some homework, posting shortly.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/business/media/bloomberg-reporters-tactics-become-crucial-issue-for-company.html?_r=0

“No Animal Kill Zone”: Miami –Dade Commission Reaffirms The Importance Of Democratic Participation On The Local Level!

“Thank You,  animal advocates for Giving Me a Chance to Witness Democracy in action at a local level.”

  I have a rescue pet poodle,  or hybrid thereof,  named Basel.   He was rescued some six years ago when he was abandoned in the streets of Miami in front of the Art Basel December Showcase. 

My good friend literally grabbed him by force as he was a biting, barking, and running amok.   At that time,  Basel was an emaciated ten pound dog.   Five years later with love, care and plenty of food (off the table, off the floor etc),   I have my "best friend" who holds steady at around eighteen pounds.

  As someone who grew up in the concrete jungles of NYC,   I never had a chance to possess any animal,  not even a goldfish.

  I was not deprived.   I was simply ignorant and prejudiced against cats,  dogs and any other animal [there were once horses—believe it or not]  that needed to place excrement on the searing pavements of the already carbon-monoxide-choked asphalt streets of  the city.

Even stick-ball or curb-ball, the only indigenous games available,  was considerably hindered by dog excrement.

  So dogs were not part of my ‘ethos’ that a ‘dog is a man’s best friend’  was not my creed.

  However,  as many of you already know,  age matures and blunts the youthful prejudices and hostilities accrued from personal frustrations,  immaturity, and inexperience. 

  Jump half a century later,  and now my ‘best friend’ is Basel. 

Basel is a “rescue dog”,  often described,  as a ‘phantom poodle’ [from his markings not his ability to disappear].   Believe it or not,  he and I walk,  talk,  eat, work and sleep together.

  This is the basic outline in it’s most simplistic form of the transformation of a ‘Neanderthal city-dweller’ and ‘animal- hater’ to a ‘loving’, ‘protective’ and ‘playful’ dog-lover.

   Once I rode horses.   Now,   I help to fund those who are willing and able to nurture those beautiful animals which have been abandoned for one, or another reason. 

So, this introductory “anamnesis” [please look up the word, it may be on the SATs] on the evolution of my emotions from antagonism to protagonist,  leads me to an equally important point.

  And that is,  today,  I was invited to attend a plenary session of the Miami-Dade Commission Hearing on the important issue of ‘creating a no kill animal zone’ in  Southeast,  Florida.

The issue is complicated and contains a number of different vested interests,  some morally pure others less so.  Hey that's humans for you.

 

What did surprised me was the fact that for the very first time in my extensive thirty year career in government on the federal level [primarily in national security],   I had never really witnessed an effective and constructive democratic process on a local or federal level. 

  I have attended an assortment of local meetings which entailed everything from speed-bumps in Maryland to paved [vs. asphalt] roads in Montana.   All to no avail!!! 

Cantankerous! Divisive!! Polarized!! Waste of Time!!!

Finally,  I was witness,  after decades of disappointment,  to a committed body of government willing and able to formulate legislation based on diverse vested interests,  respect for the Commissioners and the willingness on all sides to arrive at a consensus [including a major dissent embedded in a majority referendum].

 

I saw for the first time in my life,  a tough boss-lady,  Baltimore-born,  Miami-Bred,  Commissioner Sally Heyman,  meld diversities of interests; genders; nationalities;  professional groups [veterinarians, lawyers, lobbyists];  and volunteer advocates for ‘neutering abandoned animals’  into a  piece of legislation with deadlines,  earmarks and redress.

Unbelievable!! 

Sally set the rules up front.   Don’t speak more than two minutes!   Make your comments  directed at the specific issues;  no rambling;  no response from the attending audience; and, if possible, provide a practical request or resolution.

  She deferred at times to her other Commissioners on the Board—Jose “Pepe’ Diaz,  Rebecca Soso and others –as needed.

  She was firm,  courteous,  and constructive. 

As simple as these observations appear,   I walked out of this hearing (no-killing zone for unwanted animals that are currently euthanized up to 70,000 a year) impressed by the passion of the volunteers who presented their respective cases articulately,  pointedly and respectfully. 

