Category: Government

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Berto Jongman: YouTube (48:52) Definitive Trial and Virtual Conviction of NSA

07 Other Atrocities, 10 Transnational Crime, Corruption, Government, Military
Berto Jongman
Berto Jongman

DEFCON 20: Bigger Monster, Weaker Chains: The National Security Agency and the Constitution”>DEFCON 20: Bigger Monster, Weaker Chains: The National Security Agency and the Constitution

Published on Nov 17, 2012

Speakers: JAMEEL JAFFER DEPUTY LEGAL DIRECTOR, AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION
WILLIAM BINNEY FORMER OFFICIAL, NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY
JAMES BAMFORD INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
ALEX ABDO STAFF ATTORNEY, AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION

The panel will be moderated by the Deputy Director of the ACLU, Jameel Jaffer.

The National Security Agency, the largest, most powerful spy agency in the world, has taken in an estimated 15 to 20 trillion communications since 9/11, often in defiance of the Constitution and Congressional statutes. The NSA’s goal, some say, is to collect virtually all of our electronic communications to allow mass data mining reminiscent of the notorious and now reportedly-defunct program, Total Information Awareness. The limits on the agency’s authority to sweep up and analyze this information are critical to our safety and our privacy. The NSA is investing vast amounts in increasing its data storage, code-breaking and analysis capabilities, frequently claiming the investments are for foreign intelligence or “cybersecurity” purposes. However, instead of keeping its equipment trained on terrorism suspects or foreign governments, the NSA is increasingly monitoring the communications of innocent people. Longtime NSA official and whistleblower Bill Binney will join investigative journalist and NSA expert James Bamford and ACLU lawyer Alex Abdo to explore the NSA’s goals, reach, and capabilities, and the legality (or illegality) of its actions.

For more information visit: http://bit.ly/defcon20_information
To download the video visit: http://bit.ly/defcon20_videos
Playlist DEFCON 20: http://bit.ly/defcon20_playlist

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Neal Rauhauser: Steele on NATO, AIPAC Replaces US IC — Steele Comments

Corruption, Ethics, Government, Military
Neal Rauhauser
Neal Rauhauser

Some months ago I had the great pleasure of adding OSINT godfather Robert David Steele as a LinkedIn contact. We’ve progressed from that to occasional phone calls and regular emails, pointing out interesting technology and events to each other.

NATO 4.0: Key Challenges AND Solutions was published with this short note, asking for broad consideration of the future of an OSINT agency, with NATO [and SOCOM] being a better home for it than the U.S. intelligence community.

Dear old friend or colleague,

I turn 61 this month — what an interesting 20 years it has been. Below is a post that I have thought about for some time.

I am quite certain that if General Breedlove and Admiral McRaven were to be properly briefed, that we could get the Open Source Agency and with it, funding for two Multinational Decision Support Centres as mentioned in the article.

As we all know I have no money, no power, and no influence — so I leave it to those of you who might wish to stir the pot, to make something of this little post of mine. I have in mind the southern tip of Italy, so we can sail up either coast.

Semper Fidelis,
Robert

I agree with Robert in that I think there will be an OSINT agency functionality as he described, but I disagree that such an animal will be monolithic, funded, or even sanctioned. Here is my reasoning.

Continue reading “Neal Rauhauser: Steele on NATO, AIPAC Replaces US IC — Steele Comments”

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DefDog: When Is a Coup Not a Coup?

Corruption, Government
DefDog
DefDog

When is a coup not a coup? With $1.5bn on the line

Mark Mitchell

BBC, 8 July 2013

Here are a couple of riddles for you: When is a coup not a coup? And why is the White House not like Humpty Dumpty?

In Through the Looking Glass, Humpty tells Alice: “When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.”

Click on Image to Enlarge
Click on Image to Enlarge

The White House press secretary, Jay Carney, doesn't have that luxury. If he called the Egyptian military's intervention in the democratic process a “coup”, it would clearly mean the huge amount of aid the US gives to Egypt would have to be cut off.

Because that's what it says, in black and white, in the US Code:

Read full article.

Continue reading “DefDog: When Is a Coup Not a Coup?”

