Comments on: And Since We’ve Been Talking about Contracting, Secrecy, and Spying…

By: FormerFed

FormerFed — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:38:17 +0000

OT - this is Joe Galloway’s recent article on the “Rent a General” scandal:

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/gal.....37225.html

When is the MSM ever going to touch this story?

By: PetePierce

PetePierce — Fri, 16 May 2008 03:05:56 +0000

But But Mrs. Woman of Steel (John Edwards’ term yesterday) Mrs. Ready for the 3AM call is on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

How can it not be cutting edge on top of things?

By: readerOfTeaLeaves

readerOfTeaLeaves — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:48:41 +0000

*g*
My historical perspective of the Toobz is astigmatic, I fear 8-0
Appreciate the correction

By: MadDog

MadDog — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:36:40 +0000

Would that be the secret annex located in Deadeye’s secret bunker which is the secret headquarters of the 21st Century’s Maginot Line that is this Cyber Security Initiative?

By: strider7

strider7 — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:33:51 +0000

does anybody care to speculate on the fisa/immunity aspect after these revelations from spies for hire? I mean this puts the whole fisa argument in a different light.

By: emptywheel

emptywheel — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:56:06 +0000

I rather think they may have detailed some of that in the classified annex.

By: MadDog

MadDog — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:33:28 +0000

Even tossing in Bell Labs salaries, the total sum in 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s dollars wouldn’t come close to $17 Billion.

Minor correction, but the primary corporation involved in the development of the Internet was not Bell Labs, but BBN (Bolt, Beranek and Newman).

Bell Labs only created Unix, the “C” programing language and sundry other worthless things. *g*

By: readerOfTeaLeaves

readerOfTeaLeaves — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:16:14 +0000

That’s a great question; I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a total, probably because it was so ‘bottom up’ and dispersed that no one could easily track or quantify it. A lot of people who put the pieces together were making student wages, or were working on NSF grants or academic salaries.

Even tossing in Bell Labs salaries, the total sum in 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s dollars wouldn’t come close to $17 Billion.

By: readerOfTeaLeaves

readerOfTeaLeaves — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:50:42 +0000

This may be the first time in memory that it’s seemed as if the Senate and some of their staff are actually earning their paychecks.

Indeed, the administration is asking for substantial funds under the cyber initiative… based on … prototype, or concept development, phase of the acquisition process. … The committee’s view is that disciplined acquisition processes and practices must be applied to the government-wide cyber initiative as much as to the ongoing development programs upon which the initiative is based.

SSCI to WH: Got a prototype?
**** WH: No, but we think it’ll cost X amount… we’ll get back to you in the indefinite future.
SSCI to WH: Got a timeline?
**** WH: No, trust us.
SSCI to WH: Got specs?
**** WH: We can’t show you; they’re classified.
SSCI to WH: What standards to you plan to meet?
**** WH: That’s classified; we can’t tell you.
SSCI to WH: How do you plan to test for usabilty?
**** WH: Usability…? You’ll never use it anyway, it’s going to be classified.

I take it that this is the WH Gravy Train for GOPers, Blackwater, Mafiosa, and MoneyLaunderers version of Cyber-Security?

Duly noted.

By: earlofhuntingdon

earlofhuntingdon — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:46:43 +0000

From Ryan Singel’s article, this stands out:

But according to the Armed Services Committee’s analysis, there’s a lot of spying being proposed under the guise of e-security.

That confirms THREAT LEVEL’s suspicions that the highly classified proposal could have far-ranging implications for the internet generally, especially as the government contemplates becoming the firewall for all Americans on the net.

(emph. added)
http://blog.wired.com/27bstrok.....ort-g.html

Guess we’d better stop yelling at the Chinese government (they own too much of our debt, anyway) and the American companies that comply with its requests for information so that it can spy on and intimidate its citizens, eh?