Looking for a new job? How about paying attention to what the media is saying world-wide as part of our Homeland Security effort?

What? Don’t other intelligence agencies do stuff like that? Well, the Department of Homeland Security is now looking for some entity to provide “Media Monitoring Services”

According to the department’s website:  “The contractor shall provide NPPD/OUS  [National Protection and Programs Acquisition Division/Office of the Under Secretary] with traditional and social media monitoring and communications solutions … Services shall enable NPPD/OUS to monitor traditional news sources as well as social media, identify any and all media coverage related to the Department of Homeland Security or a particular event. Services shall provide media comparison tools, design and rebranding tools, communication tools, and the ability to identify top media influencers.

The contractor would have the “ability to track global online sources for coverage relevant to Washington and the six media hubs:

• Ability to track 290,000 global news sources

• Ability to track online, print, broadcast, cable, radio, trade and industry publications, local sources, national/international outlets, traditional news sources, and social media

• Ability to track media coverage in 100 languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Russian. Translation function to instantly translate these articles to English.

• Ability to create up to 20 searches with each unlimited keywords

• Unlimited coverage per search (no cap on coverage)

• Ability to change the searches at keywords at any given time

• Ability to create unlimited data tracking, statistical breakdown, and graphical analyses on any coverage on an ad-hoc basis”

Wow.

So why does Homeland Security need this function? After 9/11 aren’t the various intelligence agencies speaking to one another? How much is this costing the taxpayer?

And will this information be used against the press in this country? Does this mean an erosion of freedom of speech?

This should be an interesting story to follow for anyone who wants to preserve the Constitution.

Time to focus on other issues

The controversy concerning the housing of a single illegal alien in a Springfield Church continued last week with a report from the city’s Building Commissioner that stated, despite minor issues, the apartment in which she is living is a legal residence.

I then asked Mayor Domenic Sarno’s office about the status of the effort to remove the tax-exempt status of the church because of its actions. The answer was “no further comment.”

I understand the mayor’s concern about adhering to the law and avoiding retribution from the federal government, but at this point I think we all have to acknowledge this is a group of churches providing sanctuary to a singe person with no criminal record, who has worked and paid taxes, is married to an American citizen and has two children, both American citizens, isn’t a pressing issue in Washington, DC..

From a political viewpoint you may not agree with the issue of a church offering sanctuary, but one has to acknowledge that Springfield is not a sanctuary city. There has been no such declaration of that status unlike some other municipalities. There is little worry that federal funds would be cut.

We need to focus on many other issues in our area from the opioid abuse to further economic development and generally I think local government is doing that.

What we all should be doing is pushing the federal government for sensible pragmatic immigration reform legislation. This issue is not going away any time soon.