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Graphic: Transparency International Defense Corruption Elements

Corruption, Corruption, Government, Graphics, Military
Click on Image to Enlarge
Click on Image to Enlarge

Source

Phi Beta Iota:  A good first effort but spectacularly off on the USA and completely lacking in total life cycle costs and in operational test & evaluation — most systems cost far more than they should, do not work as advertised, have huge logistics tails and intelligence needs that are rarely met, and so on.  A good start, a long way to go.

See Also:

2013 Robert Steele: It’s Time for Crisis Mappers to Spin Up Corruption Mappers

Owl: GOVERNMENT DEFENCE ANTI- CORRUPTION INDEX 2013

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Mini-Me: Fracking Causes Earthquakes. Any Questions?

03 Environmental Degradation, 07 Other Atrocities, Commerce, Commercial Intelligence, Corruption, Earth Intelligence, Government, Idiocy, Law Enforcement
Who? Mini-Me?
Who? Mini-Me?

Huh?

U.S. earthquake increase tied to disposal well boom

Wastewater, increasingly injected into deep disposal wells amid the energy boom, appears to be the culprit in an increase in U.S. quakes.

EXTRACT:

In a study out today that provides the strongest link to date between wastewater wells and quakes, seismologists and geologists say U.S. earthquakes have become roughly five times more common in the past three years. They warn about inadequate monitoring of deep wastewater disposal wells that are setting off these small quakes nationwide.

There are more than 30,000 such deep disposal wells nationwide. They're increasingly used as mile-deep dumping grounds for fluids left over from the more shallow hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” wells responsible for surging U.S. natural gas production. The earthquakes have been linked to the wastewater wells but not the fracking drilling wells themselves.

Read article with large graphic.

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Owl: GOVERNMENT DEFENCE ANTI- CORRUPTION INDEX 2013

Corruption, Government, Military
Who? Who?
Who? Who?

This Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index is the first ever review of corruption risk and corruption vulnerability in Defence Ministries and Armed Forces. It offers governments, armed forces, civil society organisations, and citizens detailed knowledge and understanding of the corruption risks in their national defence and security establishments. This Index is novel, as it is open to governments providing information and reviewing results. We have been encouraged by how many governments have provided input, and welcome further engagement to help us correct inaccuracies in the research, and work with us to develop reform plans.  There are many countries whose defence ministry remains secretive and closed, and where it can be dangerous even to ask questions about corruption. Bringing transparency to this sector, and accountability to citizens, is another main purpose of this Index. Many of these countries are important players on the world stage, and major exporters and importers of arms. It is to the benefit of the whole world that they be more open and accountable
about their defence establishments.

Download a free pdf copy of the 52 page GOVERNMENT DEFENCE ANTI- CORRUPTION INDEX 2013

Continue reading “Owl: GOVERNMENT DEFENCE ANTI- CORRUPTION INDEX 2013”

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Chuck Spinney: Has the US Lost Its Grand Strategic Mind?

02 Diplomacy, 04 Inter-State Conflict, 05 Civil War, 07 Other Atrocities, 08 Proliferation, 08 Wild Cards, 10 Security, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government, Idiocy, Ineptitude, IO Deeds of War, Military, Misinformation & Propaganda, Officers Call, Power Behind-the-Scenes/Special Interests, Secrecy & Politics of Secrecy
Chuck Spinney
Chuck Spinney

As Esam Al-Amin explained here, Mohamad Morsi made some colossal blunders during his one year rule of Egypt, as its democratically elected president.  He was elected in what most observers regard as a reasonably fair election.

But the exclusive report by Al Jazeera (also attached below) reveals that the United States — which claims to support democracy in the Middle East and elsewhere — has been actively involved in bankrolling Morsi's opposition, and in so doing has continued its long policy of subverting Islamist democratic victories when they win fair elections (Hamas in  2006) or threaten to win fair elections (Algeria  1991).

Al Jazeera reveals how stark contradictions continue to rip through the three legs of the moral triangle that is US foreign policy — i.e., the contradictions between  (1) the values we profess to to the world that we uphold, (2) the values we actually hold as demonstrated by our actions abroad as well as at home (don't forget the neo-fascist, non-accountable, hidden hand the emerging American deep state exemplified by the NSA scandal) and (3) the world we have to deal with deal with (in this case epitomized by the changing conditions of the Arab Spring).

Continue reading “Chuck Spinney: Has the US Lost Its Grand Strategic Mind?”

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