DHS satellite spy program going forward despite objections

DHS satellite spy program going forward despite objections

rawstory.com

After more than a year of delay, Congress quietly authorized DHS to begin sharing data gathered by military satellites with civilian and law enforcement agencies. A $634 billion spending bill signed into law earlier this week provides funds for DHS to establish the satellite surveillance program, known as the National Applications Office, without addressing the myriad concerns about NAO privacy and civil liberties protections that had been delaying its implementation.

(visit the link for the full news article)

They are damn right there are objections, and they stem from the same place that they do about the domestic warrant-less wiretapping program.

Mix civil and military authority to this degree, and we just give local law enforcement another unneeded weak point the White House can use clandestinely, against its own people. No no NO.

They got The Patriot Act and FISA. WTF more do they want? The ability to stare up our asses, too?

rawstory.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Originally posted by TrueAmerican
The ability to stare up our asses, too?

Technically, they would only be able to read your newspaper headline along with you. Our posteriors are safe, for the moment, from visual imagery. Unless there is a major natural or manmade catastrophe in the US I highly doubt the military will bother to use precious satellite functions and capability for exotic (yet pointless) 1984-esque fantasies. The DHS is now more capable to respond to a crisis in the US because it has another tool it can use. That is both civilian and military satellites to help it cope with emergencies.

And for crying out loud, Google has invaded your personal privacy via satellites more than DHS probably will.

[edit on 2-10-2008 by WestPoint23]

634 Billion Dollars? WTF!

DHS to begin sharing data gathered by military satellites with civilian and law enforcement agencies.

Everything is being centralized.

Local law enforcement will be the ones reviewing the data.

This is ridiculous...we need a new system.

Why can't these kinds of decisions be made using something similar to American Idol?

Department of Homeland Security is the new intelligence agency for the North American Union.

Originally posted by WestPoint23
Technically, they would only be able to read your newspaper headline along with you. Our posteriors are safe, for the moment, from visual imagery.

Oh. Is that all? What is it with you, West, you always go for this kinda stuff.

I understand there might be a few good uses, but there are a few good uses for the Patriot Act, too. :scream: The kind that bust innocent people's doors down at 3am.

:shk:

The point is... Well there are more than one:

1) Too much capability to already militarized local law enforcement.
2) The ability of rogue intelligence agents to spy secretly on whoever they want, anytime, with no warrant. This can extend all the way up to the White House.
3) The further potential of hackers stealing classified military information.

Them saying they are just going to use it for "emergency assistance and science" is like Bush saying there were WMD's in Iraq. No thank you. Been there, done that, sold the T-shirt.

Originally posted by TrueAmerican
What is it with you, West, you always go for this kinda stuff.

I find defense related issues, policies and military systems interesting. Do not fear something simply because you may not fully understand it.

Originally posted by TrueAmerican
1) Too much capability to already militarized local law enforcement.

You are welcome to that opinion, I am not going to argue against it. I differ in believing that preparations for homeland defense, in every category, is a necessary must for the future.

Originally posted by TrueAmerican
2) The ability of rogue intelligence agents to spy secretly on whoever they want, anytime, with no warrant. This can extend all the way up to the White House.

Not a realistic scenario nor something to complain about at the present time. The capability and limited oppirtunity for this theoretical example has been available for decades. There are multiple and redundant checks in place to ensure this does not happen on a regular basis. Clearly anything is possible but not everything is probable. Relax.

Originally posted by TrueAmerican
3) The further potential of hackers stealing classified military information.

One of my initial thoughts also had to do with the way in which this intelligence would be collected and distributed. Any joint pool which can be accessed throughout the country is at risk to such a threat. But that's just the nature of this business. We have to work hard, as we currently are, to keep all classified and vital information/assets functional in the event of Cyber-warfare.

Originally posted by TrueAmerican
No thank you. Been there, done that, sold the T-shirt.

You had one of these too? I thought I was the only one.



[edit on 3-10-2008 by WestPoint23]

Originally posted by WestPoint23

Originally posted by TrueAmerican
The ability to stare up our asses, too?

Technically, they would only be able to read your newspaper headline along with you. Our posteriors are safe, for the moment, from visual imagery. Unless there is a major natural or manmade catastrophe in the US I highly doubt the military will bother to use precious satellite functions and capability for exotic (yet pointless) 1984-esque fantasies. The DHS is now more capable to respond to a crisis in the US because it has another tool it can use. That is both civilian and military satellites to help it cope with emergencies.

And for crying out loud, Google has invaded your personal privacy via satellites more than DHS probably will.

I agree. In this day and age, with the amount of chaos easily foreseeable,
somebody has to be looking out for the innocent citizens. Sure it can be used for bad, everything can be used for bad, but the good outweighs the bad in this case, and very much so.

reply to post by WestPoint23


lol on the T-shirt, West! Yep, I think that was the one.

You know what West, I'd really like to see you do a killer thread on the history of the arming of the police. You know, way back when they first started getting bigger weapons that gave police the one up on the citizenry. Didn't this start happening after the days of Al Capone when they had to get machine guns to compete with Al's gang? I dunno, maybe it was before that.

But I'd be curious to understand exactly how the police ended up with all the ridiculous weapons they have, including the autonomous robots that will make decisions on human life and death, the microUAV's, their armor, etc. You seem to have a pretty good grip on it. Do me a favor and u2u me if you make that thread, thanks.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Thats the rub though, the Intel community got hammered post 911 because they were NOT sharing data. Now they get hammered because they are.

While information is going to be shared I doubt highly that the ultra secret NRO birds will give away all thier secrets. Heck SPOT-1 imagery should be enough for law enforcement.

reply to post by FredT


Not sure I agree on that Fred. I mean in a sense, I see where you're coming from, but really, The CIA has been sharing information, plenty of it. Look at Able Danger. Sibel is still suffering from trying to expose that. It was the administration that failed to act on it, and that's only if you believe it was 19 hijackers and not rogue elements of the CIA/Mossad/ISI that did 911.

Look at Iraq, and the CIA intelligence reports TELLING the administration that there were no WMD's in Iraq to speak of, and yet still Bush finds a way to manipulate and exaggerate the evidence- and we see the results of that.

Look at the NIE on Iran. No evidence they are weaponizing uranium. And yet look at the hell Iran has caught over it, and they are probably going to be hit.


Look at Waco. Tanks? I mean give me a break! There was a good reason for posse comitatus.

The point is overall that unless some things change in high government, we can't just keep arming the police to the hilt with every little thing they want. Not only does it cost insane amounts of money, it usurps the very essence of what the constitution was intended for. That the people not be held hostage to the armament of government and police. And looks what's happened.

Exactly that.