NSA: Thank you for Spying.

#EdSnowden #Prism #NSA Ed Snowden Prism NSA

    There is nothing heroic about Ed Snowden.  For the program in question, Prism, their was judicial review over the collection of data by NSA keeping it in line with the Fourth Amendment.  Procedurally the patterns revealed by meta-data analytics can be used to provide probable cause under certain circumstances vital to national security and procedurally justify a warrant for further wiretaps where listening into calls, monitoring or arrests of individuals of interest can then occur.  There was a time when I was somewhat skeptical and disillusioned about big government, but as I've studied groups like Al-Qaeda and the cartels of Mexico more closely such programs tracking networks of contact are vital to protecting the safety of US Citizens. I've viewed some of the research results of such data as applied towards the Hell's Angels in Quebec, Canada and the sting of phone calls between them interestingly lead to the head of the Long Shoreman's union who had no direct Hells Angel membership.  The research did not involve listening to private conversations, but seeing the volume of calls between different numbers allowed for an effective understanding of the criminal gang's network and its ties the long shoreman's union.  Having seen some of the results of such tab keeping on communications between members of known criminal gangs or terrorist groups its hard to argue the investigative work does not have real value to our security.  It made a cynical skeptic like me with libertarian impulses significantly more comfortable with the policy.  

      In a world where nuclear weapons are prevalent and poorly guarded in unstable regions such as Pakistan where nuke's have been observed from satellites being moved hastily in pick-up trucks after the assassination of Osama Bin Laden prompted fears of American attacks on their nuclear installations, its not a stretch to see how a Taliban linked, Al-Qaeda linked or Islamist radical with an inside tip could coordinate an attack and put one of those nuclear war heads in a terrorist groups hands.  In a world where enriched Uranium can be turned to a dirty bomb and only 1% of all cargo going into US Ports is inspected, and over 33% of that cargo is deliberately mislabeled to avoid tariffs, the United States Governemnt has a legal responsibily to monitor certain actions in minimally invasive ways that preserve a modern notion of privacy undefined by the constitution and abide by the Fourth Amendment. Depending on the terms of usage with the various corporations, the information can be released by consumers and the monitoring consensually shared with Governments for purposes of meta-data analytics.  So long as its not blanket warrants to listen to all calls and read all communications without sensitive terminology being stated or cited, I have no qualms about the program and support their continued usage.  The fact that their was judicial review over the limited blanket warrants for information shows compliance with all constitutional requirements.  Having seen some of the results of such tab keeping on communications between members of known criminal gangs or terrorist groups its hard to argue the investigative work does not have real value to our security. To monitor contacts between known terrorists or international criminals threatening security does not require listening into conversations or invading privacy.  Computers are capable of recognizing specific words that may qualify as probable cause allowing for a recording to commence in anticipation of specific warrants according to different patterns of behavior that scientifically suggest criminal behavior.  The programs in question, as modified by the Obama Administration monitored contacts with known criminals or terrorists based on a network theory of terrorist and criminal behavior, an effective theory to help not only with security, but the liberty provided by effective enforcement of democratically passed laws with respect for civil procedures and judicial oversight.  Its important to remember, that guilt by association is not a valid legal argument and your right to fair trial is still upheld.  

       A conversation on the limits of surveillance is valid, however at the end of the conversation, we should agree that speaking loudest against the NSA are those who know they are doing wrong.  Paranoia is provoked when those doing the wrong thing are aware of the potential consequences.  The NSA program is necessary, however I do question some of the private companies contracted by the Government to do the work and would prefer to see the work moved in-house under the tighter restrictions, oversight and accountability that Governance can provide.  The alarm to be raised isn't over what the Government is doing with our information, rather what corporations are doing with it. While some optimization comes with the lead sharing that develops, it can also be a disruption and distraction to the better work done nationwide, that doesn't involve a transaction. I'm a firm believer in supply/demand economics, the ingenuity of markets and importance of commerce.  Yet at the end of the night, when the TVs off, the office is closed and the mind numbing buzz of mass society subsides, I know its transnational corporations we need to be watching as increasingly they have become lawless monsters beyond their creators control guided by Corporate by-laws fueling intense competition that triggers the instinct of greed, benefiting corporations while wreaking havoc on everything else from society to the ecosystem.  Too often, we allow our actions and the companies we work for and purchase products from to go against the needs of our citizens and our nation.  So please, on behalf of sane, law abiding and sensible Americans everywhere, spy on NSA.