White House Defends NSA Amid Social Mapping Report...

[Indi Guy]

Source: AP via ABC News

The White House is defending the National Security Agency following a new report that the agency has been scanning the data it collects to map out some Americans' social connections.

The New York Times reports the tracking started in 2010, allowing the government to identify some Americans' associates, their locations at certain times and their traveling companions. The Times cites documents provided by NSA leaker Edward Snowden.

White House spokesman Jay Carney says he won't comment on specific intelligence activities. But he says the NSA's activities are directed against foreign intelligence targets and geared toward targeting security risks like terrorism.

Carney says U.S. intelligence collection is similar to what other nations do. He says NSA's procedures are approved by the attorney general and, in certain circumstances, a federal oversight court.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/white-house-defends-nsa-amid-social-mapping-report-20422650

[MannyGoldstein]

1. The White House Intelligence Clown Car

This has cost many billions, done zero to help national security, has been totally compromised by a single low-level staffer, is ripe for horrific police-state abuse, and flagrantly violates the Constitution. People lie about it as easily as they breathe, get caught, and nobody is fired, nothing is done. Other than forcing down the plane of a sovereign head of state.

I can't recall anything so absurd in my many years of watching our government. It's unbelievable.

[Indi Guy]

2. Yes, but...

"...in a post 9/11 world"

[JDPriestly]

3. Absolutely 1000+.

ripe for horrific police-state abuse

As if we didn't see enough horrific police-state abuse around the world in the past 100 years.

It could happen here.

The ACLU report on the FBI's abuses of the system show the excesses and violations that have occurred right here.

[Octafish]

4. Well, it does do a good job of tracking people who believe certain things.

Like the Bill of Rights.

[Indi Guy]

5. And left unchecked...

...there is literally no limit to how far the abuse of this kind of power will go.

[Hydra]

10. This is just the beginning

This was them getting all their ducks in a row in secret, and it's decades in the making.

If not for the whistleblowers who have come forward, all we'd have is speculation.

[Indi Guy]

14. Yeah, that Snowden character sure is a traitor...

...for sacrificing his cushy gig in Hawaii and his hot fiancé, for a life on the run -- in his commitment to democratic principles.

We'd all be so much better off without him

[Hydra]

17. Or any of the others who got burned by the Bush Admin or the Obama Admin

They're just haters, ya know?

[Indi Guy]

19. Unlike those who love this country so much that...

...they're willing to sacrifice our Constitution to keep it safe form the terrorist boogie men.

[Vanje]

6. I'm sorry to hear that.

[Indi Guy]

7. Also, 'DEA and NSA Team Up to Share Intelligence...'

DEA and NSA (& now IRS) Team Up to Share Intelligence, Leading to Secret Use of Surveillance in Ordinary Investigations

UPDATE: Add the IRS to the list of federal agencies obtaining information from NSA surveillance. Reuters reports that the IRS got intelligence tips from DEA's secret unit (SOD) and were also told to cover up the source of that information by coming up with their own independent leads to recreate the information obtained from SOD. So that makes two levels of deception: SOD hiding the fact it got intelligence from the NSA and the IRS hiding the fact it got information from SOD. Even worse, there's a suggestion that the Justice Department (DOJ) "closely guards the information provided by SOD with strict oversight," shedding doubt into the effectiveness of DOJ earlier announced efforts to investigate the program...
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/08/dea-and-nsa-team-intelligence-laundering

Reuters...

Exclusive: U.S. directs agents to cover up program used to investigate Americans...

...Although these cases rarely involve national security issues, documents reviewed by Reuters show that law enforcement agents have been directed to conceal how such investigations truly begin - not only from defense lawyers but also sometimes from prosecutors and judges...
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/05/us-dea-sod-idUSBRE97409R20130805

[florida08]

8. corporate espionage

[BelgianMadCow]

9. This comment at the Guardian nails it

"The US cannot adequately feed all its citizens, nor educate them, nor provide them with health care, nor repair its failing infrastructure, has done nothing to address climate change, yet can afford to squander billions creating "social profiles" of all its citizens, and profiling people all over the world .. not to mention the trillions spent bombing and occupying other nations and trillions given away to banksters.

What a sick set of priorities"

Same, or a large subset of the above goes for many, many governments around the world, mind you.

[Hydra]

11. "What a sick set of priorities"

Sums it up nicely, and yes, it's pretty normal among the nations...but it's not right or good.

[BelgianMadCow]

12. It's not right or good, no. And what I really wonder about is,

say you gather a thousand people at random from the streets worldwide.

And you ask them, what kind of priorities do you want?

I bet such a group would come up with radically different priorities, one one condition: that they learn not to fear one another, not to create arbitrary divisions based on nationality, race or religion. It's an idea that's closely related to the original form of democracy in Athens - they also had that "lottery" idea.

I'm up to the point where I don't believe in party politics for anything above local level, I'm afraid. All those pyramids of vested power are no good.

[Hydra]

13. The Banksters used to do this subtly

Now they're front and center setting up the system to own all of us.

Make no mistake- this is too well coordinated and too insane/unpopular to be coming from anything but a small group of overly wealthy global power brokers.

[BelgianMadCow]

15. I agree with that

and that would normally have put both of us in CT land. But of course, there's a bit much reality supporting our view now.
For me, it became crystal clear in the eurozone crisis. It was like watching the Shock Doctrine live.
And now with the End Game memo and the ongoing NSA revelations, it's out there for all to see.

I've got a strong feeling that ugliness is coming in the US and UK. But since the reaction to Thatcher dying (ding dong the with is dead) and the no vote in Syria, I'm rethinking the UK. As for the rest of Europe, I've got the feeling that people are too aware and ready to act, also with unions that have considerable strength left. Then again, last week Spain passed a law that makes sit-ins punishable with years in jail...

In any case, I'm left standing with Chris Hedges - I'm deeply cynical, but I cannot not try and act. After all, all these power systems do exist by our continuing support.

[Indi Guy]

21. "After all, all these power systems do exist by our continuing support"...

...and by our ignorance. It is essential that those in the know continue to educate others. The ptb in their long range plans of old didn't anticipate the internet pulling back the curtain on "the great and powerful" ringmasters.

[rhett o rick]

16. This is called rhetoric.

"But he says the NSA's activities are directed against foreign intelligence targets and geared toward targeting security risks like terrorism." He says the activities are "directed" against yada yada yada. It's not important who the activities are "directed" at but who the activities actually observe. He doesnt say that the NSA activities ever capture intelligence on non-foreign intelligence targets.

Carney says U.S. intelligence collection is similar to what other nations do. How similar? I bet we spend 10 times more money on our "similar" program. I doubt that the similarity goes very deep. Besides what kind of an argument is that? "I did it because the other guys were doing it."

"He says NSA's procedures are approved by the attorney general." The implication being that the AG wouldnt do wrong.

" and, in certain circumstances, a federal oversight court." Certain circumstances could mean 1 out of 1,000 times. And I dont have any faith in "federal oversight judges" especially if appointed by Republicans.

[blkmusclmachine]

18. Change You Can BeLIEve In!

[sarcasmo]

20. Who monitors the monitors?

[Nihil]

22. Awww ... how sweet!

"White House" has given "NSA" a great big "LIKE" ...