More than that,  I realized that for the first time in a very long time,  I had finally seen what I had been trying to write and complain about in my blogs and radio commentaries—Democracy In Action.

  Not some ethereal slogan.   Not some political palaver.   Not some empty promises replete with disingenuous statements,  deceit and conceit. 

  I saw the American People,  come forth in a group,  take the time and effort to articulate their respective arguments,  embolden themselves to stand in front of a diversified body of legislators from all types of ethnic and gender backgrounds:  Hispanic,  African-American,  Caucasian,  men and women and try to resolve their differences in a courteous,  mature,  professional manner.

  Simply stated,  I was blown away!!!

 

Let me add that we started the meeting by all of us standing up and pledging allegiance to the Republic and to the Flag of the United States. 

  Now,  after all of our concerns,  travails and ‘false flags’,  isn’t it comforting to know that in a highly diversified county like Miami-Dade where crime,  drugs and corruption may be considered the ‘norm’,   DEMOCRACY STILL  WORKS??!!

I was so elated by what I had just witnessed that I went around  Miami-Dade Commission Hearing,  congratulating all parties concerned— veterinarians; lobbyists; lawyers; advocates; volunteers; bureaucrats; and commissioners.

  For me,  this was the first day of a New Dawn.

  What I had witnessed  per chance,  goes on all over this amazing country of ours on a daily basis-from sea to sea.   But we tend to get so involved in the ‘strum and drang’ of national and world events which few of us can even influence that we forgot the basic principle of democracy:  IT STARTS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.

  Perhaps for the first time in my life,  I have begun to realize how important Commissioner Sally A. Heyman is to my life,  perhaps more than Clinton, Bush jr and Obama put together.

  No POTUS can fix or even address the problems of a back-up sewerage system or a business license which I need in order to work to pay my taxes.

  Thank you all local politicians wherever you are in the USA.

  There should be a day of recognition for your contributions,  often non-paying and frustrating. 

But, I can assure you,  that you are the future foundation of the New Democracy which must begin at the local, and not the federal level.

And it incumbent on us, the citizens,  to be informed of the issues,  attend the meetings and say ‘nay’ or ‘ya’ to a proposal.

  If we leave the burden of democracy to those politicians who make a living by promising and never delivering,  then we deserve to receive no better than we get.

Winston Churchill said the following profound words:
“There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies” 

  He also added:
  “It is a mistake to look too far ahead.  Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time. “ 

  

“Catch Me if You Can”: Obama’s Successful Trifecta Strategy

[1] Productive Chinese-American Summit

[2] Edward Snowden,  ex-CIA,  ex-Booz-Allen “Whistleblower” 

[3] AP, IRS Targeting and Benghazi Affair Disappear from News.

I have repeatedly stated that in the “Games of State” or to put it more crassly,  in the world of “manipulation, deception and distortion”,   the real province of the Nation State Intelligence—“NOTHING  OCCURS by ACCIDENT”!!!

When three different major news evidence occur at the same time,  the likelihood of their being connected somehow by some means is QUITE HIGH.

Let me go into specifics:

  First,  on June 9, 2013,  POTUS and President Xi Jinping met at the Annenberg Estate in Southern California in what I inferred to be quite a successful meeting concerning Chinese and American national security/economic interests.    But apparently the one area that they could ‘not agree upon’ was ‘cyber war’.   Hmmm.  Interesting point to remember.

Sidebar: For an insightful discourse on Chinese behavior and negotiation strategies,  please read Dr. Richard Solomon’s   ground-breaking book, entitled, Chinese Negotiation Behavior  published by the United Institute of Peace and RAND Corp. 

Secondly,  within about 24 hours of the conference,  Edward Joseph Snowden,  a 29 year old,  North Carolina high school drop- out,  who signed up in 2003 for the Army Special Forces training, and was hired at the BELTWAY BANDIT BOOZ ALLEN as a software systems engineer ‘leaks low level classified data’ concerning ‘USG Massive Surveillance Program’ and , most importantly for me,  Snowden requests a “CALL FOR PUBLIC DEBATE”.

