Here is a video of the infamous Russian spy Anna Chapman, or whatever her name is. Who cares. Listen to the message she is telling Russians about America on Russian TV. How dangerous, how threatening! And – she talks about what a great place Silicon Valley is and just last month Obama took Russian president Medvedev to Silicon Valley where he Tweeted back to the Russians back home. Coincidence? I don’t think so! This Anna Chapman has influence. I feel influenced every time I see her. Makes me want to join the KGB!
Benji–you are blowing Pedro’s donkey on this one. I could go line by line, but I’ll respect your attention span.
So, you think the important/most telling consequences of the BP spill will be political? I have to think then that you interpret the poisoning death of the eco-system known as the Gulf of Mexico is to be seen in “political terms?”
You mean like its a political problem to convert the American diet to soybeans and corn because there are no more fish, that kind of political problem?
I guess, in a way you are absolutely correct. It is all definitional isn’t it?
I withdraw my abuse.
Geez Benjamin.
Obama is so far from communism that it is laughable. He is a corporate lackey centrist.
And we are spying on the Russians as well be cause of what Putin has done and the Russian Mob.
Don’t even think that the US is Lilly-white.
Cursor_
Over the long term, I still see China as a bigger threat for industrial and military espionage involving emigrés, students, guest workers, etc.
Could it be a group in Russia that isn’t involved with the Russian government? A private concern farming out info. to the highest bidder – Governments, corporations, criminal syndicates, etc.
What is the immigration status for these individuals? U.S. citizen, resident alien, H1-B-type work visa, student, tourist, model, etc.? Just curious.
… wow, I didn’t think people on this site were THAT naive, but it appears so.
Spies, timmy, are a BAD thing. Not just for government secrets, which affects ALL of us, but also for corporate secrets, which affects profits and jobs.
They also can be injected into situations to cause trouble when needed, as a distraction to something else going on. In this case they probably seeded folks for use at opportune times, with the intent of pulling them home if their use is compromised.
I’m sure we have spies in most countries, not because I’m cynical, but because I EXPECT us to (otherwise, what is the purpose of having a CIA at all?) They are useful information gatherers, and to pipeline information and turncoats to their home country.
You all seem to be taken in with the “but the axe murderer next door said hello every day and was so nice to my dog” mentality of people who don’t NOTICE things and don’t question or examine people and things around their homes.
It’s so much easier for the sheeple to believe everyone around them has their best interests at heart. Because if they didn’t, they’d have to actually talk to and find out more about their neighbors and friends and coworkers.
There’s no reason to be paranoid in our society, but there is also no reason to ignore odd things people do or say or pretend that an obvious Russian with an “American” name seems perfectly normal.
This is bothersome (and folks don’t want to believe it) because we Americans trust that people want to come here and be American without their past baggage from their other country. Our country is great because of the people that moved here and helped it become great. When someone betrays our trust that they are who they SAY they are, it HURTS Americans.
We don’t WANT to live in a police state where you have to have your lineage back 6 generations in order to proclaim you’re American. So when things like this happen, it can get scary. The rest of the world really really don’t want us to close our borders and turn into a police state.
#21 bobbo said, “So, you think the important/most telling consequences of the BP spill will be political? I have to think then that you interpret the poisoning death of the eco-system known as the Gulf of Mexico is to be seen in “political terms?””
As bad as all that stuff is, I think the political consequences will be worse. I am not minimizing that other consequences. I am panicking over the political consequences. With a moratorium on drilling, gas prices might go up really high and be bad for the economy.
What secrets are they going to steal? How to drive an economy into the ground? How to NOT react to an ecological disaster? How to fail to provide health care for our citizens? How to lose a war they fought and lost already? How to export our manufacturing abroad? Heck, they don’t need to spy, all of our technology is built in China, the Chinese have it. The Chinese manufacture most of our goods, then they loan us the money to buy it. Seems to me that any spying is a waste of time. They were in the wrong country!
Benjamin–oh, OK. THATS an entirely different matter. You mean the loss of deep water drilling will cause a world wide oil shortage that will increases prices thru the roof==just like it has done over the past 3 months.
So, as oil has reached peak value and even now is in decline, this unavoidable consequence of the over use of any resource will get tagged to Obama and his moratorium. It won’t make any difference that Brazil, Mexico, and China will be drilling in practically the same areas–just off the continental shelf with slant drilling for 20 miles into it?
Yes, everything is political, and then its all the other guys fault. The environment and our impact on it is just the backdrop.
Well Done, Benjamin.
You won’t believe this, as I’m in shock over this whole thing.
I live across the street from the apt that this was shot from, I recognized it immanently. No kidding!!!!
All that I can say is that these people are LOADED, that appt has this nice wrap around balcony. The whole thing looks like it was decorated out of a catalog, as everything is PERFECT. These guys shelled out big bucks on this pad.
Another thing is that it’s mostly vacant. Vary rarely do we see anyone there.
Normally when there are people there, the outdoors is lit like a Christmas tree. Tonight someone is there, but the light level is WAY down.
I’m just so amazed I always wondered who had the money for such an expensive pad, to have it perfectly decorated, and yet it was hardly if ever occupied.
I don’t understand why these people are called spies. They didn’t seem to infiltrate any thing. What, the inside secrets of of a central New Jersey real estate office? What did they learn? Susan Super Saleswoman is cheating on her husband?
They were reporters. Hell, they were damn lucky reporters. They could have browsed US websites from Moscow and gotten the same info. Instead they get an extended overseas trip thanks to the Russian tax payers.
So it doesn’t look like they were much more or less than trying to lobby/buy congress without being registered.
Maybe they should have just watched them and maybe they need to be arrested. I’m just shocked the FBI managed to catch a spy.
I’m sure they have a file on me because I have a big mouth and I’ve looked at some of what the bad guys have posted on line but as for as being much good at protecting the boarders or homeland insecurity. Well they have made a few timely busts but their track record doesn’t shine.
Who the hell is Anna Chapman, and why should I care?
This is the oddest story in a while. I’m sure most countries have spies here, but most of them can’t afford to subsidize moles for decades on the off-chance they might learn something useful. Much more cost-effective to just send a few thousand grad students — you don’t even have to train them or pay them, they’ll scrape up the money for tuition and travel themselves just to get an education. Then you monitor their letters/phone calls/emails home and unobtrusively interview them whenever the opportunity arises. I’m sure most of them have no idea they’re being used as such. And if one of them actually moves back home, well that’s just gravy!
You know, I could use some money coming in right now — I wonder who I could call?
“Hello, Tovarisch?”
You have to ask yourself:
Why is it that a Democratic President and Democratic controlled congress has to be in power before we catch spy networks?
Obviously this network was running for years during the Bush Regime.
@MikeN #19
“Why isn’t Britain complaining that these guys had fake British passports?”
William Hague did complain… but I guess nobody noticed *sigh*
Love the line about bringing New Year and Moscow together… In what way does she mean then?
Of course Russia has operatives. I would be ashamed of them if they didn’t. Israel has operatives in the US. I’m afraid to let these poor bastards go back to Russia considering their incompetence. I believe they are her just to keep an ear to the ground as to what the average American thought, to bypass State Department BS and unreliable press. There trying to understand the real culture, which isn’t a bad thing. Let them send thousands of smart young women in the US, I’ll put several up.
you are the shame of your country. the US is overfilled with such pathetic idiots. keep on blaming Russians and you shut your eyes to obviousness.