Change we can believe in: power grabs

Obama wants to be able to pull the plug at his discretion:

The Cybersecurity Act of 2009 introduced in the Senate would allow the president to shut down private Internet networks. The legislation also calls for the government to have the authority to demand security data from private networks without regard to any provision of law, regulation, rule or policy restricting such access.

The headlines were all about creating a national cyber-security czar reporting directly to the president, but the Cybersecurity Act of 2009 introduced April 1 in the U.S. Senate would also give the president unprecedented authority over private-sector Internet services, applications and software.

According to the bill's language, the president would have broad authority to designate various private networks as a "critical infrastructure system or network" and, with no other review, "may declare a cyber-security emergency and order the limitation or shutdown of Internet traffic to and from" the designated the private-sector system or network.

The 51-page bill does not define what private sector networks would be considered critical to the nation's security, but the Center for Democracy and Technology fears it could include communications networks in addition to the more traditional security concerns over the financial and transportation networks and the electrical grid.

An even more imperial presidency. More change we can believe in, but is this what we hoped for, one wonders?...

More and more, the legislative machinery is being pushed into place to systematically crush dissent. The financial system is deeply regulated with law enforcement being informed of any large transfer of wealth through the system by private citizens. Civil asset forfeiture laws allow the police to seize any large amount of cash they find on you. A number of firearm regulations require gun stores to send personal information to law enforcement about the sale of weapons to private citizens. Now, the federal government is extending its tentacles even deeper by trying to formally seize for itself the authority to shut down any network when a "state of emergency exists." Take or block your money, take your guns, shut down your communications; the modern trifecta of tyranny.

Update: As jimmyb points out, there is a fourth angle to this: food. So, now the feds are looking to control your communications, take your guns, block or take your money and threaten you with loss of your property if you even grow your own food.