 

Now,  this scenario is a bit far-fetched and let me tell you why.

  Apparently,  Snowden leaked his ‘secrets’,  ‘selectively chosen not to harm our national security’ and gave them to the British newspaper The Guardian and the American newspaper, The Washington Post. 

Next Snowden gave a very professionally staged video interview that was streamed all over the internet in which he declared his honorable intentions that he felt a moral obligation to inform the world that ‘China was not our enemy’ [most people missed that point] and more importantly that he supported the very policies that Senator Obama supported but POTUS OBAMA had reneged on.
  Snowden was repeating what Obama the Senator had stated early on his tenure as POTUS,  “Let’s review our massive surveillance program and have a PUBLIC DISCOURSE”. 

On the surface that seems very honorable and I personally have no problem with that very point.

  My problem stems from the following incongruities in Mr Snowden’s personal history and his sudden defection to China, albeit Hong Kong. 

  What do I mean? 

  Reportedly  Mr Snowden never graduated high school.   That’s interesting.   However,  not a very compelling background for his subsequent history…  He claims he joined the Special Forces and more significantly being CIA to work on information technology security serving first in Geneva.    Then in 2009,  Snowden joined the N.S.A as a ‘contractor’ in Japan,  where he watched "as Obama advanced the very policies that I thought would be reined in."

  What’s troubling me? And why can’t I stop harping on this story line?
  The narrative presented by Snowden to the Guardian does not add up.   Snowden well knows that as an ex CIA and ex-NSA employee,  he ‘blew the whistle’ to the two newspapers that are completely in COLLUSION with both the USG and BRITISH INTELLIGENCE.

  No secret there. 

Just remember that movie "Three Days of The Condor" when Robert Redford brings CIA secrets to the NY Times?   And then he is asked "how do you know we, the CIA, don’t control the media?"

  So much for disingenuous intentions and methods.

  Then, Snowden has a history of ‘moral obligations’ that seem to terminate his careers no matter where he is located.

  For example,  Snowden joined the Army,  Special Forces, in 2003, because he wanted to fight in Iraq. 

Interesting.   But here comes the familiar Snowden punch-line:

  “I felt like I had an obligation as a human being to help free people from oppression," n he said to the British Intelligence-run The Guardian. 

But then he added---watch his pattern of becoming “disillusioned”--- "he became disillusioned with the military."

  “Most of the people in training us seemed pumped up about killing Arabs,  not helping anyone.” 

  WOW !!That’s quite a revelation. 

Snowden CONVENIENTLY BREAKS HIS LEGS DURING A TRAINING ACCIDENT.   And he was HONORABLY DISCHARGED FROM THE ARMY.

  Now, in my experience, this type of attitude concerning SOF really blackballs you for the rest of your career,  be it civilian or military.

  But not in Snowden’s case. 

  Here is what happens next:

  He goes on to become a SECURITY GUARD at the N.S.A SECRET FACILITY on the University of Maryland Campus.

  That is  really stretching the credibility of the narrative.

  I happen to know about that facility and even with my previous TOP SECRET and other esoteric clearances,   I could not go to the bathroom without an escort- let alone hire a high school drop out who failed the Special Forces Training Program and disliked the Army.

  Give me a break!
  Did anyone who created this narrative remember that anyone but anyone who had anything to do with the N.S. A had to pass Polygraph and High Education Standards and Civilian/Military evaluations?
  You are getting the idea that I do not buy Snowden’s NOBLE effort to reveal State Secrets.

  This is a classical scenario where the WH, CIA, and other USG intel groups decided to open up a much needed discussion in a way that allowed Obama to save face from the fact that he had reneged on his former promises of transparency and restricted  intelligence surveillance. 

And Snowden’s TIMELY REVELATIONS AND DEFECTION TO CHINA where he declared [absurdly, I might add],  "that Hong Kong is a place for FREE SPEECH AND IS NOT CONTROLLED BY THE PRC."

