Pull the Plug on the NSA

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Looking for a way to pay for Health Care for all Americans? Pull the plug on the NSA.

Rather than give the NSA more money for more powerelectrical and politicalsome have instead suggested just pulling the plug. "NSA can point to things they have obtained that have been useful," Aid quotes former senior State Department official Herbert Levin, a longtime customer of the agency, "but whether they're worth the billions that are spent, is a genuine question in my mind."

Posted by donnerboy at 05:21 PM | 11 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry

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donnerboy

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Looking for a way to pay for Health Care for all Americans? Pull the plug on the NSA.

Let's not try to confuse two very important issues into one.

The article itself is good. I had read it and was considering posting it myself. Did you see the astronomical number on the vast array of data stored on the American people? I never even heard of that number.

#1 | Posted by L_RContrarian at 2009-10-13 05:34 PM | Reply | Flag:

Let's not try to confuse two very important issues into one.... I never even heard of that number.

Everyone is wondering how we can afford to pay for Health Care... so I am offering a suggestion as to where some of this money could come from. Are we getting our money's worth from the NSA? Why are we paying billions to spy on ourselves?

I had not heard of "Yottabytes" either. I was tempted to use he word in the Headline as it is such a cool word.

#2 | Posted by donnerboy at 2009-10-13 06:11 PM | Reply | Flag:

Donner,

The purpose of my statement was that this discussion forum will likely be another mindless health care debate having nothing to do with your very relevant point about Big Brother databases.

There is one link though in that provisions for the Health Care Bill would explode the data mining access and capabilities even further.

#3 | Posted by L_RContrarian at 2009-10-13 06:17 PM | Reply | Flag:

Honestly L_RCONTRARIAN I seriously doubt most folks really realize what this means. By now this very blog is stored somewhere in the vast depths of the NSA. The fact that the letters NSA were used will push it to the top of the list as they always want to know what is being said about them. And the fact that I said "pull the plug" probably put me on a "bad person" list somewhere. But, because of the volume of data that is being stored I am sure I am lost in there somewhere. If they ever get enough storage space and power then being the needle in the haystack will be problematic.

I have known this for a long time.

#4 | Posted by donnerboy at 2009-10-13 06:26 PM | Reply | Flag:

Donner,

The whole "domestic spying" debate is a political connundrum of its own. Basically, both Dems & Neo-cons have made great strides to passing the re-authorizations (in the House) required for these to continue for years to come. So, to suggest just "pull the plug" has a long way to go from the grass-roots on up through both parties.

#5 | Posted by L_RContrarian at 2009-10-13 06:40 PM | Reply | Flag:

Don't forget the CIA too, and definitely eliminate the unnecessary military and any other 'evil' agency the left hates. Hey, who needs the Secret Service (after all with secret in their name they must be evil). Who needs to Coast Guard as so very few live on the coast. Eliminate ICS and the Border Patrol, and maybe the FBI too: we can 'save' ourselves into prosperity.

#6 | Posted by MSgt at 2009-10-13 06:46 PM | Reply | Flag:

I'm fine with that. And as long as we're plug pull'in, how about pull'in handouts for the illegals? Maybe we could start with pull'in National Health Care Benefits?

#7 | Posted by wisgod at 2009-10-13 06:55 PM | Reply | Flag:

#6 msgt
no need to get crazy. I believe the proposal was to stop the hyper-expansion of the Big Brother database that requires mega-structures to spy on the people paid by the people! Each of those agencies could certainly trim a lot of fat. Start with the corrupt ones.

#8 | Posted by L_RContrarian at 2009-10-13 07:02 PM | Reply | Flag:

msgt- Were it a corporation, it would likely have gone belly-up years ago. Those agencies you mention are actually defending the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. They are producing a product.

Because the NSA is not producing a valuable product anymore it should be reorganized or shut down. Do you think I am naive enough to think the NSA is going anywhere anytime soon? No.. I would be happy if they were just brought under control before "1984" becomes a reality. I would also like to see more product for all that taxpayer money and less encroachment of our civil liberties. This book is just another wake up call for the American People.

#9 | Posted by donnerboy at 2009-10-13 10:56 PM | Reply | Flag:

DONNERBOY: Upon my return from RVN in 71 I was stationed at Fort Meade, MD, (the Air Force unit) with the NSA for one year. Not everyone thinks that the NSA is 'not producing a valuable product' [I find that phrase highly amusing].

As for the aforementioned agencies that I mentioned in satire, 'producing a product' -- get real, as no government agency produces, they just use resources - hence we pay 'the freight' in taxes.

Do continue to read many books, just take what you read with a grain of salt as too many (but not all) authors are catering to a 'crowd' to make sales, or have a personal axe to grind. Caveat Emptor [let buyer, or in this case reader, beware]

#10 | Posted by MSgt at 2009-10-14 12:07 AM | Reply | Flag:

msgt - When I worked for the 3 MI Battalion we produced product for the NSA. It consisted of signals intelligence. I think we did a damn good job but it didn't seem to help things much. A product is being produced. It is just not a quality product anymore as evidenced by the failure to call it on 9/11 the biggest hit on America since Pearl Harbor. Codes are nearly impossible to crack now. If I really want to hide information from you it is cheap and easy. You will have to spend billions to find it. You see the flaw yet?

Did you even read the article? If you indeed worked with the NSA then the Puzzle Palace by James Bamford was required reading. He knows what he is talking about.

I find it interesting that you are amused by the failure of NSA to alert us to 9/11.

I call that a big fat FAIL. Game over. Pack your shit and go home. That money could be put to better use.

#11 | Posted by donnerboy at 2009-10-14 01:16 AM | Reply | Flag: