Ex-CIA chief: What Edward Snowden did

Ex-CIA chief: What Edward Snowden did

Ex-CIA chief, Michael Hayden has a dangerous and distorted world view and the U.S. government's role in it - and that's putting it mildly.

He states:

In general terms, it's already clear Snowden's betrayal hurts in at least three important ways. First, there is the undeniable operational effect of informing adversaries of American intelligence's tactics, techniques and procedures.

But as a former director of NSA, I would also suggest that the base 50% to 60% of American intelligence day in and day out is provided by signals intelligence, the kinds of intercepted communications that Snowden has so blithely put at risk.

The real purpose of those complaints is competitive economic advantage, putting added burdens on or even disqualifying American firms competing in Europe

What Hayden and the government are completely blind to is the fact that we wouldn't NEED American Intelligence tactics if they stopped meddling in the affairs of other countries! We wouldn't have terrorists trying to blow us up if the government stayed the hell out of the incurable Middle East.

Spying on Russia and China? What the hell for??? Keep our military here and build it up to the point where it makes the whole world tremble with fear - THAT would do away with needing to know anything about what our potential enemies are up to.

Always, ALWAYS, offer kindness and caring to the rest of the world - supplying food, medicine, and whatever else is needed EXCEPT WEAPONS OR ANYTHING WITH A MILITARY INTENT.

Who cares if the filthy rich business owners lose an advantage while competing in Europe? Bring those jobs BACK where they belong! Here. American jobs for American people. So, Mr. U.S. Government, it's not nice for Snowden to take your secrets over there, but you could care less if our jobs go. Well, how do YOU like it!

You want to make us safer (of course you really don't)? All you have to do is get your nose out of the Middle East and guess what happens to terrorist threats against the United States? They vanish overnight!

STOP meddling in the affairs of other countries and you can completely shut DOWN the CIA, NSA, TSA, and the DHS.

STOP trying to promote a world economy for the benefit of the filthy rich. This life isn't about countries competing for our business; it's about Americans jobs for American people earning American money to purchase American goods!

Mr. Government, you've taken one of thee simplest ideals (everything American for American people) and complicated it right into a trillion dollar deficit.

Just STOP this madness!

reply to post by jiggerj


We like every other country like to look over the fence when it comes to threats. Have we gone a little overboard? Yea, probably. I like to be left alone when it comes to privacy. I also expect my government to give other countries the benefit of the doubt when it comes to threat analysis. At the same time we have to ask ourselves; are other countries doing the same to us? Yes, most likely. Dog eat dog world.

reply to post by jiggerj


Ding, ding, ding. You sir are the winner. Loved your post man!

#StopTheMadness lol

Originally posted by Covertblack
reply to post by jiggerj

 

We like every other country like to look over the fence when it comes to threats. Have we gone a little overboard? Yea, probably. I like to be left alone when it comes to privacy. I also expect my government to give other countries the benefit of the doubt when it comes to threat analysis. At the same time we have to ask ourselves; are other countries doing the same to us? Yes, most likely. Dog eat dog world.

You are correct. It is a dog eat dog world, but it's not supposed to be that way. Our government has been meddling in world affairs since before WWI. Where can we look in this world where we can say, We made things better? There's still war. There's still tyranny. There's still hunger. We need to let the world grow up on its own. We can't make a people of a foreign land embrace our ideals; this has been proven time and time again. They have to change from within, with us leading by example and never ever EVER by force! It just doesn't work.

The only possible exception is Japan - sort of. We gave them our way of life and through technology and good business sense they kicked our %$$e$.

reply to post by jiggerj
No one will ever really tell anyone what Snowden really did. Point being , why take all this info that is so damaging and then not put it out there, then spend the rest of your life running. Seems more like a "miss direction" mission and Snowden is still an asset.

I think you need to direct your OP to the "filthy rich" as you put it. They control the country's by controlling and owning there debt, America or any other country for matter is nothing more then some filthy rich conglomerate's lackey that does what the likes of the Rothschild's tell them to do.

