Librarians turned snitch?

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by Name

Sounds a lot like a smokescreen and scare tactics to me.

I'm not sure I follow you here. While I understand what you are saying regarding classified information, this was a story from back in 2000, prior to Bush becoming President.

So what was the smokescreen for? Who was the target of the scare tactics?

[Name]

And, upon further review of the transcript, the former spy, was Canadian, there is much internal US intel stuff that is not shared with Canadian folks. Sounds alot like the bit that scaeagles clipped out was of a canadian bit of internal spying on their own citizens, as it is doubtful to me that he would have any knowledge of such things inside the US intel field.

[Name]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I'm not sure I follow you here. While I understand what you are saying regarding classified information, this was a story from back in 2000, prior to Bush becoming President.

So what was the smokescreen for? Who was the target of the scare tactics?

The NSA is a large unknown place, and thus scary. My take on the scare tactics is, fear is very good for ratings.... that is in my opinion the target of the scare.

[CoasterMatt]

Originally Posted by wendybeth

Then, Al Haig.

Damn, you beat me to it!

"I'm in charge here!"

Check this out for a related anecdote.

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

I do wonder what everyone thinks about Lincoln. Those items I mentioned earlier most certainly did happen, along with many other questionable and perhaps illegal actions. Were they a necessary evil? It is certainly possible at the time that he was viewed as a Constitution hating power hungry egomaniac. History does not view him this way.

Do we live in a country where there are necessary evils? Government itself is a necessary evil.

Hard to say - I guess this might be a result of "History is written by the victor." which in this situation if we "win the war on terror" I guess this will be seen as a necessary evil. I guess time will tell just how much of the terrorist enemy was in our midst.

I tend to think this may turn out like the hunt for communists, while certainly there were some at home, the real victory was ultimately defeating them abroad by simply leveraging our better economic system. Likewise, I think Islamic Fundametalism will go the way of communism, lots of nice ideals, but way to oppressive for its citizens to live with.

But getting back to Lincoln, the civil war and succeding states were a very tangible "enemy," but in some ways it's interesting to contemplate what might have been, if the nation was allowed to split in two with Lincoln a raving imperialist war monger.

[Gemini Cricket]

Two articles I read this morning that are very interesting:

NY Times: F.B.I. Watched Activist Groups, New Files Show:

The latest batch of documents, parts of which the A.C.L.U. plans to release publicly on Tuesday, totals more than 2,300 pages and centers on references in internal files to a handful of groups, including PETA, the environmental group Greenpeace and the Catholic Workers group, which promotes antipoverty efforts and social causes.

Newsweek: Bush's Snoopgate

The president was so desperate to kill The New York Times’ eavesdropping story, he summoned the paper’s editor and publisher to the Oval Office. But it wasn’t just out of concern about national security.

Daily Show-esque follow up to the above:
An unconfirmed source said that the CIA also bugged the Oval Office. If you play one of the tapes, you can hear Bush say repeatedly, 'It's good to be the king.'

[Moonliner]

And the hits just keep on coming...

While our gallant homeland defense operatives are out questioning literature buffs, several HUNDRED POUNDS of C-4 weapons grade Explosives were stolen from an UNGARDED and UNMONITORED storage facility.

Oh yea.

[SacTown Chronic]

At least The Mystery Of The Harriet Miers Nomination has been solved. Dubya sez, "Fvck my base, I have an ass to save -- mine."

[scaeagles]

Something like that is most likely an inside job, or at least involved inside help. They knew where to go, where to cut, what they were looking for. However, the oversight in security still stands.

I do wonder how many of these type of things have been thwarted that we will never know about.

I figure ELF (Earth Liberation Front) or some other domestic terror group is behind it. More domestic surveillance NOW! (relax - that's a joke.)

[Gemini Cricket]

The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network on Tuesday condemned Pentagon officials for spying on civilian groups—especially student groups opposed to "don't ask, don't tell." The group said it plans to file a Freedome of Information Act request to try and learn if other LGBT groups have been targeted.

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