Today's Show: Ask the NSA!
What I have to report doesn't make things look any better. I can't say it makes things truly look any worse, though, since this story is starting
to bear all the earmarkings of a not-so-well implemented hoax... but let me play devil's advocate with respect to the recent two postings...
First, neither post was made by Anonymous. One was the supposed list owner's comment. The odd thing in there was the reference that "the ghost"
cancelled his email account after each use. Does that mean that he tried to send mail to "the ghost" and it got bounced? Or is he throwing
that bone in there to give the story a little more mystery. I dunno. I don't read much into this post though.
Second is the MJ-12 "consistency". I'm guessing that Bill Ryan put this up there when someone suggested that the material is consistent with
Anonymous' story. I don't know how this could have any effect -- the MJ-12 documents have been around for years. Anonymous could just as easily
have concocted his story based on the MJ-12 documents (and many other docs, including FOIA docs) as he is actually reading from some mystical
debriefing manual (where are the pictures of that?!?) This second post, again, is not being attributed to Anonymous... but it's not helping to
detract from the growing wave of skepticism.
I found yesterday's comments about the "old colonel" a little strange. Now, I've never had a security clearance, so I can't say that my problem
with this statement comes from personal knowledge, but I work with a number of people who did have relatively high level clearances, due to their
military service or work in various federal agencies. I asked around and found someone who knew an "Analyst" at the NSA who might be willing to
talk to me about whether the "old colonel" and Anonymous might have been breaking any laws with what they've said. Why does this matter to me?
Read
posting 5 of Anonymous and you'll see why. He claims that he and his colleagues are trying
to release information with some sort of "sanction". He even blacks-out names in his writing, as if to give them the appearance of official,
redacted documents. This just strikes me funny.
So, my friend got in touch with his friend at NSA and arranged for me to contact this guy and ask some question.
Here is a transcript of our conversation that took place this morning. I sent
the transcript back to my contact at NSA for "approval" and they sent it back with a few words removed.
My contact told me the words were removed because they need to research whether the terms he used are acceptable, not because he gave me any
classified information.
Overall the discussion helped convince me that the old colonel story is questionable, but not particularly unlikely. I still have some problems with
posting #5, but someone, somewhere, may actually have something.
To follow-up, I'm going to make the FOIA requests for Project Serpo, Project Prose, Project Spreo, and Project Spore. Maybe a few more.
edit: it was too long

Shortened it up to stick to the points.
[edit on 5-12-2005 by Centrist]