Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the following statement after the Office of the Inspector General at the Department of Justice released a scathing report about the lack of oversight for funds generated by undercover operations at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  On Feb. 1, 2013, Grassley asked the Inspector General to review the proceeds generated from undercover operations of the FBI, ATF and Drug Enforcement Administration.  That request can be found here. It's Grassley's understanding that following this report, the Inspector General will begin looking into the other law enforcement agencies.

"Undercover operations that make money for an agency are inherently high risk and vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse because of the secrecy involved.  The operations need constant oversight by supervisors and the Inspector General to ensure that officials are held accountable for how the money is used.  After seeing red flags in a report that Congress requires from the FBI, I asked the Inspector General several months ago to look at all law enforcement agencies at the Justice Department that use undercover operations to generate revenue.  Today's report about the ATF, only heightens the need for the Inspector General to ask some pointed questions of each law enforcement agency."

US Secretary of State John Kerry has repeatedly requested the support of Israelis, Palestinians and Americans - especially Jewish Americans - in reviving the moribund Israel/Palestine peace process. Negotiations began again July 29 after being shelved for nearly three years.

With the Middle East in the throes of upheaval from Syria to Egypt, this step toward stabilization has become even more urgent.

"Kerry views an Israeli/Palestinian peace agreement as a vital American national interest, and many Israelis view a stable two-state solution as a vital Israeli national interest," says Michael J. Cooper, (michaeljcooper.net), author of the award-winning history-adventure novel "Foxes in the Vineyard," set in 1940s Israel. Cooper, an Israel-educated physician, regularly returns to that country for volunteer medical missions in Palestine.

The two-state solution - establishing an independent Palestine -- has been the focus of negations since Israel and the Palestine Authority agreed on it in principle in 2007. Now, there is growing support for what is called the "one state solution."

Those who support ongoing settlement by Israelis in Palestine and oppose the current peace process prefer a single bi-national state between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, Cooper says.

Cooper offers a brief analysis of the problems associated with this solution.

• With the "single-state," solution Israel has a stark choice: to grant or not to grant citizenship to the Arabs of the West Bank at the same level enjoyed by Israeli Arabs.

"If Israel were to incorporate the West Bank, it would become approximately 56 percent Jewish and 44 percent Arab," Cooper says. "With the higher birth rate among Palestinians and the rate of Jewish emigration from Israel, there would be a demographic shift in the future that would find Israel without a Jewish majority.

"Simply put, Israel would cease to be 'Jewish.' "

• If Israel were to incorporate the West Bank without granting the basic rights of citizenship to Palestinians?

"Israel would cease to be a democracy," he says.

The only viable option is the two states, Cooper says: an independent Palestine and an independent Israel.

"There is no middle ground - one is either for the process or against it," Cooper says. "One is either for the ever-expanding settlement enterprise throughout the West Bank or against it."

About Michael Cooper

Michael J. Cooper emigrated to Israel after graduating high school in Oakland, Calif. Living in Israel for more than a decade, he studied at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and graduated from Tel Aviv University Medical School. Now a clinical professor at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center and a practicing pediatric cardiologist in Northern California, he returns to Israel several times a year, volunteering on medical missions under the auspices of the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. Cooper's novel, "Foxes in the Vineyard," historical fiction set in 1948 Israel, was the 2011 grand prize winner of the Indie Publishing Contest. A second novel, "The Rabbi's Knight," is due out soon.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Senate Judiciary Committee Members Call for IG Review of Surveillance Authorities

Senators Request "a full accounting of how these authorities are being implemented across the Intelligence Community"

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of nine Senate Judiciary Committee members, led by Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Ranking Member Chuck Grassley of Iowa, sent a letter Monday calling for the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community to conduct a full-scale review of the use of surveillance authorities and make public the findings.

Specifically, the senators are asking for detailed information on the surveillance of Americans under FISA and Patriot Act authorities and any misuse of these authorities over the last three years. Other Senators who joined the letter include : Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, and Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona.

"We urge you to conduct comprehensive reviews of these authorities and provide a full accounting of how these authorities are being implemented across the Intelligence Community," the senators wrote. "The IC Inspector General was created in 2010 for this very purpose.  Providing a publicly available summary of the findings and conclusions of these reviews will help promote greater oversight, transparency, and public accountability."

The bipartisan letter is part of the Judiciary Committee's continuing oversight in this area.  The committee held a high-profile hearing in July featuring testimony from top administration officials. The committee will hold an additional hearing next week featuring testimony from Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Gen. Keith Alexander, Director of the National Security Agency.

A copy of the September 23 letter to the IG of the Intelligence Community is below.

September 23, 2013

The Honorable I. Charles McCullough III

Inspector General of the Intelligence Community

Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Washington, DC 20511

Dear Inspector General McCullough:

Recent disclosures about classified government surveillance activities have generated significant public discussion about the breadth of these programs, many of which are conducted pursuant to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and the need for appropriate oversight and checks and balances.

In particular, concerns have arisen about activities conducted under Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and Section 702 of FISA, which was enacted as part of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008.  Recently declassified documents appear to reveal numerous violations of law and policy in the implementation of these authorities, including what the FISA Court characterized as three "substantial misrepresentation[s]" to the Court.  These declassified documents also demonstrate that the implementation of these authorities involves several components of the Intelligence Community (IC), including the National Security Agency, Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, among others.

