Edward Snowden: the whistleblower behind revelations of NSA surveillance

You simply cannot make this stuff up anymore!

Ben Affleck is not doubt already trying to get his "screenplay" wirtten...

I can't get a "gut feeling" on all this yet, need to see how some things will play out but if it's true, it gives me a bit of hope that there are still some people out there, no matter who they are or what they "do" that might just get some sort of ball-rolling in a way that makes sense again?

I do NOT buy into this "spying for safety" BS...TPTB are acting like a scorned wife who's hired a PT trying to get the nastiest dirt possible on a "soon to be ex" so she can nail him to the wall when the "timing is right"...

I for one /hate to think that I have to live my life with some sort of sword hanging over my head that could be dropped at any time, for any reason...that is not democracy and it's no way to live.

Seems like every WEEK there is something happening that I just have trouble swallowing: it's like falling down a rabbit hole and you' start to doubt EVERYTHING you thought was true!

Hope he stays safe until he's ready to "talk"...Hong Kong is a great city with many resources and nooks/crannies to hide in

i just watched a quick bit on CNN newsroom about snowden, i found it pretty odd that they focused on him and trying to discredit him rsther than the larger issue.

They portrayed him as a high school drop out who failed in the military, couldnt cut it as an NSA security guard or CIA computer security analyst and only worked for B.A.H. for a few months prior to him releasing this info.
CNN usually reruns its loop every 30/60 minutes im sure if you watch you will see what im talking about.

it just doesnt add up.

Question:
i dont really follow the 9/11 conspiracy threads, but i thought i have heard B.A.H.'s name dragged through the rubble...is that true?
if so it adds a bit more depth to all of this playing out as it is.

Originally posted by TheBlackHat
Source SKY news via Yahoo news..."A native of North Carolina, Mr Snowden said he did not have a high school diploma and enlisted in the US Army in 2003 because he wanted to fight in Iraq...

So supposedly the CIA will hire you without even finishing high school??????????????
That don't sound right to me.

You bet they will. Not as a core management sort of guy which is all Yale and Princeton, or used to be, but they'll take offbeat guys for field duty in some environments. If you're a native Farsi speaker with the right looks and provable loyalty, you betcha they'll snap you up if you test out bright but somewhat uneducated.

You guys think this is his real name? I have entertained the notion of misusing the data retrieval functions available to me through 'the other internet' on this guy and see if I can corroborate his story but I'm gun shy that it's going to be hair triggered on his name right now. I'm still waffling.

reply to post by xavi1000


Brainwashed?
Man you are just full of yourself, aren't you?

Here is what I know.
I know this has been ongoing since 2006. This also is not the first time this has been blown open. I remember watching on the news back then and seeing two MORE NSA whistleblowers being interviewed and them talking about how it was a running joke in the NSA to listen to sexual conversations of American Citizens.

NONE of this info is even remotely new news. It is open to the public.

Yet now it gets traction and it is convenient.
It gives Obama a "scandal" he can actually confront. Congress knows all about it. The courts know all about it. And

in the meantime the IRS scandal has disappeared.

Originally posted by irishchic
You simply cannot make this stuff up anymore!

Ben Affleck is not doubt already trying to get his "screenplay" wirtten...

I can't get a "gut feeling" on all this yet, need to see how some things will play out but if it's true, it gives me a bit of hope that there are still some people out there, no matter who they are or what they "do" that might just get some sort of ball-rolling in a way that makes sense again?

I do NOT buy into this "spying for safety" BS...TPTB are acting like a scorned wife who's hired a PT trying to get the nastiest dirt possible on a "soon to be ex" so she can nail him to the wall when the "timing is right"...

I for one /hate to think that I have to live my life with some sort of sword hanging over my head that could be dropped at any time, for any reason...that is not democracy and it's no way to live.

Seems like every WEEK there is something happening that I just have trouble swallowing: it's like falling down a rabbit hole and you' start to doubt EVERYTHING you thought was true!

Hope he stays safe until he's ready to "talk"...Hong Kong is a great city with many resources and nooks/crannies to hide in

All I really want to know is are you really a pole dancer? See thats how easily i am distracted from the important issues of the day...bbaaaahhhhh baaaahhhhhh

Insult me all you like, but to me your little one line quips scream to me of someone without an intellectual leg to stand on.

reply to post by JayinAR


If you are worried about IRS scandal go on that thread, bump it , write on that , but dont accuse this young man as a plant because he is genuine.

Originally posted by WhiteAlice

Originally posted by Bedlam
reply to post by Bilk22

 

I've seen the agency hire oddly qualified people like that but usually NSA is picky.

Picky? Yes, but for a specific type of individual. A high school diploma, however, isn't one of them. The NSA will hire high school seniors to work full-time for them during the summer: www.nsa.gov...

So yes, they are picky but they are picky in looking for specific types of minds.