  Oh, and conveniently adds, as a sidebar, ‘that CHINA is not the USG enemy’—only 24hours after a major US –China Summit.

All very propitious. But not credible.

For me in the business of Counter Intelligence,  I would say that Snowden played his part well.   He was convincing,  credible to the degree that  no one would check the inconsistencies of this back ground and most importantly he salvaged Obama’s Presidency for the next few years.

  What Snowden points out is legitimate.   How it was orchestrated was devious but clever. 

  The WH and others made sure that Snowden worked at an outsourcing contractor—BOOZ ALLEN—a company I know very well.

That company should be completely expunged.

  Booz Allen is nothing more that an expensive CUT-OUT FOR EX-CIA,  MILITARY AND GOVT OFFICIALS who can’t find work anywhere else.

  To get an idea how worthless and expensive BOOZ ALLEN has become to the American taxpayer,   please read  NY Times Article,  June 10, entitled “Leaker’s Employer Became Wealthy By Maintaining Government Secrets” written by Binyamin Appelbaum and Eric Lipton.

 

Basically what Snowden and his cohorts ‘exposed’ intentionally  but probably ‘unintentionally’ is the following RAPE OF THE AMERICA PUBLIC MONEY:

[1] Over the last decade most of the BOOZ ALLEN growth has come from selling ‘expertise, technology, and manpower’ to the N.S.A.—1.3 BILLION DOLLARS.  23 % of the company’s revenue.

[2] James Clapper, DNI, former Booz Allen Associate.  John M. McConnell, Former Director of National Intelligence also Booz Allen executive.

 Folks,  you see how we are getting ripped off.   The CIA, MI and other rejects and ‘antiquated failures’ received their six figure govt pensions,  then went on to receive seven figure salaries and then go back into the ‘revolving door’ of ‘crony capitalism’ and 'political corruption'

[3]The CARLYLE GROUP (private equity group),  composed of ex- government officials many whom I have known use their influence and contacts to ‘buy out USG contract agencies’ and make them public.     A useless banking organization like Carlyle that adds no value to society buys out a another useless consulting company which derives most of it’s income from the INCOMPETENT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT,  charging you,  the taxpayer for services that you had already presumably paid for in having the govt agency.   For example,  sixty to eighty per cent of the intelligence community is OUTSOURCED TO BOOZ,  LOCKHEED MARTIN AND COMPUTER SCIENCES CORPORATION who are populated by ex govt officials already receiving USG pensions.

So we, the US taxpayers, are paying of the ineffectual govt agency,  then their outsourcing and their going public.

  Boy are we the suckers in this game.  Rip off of the millennium for taxpaying citizens!

  Forget about being monitored by Apple,  Google and FaceBook.   We have just been SCAMMED BY THE LARGEST MAFIA OF ALL:  THE USG , MILITARY /INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX and now we are INSOLVENT.

  Get the point!!!
  Snowden is a set-up character who made the stupid mistake of not really allowing his narrative to make any sense –other than being a PAWN in the GAMES OF STATE.

  So once again,  POTUS OBAMA STRATEGICALLY  WINS THIS ROUND and we the AMERICAN PUBLIC will be another 5.6 BILLION DOLLARS POORER.

 Let us remember the words of President John F. Kennedy:

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution INEVITABLE”. 

"The time to repair the roof [i.e America] is when the sun is shining."

When I Am Wrong,  I Admit that I Am Wrong:  Case In Point “Obama Defends Mining Data, Why Should We Trust Him?”

There are many times that I make a statement or write a blog where I think that my fingers work  faster than my thoughts or vice versa.   In the case,  of the above mentioned blog where I have accused POTUS Obama and the legislators of not being ‘briefed on the NSA’ and ‘privacy issues’,  I stand corrected.

  From further examination of the records and more specifically my reading of an excellent,  Sunday, June 9, 2013,  NY Times article entitled, "How U.S . Agency Uses New Technology To Delve Ever Deeper" written by James Risen and Eric Lichtblau,  I stand in awe of what the NSA has really accomplished in just the past several years.

