NSA's Trailblazer...

[iago]

Robert Lemos, over on SecurityFocus (note the bold):

[snip]

A program intended to mine the Internet and telecommunications for bits of data related to terrorism is still on the drawing board, despite costing an estimate $1.2 billion over the past six years, according to a Baltimore Sun investigation.

The National Security Agency (NSA) has spearheaded the initiative, known as Trailblazer, aimed at connecting the dots between various information sources, such as e-mail, cell phone calls and instant messages. After spending almost $1.2 billion on the project since 1999, only a "few isolated analytical and technical tools have been produced," the article stated.

Earlier this month, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) filed lawsuits against the Bush Administration for conducting wiretaps of American citizens without judicial oversight. President Bush secretly authorized the NSA to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States without obtaining a warrant through a secret court system designed to allow foreign surveillance.

[snip]

http://www.securityfocus.com/brief/121

Baltimore Sun article:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/custom/attack/bal-te.trailblazer29jan29,1,1444424.story

[Hitmen]

mmm, tax dollars hard at work.

[Blaze]

I could find more terroism in six years then they could.  Give me 1.2 Billion Dollars.

[GameSnake]

President Bush secretly authorized the NSA to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States without obtaining a warrant through a secret court system designed to allow foreign surveillance.

I don't get it, if the president is doing this than shouldn't he be prosecuted, isn't what he is doing illegal?

[iago]

President Bush secretly authorized the NSA to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States without obtaining a warrant through a secret court system designed to allow foreign surveillance.

I don't get it, if the president is doing this than shouldn't he be prosecuted, isn't what he is doing illegal?

As far as I understand, it is, but he's doing it to save you from terrorism.  It's because of him breaking the law that you haven't been attacked by a terrorist.  And this rock keeps lions away .

[Hitmen]

President Bush secretly authorized the NSA to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States without obtaining a warrant through a secret court system designed to allow foreign surveillance.

I don't get it, if the president is doing this than shouldn't he be prosecuted, isn't what he is doing illegal?

As far as I understand, it is, but he's doing it to save you from terrorism.  It's because of him breaking the law that you haven't been attacked by a terrorist.  And this rock keeps lions away .

I would like to purchase your rock.

[MyndFyre]

President Bush secretly authorized the NSA to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States without obtaining a warrant through a secret court system designed to allow foreign surveillance.

I don't get it, if the president is doing this than shouldn't he be prosecuted, isn't what he is doing illegal?

To my knowledge, the FISA court has authorized this activity, and in fact has said that if he did not, he would be not following constitutional directive.

I have been searching for the ruling or news about this.

As far as I understand, it is, but he's doing it to save you from terrorism.  It's because of him breaking the law that you haven't been attacked by a terrorist.  And this rock keeps lions away .

Well, not attempting to make a personal attack in an extremely cynical way, but next time I need an expert on American constitutional law, I'll call you, and we'll work out a fee.

[iago]

As far as I understand, it is, but he's doing it to save you from terrorism.  It's because of him breaking the law that you haven't been attacked by a terrorist.  And this rock keeps lions away .

Well, not attempting to make a personal attack in an extremely cynical way, but next time I need an expert on American constitutional law, I'll call you, and we'll work out a fee.

Sweet!   Deal!

You'll find I work for cheap. 

[zorm]

$1.2 billion over the past six years

$200 million a year really isn't that bad. Consider something like the F/A-22 which has a price tag in the $200 million range per plane.

[iago]

$1.2 billion over the past six years

$200 million a year really isn't that bad. Consider something like the F/A-22 which has a price tag in the $200 million range per plane.

You missed the second half, a "few isolated analytical and technical tools have been produced," -- a plane is something, a "few [....] tools[/url] isn't

[Newby]

You missed the second half, a "few isolated analytical and technical tools have been produced," -- a plane is something, a "few [....] tools[/url] isn't

For $1.2 billion, 6 planes if a few.

I didn't read the article, but did they mention what was produced? Or are they going to assume the tools produced are junk and give the topic merit?

EDIT --

A major failure leading up to Sept. 11, 2001, involved communications intelligence, investigators found.More than 30 hints of the impending attack had been collected in the previous three years but had sat, unnoted, in the NSA's databases, according to a joint congressional inquiry into pre-Sept. 11 intelligence operations.

30? That's pretty fucking good if you ask me.

Wow, if you start a bunch of tags you can end them all by closing the outside most tag.

EDIT2 -- Ahh, the tool was designed to analyze those notes.

[Super_X]

President Bush secretly authorized the NSA to eavesdrop on Americans and others inside the United States without obtaining a warrant through a secret court system designed to allow foreign surveillance.

I don't get it, if the president is doing this than shouldn't he be prosecuted, isn't what he is doing illegal?

If I remember correctally, the "Patriot Act" makes him able to do that. He just profiles the people. But of corce since he's thre president, it's not illegal, or bad! .. The whole patriot thing is stupid, it's like the spy hunts Soviet Russia had the KGB do.  Say five names, then they don't arrest you and hold you for spying (terrorism, in this case). And since we can hold suspected terrorists for as long as we want, for no reason at all, we will.

[Blaze]

As far as I understand, it is, but he's doing it to save you from terrorism.  It's because of him breaking the law that you haven't been attacked by a terrorist.  And this rock keeps lions away .

"Lisa, I would like to buy your rock." --  I loved that quote.


If theres a chance it could stop a terrorist attack, it would be worth it.  I still don't understand why he did it secretley, its for National sercurity.

[GameSnake]

THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS, if he [bush] can by pass amendants and privacy laws, that is break a law on this serious of a scale, than how come people got thier panties in a bunch when Clinton got his dick sucked, which is might I add not nescarlly illegal? Clinton was a 2-time elected president too, you know.

[MyndFyre]

THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS, if he [bush] can by pass amendants and privacy laws, that is break a law on this serious of a scale, than how come people got thier panties in a bunch when Clinton got his dick sucked, which is might I add not nescarlly illegal? Clinton was a 2-time elected president too, you know.

He did not pass an amendment.  That requires 33 of the 50 states.

People didn't get their panties in a bunch because Clinton got a blow job.

People got their panties in a bunch because Clinton got a blow job, then he went on national television and proclaimed he didn't get a blow job directly to the American people explicitly about that incident, then he went to court and lied under oath (committed perjury) about getting a blow job.

Bush has not given me reason to doubt his honesty, nor has anyone else provided sufficient evidence that Bush has ever lied to me directly on national TV or while under oath.

Furthermore, as I said, it's been said that the FISA court (the court that would have jurisdiction in this matter) not only said that Bush legally did this surveillance, but also to not do so would have been a serious breach of his constitutional responsibility.