The spy-er becomes the spy-ee.
With approximately 314 million people living in the United States, wouldn’t you think there would be enough folks to spy on? Especially since government agents have clearly demonstrated that they won’t let the triviality of a lack of a warrant stop them from listening to our phone calls and reading our emails, even with no probable cause.
Well, apparently 314 million people are not enough to satiate the government’s spying appetite. Recently it was learned that the feds are now spying on each other as part of an “insider threat” program launched by an Obama Administration that obviously considers useless and expensive activities more important than resolving the real problems that negatively affect Americans everyday.
The administration wants federal workers and contractors to watch out for “high-risk” behavior among their comrades and to report it. Among the activities that feds are told to be on the lookout for range from financial problems to odd working hours to unusual travel.
So, if a federal employee is hurting financially because she’s spending a significant chunk of her money to help an ailing relative or send her child to a private school, she’s a suspect. And if another federal employee likes to work very early in the morning a couple of days per week so that he can volunteer his time in a soup kitchen in the evening, he’s a suspect. And if another federal employee visits Africa with her church group to help kids with AIDs, she’s a suspect.
The low-tech method being used for this internal spying is called “behavioral surveillance,” which of course is as inherently faulty as it is stupid. People using these types of non-reliable techniques will be guided more by their biases than by their brains. But the upper level feds don’t care. They just want the names of more people to harass.
This type of surveillance system is blatantly illegal and unethical, but as we know, the Obama Administration isn’t concerned with such trivialities. The administration considers itself above the law.
How would you react if your employer asked you to watch out for and report suspicious behavior among your co-workers? Is that something you would consider doing, or would you politely tell your boss that you have more important things to do at work? Please let me know what you think.
I live in Miami, Florida and Cubans have been coming in for 50 years illegally and when they get a trial as to if they should be deported back to Cuba or not they used to say they just wanted a place to live that had fair secret elections and a government that did not listen to there phone calls and read their mail and they usually were allowed to stay in the USA ! So at some time in the past the government apparently though that fair elections and not being spied on by the government were important ?? !!
I have read all of the comments and I get the impression all of you have drunk the Kool-Aid. Reading your comments leads to the conclusion that Bush Jr., or Obama is the source of our collective problems. This could not be further from the truth. The two world wars were the eye opener for the government as to the power of spying and surveillance. It started in earnest in 1947 with the official formation of the agency structure in the government. Eisenhower warned us. What do you all think the industrial military complex is? He and Kennedy were the last honest men to hold the office. The day they blew Kennedy’s brains out on live television we made a pact with the Devil. Since then the Devil just gets a new face every four years. Today nothing is new or different It is the same program, with the same people in charge. They are masters at dividing us, and keeping us infighting mostly over trivia, while they run the master program mostly without interference from “The People”.
Isn’t that what Stalin started in the 30’s?
I think this situation is being blown way out of proportion. We’re not talking here about taking too long a lunch break. As a former federal employee involved with handling classified information, we were taught that it was our responsibility to protect that information from unauthorized disclosure. There are certain indicators of POSSIBLE espionage, or that someone would be susceptible to committing espionage and revealing classified information.
For example, if a coworker has been having financial problems and suddenly has plenty of money; has an alcohol or drug problem; develops a romantic relationship with a foreign national; asks detailed questions about your work without a real need to know; or takes frequent short trips to a foreign country, these are indicators that there MAY be a compromise of classified or sensitive information. These situations need to be looked into to ensure that information is protected.
Lives could have been saved if Aldrich Ames’s coworkers had paid attention to the fact that he had a drinking problem, avoided scheduled polygraphs, and was constantly in debt until he married a woman from a rich family in Colombia.
