*surprise*

[Tchocky]

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/10/09/eavesdropping/

In the most unsurprising revelation imaginable, two former Army Reserve Arab linguists for the National Security Agency have said that they routinely eavesdropped on — “and recorded and transcribed” — the private telephone calls of American citizens who had absolutely nothing to do with terrorism.

I wonder if this will change under the next administration. Whatever it may be.

[SteamWake]

Oh my gawd the sky is falling they listened to me ask my wife to pick up milk !!!!
Oh noessss... :doh:

No seriously "Salon.com" :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

[Tchocky]

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=5987804&page=1

Original story, minus the comment.

[August]

But the accounts of the two whistleblowers, which could not be independently corroborated

:roll:

[Tchocky]

Naturally, the NSA isn't going to straight-up confirm what these guys are saying.

The director of the NSA, Lt. General Keith B. Alexander, declined to directly answer any of the allegations made by the whistleblowers.
In a written statement, Gen. Alexander said: "We have been entrusted to protect and defend the nation with integrity, accountability, and respect for the law. As Americans, we take this obligation seriously. Our employees work tirelessly for the good of the nation, and serve this country proudly."


Also, if it's in a James Bamford book about the NSA, I'd trust it. He knows that agency inside-out.

[Flamingboat]

Naturally, the NSA isn't going to straight-up confirm what these guys are saying.

The director of the NSA, Lt. General Keith B. Alexander, declined to directly answer any of the allegations made by the whistleblowers.
In a written statement, Gen. Alexander said: "We have been entrusted to protect and defend the nation with integrity, accountability, and respect for the law. As Americans, we take this obligation seriously. Our employees work tirelessly for the good of the nation, and serve this country proudly."


Also, if it's in a James Bamford book about the NSA, I'd trust it. He knows that agency inside-out.

See when people always mention big brother I always laugh. I laugh because their omnipotent image is a joke. The government could not find it's butt if it had a bell on it. They really think they will get Bin Laden when he calls customer service about his new cellular plan?

[Letum]

No one should have to even know my name if I ask nothing of them, I have done
nothing wrong and I don't want to tell them. :nope:

[PeriscopeDepth]

Naturally, the NSA isn't going to straight-up confirm what these guys are saying.

The director of the NSA, Lt. General Keith B. Alexander, declined to directly answer any of the allegations made by the whistleblowers.
In a written statement, Gen. Alexander said: "We have been entrusted to protect and defend the nation with integrity, accountability, and respect for the law. As Americans, we take this obligation seriously. Our employees work tirelessly for the good of the nation, and serve this country proudly."

Also, if it's in a James Bamford book about the NSA, I'd trust it. He knows that agency inside-out.
See when people always mention big brother I always laugh. I laugh because their omnipotent image is a joke. The government could not find it's butt if it had a bell on it. They really think they will get Bin Laden when he calls customer service about his new cellular plan? The issue isn't widespread and pervasive surveillance of everybody in the country. The issue, at least what concerns me, is that extralegal surveillance by the government of its own citizens is happening at all.

PD

[August]

What I don't understand is both of these people have admitted to breaking the law for their own amusement. Why aren't they being prosecuted?

[Flamingboat]

I knew NSA monitored or had the capability to monitor ALL military communications. This is old news. From platoon and squad level comms on up. Police stations also record ALL their phones. Not just dispatch, everything.

[Flamingboat]

What I don't understand is both of these people have admitted to breaking the law for their own amusement. Why aren't they being prosecuted?

That would make their claims legitimate, so they will issue a canned BS statement and that will be that. End of story.

[SUBMAN1]

Even if they are lying, the NSA has been spying on Americans through Echelon since its inception. Is anyone really falling over that this has been happening?

Crud, this is how the triangle works for those that don't know - It is illegal to spy on your own citizens in Australia, the UK, and the US, but its so easy to circumvent that law. All you have to do is have the Brits use the US's Echelon system to spy on the US and the Aussies, the US uses it to spy on the Brits and the Aussies, the Aussies use the US's Echelon system to spy on the US and the Brits, and at the end of the day, they all swap information and no laws are broken.

Case closed. The only diff is that we are doing it instead of someone else doing it for us. Information transfer is immediate these days anyway, so when we do it to ourselves, it is only saving a step and a small amount of time. Maybe that time window is really that critical?

Tell me something that most of us here don't already know for once though. yawn.

-S

[baggygreen]

This is true.

You bastards wouldnt sell us the full radar/software capabilities on the hornets we bought, so we had to steal it from yas. gave you a surprise when we got it too!

I have to agree with August too, if they broke laws why are they not being hammered for it?

[August]

What I don't understand is both of these people have admitted to breaking the law for their own amusement. Why aren't they being prosecuted?
That would make their claims legitimate, so they will issue a canned BS statement and that will be that. End of story.

On the other hand if they're lying then there is nothing to prosecute.

[Wolfehunter]

Freedom my ass.:nope: