relatedly, as discussed infra, the USA

PATRIOT Act and subsequent measures increased the scope of international terrorism-related

activities which now fall within the ambit of the federal criminal code.

The Act also attempted to improve communication between foreign intelligence and criminal law

enforcement agencies. To that end, it includes several provisions that authorize information

sharing. For example, section 504 authorizes federal officers to consult with criminal law

enforcement officers regarding information obtained from a physical search in order “to

coordinate efforts to investigate or protect against” various national security threats.

"

The Chertoff Group

The Chertoff Group: "

• Co-founded by former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and Chad Sweet, former Director of Operations for the CIA


• Leadership team includes General Michael V. Hayden, former Director of the CIA and NSA, as well as Charles E. Allen, a former Assistant Director at the CIA and architect of DHS intelligence structure


• Advocates for the usage of body-scanners for airport security, while maintaining clients which include manufacturers of body-scanning systems

The Chertoff Group is a private consultancy company founded by former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. The company’s site describes its activities as advising “corporate and government clients on security and risk management issues”. The Group is based in Washington and has offices in New York, however, it does not openly publish the location of these offices on its website. The Chertoff Group’s leadership team is mostly comprised of former high-level employees of the DHS, CIA, NSA, and FEMA.

Chertoff Group Formation

Chertoff Group, LLC is a registered corporation in the State of Delaware formed on February 2, 2009. The firm is lead by Chertoff and Chad Sweet, who served as Chertoff’s Chief of Staff during his tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security. Mr. Sweet worked in the CIA until the early 1990s, when he began a career in investment banking. He initially worked at Morgan Stanley and was later recruited by Goldman Sachs. Mr. Sweet spent six of his twelve years in finance in overseas assignments. He returned to public service after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, which he personally witnessed while working at Goldman Sachs in New York.¹

In April 2009, it was announced that General Michael V. Hayden, former director of both the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, was joining the Chertoff Group as a principal. Along with him, former Deputy Secretary for Homeland Security Paul Schneider, as well as former Undersecretaries of Homeland Security Charles Allen and Admiral Jay Cohen joined the firm. Charles Allen is a veteran senior CIA officer, who has served in government executive positions for over 25 years. Allen served as the Assistant Director of Central Intelligence for Collection, from 1998 -2005. Allen has held other senior intelligence positions, serving as the National Intelligence Officer for Warning and Director of the National Warning Staff. He also served as the National Intelligence Officer for Counterterrorism and as Deputy Chief for Intelligence of the DCI’s Counterterrorism Center. Allen is the recipient of the intelligence community’s Distinguished National Intelligence Service Medal, which he received twice and the CIA’s Distinguished Intelligence Medal.²

Chertoff Group Activities

According to their website, the Chertoff Group assists clients with addressing threats related to terrorism, cyber security, fraud, border protection and supply chain security. The firm services include biometrics and identity management programs, information assurance, fraud prevention and investigations, border protection solutions, security engineering and infrastructure protection, crisis management, business continuity programs, and RFID-based supply chain protection. Within the security industry, the Chertoff Group will also provide mergers and acquisition advice, target identification and qualification, and due diligence support.³

The firm is said to focus on three main areas:

• Risk Management & Security Services


• Crisis Management


• Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory Services

Advocacy for Body Scanners

After years of advocacy for so-called “body scanners”, an emerging technology which allows for a complete image of a person’s naked body, it was revealed in late 2009 that the Chertoff Group has clients that include manufacturers of the body-scanning systems. Though no group has been specifically identified, the manufacturer Rapiscan Systems is considered by many to be the client in question. A article from the Washington Post on January 2, 2010 states:

Chertoff’s advocacy for the technology dates back to his time in the Bush administration. In 2005, Homeland Security ordered the government’s first batch of the scanners — five from California-based Rapiscan Systems.

Today, 40 body scanners are in use at 19 U.S. airports. The number is expected to skyrocket at least in part because of the Christmas Day incident. The Transportation Security Administration this week said it will order 300 more machines.