I live in the People’s Republic of California where ratting out neighbors is a common social activity. Whether it is finking out your neighbor for using their fireplace on a “spare the air” day, spying a car with heavy exhaust, neighbors watering on the wrong day or at the wrong time, water run-off into the gutter, reporting suspicious activity (but it better not be on a minority or an illegal since they aren’t a minority anymore!), leaving garbage cans out too long, using a leaf blower before 8 am, working on your car too long, playing with the dog in the front yard without a leash, taking the dog to the beach (may frighten the wildlife), being a global warming denier, believing marriage is between a man and a woman, being a Republican, possessing a gun, using a cell phone while driving even if you are using it to play music, using the car pool lane except for the majority that are alone in their hybrids trying to get the best fuel economy from the car computer, etc., the ratfink can take pride in screwing their neighbor and never be revealed.
Do any of us remember the book “1984”? We have long surpassed the then fictional events of that book. You will be taken back a bit if you do all the research of how “the powers that be” in our Country and Globally. This, what we are seeing and living through right now is the building of “THE NEW WORLD ORDER”. One government to control the world.
Do you not realize that we have been spied on for years? It is that now there is SOO much of it that it is in our faces. They track: our food purchases, where we go every day, who we talk to, who we see, our doctors appointments, the medications we take, how much money we have on our person, in the bank in savings, checking, etc, our retirement plans such as 401K, CD’s, IRA’s and so on, and things that we have not really thought about. EVERYTHING, we do and say is recorded, and monitored and used against us in some way. It will take every one us to stand up against this oppression and control to start to put a stop to this. WE as a NATION need to beg GOD for forgiveness and pray for help. I’m not going to preach, but I strongly suggest that we all read the book of Revelation in the Christian Bible if for nothing else a history lesson. Compare what is in that book to what is happening in the world around us today. If you don’t at the very least get a slight chill after reading then you won’t mind being a slave to the government, we are nearly there now.
This is about control……. the ones with the most money can buy the power, and the ones with the most power can and will control the people. This has been planed for a half century, the Obama Administration is just the chosen Admin to really kick it all into high gear. All I can say is prepare, be alert, pray, and be ready to stand up against evil or run and hide. It’s gonna be kind of a “MAD MAX” situation I’m afraid.
so, get this: had a meeting with our appraisal district regarding property tax. Inquired why our home was exceedingly higher then surrounding properties. was told by the agent that it was because of a remodel that was done about 10 years ago. Our reply was is that other folks in the neighborhood have remodeled since. The agent’s reply was then you need to collect the addresses and turn them in so we can reassess those properties. Listen folks it’s not only in the government. It is being encouraged and in filtrated in the minds of American citizens to quote unquote tell on their neighbors. They can bite me! I will not turn in my neighbors. this is just a small example but they are pitting neighbor against neighbor and this is a form of control and it’s their way to try and keep us in our homes away from others so we don’t realize what they’re doing to us.we simply can’t allow them to be in our heads. We must stand up, wake up, and don’t think like everybody else in the cattle line thinks.
I hunt rats and give them.up to those they have hurt
I’m a 38 year pro. Only tell. Citizens.with real. Proof. No public media Obama types. We all do this
So your turn will pop up. Soon
What you. Reap is very fair
So rat and take your own. Medicine as all.do.
This type of surveillance should be illegal. I agree that it is unethical ! No Administration that has ever existed have been concerned with what we think. All World Governments, Corporations, and Big Banks are above the law. Being a patriot is about more than just being an American. No people anywhere on the face of the globe is free from what is going on. Instead we fight over points of view and political parties… as for other people of the world they have their own realities and nations to deal with…we are also pitted against them…and they against us! The whole damn world needs to wake up not just America. The people every where don’t have shit to do with politics and war…we are always lied into it. We paint the battlefields red, we suffer, we die…not the assholes in power all over the world. Fuck Them All …I know they’ll read this!
For those of us that work in the Government or in an office already know that they are always under constant surveillance, either by the employer of fellow co-workers. So what is so new about this? it is the same-ole,-same-ole, if you ask me.
Let me tell you something that just came to my attention: There are companies that has their employees ride around town photographing your car, truck, and other modes of transportation. These companies collect millions of vehicles and license plates each year in hopes of finding a vehicle that is on a repossession list. What these companies do with the information of the other vehicles that they have photographed and recorded is to sell this information to a company owned by TRW, Law Enforcement, and various Government agencies, State as well as Federal.
