Category: Government

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John Perry Barlow: Why Spy? (2002)

Government, Ineptitude, IO Impotency
John Perry Barlow

Why Spy?

John Perry Barlow

Forbes, 10.07.02

If the spooks can't analyze their own data, why call it intelligence?

For more than a year now, there has been a deluge of stories and op-ed pieces about the failure of the American intelligence community to detect or prevent the September 11, 2001, massacre. Nearly all of these accounts have expressed astonishment at the apparent incompetence of America's watchdogs.

I'm astonished that anyone's astonished.

Continue reading “John Perry Barlow: Why Spy? (2002)”

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1992 Donahue (US) “There is PLENTY of Money for Open Source”

Government, Historic Contributions
Chief, C4I
Chief, C4I

Arnie Donahue was the only person in the Office of Management and Budget with ALL of the CODEWORD compartments.  He knew where every dollar was going, at the time $30 billion or so.  When he stood up and said “There is PLENTY of Money for Open Source,” there was an ambient chill.  Everyone wanted to know what Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) was, but no one wanted to pay for it “out of hide.”  He and his boss at the time, Don Gessaman, were instrumental in establishing in the year 2000, at the direction of Sean O'Keefe,  Code M320 for all DoD expenditures on OSINT, a time bomb that is about to explode (or a bill that is about to come due, as it were).

Plenty of Money for Open Source
Plenty of Money for Open Source