That's a summer jobs program though, not an analyst assignment. Hell, most government agencies have something similar. Back when, they called it a '700 hour appointment', which is apparently just shy of the length of time you could work before they had to start providing you with benefits. As a kid, I did a number of 700 hour appointments with this bunch and that. They'll start you out at 14, or used to.

You probably can't get a 7ha with NRO, but pretty much anything less than that has SOME number of them for high schoolers.

reply to post by Bedlam


The other internet...huh? Are you talking about morse code or smoke signals?

Originally posted by Maluhia
reply to post by flexy123

 

It is really like that, the FACT ALONE that all your or my data are stored, likely in-detail and in-depth spanning back YEARS AND YEARS (think about the crazy data capacities...) can make *anyone* into a suspect/criminal...all it needs is the the "right" view at these data and you could likely turn ANY person into a criminal, "potential terrorist", child molester or whatever....rest assured chances are you will find *something* which will fit any type of accusation.

Or, they may simply decide your views are different than theirs and sic the IRS on you as punishment, or any other governmental agency capable of wreaking havoc on your life.

What life? For a misdemeanor twenty years ago and the IQ of a wet sponge
or better I'm on my third consecutive Alexsanderin'. Two audits in two years,
with homelessness kicking in by Codependence Day? Silence isn't acquiesence
anymore, it's suicide. Welcome home--- where's my accordian coupon?

Originally posted by TheBlackHat
reply to post by Bedlam

 

The other internet...huh? Are you talking about morse code or smoke signals?

The gubmint's got a couple more that ride over the regular internet lines for the most part, although they're getting the TS level stuff onto its own hardware eventually.

You got the right setup, you can get into some kickass 'phone books' that'll tell you all sorts of info about John Q Citizen, also if you are military or gubmint related, there is a wealth of extra info including a couple of ways to check your clearances.

e.g, if the guy says he was in Special Forces training, he had better show billeting records at Ft Bragg or he's a poopyhead.

eta, if he says he had access to sooper sekret documents, I'd also expect to see him on the list at Castles and/or JP.

Originally posted by derfreebie

Originally posted by Bilk22

Originally posted by Maluhia
reply to post by bg_socalif

 

People like Snowden will have to look over their shoulders for the rest of their lives and nothing will have changed.

Probably true, but maybe a few more people will begin to realize what the heck is happening and make a bigger stink, this is not something that's happening to someone else - this is happening to all of us. Heck, I can dream...

You asked me to expand on my post, which I did. Now the more I think about it and the more I see Republicans come out in defense of this surveillance and calling on Snowden to be prosecuted, the more I'm convinced this was a setup. There is a good possibility this was a controlled release of information so that everyone gets conditioned to understand we are being watched.

Again I look at the video interview and I don't see a guy who just took on the most powerful force on the planet. He doesn't even look worried. Something isn't right here. Let's add, the guy is 29. If he has a masters at the very least, he's not doing what he did for very long. His claims of being in the positions he was in seem farfetched. I know IT is full of young guns, but I don't see him having the time in, to have moved up the food chain the way he said he did.

Has anyone done any homework on where he went to school? Anything on his background that can corroborate or verify he is at least a techie with a degree? With all the controversy this guy has created, one would think the media would be all over his background already. Heck, with the CT shooting, they knew where that kid bought his bubblegum, in a matter of a few hours. I'm not convinced this is what it appears to be. I guess time will tell when we see it play out further.

Star, Bilk. If he's a plant, it still though may entertain some unintended consequences
for the farmers. Maybe there is enough of the population now who have been ushered to
a large enough pain threshold to back out and say, "Forget the messenger, is the
message true?" If he is after all a plant he'll disappear dead or alive, and the Wurlitzer
will crank up the National Security jingle. I've got a feeling the longer this plays out the
less it will serve the farmers. Might have been a bad idea to run an OpEd for PRISM
by the media before the fan cranked up... we saw the 2x4 coming this time.

Thanks Think about this as well. There have been a lot of whistleblowers of late in the IRS scandal, etc. This release, if it were a controlled release by the administration via a patsy, lets those that were contemplating releasing even more info to the media, believe they'll be found out because we see everything. It puts out a lot of fires with one hose. There was really nothing devastating in the document from what I can tell, but the effect it has on the exchange of information over the nets can be profound. Now people will think twice before contacting a reporter such as happened with the Fox News guy.

Originally posted by ProfessorT
I have not been "brainwashed". I am being logical. Mr Snowden has now divulged information that enemies of both the United States of America and Great Britain can learn from and study. The use of PRISM would have undoubtedly prevented serious crimes from taking place. My opinion is the same as President Obama's. In this day and age 100 per cent privacy cannot be reasonably expected when communicating electronically as it has become a tool used by terrorists and other criminals who launch cyber attacks.

edit on 9-6-2013 by ProfessorT because: (no reason given)

Your posts are very disturbing in their stupidity but it's more disturbing the fact that someone gives you stars for those. And in my experience, beware of the sneaky hidden elements rather than of those who speak openly.

reply to post by xavi1000


I appreciate your concern, but I will post wherever the hell I please, thankya very much.