The Government is prohibited from gathering this information on the U.S. Citizen. But if a private party gathers this information in the course of doing business; they can turn around and sell said information to anyone or any company. corporation, of government agency. This is legal. The government can purchase any information about you, the citizen, without breaking the law.
The repoman is well in his rights to photograph you and your property because you are out in the public domain.
We don’t stand a chance when there are those out there that are willing to sell the citizen out for a few bucks. If Big Brother doesn’t get you then Little Brother will. We need to be vigil, careful, and prepared.
In this country we can do whatever it we want as long as we do not violate the rights of others, and if you do, WE as American Nationals have the right to face our accusers. Fair enough who is accusing us. but under statues we can rat in secret which totally wrong.
There is a movie called “Question Seven” that was made in either the late 1950s or early-mid 1960s. It was about the taking over of the United States by stealth methods, and this particular question had to do with spying and ratting out your parents, family members, relatives, and friends. It was based on a school boy who was taking a “test” along with all the other children. This “question 7” was part of the test and pretty much asked if you, the child, would turn in your parents, etc. Amazingly in the movie, many of them said they would.
Think about this for a moment. Children are TOLD that their parents CAN NOT discipline them, because it is against the law. So children tell their parents this fallacy. There is NO law that prevents a parent from disciplining their child/ren. The laws simply state “not by use of anything other than the flat of your open hand”. Meaning no belts, no paddles, no branches, no closed hands or fists. Yet in the mind of the child, they honestly believe there can be no punishment meted out to them. Now, just start inching this over to “would you turn in your parents for things they may do or say?” See the connection?
Question 7 came out in June 1961.
I believe it is another step towards communism. Get people to tell on each other you start with the “good” things like pouching (so?) a deer out of season that’s a good thing to tell on a person for right? Never mind the guy was out of work & had 4 kids to feed. Now they instill it in our kids – tell on your parents if they say things that sound racist or they let you eat ice cream & apple pie for supper. The Russians always said they would never take America by force – they’d do it from the inside. WAKE Up They’re here!!
I agree with you. It is definitely a step towards Communism, but at the same time it is human nature too.
Survival of the Fittest requires aggressive actions. Most tyrannts were extremely aggressive. Look at Attila the Hun , or Hitler or Genghis Kahn.. All these people were Conquerors. Obama “thinks” he is too because of his high level of arrogance. Of course he isn’t, but he is trying.
Also, in the 90s I had a new boss at a prestigious Mercedes Dealership demand that I monitor every last person in our large dealership. He was getting me 12 monitors to watch throughout the day so I could report back to him anyone not doing their jobs. I had worked at this dealership several years before he came and knew the quality of my coworker’s work ethics…extremely high –good enough to be #1 in the Nation. So that moment he said I would be doing that, I turned to him and said “No, I will not spy on people I know to be good hard workers.” His neck turned red, then his face turned red and I thougt the top of his head was going to blow off. He called me “insubordinate” and that I could loose my job. “Fine” I said and went upstairs to his boss (who was respected by all) and relayed the whole scene. The General Manager assured me he would speak to my boss and the “surveillance” thing wouldn’t be happening at that time.
If people don’t stand up for what they believe to be true, they will always be VICTIMS. We Americans know what obama is doing is wrong for our country yet many stand idly by and do nothing…VIICTIMS!
To be a Winner, you must act like a Winner and do not be afraid to make your voice heard. When we all act to save our country, we become Winners, not Victims! I had a lot to lose that day being a single mother of two kids, but what’s right is right and I needed for my kids to learn that lesson too…and they did. Now they are responsible people making life better for those around them, helping the little guy but not sacrificing their moral beliefs! Mission accomplished! WE ALL NEED TO BE WINNERS FOR OUR LOVED ONES FOR OUR COUNTRY AND FOR OURSELVES!
And another thing. I truly do not believe that all the people killed on 9/11 would want us to hand over our freedom “for our own good” to be giving up our rights because Bush wanted us to be afraid and invite the government into our lives without question.