In the summer, TSA purchased 150 machines from Rapiscan with $25 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. Rapiscan was the only company that qualified for the contract because it had developed technology that performs the screening using a less-graphic body imaging system, which is also less controversial. (Since then, another company, L-3 Communications, has qualified for future contracts, but no new contracts have been awarded.)⁴

This revelation comes amid Chertoff’s continuous media blitz following the December 25, 2009 bombing incident in which Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian, carried onto the Detroit-bound aircraft. This tour included an interview on Meet the Press, where he appeared with fellow principal of the Chertoff Group General Michael Hayden. Michael Chertoff also published an editorial in the Washington Post on January 1, 2010 where he advocated the scanning systems. Both the editorial and Meet the Press appearance involved brief and flippant disclosures of this connection between the Chertoff Group and a “manufacturer of body-imaging screening systems”.

Contact Information

1110 VERMONT AVENUE NW, SUITE 1200

WASHINGTON, DC 20005

www.chertoffgroup.com

T. 202.649.4260 | F. 202.330.5505

Strategic Alliances

When the Chertoff Group was founded, the public relations firm Burson-Marsteller was named as having entered into a “strategic alliance” with the Group.⁵ Burson-Marsteller is a firm known to have represented several entities associated with activities conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency, including Blackwater USA and several governments which were known to have heavy CIA involvement at the time, such as the military dictatorship of Argentina in the late 1970s, Romania under Ceauşescu, Colombia, and Nigeria in the late 1960s, among other examples.

Leadership

• Charles E. Allen
  
  
  
  • Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2007 –2009)
  
  
  • Assistant Secretary for Information Analysis and Chief of Intelligence, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2005 – 2007)
  
  
  • Assistant Director of Central Intelligence for Collection, Central Intelligence Agency (1998 –2005)
  
  
  
  


• Larry Castro
  
  
  
  • National Security Agency, 1965 – 2009
  
  
  • United States Army, 1964 – 1967
  
  
  
  


• Chad C. Sweet
  
  
  
  • Chief of Staff, Department of Homeland Security (2007 – 2009)
  
  
  • Vice President, Goldman Sachs (1996 – 2006)
  
  
  • Investment Banker, Morgan Stanley (1994 – 1996)
  
  
  • Directorate of Operations, Central Intelligence Agency (1990, 1991 – 1993)
  
  
  
  


• Michael Chertoff
  
  
  
  • Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2005 – 2009)
  
  
  • Federal Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (2003 – 2005)
  
  
  • Assistant Attorney General of the United States, Criminal Division (2001 – 2003)
  
  
  
  


• Honorable Jay M. Cohen
  
  
  
  • Under Secretary for Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2006 – 2009)
  
  
  • Chief of Naval Research, Department of the Navy (2000 – 2006)
  
  
  • Director, Navy Y2K Office (1999-2000)
  
  
  • Deputy Chief of Navy Legislative Affairs (1993-1997)
  
  
  
  


• Nathaniel T. G. Fogg
  
  
  
  • Deputy Chief Operating Officer, Federal Emergency Management Agency (2007-2009)
  
  
  • Counselor to the Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (2006 – 2009)
  
  
  • Homeland Security Policy Analyst, U.S. Senate (2002-2003)
  
  
  • Surface Warfare Officer, U.S. Navy (1997-2002)
  
  
  
  


• General Michael V. Hayden
  
  
  
  • Director, Central Intelligence Agency (2006 – 2009)
  
  
  • General, United States Air Force (2005 – 2008)
  
  
  • Director, National Security Agency (1999 – 2005)
  
  
  
  


• Jeffrey W. Runge, MD, FACEP
  
  
  
  • Assistant Secretary for Health Affairs and Chief Medical Officer, US Department of Homeland Security (2005 – 2008)
  
  
  • Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2001 – 2005)
  
  
  • Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine
  
  
  
  


• Paul A. Schneider
  
  
  
  • Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2008 – 2009)
  
  
  • Under Secretary for Management, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2006 – 2007)
  
  
  • Senior Acquisition Executive, National Security Agency (2002 – 2003)
  
  
  • Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Department of the Navy (1998 – 2002)
  
  
  • Executive Director and Senior Civilian of the Naval Sea Systems Command, Department of the Navy (1994 – 1998)
  
  
  
  