  In part, my attitude to the new modern surveillance techniques really stem from my own ignorance regarding the rapid advancement of the technology employed by the NSA and other Intelligence Organization.   Quite frankly,   I was trained in HUMINT, and like an ‘old war horse’,   I resort to those experiences that seemed best to fit my own professional background which was exceedingly limited with regards to ELINT, SIGINT, IMINT, etc. 

  Once we in the intel community thought that the “internet appeared too overwhelming for N.S.A,  to keep with, the recent revelations suggest that the agency’s capabilities are now greater than most outsiders believed.”

  Even after attending some AFCEA Conferences on Cyber War,   I had no idea how INCREDIBLY VAST and RESPONSIBLE with this RAPID GROWTH OF DATA COLLECTION.
  Let me cite from the NY Times article.

 “In March 13, 2013, there were 97 billion pieces of data that the N.S.A sweeps up around the world.  14% was from Iran,  much was from Pakistan, and about 3 percent came from inside the USA, though some of that came from inside the US involving foreign data traffic routed through American –based servers.”

  The article goes on to explain how explosive the new digital age has become in only the past two years:

“Because of smartphones,  tablets,  social media sites,  e-mail, and other forms of digital communications,  the world CREATES 2.5 QUINTRILLION BYTES of new data daily.”

  Whew!!! What is “QUINTRILLION”?   I thought GOOGLE  was a number beyond which one could not conceive but now we have “QUINTRILLION”. 

  Now you get some idea what the NSA and other modern surveillance techniques are up against.

  As I mentioned numerous times before,  I first trained in the internet and social media in 1973 at MIT.   That course was DARPA’s and CIA’s GIFT TO THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN SECURITY.   At the time,  the internet and social media seemed to be a limited experiment in technology and political science.   But who knew then how important it would become in the evolution of mankind and the devolution of nation state?   When we started writing the Tom Clancy’s Net Force Series,  some twenty years ago,  we had no idea of how rapid and how extensive 'METADATA' would become.   This was way back when in the dinosaur era  before  twitter,  facebook,  instagram etc.    I find that I am still a troglodyte when it comes to digital technology and its implications for national security.   I do not have any of the aforementioned advanced accoutrements.   I have a talented staff of a young genius handling my blogs and Facebook pages.  I am not cool with technology,  I have a lot to learn and hope to do so.   Not easy, things change so fast…..WE are HERE in the Information Age which is very different than the Industrial Age!!   Many of our institutions have some catching up to do:  educational system stuck in the agricultural age,  military still fighting in the industrial age…you get it.  We need new laws,  new systems,  new government (much leaner, less costly)  to match up with the new age!  

  Despite my lack of technical knowledge,  I do know something about people .

  Thank God for little gifts.

  I have met,  on different informal occasions,  General Keith B. Alexander,  the Director of the NSA and Commander, United States Cyber Command.

General Alexander is a BRANIAC. 

  He is one of the most brilliant , modest and patriotic men,  that I have met.

  I found him to be sincere, thoughtful and extremely funny.

 

Why is that important?
In the world of the brilliant and talented,  a General Alexander is a rarity who takes his responsibilities of national security and issues of constitutional concern seriously, thoughtfully, and with a clear sense of perspective about himself and his accomplishments as both the Director of the NSA and the First Commander, US Cyber Command.

He has more degrees than I and he is a lot funnier than I am.    He is a charismatic speaker and motivator when it comes to the field of Cyber War and the need for America to be prepared.

Look up his biography and see some of his lectures on You Tube.

  In fact,  perhaps the only constructive suggestion that I might make at this point in time in our national discussion on privacy and the NSA is that General Alexander or others inform the public in a simple way what some of the key issues are and will be with regards to Cyber War and collection of Metadata.    It’s time for the military to instruct the American civilians as to what this new digital era means to us as citizens and patriots.

  I stand corrected in my mistakes and apologize for any  incorrect impressions,  I might have conveyed. 

  But do stand in awe of what one man, General Keith B. Alexander has wrought in just a few short years.

