NSA Analyst Sez Agency Spied on Everyone….Especially Journalists

Published on January 22nd, 2009

Former National Security Agency analyst Russell Tice, who helped expose the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping in December 2005, has now come forward with even more startling allegations. Tice told MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann on Wednesday that the programs that spied on Americans were not only much broader than previously acknowledged but specifically targeted journalists.

“The National Security Agency had access to all Americans’ communications — faxes, phone calls, and their computer communications,” Tice claimed. “It didn’t matter whether you were in Kansas, in the middle of the country, and you never made foreign communications at all. They monitored all communications.” Tice further explained that “even for the NSA it’s impossible to literally collect all communications. … What was done was sort of an ability to look at the metadata … and ferret that information to determine what communications would ultimately be collected.”

We took an informal poll in my office about this issue. Most agreed that unlimited wiretapping is a good thing as long as its for “National Security”. But then most everyone I work with are drooling idiots. And yes, they do read my posts.

Found by Ian Warner

34 users responded in " NSA Analyst Sez Agency Spied on Everyone….Especially Journalists "

Subscribe to this post comment rss or trackback url

# 1 GetSmart said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 1:37 pm

No surprise here at all. And why are folks referring to it in the past tense? Like it’s actually ever stopped.

# 2 McCullough said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 1:39 pm

#1. Good Point.

# 3 Phydeau said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 1:48 pm

I will be seriously spooked if this former spook has an “unfortunate accident” in the near future…

# 4 Dallas said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 1:52 pm

It’s all going to change.

What you are seeing are the results of eight years of Cheney driven fascist philosophy from the top of the administration to treat Americans as criminals.

Similarly, the financial crisis is a result of eight years without oversight, regulation and accountability. This too will change.

The Bush apologists in here merely dismiss this as business as usual. Well, shame on you for throwing in the towel on American values of freedom.

That’s why you lost to the left so, STFU and do as your told for the next 3 decades while we fix this turd you created.

# 5 Paddy-O said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 1:58 pm

# 4 Dallas said, “Similarly, the financial crisis is a result of eight years without oversight,”

Umm, no. It is due to having a banking structure that is flawed and was predicted to end up the way it has by presidents of the past. Obama won’t change that fact.

# 6 bill said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 1:59 pm

I remember working at the PHONE COMPANY there was no such thing as a private conversation. I think that they figured that you were using their lines/equipment so they could listen to your conversation… And broadcast them on the loudspeaker in the switch room… Some of them were pretty funny though… (especially the car phone conversations from Texas)

I’m sure they don’t do that now…

# 7 JeffHerbst said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 1:59 pm

If the people you work with think this OK, they truly are Idiots. This is the kind of thing that you expect in a dictatorship, not the USA. I guess we have really fooled ourselves into thinking otherwise, maybe it’s the only way we can cope with the real world.

# 8 amodedoma said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 2:01 pm

Technologically we’ve gone way past Eschelon, They’ve been monitoring every bit of digital and voice since they’ve had the technology to do so (should be years now, unless gov contractors are lamer than they appear) especially the encrypted stuff. The whole idea of privacy and confidentiality are just illusions in this digital world we inhabit.

# 9 ECA said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 2:01 pm

Collection of DATA is BAD..
deciding what to THROW away after, is stupid.
Its like cleaning your desktop, You LIKE all the programs…you just dont USE them all the time.
Gathering persons LIFE history or even 1 days Material, for ALL those in the USA would take an DIRIGIBLE HANGER full of data to be sorted.

How easy is it to spoof a site, or spoof your Email? How easy to fake most infomation back and forth..we have had this discussion before. HOW easy is it to HIDE in the net? or even to encode data in a structure that NO ONE has time to DECODE.
I can see 10,000 people ALL set to decode ALL the data sent in 1 day, trying to monitor ALL the chat site/vent/yahoo/MSN/skype/Xfire/Gamespy/WOW/…/…/… in all the languages. I can see them decompiling all the graphics/pics/html…
Can you say..
1000 monkeys in a room, all typing. Would eventually write a Shakespeare play??

# 10 Mojo Yugen said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 2:13 pm

As Dan Bern says:
“Anyone who knows anyone who knows anyone who knows anyone who knows anyone who knows anyone who might be a terrorist — is a terrorist!” -Talkin’ Al Kida Blues

# 11 Dallas said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 2:17 pm

#8 You’re full of it. Sure, the ability to monitor has been there for quite some time. No great revelation there on your part.

What we’re talking about here is targeted and illegal monitoring of groups and individuals without cause. Much like the credit card and telephone company can compile a tremendous amount of personal information on an individual, – they don’t. Mostly because they don’t need to but surely because they’re not allowed to. The same should (and could) be applied to government.