I know its hard to believe and certainly not as interesting believing that some bored Trillionaire just sits around with his buddy's and controls the world but it is my opinion that that is really all its about............what bothers me is being a human being, what kind of hang-ups do you think these people have??...........just a thought.

Originally posted by introV
reply to post by jiggerj

 

Ding, ding, ding. You sir are the winner. Loved your post man!

#StopTheMadness lol

Thanks. It really is time to tell the government that it's playing a game that couldn't be further from the needs and wants of the people. Interfering in other countries? Spying? Global economy? This crap is insane.

We don't need it or want it. I want my government officials to take care of OUR elderly and infirm. I want my government to provide affordable education for our kids. I want our government to pave our roads, protect our forests, secure our borders, ensure job security... There is nothing I want that concerns anything that isn't on American soil.

reply to post by jiggerj


No doubt brother. But we have to ask ourselves, are we doing any more than other countries when it comes to intel? I am in no way condoning what we do, but is it the status qua? What if other countries are more invasive than we are, but we don't hear about a "Snowden" from them?

reply to post by BobAthome


I'm not the leader sir. I am but a peon in a complicated system. A system that elects individuals from two sides, only to have those individuals be very similar.

reply to post by Covertblack


no u represent "We The People",,,and all that is good,,just and fair,,,ur American,,remember.

*** Get On Topic Please****

reply to post by Battleline

I think you need to direct your OP to the "filthy rich" as you put it. They control the country's by controlling and owning there debt, America or any other country for matter is nothing more then some filthy rich conglomerate's lackey that does what the likes of the Rothschild's tell them to do.

That's another good point. Did you know that the Rothschilds like to finance both sides of a war? When I heard this I couldn't understand why these banks weren't immediately shut down and the execs executed.

Here's another conspiracy for ya. It's no secret that the U.S. is never going to be able to reduce the deficit. Is it possible that the government's plan is to create a global economy for the sole purpose of letting it crumble? With the economies of every country totally collapsed, no one would owe anyone. I dunno?

reply to post by BobAthome


True. We like to think we are top dog, but there are numerous other countries that are equal with us. We need to stop acting so high and mighty. We really need to let other countries in, and trust them.

No doubt I am part of the American movement. I love my country, but we could improve.

reply to post by jiggerj

Originally posted by jiggerj
Who cares if the filthy rich business owners lose an advantage while competing in Europe?

*****If you read about American intervention overseas (I would argue most, if not all), was primarily done to protect the profits of American companies.

Thats right, the US military, our "intelligence" services and government in general, was (and is) using tax payer money to protect private profits not unlike banker bailouts: profits are private, losses are public. Except, with foreign intervention, its more than just money, its murder.

Whether it was the American copper mines in Chile and the installation of Pinochet, the CIA overthrow of the government of Guatemala under the orders of the United Fruit Company or say the overthrow of Iran's democratically elected leader known as Operation Ajax, its all about $$$.

Even the US's relationship with Cuba. It was in response to the loss of investment dollars by private companies after their government introduced socialism.

It was nothing new then and its nothing new now.

USMC Major General Smedley Butler, in his expose, War is a Racket, wrote the following:

I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested.

Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.

And the "global war on terror" is no different.

reply to post by Covertblack


We need to stop acting so high and mighty,,,,,,,buts that in itself,,IS AMERICAN,,,as Churchill said,,"there slow,,,but once they get going,,there is no stopping them.",,,i think he was is right.

Originally posted by Covertblack
reply to post by jiggerj

 

No doubt brother. But we have to ask ourselves, are we doing any more than other countries when it comes to intel? I am in no way condoning what we do, but is it the status qua? What if other countries are more invasive than we are, but we don't hear about a "Snowden" from them?

Oh it's definitely a spy vs. spy game. Again, totally disconnected from the reality of everyday people living their everyday lives. It has no foundation in reality. If our government didn't play this game then there'd be no need for secrets. No need for secrets = no need for spying. It needs to just stop.

