Tag: NSA

Are You Pissed By The NSA?

Of course you are…..we all, well most of the country, was pissed to learn that the NSA maybe spying on citizens of the US.  Old farts like me were not surprised at all….we have been the subject of many spy programs from the 1960’s and 70’s……but No one remembers those days they just think that their little lives are the only ones that will be effected…..

And then there was the revelation that the US may be spying on our allies like Germany…..and that started a whole other conversation…..why should we be spying on our closest allies?  Right?

Dumb question!  That sort of thing has been going on long before the NSA tapped into Germany’s little lives…..then we ask why would we do such a thing?  Laughable at best.  It goes on all the time…..for example….the US closest ally has been spying on the US for decades……

Who?  ISRAEL, that’s who!

(Newser) – It seems that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t spy oncell phones: During the frenetic and doomed Mideast peace talks last year, John Kerry was furiously working the phones to both Israel and the Palestinians—and as der Spiegel reports in an exclusive that cites “reliable sources,” he had an audience. It seems that at the height, Kerry made some calls using unencrypted satellite phones, and Israeli intelligence—along with “at least one other intelligence service”— listened in and used the intel to their advantage.

The talks fell apart in April, but Israelis may not have liked what they heard: As Spiegel notes, relations between Benjamin Netanyahu and Kerry appear to have soured, and Kerry is taking no small amount of criticism from Israel in the current crisis. Neither the State Department nor Jerusalem would comment. But then again, it’s not that unusual, right, Mr. Secretary?

And that is just the most recent …….Ever hear of a guy named Pollock?

An American citizen that is currently in prison for espionage………he was spying on his country for Israel…….

And question what?  There is NO outrage that Israel is doing this……why does Israel seem to always get a pass on whatever it is they do?  I think the US should pick its allies more consistent with our national interests.

I have heard No one pissing and moaning about this breech of trust…..have you?  With that said, why is Israel allowed to function unchallenged?  Yes, money has a lot to do with it, but I think there is more to it than that……I just have not been able to pinpoint the reason…..as of yet.

SCOTUS Flinches

By now you have formed your opinion on the latest ruling by our bought and paid for supreme court…..but while you were listening to Bill or Joe or Wolf they quietly refused other rulings that could have been landmark…..really?  What would those be?

Thank you for asking….let me throw the stuff the cowards would not touch……

The Supreme Court quietly made a bunch of headlines today, mainly by rejecting potentially explosive cases. Here’s a roundup of the day’s (in)action:

  • Gay rights: The court announced that it would not take up the highly charged case that began when a New Mexico wedding photographer refused to do the honors for a same-sex commitment ceremony, Politico reports. New Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that this amounted to illegal discrimination. That ruling will now stand in New Mexico, but only in New Mexico.
  • NSA: The justices declined a conservative lawyer’s unusual request that it bypass the usual appeals process and immediately take up a case arguing that the NSA’s bulk collection of millions of Americans’ telephone records violated the Constitution’s ban on unreasonable search and seizure, the AP reports. A lower court had agreed with the lawyer that the program was “almost certainly” unconstitutional.
  • Campaign finance: After last week’s ruling, reform advocates are likely happy that the court decided not to take up a challenge to the 100-year-old rules banning direct contributions from corporations to candidates. Iowa Right to Life had asked the court to rule that corporations had the same free speech rights as individuals, the AP explains.

As is customary, the Court offered no commentary on any of the decisions.

Apparently there is NO money in ruling on these issues…..with the exception of the campaign finance….they avoided that one because of the fuss they raised with the one ruling last week……..they will most likely see it again under the guise of another precedent…….watch for it!

Speaking Of The NSA

We all have been outraged by the NSA’s program of violating our right to privacy…..we all have our reasons…none of us will agree….but we are all that much more miffed…..miffed even though retail businesses have been invading our privacy for decades…but that is somehow okay as long as they do it on the up and up……and that defies definition, BTW…….

This Snowden dude to some he is a hero and to others he is a traitor…..does not matter which camp you fall in…….anyway I have heard people talk and ask the question ….how could this happen?

Well to answer that question let us look at the company that vetted this person……

If giving a thumbs up to Edward Snowden and US Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis didn’t get US Investigations Services kicked off the federal government’s Christmas card list, it’s definitely off now. The Justice Department yesterday accused the contractor, which handles roughly 45% of federal background checks, of fraudulently submitting more than 660,000 investigations, the Wall Street Journal and New York Times report. That’s roughly 40% of all the work it did for the government over a four-year stretch—and doesn’t even appear to include Snowden or Alexis. In a practice known as “flushing,” the company would simply mark investigations as complete when they weren’t, according to the feds. “Flushed everything like a dead goldfish,” one USIS official is quoted as saying in the complaint. In another email, an employee wrote, “Have a bit of a backlog building, but fortunately, most people are off this week, so no one will notice!” The Justice Department is accusing former executives of encouraging these practices, which, according to whistleblowers, were designed to meet financial quotas. The company was paid per investigation it completed. The allegations first came to light in a 2011 whistleblower suit, which the government yesterday joined. The company says it has “acted decisively to reinforce our processes” in the years since.

