military industrial complex

The NSA and Its “Compliance Problems”

"For ordinary citizens, 'compliance problems' with the law are better known as 'crimes' (or possibly civil wrongs) and these lead to judgment debts, fines, and possibly even jail time, depending on the severity of the lack-of-compliance. But for government officials such notions are irrelevant — legal compliance problems are just something you file a report about, and send to another bureaucrat higher up in the government chain, so that he can bury it on his desk. Unfortunately, this is not a new phenomenon. The notion of the rule of law is the wellspring of an endless stream of hypocrisy in the modern social-democratic welfare-warfare state." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe NSA and Its “Compliance Problems”

James Clapper Says Feds Will Start Releasing Some FISA And NSL Metadata

"For what it's worth this is a step forward -- and something the government should have done ages ago, but perhaps not nearly as big as Clapper would like everyone to believe. Note that they only say they'll reveal the number of 'targets' rather than people impacted. Given that each person "targeted" may lead to scooping up records on many, many others, this seems fairly weak. Remember, for a 'target' they can scoop up all kinds of records, and then go three hops deep. So, one target could impact thousands or possibly hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of people. This is a baby step forward, but it still seems designed to mislead." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJames Clapper Says Feds Will Start Releasing Some FISA And NSL Metadata

Snowden Leak: U.S. Paying Contractors Ten Times as Much as Bureaucrats

"While contractors represent fewer than 20 percent of the workforce, 70 percent of the intelligence budget goes to them, according to a figure from the U.S. Director of National Intelligence Agency (DNI) at a Colorado sponsored by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). That rare peek behind the veil is likely still relatively accurate. Traditionally the lion's share of this money has gone to Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC), Honeywell Int'l Inc. (HON) (via is Science Applications Int'l Corp. subsidiary), Raytheon Comp. (RTN), Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT), and Edward Snowden's former firm Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Comp. (BAH)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSnowden Leak: U.S. Paying Contractors Ten Times as Much as Bureaucrats

‘Brilliant’ Snowden Digitally Impersonated NSA Officials

"The 30-year-old's role as a 'system administrator' meant that he was able to access NSAnet, the agency’s intranet, using those user profiles and without leaving any signature. An official told NBC that the NSA identified several instances in which the elite NSA-trained hacker impersonated officials, and that the spy agency's forensic investigation is 'trying to figure out which higher level officials Snowden impersonated online to access the most sensitive documents.' Last week Michael Isikoff, Cole, and Esposito reported that the NSA is 'overwhelmed' - does not know the full extent of the tens of thousands of documents the former NSA contractor took from its system." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Brilliant’ Snowden Digitally Impersonated NSA Officials

Iraq war killed 120,000 and cost $800 billion, study estimates

"At least 116,000 Iraqi civilians and more than 4,800 coalition troops died in Iraq between the outbreak of war in 2003 and the US withdrawal in 2011, researchers estimate. Its involvement in Iraq has so far cost the United States $810 billion (625 billion euros) and could eventually reach $3 trillion, they added. 'More than 31,000 US military personnel were injured and a substantial percentage of those deployed suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other neuropsychological disorders and their concomitant psychosocial problems.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIraq war killed 120,000 and cost $800 billion, study estimates

U.S. military officers have deep doubts about impact, wisdom of Syria strike

"Having assumed for months that the United States was unlikely to intervene militarily in Syria, the Defense Department has been thrust onto a war footing that has made many in the armed services uneasy, according to interviews with more than a dozen military officers ranging from captains to a four-star general. Former and current officers, many with the painful lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan on their minds, said the main reservations concern the potential unintended consequences of launching cruise missiles against Syria. Some questioned the use of military force as a punitive measure and suggested that the White House lacks a coherent strategy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. military officers have deep doubts about impact, wisdom of Syria strike

U.S. military officers have deep doubts about impact, wisdom of Syria strike

"Having assumed for months that the United States was unlikely to intervene militarily in Syria, the Defense Department has been thrust onto a war footing that has made many in the armed services uneasy, according to interviews with more than a dozen military officers ranging from captains to a four-star general. Former and current officers, many with the painful lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan on their minds, said the main reservations concern the potential unintended consequences of launching cruise missiles against Syria. Some questioned the use of military force as a punitive measure and suggested that the White House lacks a coherent strategy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. military officers have deep doubts about impact, wisdom of Syria strike

U.S. military officers have deep doubts about impact, wisdom of Syria strike

"Having assumed for months that the United States was unlikely to intervene militarily in Syria, the Defense Department has been thrust onto a war footing that has made many in the armed services uneasy, according to interviews with more than a dozen military officers ranging from captains to a four-star general. Former and current officers, many with the painful lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan on their minds, said the main reservations concern the potential unintended consequences of launching cruise missiles against Syria. Some questioned the use of military force as a punitive measure and suggested that the White House lacks a coherent strategy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. military officers have deep doubts about impact, wisdom of Syria strike

U.S. military officers have deep doubts about impact, wisdom of Syria strike

"Having assumed for months that the United States was unlikely to intervene militarily in Syria, the Defense Department has been thrust onto a war footing that has made many in the armed services uneasy, according to interviews with more than a dozen military officers ranging from captains to a four-star general. Former and current officers, many with the painful lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan on their minds, said the main reservations concern the potential unintended consequences of launching cruise missiles against Syria. Some questioned the use of military force as a punitive measure and suggested that the White House lacks a coherent strategy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. military officers have deep doubts about impact, wisdom of Syria strike

U.S. military officers have deep doubts about impact, wisdom of Syria strike

"Having assumed for months that the United States was unlikely to intervene militarily in Syria, the Defense Department has been thrust onto a war footing that has made many in the armed services uneasy, according to interviews with more than a dozen military officers ranging from captains to a four-star general. Former and current officers, many with the painful lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan on their minds, said the main reservations concern the potential unintended consequences of launching cruise missiles against Syria. Some questioned the use of military force as a punitive measure and suggested that the White House lacks a coherent strategy." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. military officers have deep doubts about impact, wisdom of Syria strike