Seriously folks! You really believe that this is the only addinistration to spy on any of us! Please! Pull your heads out of wherever it’s hiding! I don’t care which party is in office they’re going to step over the proverbial line! Admit it! Obama is not that special, for everything that people claim he is doing however does he have time to sleep! He’s just a puppet like all the rest! Think people THINK for yourselves!
Here is where you are wrong and grossly uninformed. Obama, the fraud king of America, wants exactly what is happening to our country. He has orchestrated all these illegal and unconstitutional acts against our people. He is a tyrannt pretending – PRETENDING – to show he cares about what happens to our people while in private he plots his next move to destroy our Christian foundations or our American traditions.
There is NOTHING good that comes from his twisted brain, only hatred and malice toward America – that would be YOU and me and the rest of the country. DO NOT BELIEVE HIS MUTTERINGS OF “DOING THINGS FOR THE BETTERMENT OF ALL” — no such thing in his playbook. Doing things to get him fame (actually notoriety) and fortine is where his mind is at. If America or you or I get in his way, we are expendable and a false statement and quick smile will do the trick…think Fast and Furious and the Benghazi Slaughters were 4 Americans died grisly horrible deaths.
But where people like you are naive and gullible, people like me and millions of other Americans SEE RIGHT THROUGH THE FAKE. He is treading on quaking ground — apparent by the landslide Conservative takeover of not only the House, but now the Senate. Hmmm.
Conservative Congress vs liberal president who has a legal suit filed against him for overstepping his Constitutional authorities with Executive Orders –which are only supposed to be used as emergency actions during war. Yet this quack drafts them so people would have to bring him toilet paper while he is sitting on the john. Yes, ridiculously put, but you get the idea. He feels he can circumvent Congress by drafting an E.O. and that our Constitution is nothing but a mat to wipe his feet on. He believes himself above the law — he isn’t…God’s Law or man’s law, one law will wound his arrogant Soul, if he has one.
The House filed that Executive Order Law Suit and now with a majority of revved up angry Conservatives ready to bounce bho out the door, obama needs to behave. But his arrogance will direct his actions and he will try once again to E.O. something into existence…like Amnesty.
He is an arrogant fool who will find himself imprisonned for egotistical Unconstitutional acts against the United States of America…something a gang banger playboy thinks he can get away with.
Hope he likes speaking in front of rats because they will be his only audience especially if he shares his bread and water with them.
Your observation reminds me of a strong feeling I have had for years: Obama is not smart enough or clever enough to bring about all these changes on his own. The Kenyan Klutz may be orchestrating them, but someone else (maybe even a number of someone elses!) is coming up with the plan. And the plans themselves are old. In our time almost a century old. The subservesive and underhanded and covert cleverness is a matter or historical record. It is readily available in print from both the communist and fascist movements throughout the 20th Century. I don’t think it is yet too late to turn this crop of fascist rats out and free ourselves, our kids and our grandchildren of the criminal and noxious cloud that these arrogant and self-important weenies have puffed up.
The reason they are doing this is because they don’t want any whistleblowers blowing the lid off any NEW spying they may be doing. It was bad enough that we found out about them spying on us citizens; they don’t want anything else to leak out about who they may be spying on next. But it looks like someone DID blow the lid off their spying on each other!! Te-he-he…
I did work for the City of Kerrville, TX who were always asking me to ‘spy’ on my collegues. I wasn’t special because they told everyone this. It made my bosses in City Hall look dubious. The woman who headed up their Dept. of Health at the time, wrote me an e-mail telling me that she was gonna use my data from the lab to “run all the Asians out of town”. Meaning, all the Asian restaurants and their families too. I simply forwarded the e-mail to the Director of Public Works who turned out to have the same plan as she did. So, I had to get a lawyer, at my own expense, and was able to keep my job for an additional 3 years while they made up a very ficticious story about me. They were supposed to pay me all the vacation time I had accrued but didn’t because I was a “Whistle Blower”. So, this kind of BS goes on today all over, not just the ‘spy agencies’. They did finally fire the man who fired me. It didn’t make me happy, actually, I felt really bad for his family who’d have to go through the same adjustments as I had too.
what a coincidence I was just thinking I would gladly replace obsolete politicians with Asian families who mind their own business.