It happened because of privatization!  You can thank the God of the Right, Reagan, for starting down this path…….his big idea was to save money by letting the private sector do some of the chores of the government……the vetting process is one of those sectors.

Privatization has done more harm than good….the only good thing is making lots of cash for the contractors.

Could You Be A Terrorists?

With all the hoopla over the NSA and its practice of keeping tabs on Americans, both good and bad, one might ask….just what could I do to be thought a terrorist after all I am a loyal American?    I have played this game with the government in my younger days…..so none of this stuff that has shocked America is all that surprising to me…….

I bet you think it is silly to say that YOU might be thought a terrorist, right?

Do you really want to know?

Fine!  Take a gander at this criteria……

The following actions may get an American citizen living on U.S. soil labeled as a “suspected terrorist” today:

This may be or sound a bit absurd……but then……. is it really?  Think COINTELPRO!

Granted some of the points may seem just silly…..but I for one do not take any of this as silly….I have a personal relationship with the government spying on me…..and I thank COINTELPRO…if you think this was just paranoia then I suggest you ask someone who the program f*cked.

‘Burglars’ Revealed: Sixties Activists Who Stole FBI COINTELPRO Files | Common Dreams

Americans are outraged that their government would violate their privacy……WAKE UP!

They have been doing so for 40+ years……only in the past it was those darn Leftist that were the biggest ‘threat’…..sorry a citizen is a citizen no matter what they choose to believe, ideologically that is,…….and yet no one wants to think about what they have done in the past….why?  Because they think it did not apply to them……once again let me reiterate….WAKE UP!

As an aging radical I was targeted by a program called COINTELPRO……a secret program to keep track of citizens that may not agree with the government…..it was a secret program until it was exposed…….and here are the people that did the exposing…….

‘Burglars’ Revealed: Sixties Activists Who Stole FBI COINTELPRO Files | Common Dreams.

Are We Safer?

Like I said in an earlier post…today will be my NSA day and what it has actually accomplished….I know most Americans will agree with good old Rush about what a dastardly deed it is to spy on American citizens….I mean the NSA has collected metadata enough to keep a sleepless android working for years to sort through all that stuff…..

We hear that some of it was by necessity so that we could remain safe and secure in our homes while the spy dudes diligently browsed through their collections looking for that elusive “bad guy”…..but with all that diligence, how much safer are we?

(Photo courtesy of AP)

Good question…..and there is at least one answer…I am sure there are others….but this one I like….

Newser) – The NSA’s controversial trove of phone metadata “has had no discernible impact on preventing acts of terrorism,” a new analysis of 225 terrorism cases from the nonprofit New America Foundation has concluded. Most of the cases it looked at were cracked using old-fashioned investigative tools, like tip-offs from family or community members, or the use of informants, the Washington Post reports. Bulk surveillance had “only the most marginal of impacts,” helping to initiate at most 1.8% of cases.

The government argues that the NSA database allows it to respond rapidly. But in the main case it cites to defend the program—in which a man was convicted of sending money to Somali terrorists—the FBI waited two months to act on the NSA’s tip. The report largely backs up President Obama’s advisory panel. Obama will announce proposed reforms for the program Friday. But while he could stop the program on his own, he’s expected to instead suggest a public-private hybrid program to replace it—which will require always elusive Congressional approval, Politico reports.

So I ask again….Are We Safer?

Your thoughts would be appreciated……

Spanking The NSA

Today I would liike to focus on the NSA ‘scandal’ and other types of domestic intel gathering…..I cannot believe how naive the press pretends to be, that is both Left and Right, they go on and on about the domestic spying thing but it is all so much crap!

Now I have given a couple of situations that could be made into a good scandal if the use of the propaganda techniques were employed….sadly NO one bit at the chance…..so sad…I guess I will move on……

We all have our opinion on the NSA and the domestic spying thingy, right?  Well there seems to be a push of “reform” the agency……okay had to smile….there is nothing more worthless than a “reform”…..the prez outlined just what those little tweaks will be to secure the safety of the privacy of American citizens…..

(Newser) – With a presidential speech on NSA reforms coming as soon as next week, the Wall Street Journal has the inside track on President Obama’s thinking. Changes could come as a combination of executive and legislative action. Among possible major changes to the way the agency works:

  • A review panel has recommended that, for the first time, non-US citizens gain privacy protections under the Privacy Act of 1974. President Obama appears to favor the idea, a top administration official tells the paper.
  • The panel is also calling for an overhaul of NSA phone record-gathering, suggesting that phone companies or a separate body collect the records instead of the agency itself. That idea is “absolutely being seriously considered,” says the official. The panel would like to see court approval required for a search of those records.
  • The panel has urged a change to the FBI’s secret “national security letters,” which call for data without needing court approval; the panel wants that approval. Obama may alter the procedure, though FBI director James Comey has raised concerns.
  • As previously reported, a public advocate may be appointed for surveillance court arguments against government requests.

In recent days, Obama has met with a range of privacy advocates, intelligence officials, and lawmakers to discuss the reforms. Following a meeting with White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler, one government secrecy expert noted: “There was an implicit assurance that change is coming, even though its exact contours could not be disclosed.”

And there you have the “fix” that is proposed……read the 4 closely….now do you feel safer?