Again, more whiners here that do nothing more than turn the other cheek. Stand aside, please. You’re in our way.

# 12 Paddy-O said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 2:22 pm

# 11 Dallas said, “What we’re talking about here is targeted and illegal monitoring of groups and individuals without cause.”

Ah, like the stuff the Dem leadership was briefed on by the Bush admin, years ago.

Yep, no wonder they didn’t impeach. It would be embarrassing to be indicted as co-conspirators.

In other words, it will continue…

# 13 amodedoma said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 2:23 pm

#9
Obviously it’s a matter of selection and the people who are doing this have been working on the heuristics for decades now. It’s not a matter of storing everything, just the interesting stuff, and of course targeted investigation.

# 14 bobbo said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 2:25 pm

It would be “a fair deal” to give up privacy for security but the Feds have shown no ability to be competent.

I’m thinking about Maddow right now. 10 years ago 3-4 complaints in writing saying he was too good to be true===nothing happened.

Today, I’m thinking full access to anything said or written over the interwebitudes and the Feds would fall all over themselves creating political enemies lists for those who criticize their Masters.

# 15 amodedoma said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 2:27 pm

#11 It’s refreshing to see there are still trusting souls such as yourself. Of course we should be able to trust our goverments.

# 16 AdmFubar said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 2:34 pm

#9…. no wonder the goodyear airdock has been off limits and i only see black helicopters there.

# 17 Jetfire said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 2:44 pm

#4 “eight years of Cheney driven fascist philosophy from the top of the administration to treat Americans as criminals. ”

“That’s why you lost to the left so, STFU and do as your told for the next 3 decades ”

Now who is the real Fascist here.

# 18 LibertyLover said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 2:49 pm

#4, ROTFLMAO, HEW, HEW, HA, HA, OH GOD THAT’S FUNNY.

Thanks for that. I needed a good laugh today.

# 19 Mister Mustard said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 3:02 pm

#5 – Paddy-RAMBO

>>Umm, no. It is due to having a banking
>>structure that is flawed and was predicted to
>>end up the way it has by presidents of the
>>past.

Umm, no. It’s due to Dumbya’s unfettered laissez-faire approach to everything.

The banking system MIGHT have gone in the direction it went under former presidents, but it didn’t. If it had started to, it would have been nipped in the bud. But it didn’t, so it wasn’t.

Now all the right wing nut cases are cawing about the Dems not “fixing” a problem that didn’t exist back then.

The truth of the matter, this whole debacle is nothing more than yet another fuckup by an administration that fucked up more times than you can shake a stick at.

Good bye. Good riddance. May we never have to suffer through another 8 years like the past 8 years.

# 20 Angel H. Wong said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 3:06 pm

#4 Dallas.

“What you are seeing are the results of eight years of Cheney driven fascist philosophy from the top of the administration to treat Americans as criminals.”

It’s never going to happen, the NSA, CIA and the FBI are by default institutions run by the Extreme Right. What will happen is that they will still run the same operations but now Conservative talkers Rush Limbaugh and Hannity will say that Obama is a fascist prick but when during the Bush Jr. administration the same idiots were saying that anyone with an opposing point of view towards these spying methods is a traitor to the U.S.A.

# 21 Improbus said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 3:32 pm

Encrypt everything without fail. That should work until the gubberment has working quantum computers.

# 22 Dallas said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 3:52 pm

#20 Yep. However, I’m not concerned about Rush, the Republican drug addicted walrus. I really believe Hannity, Rush and those mouth foaming types are yesterday’s news and increasingly irrelevant.
Maybe I have more confidence in mainstream American than I should, but the winds of change are real. I believe in this country’s ability to adapt and tackle the issues in front of us with good leadership.
We lost 8 precious years but Obama has the right set of leadership skills needed to get us on the right track.

# 23 deowll said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 5:04 pm

Nothing is private except maybe your thoughts and they are working on that.

The winds of change are blowing like a hurricane. Whether they will take us to paradise or leave us wrecked on a stormy shore has yet to be seen.

I’m sure Obama’s intentions are good but then so were George’s. Give it a few years. Let the man do something then see what the results are.

# 24 Paddy-O said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 5:07 pm

# 19 Mister Mustard said, “The banking system MIGHT have gone in the direction it went”

Nope. It went “that way” LONG before “W” was around.

# 25 Named said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 5:33 pm

14,”It would be “a fair deal” to give up privacy for security ”

Whos privacy for whos security? Certainly not a peon like you…

19,

No. It’s certainly not laissez faire. Not by a long shot. In fact, GWBush increased government size by a factor larger than any president ever. What the Bush government, and Republican mandate was could be summed up by the other failed Bush, George HW…
“…the continuous consolidation of money and power into higher, tighter and righter hands.”