• Dr. Gary M. Shiffman
  
  
  
  • Professor, Security Studies, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (2002 – pres)
  
  
  • Sr. Vice President, General Manager, L-3 Services Group and L-3 Risk Management Solutions, GS&ES (2006-2009)
  
  
  • Chief of Staff, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (2004 – 2006)
  
  
  • National Security Advisor, U.S. Senate (1996-2000)
  
  
  
  


• Dr. J. Bennet Waters
  
  
  
  • Counselor to the Deputy Secretary, Department of Homeland Security (2007 – 2009)
  
  
  • Deputy Assistant Administrator, Transportation Security Administration (2008)
  
  
  • Chief of Staff, Office of Health Affairs, Department of Homeland Security (2005 – 2007)
  
  
  • Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina (2005 – present)
  
  
  
  

Notes

1. The Chertoff Group. Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff To Lead Security and Risk Management Advisory Firm. http://www.chertoffgroup.com/former-u-s-secretary-of-homeland-security-michael-chertoff-to-lead-security-and-risk-management-advisory-firm.html
2. The Chertoff Group. Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and Three Renowned Security Experts Join The Chertoff Group. http://www.chertoffgroup.com/former-director-of-the-central-intelligence-agency-and-three-renowned-security-experts-join-the-chertoff-group.html
3. The Chertoff Group. Risk Management. http://www.chertoffgroup.com/risk-management-security-services.html
4. Kimberly Kindy. Ex-Homeland Security chief head said to abuse public trust by touting body scanners. Washington Post. January 1, 2010. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/31/AR2009123102821.html
5. The Chertoff Group. Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff To Lead Security and Risk Management Advisory Firm. http://www.chertoffgroup.com/former-u-s-secretary-of-homeland-security-michael-chertoff-to-lead-security-and-risk-management-advisory-firm.html

"

Miami shivers from coldest weather in decade...

Miami shivers from coldest weather in decade...: "
Miami shivers from coldest weather in decade...


(First headline, 11th story, link)

---

Related stories:

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Iowa temps 'a solid 30 degrees below normal'...
Seoul buried in heaviest snowfall in 70 years...
3 die in fire at Detroit home; power was cut...
Midwest Sees Near-Record Lows, Snow By The Foot...

"

Questions remain in fatal shooting of teen

Questions remain in fatal shooting of teen: "TEXAS CITY — Police are waiting for forensic test results after a teen was shot to death inside a moving pickup."

County records 3 DWIs, no fatalities on holiday

County records 3 DWIs, no fatalities on holiday: "The new year and the celebratory eve before 2010 were relatively quiet for the county’s law enforcement agencies, officials and records show."

Repair funds awaiting applicants

Repair funds awaiting applicants: "GALVESTON — City officials have enough in federal grants to help 1,100 island homeowners repair or rebuild their Ike-damaged homes, but fewer than 400 have applied."

Ike remains are from Crystal Beach man

Ike remains are from Crystal Beach man: "CRYSTAL BEACH — Skeletal remains recovered from a Hurricane Ike debris field in Chambers County were identified as a Galveston County resident."

Man shot after New Year’s party

Man shot after New Year’s party: "TEXAS CITY — A New Year’s party guest was shot in a drive-by shooting in Texas City on Friday morning, police said."

Reed’s use of records probed

Reed’s use of records probed: "LEAGUE CITY — Former city administrator Chris Reed said he is under investigation for bringing copies of e-mails and documents to court."

Harris County, Liberty County and Chambers County Corruption ...

Harris County, Liberty County and Chambers County Corruption ...: "Harris County, Liberty County and Chambers County Corruption Watchdog. Conservative Activism, Liberty County Texas, Selective Prosecution, Judicial Misconduct, Official Oppression, Official Misconduct, FEMA Fraud, Chambers County, ...



Harris County, Liberty County... - http://mylibertydispatch.blogspot.com/"

Two people in serious condition after Port Arthur shooting

Two people in serious condition after Port Arthur shooting: "Port Arthur police are investigating what they say was a large gang fight that turned into a shooting.
At last report two victims were in the hospital in serious condition.
Officers say the fight broke out in the 800 block of 12th Ave around 10:20..."