We urge you to conduct comprehensive reviews of these authorities and provide a full accounting of how these authorities are being implemented across the Intelligence Community.  The IC Inspector General was created in 2010 for this very purpose.  Comprehensive and independent reviews by your office of the implementation of Sections 215 and 702 will fulfill a critical oversight role.  Providing a publicly available summary of the findings and conclusions of these reviews will help promote greater oversight, transparency, and public accountability.

In conducting such reviews, we encourage you to draw on the excellent work already done by the Inspectors General of several agencies, including the Department of Justice, in reviewing these authorities.  But only your office can bring to bear an IC-wide perspective that is critical to effective oversight of these programs.  The reviews previously conducted have been more narrowly focused - as might be expected - on a specific agency.

In particular, we urge you to review for calendar years 2010 through 2013:

·         the use and implementation of Section 215 and Section 702 authorities, including the manner in which information - and in particular, information about U.S. persons - is collected, retained, analyzed and disseminated;

·         applicable minimization procedures and other relevant procedures and guidelines, including whether they are consistent across agencies and the extent to which they protect the privacy rights of U.S. persons;

·         any improper or illegal use of the authorities or information collected pursuant to them; and

·         an examination of the effectiveness of the authorities as investigative and intelligence tools.

We have urged appropriate oversight of these activities long before the problems with the implementation of these FISA authorities became public.  We believe it is important for your office to begin this review without further delay.

Please proceed to administratively perform reviews of the implementation of Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act and Section 702 of FISA, and submit the reports no later than December 31, 2014.  Thank you in advance for your efforts to ensure a full accounting of the implementation of these surveillance authorities across the Intelligence Community.

Sincerely,

Fills Key Positions on Health, Language and Torture Inquiry Boards and Commissions

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today made a number of key appointments to the state's boards and commissions. Today's announcement continues the Governor's commitment to making Illinois government more accountable, transparent and effective.

"These individuals have an ethic of service and will make significant contributions on our state boards and commissions," Governor Quinn said. "I am confident these appointees will work on behalf of the people of Illinois to make a positive difference and move our state forward."

As a result of Governor Quinn's efforts to make the executive appointment process more accessible and transparent, residents who are interested in serving on boards and commissions can now apply online. For more information on all of the state's boards and commissions, or to apply to serve on a board, please visit Appointments.Illinois.gov.

Appointments made today by the Governor include :

Health Facilities and Services Review Board

Dale Galassie (reappointment) is former Executive Director at Lake County Health Department and former chair of the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board. He holds an ABD on Ed.D from Vanderbilt University, a MSSJ and M.S. from Lewis University and a Certificate in Public Health from the University of Illinois.

Alan Greiman (reappointment) is a former Justice on the Appellate Court. He holds a J.D. and B.A. from the University of Illinois.

John Hayes (reappointment) is Managing Director and Certified Public Accountant and Appraisal at Anchor Planning & Valuations, Ltd. He holds his CPA from the University of Illinois, an MBA from Notre Dame University and a B.S. from DePaul University.

Illinois State Board of Health 

June Lee is an Attending Physician at Physician Anesthesia Associates. She holds an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, an M.D. from Rush St. Luke's Medical Center, and a B.A. from the University of Chicago.

Language Access to Government Services Task Force

Ami Gandhi is the Executive Director at South Asian American Policy & Research Institute. She holds a J.D. from The George Washington University Law School and a B.A. from Indiana University at Bloomington.

Chin Keomuongchanh is an insurance agency owner. He has completed courses in Business Management at Columbia College of Missouri.

Grace Chan McKibben is the Administrative Director at the Chinese American Service League. She holds an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management and a B.A. and an M.A. from the University of Chicago.

Dary Mien is the Executive Director of the Cambodian Association of Illinois. She holds a B.A. from Columbia College Chicago.

MiYoung Seo is the Program Director at Korean American Community Services. She holds an MSW from Washington University in St. Louis, a B.A. from University of California Los Angeles and an Associate's degree from Santa Monica College.

Monika Starczuk is Program Manager at Uniting America AmeriCorps at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. She holds an M.A. in Political Science from Warsaw University.

Sima Quraishi is Executive Director at the Muslim Women Resource Center. She holds an M.A. from North Park University and a B.S. from the University of Illinois.

State Pharmacy Board

Prem Rupani is a physician at Mt. Sinai Hospital. He holds an MBBS from Gandhi Medical College.

Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission

Fr. Chuck Dahm is a pastor at St. Pius V Parish and also serves as President of the Board of Directors for the Resurrection Project, an economic development organization. He holds an M.A. in Philosophy and an M.A. in Theology from the Aquinas Institute of Rochester and a Ph.D. from University of Wisconsin.

John Mathias is a partner and attorney at Jenner & Block, LLP. He holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an A.B. from Dartmouth College.

Marcie Thorp is with the law firm SmithAmundsen, LLC and a former Assistant States Attorney with the Cook County States Attorney's Office. She holds a J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law, and a B.S. from the University of Illinois.