  May we all learn about Metadata, Big Data and the  functions of the NSA,  Cyber Command and other important Intelligence agencies that by nature and habit remain in the shadows of democracy.

  Maybe it’s time to allow us,  the citizens of America,  to learn about OSINT. 

  OPEN SOURCE INTELLIGENCE!!!
General Alexander is the new type of military leader—The Scholar/Cyber Warrior with an incredible sense of decency, patriotism, and concern about our constitution.

bit of pre-work
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/us/revelations-give-look-at-spy-agencys-wider-reach.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Obama Defends Mining Data: Why Should We Trust Him? 

By now,  most Americans are aware of the simple truth that for years if not decades,  the National Security Agency has been monitoring American’s phone calls.

  For many of us who have had the privilege to serve in the USG,   it’s not a complete surprise to know that the NSA,  often facetiously referred to as ‘No Such Agency’ because of it’s extreme level of secrecy and extensive intelligence activities has been rarely identified or even described in the media.  That is until recently.

  I had never worked at the NSA but I know its filled with very bright mathematicians and computer engineers.   They use all means of Signal Intelligence [SIGINT] and Electronic  Intelligence [ElINT] to monitor national security interests.

  As far as I know,  they have been quite responsible when I worked in the USG.   In fact,  when I requested an ‘electronic sweep’ of Americans overseas during the Jonestown Suicide Tragedy,  I was summarily warned by then Sec State Cyrus Vance  that ‘we don’t monitor Americans’.

  That was pretty much the whole story throughout my tenure with five Presidents.

 

However since 9/11,  the Patriot Act was instituted and all types of electronic data was ‘collected’.

  I was against the Patriot Act after 9/11 and now,  I am against the Patriot Act even more so.

  But my personal and professional belies a basic question.

  If POTUS Obama defended his steroidal use of the NSA as reported,  then certain questions must be asked of him.

Obama said the following:
“There are some trade-offs involved.   I came with a healthy skepticism about these programs.   My team evaluated them We scrubbed them thoroughly.   In the end, they help us prevent terrorist attacks.”

  So Mr POTUS,  we Americans also come with an extremely healthy skepticism  not only of the program called, “Prism Internet Surveillance” but also we approach the underlying assumption with even a greater dose of skepticism,  if not,  out-right disbelief,  that 9/11 was not ‘a false flag’ created by the Bush Jr Administration.

  It’s a simple answer that only you can make.   It requires a monosyllabic response—“yes” or “no”.

You see Mr President ,   if you want the American public to trust you,  then you have to trust us and tell us what you really do or do not know about 9/11.   This is not a conspiratorial issue or even a clever set-up. 

As an accomplished lawyer trained in Cartesian logic,  you would also have to ask the question,  was the “Patriot Act” really necessary for a ‘terrorist act’ that may have been created by the Bush Jr administration?

  Whatever your answer will be,  will determine the tenor and viability of the response of, we, Americans, of whom forty per cent now believe that 9/11 was a ‘false flag’.   If that is the case, then,  we see no need for instituted rigid,  if not suffocating, standards of monitoring the American populace.   This kind internal spying is akin to the habits of the East German Stasi of the now defunct Communist regime.

As you well know,  we have a Social Contract between the American people and it’s government.   That Social Contract depends on truth, transparency and accountability from both parties.

  As for me, I simply await your answer to us,  the American public.

  While we await your timely response,  let me remind you that 11 million of us,  served this country in countless wars and conflagrations around the world for two simple words emblazoned on my cap from Ft Bragg:

  “Veritas Et Libertas”

Don’t deny us that ethos,  Mr President!

“Truth And Liberty”!
  It’s just about all I have to say … for the moment.

May I remind you of very important sayings by one of your most famous predecessors---President Harry S Truman.

 

"Men make history and not the other way around."

  And then he added most presciently:
“I always consider statesmen to be more expendable than soldiers.” 

And of course, you must know this axiom:
  “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen”.
AMEN!!

lil' homework for tonight's post
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/us/national-security-agency-surveillance.html?_r=0

nice to be back, I see things are running amok nicely.