Basically, get the money away from those uppity citizens and into the hands of our friends. George HW Bush tried to keep it quiet. George W Bush busted it wide open and just drove the dump truck to the proper doors in broad daylight.

# 26 Mr. Fusion said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 6:56 pm

I don’t think too many people are surprised, but then again there sure the hell seems to be a lot of acceptance by the right wing nuts.

There does seem to be a lot of denying going on though that somehow this is a Democrat caused mess.

And Cow-Paddy, STFU. You are so annoying.

# 27 Paddy-O said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 7:07 pm

# 25 Named said, “…the continuous consolidation of money and power into higher, tighter and righter hands.”

Ah yes, the goal of Capitalism & Socialism.

Lovely.

# 28 MikeN said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 7:22 pm

Well it’s nice to see the focus on journalists, given how much they support the enemy, even asking Rumsfeld if it was fair to kill so many Taliban.

# 29 McCullough said, on January 22nd, 2009 at 7:49 pm

#28. Yeah, Freedom of the Press sucks, right Mikey? The Taliban hate it also. So do the Communists. You sir, are the voice of reason.

# 30 GF said, on January 23rd, 2009 at 12:47 am

Olberman : Did they record my conversation with my little nephew?

Tice : Yes, they recorded your conversation with your so called ‘little nephew’ you sick pervert.

——-

Remember they can record anybodies conversation. It’s called the six degrees of separation doctrine. Your just six people away from a terrorist. It’s true I saw it on the web.

# 31 Uncle Patso said, on January 23rd, 2009 at 5:02 am

If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear, right? Right?

‘Scuse me a second, I need to see who’s knocking at my door at 3 AM…
…
…

CONNECTION TERMINATED

# 32 smartalix said, on January 23rd, 2009 at 6:00 am

Privacy died a long time ago.

# 33 grog said, on January 23rd, 2009 at 7:21 am

the u.s. government under g.w. learned a lot from red china and emulated their security apparatus a lot.

dictatorships are very efficient. that’s what conservatives mean when they say they want small efficient government: a dictatorship.

you are under surveillance 24/7, so don’t rock the boat.

# 34 ac said, on January 23rd, 2009 at 8:36 am

This discussion reminds me from the Walt Handelsman animated cartoon couple of years back was more accurate than most believed

http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/opinion/walthandelsman/blog/2006/05/

# 35 ECA said, on January 23rd, 2009 at 1:24 pm

WHO wants to try an experiment..?

I heard this and am wondering..
that 80% of the USA money, is PAPER/electronic..
what this means, is that only 20% of the USA worth is based on Tender. The rest is BANKS shipping AIR..
IF we ALL went to the bank and with draw our money…we should be able to BREAK this country and the banks, and the insurance corps, and ALL those that TAKE our money.

# 36 soundwash said, on January 23rd, 2009 at 2:43 pm

#35: dont ya just love FIAT money..

computers made the matter much worse..

not to worry though.. there will be a run on the banks in February, -maybe sooner. -you’ll get to see your “experiment” in action.

since the thieves did not get the last $350bil installment from the TARP scam, they are running out of cash to continue to manipulate the huge disconnect between the stock markets and gold price.

-gold tested above $900/oz today, finishing at
$898.. (it really should be at $1300+)

stock up on storable food..a run on the banks will be the least of your problems..

-all part of the plan.

-s

# 37 Paddy-O said, on January 24th, 2009 at 2:11 am

# 36 soundwash said, “dont ya just love FIAT money..”

Price of gold per oz.

12/31/1800 $19.39
12/31/1810 $19.39
12/31/1820 $19.39
12/31/1830 $19.39
12/31/1840 $20.73
12/31/1850 $20.67
12/31/1860 $20.67
12/31/1870 $22.89
12/31/1880 $20.67
12/31/1890 $20.67
12/31/1900 $20.67
12/31/1910 $20.67
12/31/1920 $20.67
12/31/1930 $20.67
12/31/1940 $34.50
12/31/1950 $40.25
12/31/1960 $36.50
12/31/1970 $37.60
12/31/1980 $641.20
12/31/1990 $423.80
12/31/2000 $272.15
12/31/2005 $517.20
12/29/2006 $636.30
12/31/2007 $833.20
01/14/2008 $904.80

# 38 sargasso said, on January 24th, 2009 at 1:19 pm

Ugly dullards and angry dolts seem to prosper in the secret services.

Leave Your Reply Below...

Comment Moderation is Active, so if your comment doesn't
show up immediately, please don't submit it again.

Special Deals 4U

25% off eHarmony subscription with code EHTECH
12-percent discount forever with code TECH
10-percent discount and free month using TECH10
10-percent or 30 dollars off weekly car rental!
Get 10-percent discount on car rental!
Get 10% off rental cars!
Get 10% off Dollar rentals!
Discounts on domain names!