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Intel Chief Expands Spy Satellite Access

defenseindustrydaily.com

Eye in the sky: Domestic satellite surveillance will focus on U.S. borders, among other hot spots.

For those of us who are alarmed by Google Maps’ satellite-generated views of our homes and favorite stomping grounds, a recent decision made by Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell ought to stand some hairs on end.

Wall Street Journal:

The U.S.’s top intelligence official has greatly expanded the range of federal and local authorities who can get access to information from the nation’s vast network of spy satellites in the U.S.

The decision, made three months ago by Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell, places for the first time some of the U.S.’s most powerful intelligence-gathering tools at the disposal of domestic security officials. The move was authorized in a May 25 memo sent to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff asking his department to facilitate access to the spy network on behalf of civilian agencies and law enforcement.

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TAGS: border cold war homeland security intelligence satellite spy wall street journal

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By Greg Bacon, August 16, 2007 at 4:30 pm #
(114 comments total)

“i just don’t do anything illegal.”

Are you sure? Adding up the local, state and federal laws, plus federal regulations that aren’t law but have the force of law and one comes up with around 30,000 laws We the People are subjected to in our lives.

Hardly a day goes by when everyone, no matter how law abiding, is breaking a law, ordinance, regulation somewhere and doesn’t realize that they have broken the law.

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By yezbok drahcir, August 16, 2007 at 12:20 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

I totally understand where rowdy is coming from. I’ve had angry, fed-up moments of like thoughts. I’m sure many others have as well. Sometimes I think that humans are just savage pigs that all deserve complete annihilation, and that the rest of the animal world would be so much better off without them.

What makes me sick is the fact that this planet could abundantly supply all of humankind, if only we could eliminate greed – or perhaps develop a virus that attacks “greed cells”.

God, where are you? What does it take for you to say, “ENOUGH ALREADY!”???

What’s wrong with having and expressing these feelings?

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By Skruff, August 16, 2007 at 10:32 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

95296 by rowdy on 8/15 at 8:10 pm

“i would trade those 20 years to watch the entire world go up in thermonuclear holocaust,today. end it all. no more KKKristians,no more moslems,no more jews,no more governments. it would be glorious.”

I would agree if only those thermonuclear blasts would effect us ole farts with only 20 years left, and leave the rest alone. after all it was us, not the young folks or children who got us to this point.

Dispite the negativity of this site, there are still some 12-year-olds out there who are swimming, hunting, or just wandering through the woods dreaming about what they are going to do with their lives.

Now Bush doesn’t care about them, and Hill the business shill doesn’t care about them, BUT they have the right to enjoy their lives as we have enjoyed ours.

If you are saying the human race is a pretty sad lot… you’ll get no argument here, but maybe, just maybe the next generation will provide us with someone who can unite rather than divide.

Give-em-a-chance!

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By purplewolf, August 16, 2007 at 10:20 am #
(567 comments total)

#95296 Rowdy:
You say you never do anything illegal. Well in the next few months, years etc., it will not matter. They will create some bogus charge against you,or no charge at all,your existance will be enough,you have no right to know what it is,just that it is there,no defense,no lawyer,no help to prove you are innocent,(Mighty Mouse where are you when we need you?) King Weed has decided its so.Remember the Salem witchcraft trials.Innocent people were tortured and eventually murdered by the “Religious authorities” all because of a bunch(similar to the bush bunch)most of which were teenage girls,making up lies to get even with those whom they didn’t like.The only advancement since the 1600’s is that now they have better spying technologies and ways to destroy people. Truth be damned, what they say trumps the truth.

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By ribbie, August 16, 2007 at 8:57 am #
(7 comments total)

Dear Rowdy,
I think you need to adjust your medication. How nice that you never do anything illegal. Do you ever do anything that might be misconstrued as being illegal? But innocent people are never wrongly accused in this wonderful world that you would have end in nuclear conflagration. At least be consistent.

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By RAE, August 16, 2007 at 7:25 am #
(353 comments total)

Hey rowdy (re# 95296)… as I understand it, “God” tried something like that… the flood… and look where that got us! We’re like bacteria or cancer cells - if you miss even ONE (well, perhaps TWO) we come back like a bad smell.

The part that saddens me about your suggestion is that it would also do away with so many folk who do this planet and/or its occupants no harm. The quiet people, perphaps living on the land in a modest home just enjoying the days, the animals and themselves. Why blow them away?

We’ve got find some antidote to the pandemic of greedy, power-mad, meglomaniacal con men and women who seize the tools necessary to control or attempt to control all other living things. Some of these odious types use armaments, others a softer approach - religion. Whatever, they need to be found and eradicated from our midst.

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By Skruff, August 16, 2007 at 5:35 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

95359 by Frikken Kids on 8/16 at 5:12 am

yezbok drahcir,

I’m by no means an expert, but I would suspect that orbital distances, it is difficult to zoom in to focus on very small objects simply because of the distortion caused by moving air currents. Think of the mirage effect on a warm highway. (This is also the reason that stars appear to twinkle.)

I have to go with yezbok drahcir, I read in the scientific American, more than 20 years ago, that a “spy satellites can read a licence plate in Red Square” I wish I could provide the issue number.

If the technology was that good 20 yearsago, what can these “peeping toms” do now?

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By Frikken Kids, August 16, 2007 at 5:12 am #
(64 comments total)

yezbok drahcir,

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By yezbok drahcir, August 16, 2007 at 3:07 am #
(Unregistered commenter)

LIARS!

Charles Allen says, “Contrary to what some people believe you cannot see if somebody needs a haircut from space”.

I think Mr. Allen is lying about that. Why is it that zooming in from such vast distances suddenly reaches its limit that they can only make out objects the size of a vehicle? Surely they can zoom in more.

Consider also the fact that this surveillance technology has existed and evolved over at least four decades now. Why are they still unable to zoom right in? I say that they bloody well can.

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By purplewolf, August 16, 2007 at 1:35 am #
(567 comments total)

Well they may not know if you need a haircut or not but I bet they can tell you what brand of toilet paper you use and how much!

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By Outraged, August 16, 2007 at 12:15 am #
(869 comments total)

Well, we’ll just have to run “interference”.

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By congrats, August 15, 2007 at 10:38 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)

Wow, I wouldn’t go so far as a nuclear holocaust, but I do find hope when I see plants consistently growing through the concrete within weeks of their removal. Someday maybe Earth will correct itself once the people have used up all forms of sustainability. I have read about fungus that can consume nuclear waste(the most unholy of holies), and that gives me hope:).

Portland, OR

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By rowdy, August 15, 2007 at 8:10 pm #
(300 comments total)

i have nothing to hide from anyone. not that i make any effort to be a “law abiding citizen”, i just don’t do anything illegal. this gov. spying has nothing to do with terror,or even catching bad guys in general. it is all about control. you haven’t heard from the democrats about how they will end all of this. they won’t. they want the gov spying on the citizenry for the same reasons as the repubs. they want to control us. they want to know and record everything they can about our lives. at best i have 20 years of life remaining. i would trade those 20 years to watch the entire world go up in thermonuclear holocaust,today. end it all. no more KKKristians,no more moslems,no more jews,no more governments. it would be glorious.

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