The government may be clamping down on free speach, but I will not cow tow to some nitwit trying to do the same on ATS.

The use of PRISM would have undoubtedly prevented serious crimes from taking place.

Regardless, it is STILL unconstitutional as hell.

Of course, it was going on way before Obama, even before Bush Jr. I still love it when they post approval ratings though...like he cares, not like he can get a 3rd term. Only reason he even got a second was that the other option was simply unpalatable...and even then, fairly close!

______________________________


Watch the personal attacks folks. Attack a person's points, but without the name-calling.....

reply to post by Bedlam

if the guy says he was in Special Forces training, he had better show billeting records at Ft Bragg or he's a poopyhead. eta, if he says he had access to sooper sekret documents, I'd also expect to see him on the list at Castles and/or JP.

The Guardian vetted him. They referenced his CIA and NSA identifications in the one article that I read there.

Even more, he had the Top Secret information that one gets only if you work at the NSA.
Plus, I don't think the government would be spouting off about how they want to extradite him if he is a fake.

Originally posted by Bedlam

Originally posted by WhiteAlice

Originally posted by Bedlam
reply to post by Bilk22

 

I've seen the agency hire oddly qualified people like that but usually NSA is picky.

Picky? Yes, but for a specific type of individual. A high school diploma, however, isn't one of them. The NSA will hire high school seniors to work full-time for them during the summer: www.nsa.gov...

So yes, they are picky but they are picky in looking for specific types of minds.

That's a summer jobs program though, not an analyst assignment. Hell, most government agencies have something similar. Back when, they called it a '700 hour appointment', which is apparently just shy of the length of time you could work before they had to start providing you with benefits. As a kid, I did a number of 700 hour appointments with this bunch and that. They'll start you out at 14, or used to.

You probably can't get a 7ha with NRO, but pretty much anything less than that has SOME number of them for high schoolers.

It's still working for the NSA without a diploma as a high school student. You know, it's not like taking a summer job at McDonald's. You're also not factoring in what they teach in the gifted programs. My youngest is in it, is 10 years old and this year was learning how to find prime numbers, perfect number, and mersienne numbers--all of which don't have much real world purpose outside of cryptography and algorithms. Another subject taught is game theory and specifically "one player game theory", which is a high level form of strategic analysis.

As much as Snowden's career may chafe some, there are definite occasions when someone who has a specific type of creativity/intellect/talent that will tapped for placement in these kind of things. People with degrees are a dime a dozen. People with pure ability are not. Why do you think DARPA has a brain drain when there are plenty of degree holders in engineering out there? My ex boyfriend in high school would fall under this. He dropped out of high school his senior year to join the military. He ended up in executive positions for more than one private defense contractor and that's the least of the surprises.

Originally posted by butcherguy
Even more, he had the Top Secret information that one gets only if you work at the NSA.
Plus, I don't think the government would be spouting off about how they want to extradite him if he is a fake.

Sure they would. Depends on the scam they were running, if they were.

If he doesn't show up anywhere or in the wrong wheres, it would be interesting.

Originally posted by Bedlam

Originally posted by butcherguy
Even more, he had the Top Secret information that one gets only if you work at the NSA.
Plus, I don't think the government would be spouting off about how they want to extradite him if he is a fake.

Sure they would. Depends on the scam they were running, if they were.

If he doesn't show up anywhere or in the wrong wheres, it would be interesting.

What lengths will they(the intelligence community) go to discredit him at this point. It is a little late, mainly because he brought proof with him. But they could still trump up indications of mental illness to discredit other things that he may say that he doesn't have proof for. But, we don't really know what all he brought with him... he may have more goodies... and that makes the situation a little sticky for the NSA.
It could be a scam, but I am not leaning that way.

Originally posted by WhiteAlice

It's still working for the NSA without a diploma as a high school student. You know, it's not like taking a summer job at McDonald's.

Yes, it's technically working for the NSA. But again, it's a summer program for kids, not a field SIGINT collection job. You do intern work. You do not get clearances.

As much as Snowden's career may chafe some, there are definite occasions when someone who has a specific type of creativity/intellect/talent that will tapped for placement in these kind of things. People with degrees are a dime a dozen. People with pure ability are not. Why do you think DARPA has a brain drain when there are plenty of degree holders in engineering out there? My ex boyfriend in high school would fall under this. He dropped out of high school his senior year to join the military. He ended up in executive positions for more than one private defense contractor and that's the least of the surprises.

It doesn't chafe me, it is atypical and thus interesting in this circumstance.

Not everyone is Skunk Baxter. There are some, but they're few enough that when you see someone claiming to be one, it'll be worth checking into.

If the guy never was in the Army, or wasn't posted where he needs to have been for SF, what then?