Posted on 08/18/2014 12:52:38 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Edward Snowden's in-depth interview with James Bamford of Wired offers details about his last job as a contractor for the NSA in Honolulu, which raise disconcerting questions about the motives of the former systems administrator.
While working at two consecutive jobs in Hawaii from March 2012 to May 2013, the 31-year-old allegedly stole about 200,000 "tier 1 and 2" documents, which mostly detailed the NSA's global surveillance apparatus and were given to American journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras in June 2013. The government believes Snowden also took up to 1.5 million "tier 3" documents potentially detailing U.S. capabilities and NSA offensive cyber operations, the whereabouts of which are unknown.
We now know more about the larger and more sensitive cache of classified documents. Furthermore, a close reading of relevant reporting and of statements made by Snowden suggests that much of what the rogue NSA employee intentionally took involved operational information unrelated to civil liberties.
While the tier 3 material appears to have not been shared with American journalists, some of it was shown to a Chinese newspaper. And 14 months later, given the uncertain fate of the documents, it is not unreasonable to ask whether they could have fallen into the hands of an adversarial foreign intelligence service.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
>> This comment is pure New Left communist. <<
When I see the many pro-Snowden and pro-Putin posts here on FR, I gotta wonder how many are from agents of the Russian FSB.
Because of the above, none of Snowden's revelations were the least bit surprising to me. In fact, I suspect that the collection is much deeper, going beyond metadata to full content. It would not cost all that much more to do so, and it would use the same sort of existing collection points and taps, only well upgraded.
There may be a legal argument that the mere automated collection of bulk domestic communications is not a violation of the 4th Amendment so long as the constitutionally protected portions are not examined without a warrant. The NSA is probably very unwilling to make such arguments as they would have to fess up to all the bulk collection.
The NSA and USA probably do this sort of collection best today, but you can bet that every government on earth with an intelligence budget is doing the same, only with fewer protections for their citizens and none for you.
Certainly Snowden is far more thoroughly spied on today by Russian intelligence than he ever was by the NSA.
>> If this is the case, then Snowden’s supporters have been duped. <<
I guess there’s nothing new under the Sun. Lenin and company had a term for such dupes:
Useful idiots.
>> We haven’t been duped <<
Using a common sense definition of the term, I’d say a “dupe” is somebody who doesn’t realize he has been duped.
I took the time to read the entire article. The fact that he took the Tier 3 data is extremely troubling. The fact that he shared that knowledge with a reporter for the SCMP is damning. The only countries who would profit from that particular Tier 3 data are China and Russia.
Since the cat is largely out of the bag at this point, I would like to see a public weighing of the NSA's domestic activities. It may be that the public will decide to accept a form of bulk collection that still provides strong 4th Amendment protections. I actually think that could be done.
At this point, I am more concerned about the obvious politicization of the IRS and Justice Dept. than the possible politicization of the NSA. I think the former have great power over most people's lives and those violations are happening now.
Your response is non-sequitar and does not follow from your original statement.
There is an incoherence in your thought and intellectual understanding and presentation.
Yeah. They are good at demagoguery.
Glad you read the full article. I assume you have added insight being an IT guy. I also find the details unnerving.
My gut is that Snowden intended for China and Russia to have the NSA's crown jewels. I suspect he did this out of massive ego and a misguided desire for revenge. He have also been unwittingly manipulated by a Russian operative from within one of his hacker circles.
My guess is that Snowden ultimately desired to manipulate and misdirect everyone, the NSA, his friends, journalist, the public, and even the Chinese and Russians as some sort of affirmation of his own brilliance. Unfortunately for him, the professionals in the FSB and SVR are much better at these sort of games.
“IMO, the FedGov already has.
Indeed, I would posit that the elite are well on their way to establishing a true caste system, and you should know your place.”
I think you are very right. I would add that for some of us there will be no proper place, we will be of no use to them. It isn’t rocket science to figure out our fate.
Someone once said, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. May not apply in this case but it just might in the end.
Aye — There is a lot of pressure to embrace normalcy, even when that presented as normal isn't.
Another few factors are the we don't want to start it
-factor, the I don't want to be painted as evil
-factor, and the you are powerless
-factor*.
* This is the true purpose of the public education system: to make the students learn that they are utterly subject to authority to implant the idea that to rebel against any claimed authority is useless rebellion. (Note that an authority can claim something entirely apart from where his true authority is: like a county Sheriff from TX trying to make an arrest [under that authority] in CA.)
At this point; I would say the active-duty guys are well and truly indoctrinated to believe that the government is legit.
Those who are retired are probably waiting; I know that I don't want to be the first to fire= because in all likelihood that means I will die alone and vilified.
Thus far, it would seem they are perfectly ok with cashing that gubmint check and staying in line with their dear leaders wishes. So much for counting on them to have the backs of real Americans.
I get no check from them; I've been unemployed for the last few years more than I've been employed — mostly living off of savings and family/friends who I try'n aid in some fashion.
You're probably right; however the spying thing is something that deeply offends them [and rightly so] — it is through that which you could use to explain real Constitutionalism to them.
And for this Snowden was declared a traitor by the President and hunted to the corners of the earth. I'm clueless how anyone can take the government's side. Snowden is a hero and a patriot.
Indeed.
How can an unlawful government legitimately use the law [which it has broken] for protection?
This is probably the ultimate reason that they are pushing for smart grid
-tech, more regulatory powers, and green-energy — if they can cut off mobility and energy [esp. food-stuff] before the people get sick enough to march then they [the political elite] have given themselves an enormous advantage.
I agree. I'd been withholding my judgement on Snowden, waiting for the disclosure of evidence like this. Unfortunately for him, he's turned out to be a naïve tool, caught in a web spun by people a lot smarter than him in the ways of espionage. He may have had some noble whistleblower motivations, but ultimately his ego wrote checks his youth and inexperience couldn't cash.
Enjoy the Bolshoi, Edward; you'd better hope that Putin doesn't grow tired of you.
His response does — embedded there is the implicit assertion that the biggest enemy to the American people is its government.
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