Originally posted by gladtobehere
reply to post by jiggerj

 

Originally posted by jiggerj
Who cares if the filthy rich business owners lose an advantage while competing in Europe?

If you read about American intervention overseas (I would argue most, if not all), was primarily done to protect the profits of American companies.

Thats right, the US military, our "intelligence" services and government in general, was using tax payer money to protect private profits not unlike banker bailouts: profits are private, losses are public. Except, with foreign intervention, lives were being lost.

Man, you said it!

Originally posted by jiggerj

Originally posted by Covertblack
reply to post by jiggerj

 

We like every other country like to look over the fence when it comes to threats. Have we gone a little overboard? Yea, probably. I like to be left alone when it comes to privacy. I also expect my government to give other countries the benefit of the doubt when it comes to threat analysis. At the same time we have to ask ourselves; are other countries doing the same to us? Yes, most likely. Dog eat dog world.

You are correct. It is a dog eat dog world, but it's not supposed to be that way. Our government has been meddling in world affairs since before WWI. Where can we look in this world where we can say, We made things better? There's still war. There's still tyranny. There's still hunger. We need to let the world grow up on its own. We can't make a people of a foreign land embrace our ideals; this has been proven time and time again. They have to change from within, with us leading by example and never ever EVER by force! It just doesn't work.

The only possible exception is Japan - sort of. We gave them our way of life and through technology and good business sense they kicked our %$$e$.

Unfortunately, most of the world won't grow up on it's own. Many countries in the Middle East and Africa still live as they did a thousand years ago. Try and educate them, and you are indoctrinating their citizens, imposing your cultural values on them or trying to evangelize them. If you don't try and do something, you are guilty of abandoning them. Even worse, they'll spend money trying to destabilize each other with guerrilla armies, spreading Marxism, fundamentalist Islam or some combination of both.

The best that can be done is to try and monitor the situation, try and bribe the leaders not to start wars or sabotage their efforts to wage war on each other.

As far as Japan and the Far East goes, look at the Lima Declaration of 1975. We agreed to give away our manufacturing base as an effort to "share" our wealth.

reply to post by stormcell


And now u must look at these problems as kings of the Earth,,,tough job being King
.ask Pharoe Morisi,,,,
,,not to much,,luv there,,,lol

Some of the comments under the article
are freakin hilarious. And it just goes on
and on for page after page after page.

- The CIA does not protect America. It protects the criminals that run America. The CIA is the most dangerous enemy the American people have.

- The electoral process is nothing more than a beauty pageant, paid for by Wall Street.

- [color=gold] When you remove the hyperbole and conjecture, what's left of the article is punctuation.

- Did I miss the damage he (Snowden) caused?

- Did I miss it? There's no apology for doing anything illegal in the entire essay (by Hayden).

- Just more evidence of how absolutely irredeemable many of these shadowy despots in control of the government really are.

- The insultingly orwellian claim that Snowden was aiding the enemy just reveals the sinister extent to which the government now sees the American people as their enemy.

- Lots of people should be in jail many wall street workers, big bank executives, ceos, and members of Congress but not Snowden.

- The author does note the huge size of Snowden's leak - which is a consequence of the policies Snowden opposes and the author supports.

- This is obviously not an article written by anyone knowing much about data: "Snowden fled to China with several computers' worth of data..." Data is not measured in "computers". The statement is meaningless.

- The way General Hayden exercises his first amendment rights here reminds of one reason why there is a second amendment.

- Hayden is the perfect example of the corrupt revolving door between government military and the private contractors who make billions off of ginned up fear of "terrorists".

- This opinion is piece is a fine example of the perennial, creeping arrogance of the US federal government toward its citizens.

- It takes a special kind of arrogance to ignore the limits placed by the constitution and invalidate the 4th amendment of the bill or rights without going through the amendment process.