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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Lawmaker Says Snowden Leaks Will Cost Country 'Billions To |
| 2014-02-07 |
| Following a classified briefing on Wednesday, the chairman and the vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said the "majority" of the classified information taken by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden had "nothing to do with the NSA," or its collection of bulk data. "Instead [his leaks] specifically [work] to compromise the military capability and defense of the country," Rep. Mac Thornberry, a Texas Republican and the vice chairman of the committee, said during a press briefing. Thornberry added the leaks will "certainly cost billions to repair." "His actions were espionage plain and simple," Thornberry said. Rep. Howard McKeon, a Republican from California and the committee chairman, piled on. "Edward Snowden isn't a whistle-blower; he isn't a hero. He's a traitor and a criminal," McKeon said. Americans, he added, would be "shocked and outraged" to learn how much of the information he took had to do with defense issues. Not so much shocked and outraged, surprised is what I'll be if we ever learn what was really compromised, besides governmental overreach combined with thorough going high level incompetence at securing classified information. |
| Posted by:Anguper Hupomosing9418 |
| #13 Since the only things I know about are the NSA spying leaks I have a whole lot of ambivalent reactions. I'm way too old and cynical to believe in the Tom Clancy rose colored glasses view of intelligence operations and operators from CinC on down. But, I'm also aware of what nasty things are wished on us by our enemies (friends?). The leak of the NSA atrocity is, to me, a good thing. Since we'll never know what else went missing ????????????????? Should I trust in the judgement of those who are crying the sky is falling? The only rational response I can find is "I don't know and I can't do anything any way." |
| Posted by: AlanC 2014-02-07 11:38 |
| #12 Personally (and I am not an Intel guy) I think all the NSA spying revelations were a convenient cover for his real actions. He would have still stolen the information even if the NSA wasn't spying. And people want Obama to give him a Metal of Freedom and he might even get the Nobel Peace Prize (He'll have good company there). If this is what he did then what he deserves is a lead in the brain-pan award. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2014-02-07 10:16 |
| #11 You think a man who claims to 'personally' approve the drone killing of individuals has any qualms about directing these means to be applied against those who he truly considers his real enemies at home? Short answer: NO Longer answer: He is employing the Oprah [they must all be slain] solution with his ACA. The sick, elderly, and newly uninsured will soon by dropping like flies.... as planned. The young and healthy will continue to pay into the various Ponzi schemes with the forlorn hope of one day receiving a few benefits. Interestingly however, I learned this morning that the regime is mulling a 3 year delay in the full [not further defined] implementation of ACA, and may soon encourage insurance companies to reinstate terminated policies. If true, this delay would unload the 2014 election gun-to-their-heads, and provide ample time for the Hildebeast to uncloak her 'new and improved' HildeCare scheme just prior to the 2016 presidential. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-02-07 09:59 |
| #10 So basically the asshole has rendered us naked before our enemies? Given how government branches and agencies have been corrupted to be political agents of one party, one could say he apply demonstrated those enemies include anything and anyone domestically considered not of the Inner Party. You think a man who claims to 'personally' approve the drone killing of individuals has any qualms about directing these means to be applied against those who he truly considers his real enemies at home? You think this man would control himself to employ a byzantine world of blackmail and leaks provided by this system to destroy political opposition? Pox on both houses. The tools should never had been made. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-02-07 09:45 |
| #9 The evidence concerning Snowden appears absolutely overwhelming. He [and we] however, are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-02-07 09:00 |
| #8 Snowy: Unless provided with solid, irrefutable evidence to the contrary, one must assume and plan for the worst. Prior to the advent of today's digital age, document inventories and security was much, much easier. Paper documents were labeled as original and/or (copy #1 of 10 copies) etc. Viewers or document holders were required to actually sign for documents from an authorized release authority. While not perfect, unless someone photo-copied a document, transcribed it by hand, or stuffed it into their shorts, an acceptable level of document access and security was achieved. The digital age has changed much of that. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-02-07 08:56 |
| #7 Re #1: according to most of the more recent sources, and my low-level contacts within certain gov agencies, the vast majority of information and data collected by snowden consisted of classified military information; the way we operate, communicate, execute, etc. Very little of it had to do with the NSA's surveillance operations. In other words, he has handed over our playbook to our adversaries; not unlike the Seahawks cracking Peyton's play calling signs. And we all know how that turned out. (Apologies to any Broncos fans here.) We will have to come up with a whole new playbook now and that's not going to be cheap. Despite whatever wrongdoings the NSA and the 0bama administration engaged in, the fact remains that Snowden is a traitor to this country, a Benedict Arnold, the antithesis of a hero, who has jeopardized the security of this nation in a way few others ever have before. |
| Posted by: Eltoroverde 2014-02-07 08:47 |
| #6 So basically the asshole has rendered us naked before our enemies? |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2014-02-07 08:37 |
| #5 Agreed. The loss of day-to-day intelligence production is damaging, but far more damaging 'long-term' is the disclosure of sources and methods. If your adversary has knowledge of your sources, he knows where your efforts are focused and where your intelligence gaps lie. He now knows precisely what you do NOT know, and can either take steps to strengthen the operational security of his programs, implement deception tactics, target your sources for recruitment, do nothing and monitor, or terminate his programs altogether. Nothing good will come from any of this Snowden business. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-02-07 06:17 |
| #4 Put it this way: Based on what we know he took, he destroy most, if not all, of our entire human source network. Death of 10,000 cuts. The IC is VERY worried about what he took. |
| Posted by: Bangkok Billy 2014-02-07 05:49 |
| #3 As you suspected TW, your Facebook JAG is woefully incorrect. There are both short and long-term costs associated with leaks or unauthorized releases of classified material. Some are calculable, some or incalculable. When the releases are at the level of what is being discussed here, the long-term or greater costs are potentially incalculable. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-02-07 04:31 |
| #2 A gentleman on Facebook who was once an Air Force JAG explained gently to me that Mr. Snowden couldn't possibly do any real harm because what he downloaded was encrypted, and therefore not truly accessible. But that doesn't make sense, given that there have been actual revelations. Also, The Guardian released a video of themselves destroying their Snowden hard drives, which struck me as odd. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2014-02-07 04:24 |
| #1 Snowden has not released any military information. Just information regarding unconstitutional stalking by the Narcissistic Stalking Administration of the Obama Regime. Mac Thornberry was responsible for developing a cyber security strategy for the country. Didn't work did it? |
| Posted by: Omavising Ebbemp9815 2014-02-07 00:40 |