[Cryptography] changing crypto policy? Not Deborah Ross

[John Gilmore]

While current Congressional oversight of the intelligence agencies is
irrelevant or actively harmful, Deborah Ross doesn't seem like the
reformer that L. Jean Camp suggested she might be.  Try Ross's
National Security plans page here:

  https://www.deborahross.com/issues/national-security/keeping-americans-safe/

There she proposes lots of useless or harmful but "tough" measures.
Here's the most relevant one for us:

  Strengthen our intelligence capabilities: When Republicans shutdown
  the federal government for 16 days in 2013, roughly 70% of our
  nation's intelligence personnel were off the job.  These analysts
  are on the front lines of identifying and disrupting terrorist
  plots, and helping us learn about the inner workings of ISIS.  They
  should have the resources they need and certainty that outside
  parties won't politicize or sabotage their operations.

Ross's whole paragraph is deliberately misleading.  During that
government shutdown, all NSA and other classified personnel key to our
military and anti-terrorism programs remained on duty.  The list of
such departments in each federal agency during the shutdown is 
archived here:

  https://archive-it.org/collections/3938  

Here she says a tiny bit more about intelligence:

  https://www.deborahross.com/issues/national-security/

  Protecting Americans is Deborah's top priority. She believes our
  national security is strongest when we use all the tools at our
  disposal: a modern military, the most sophisticated and capable
  negotiators, and an intelligence community that will stay one step
  ahead of our enemies.

Doesn't sound like somebody whose first priority would be to terminate
NSA's domestic spying, NSA interference with computer security, reform
government secrecy, chop NSA's budget as punishment for past bad
behavior, etc.  A quick web search for "Deborah Ross" and "NSA" turned
up exactly one article, which includes nothing from her or her aides
that even addresses NSA, wiretaps or intelligence agencies.  It's
about her opponent Richard Burr being a big NSA-lover and working with
Sen. Feinstein to build a better police state.  Ross absolutely could
have made mass surveillance one of her campaign issues, since her
opponent is hip-deep in it, but she didn't:

  http://rare.us/story/one-of-the-nsas-biggest-cheerleaders-is-facing-a-tougher-than-expected-reelection/

Also, electing her would not get her onto the Intelligence committee.
It would merely remove her opponent from it.

If any Cryptography list member actually wants to vote for someone
whose stated policy is to stop all NSA domestic wiretapping and
"metadata" collection, skip Deborah Ross and vote for Gary Johnson for
President.  He has a clue on the issues that concern this mailing list:

  https://www.johnsonweld.com/personal_freedom
  https://www.johnsonweld.com/internet_freedom_and_security

	John

PS: Recently leaked Podesta emails confirm that Ms. Clinton has no
plans to improve anything on the NSA front:

  "Clinton won't budge on mass surveillance stance, leaked emails reveal"
  http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/clinton-wont-budge-mass-surveillance-stance-leaked-emails-reveal-1586175