Can you send me more details of your experience, and note the date all of this occurred? Thanks.
This admonition to essentially “spy on — and turn in — your family, friends, neighbors, coworkers, etcetera” follows the same pattern that, in its more destructive form (toward which, if not redirected, it may well ultimately move), has long been recognized as a paranoically-based practice that has been put into force by some of the most cruel (and probably psychopathic) dictators throughout history; in this regard, Stalin and Hitler are but two such names that come to mind.
Emplacing legitimate, appropriate, methods to necessarily protect the security of information is one thing — as long as those methods themselves are not destructive of the information that they are supposed to protect, and as long as those methods are not destructive of the rights of the people – and of the nation – that the “security” is allegedly in place to protect.
But to attempt to enforce that “security” by putting into force a policy that makes not only the nation’s overall citizenry, but also every person who is part of or working for the Government itself, suspicious that everyone else — even including one’s friends and colleagues — is most likely a “CRIMINAL”, is, in my view, the sign of a psychopathic policy that has the potential to utterly destroy, from the inside, any agency or project that implements such a policy.
And what will be the probably additional result of such a policy? In my opinion: it will be not only governmental systems – and a political and societal structure – that implode “from the inside”, but it will also be a government ,and related systems and structures, that increasingly operate in a psychotic – and harmful to “the public good” – manner.
The signpost up ahead? Is it the “Twilight Zone” – or is it “Danger!”?
isn’t this what the Nazi’s did and let’s not forget that Nazi stands for National Socialist ?
I once took an oath to protect & defend the constitution.I don’t recall any expiration date. The sitting President is not my CIC
I would say “Sure.” Then I would report nothing, and do whatever I could to alert and protect my fellow workers from being reported by anyone else. People’s private lives are their own business, and their privacy needs to be respected. We all have the right to live our lives in any way we choose, as long as we are not harming another person.
You can not fix stupid !!!!!
No, but you can vote it into office.
If ask to spy on others employees by my employer I would inform him I’m not getting paid for that AND TO GO AND PACK SAND. In fact during my working career I have told my employers to due just that PACK SAND.
Isn’t that like taking sand to the beach?
The Socialist Security (SS) plans being tested among us are reminiscent Adolph’s mindset. Thank God for the Constitution and all of the Amendments!
The constitution is not worth the paper it’s written on. The Ivy League Mafia only feigns respect for it to lull you to sleep. nothing in the constitution will slow them down with whats coming, which will make Stalinist Russia look like a monastery. By the way Lincoln was one of the biggest monsters in history-HE invented scorched earth warfare-not his generals. Sleep well.
Yeah… now they are thinking of amending the 2nd amendment. Amendment upon amendment, here a little, there a little… until the Constitution is completely gone.
When I was in college, (1970s) in a Law and Society class, the lawyer teaching the course asked this question. What is the Constitution of the United States? Everyone gave pretty much the same answers. He told us, we were basically correct in our answers; however he then said the correct answer is: What nine dirty old men say it is. Now I guess it would be what 7 dirty old men and 2 dirty old ladies say it is. Think about his statement. Our Supreme Court determines what the Constitution says or means regarding the wording contained within it. EACH Supreme Court through our Nation’s history has put their stamp on the words and what they mean at any given time. There have been some spectacular FAILURES and some wonderful PROGRESSION regarding our Constitution since its inception. Today, we are seeing way more POLITICAL actions/decisions than before; but we had those previously as well. Think the “Dred Scott Decision” of the 1850s, or the rulings against the various Indian Tribes who sued our government for treaty violations. All we are seeing today is MORE and DEEPER politics being played out, all in the name of giving the American people what they THINK they want.
All I want to know is why they are not spying on the banks that lie cjeat and steal and have ruuined the worlds economy !? Ever been to new york? Check out huge spy center in financial district– no windows just cameras pointing everywhere. Inside the fbi, cia and the banks. What is wrong with this country we all once loved?!
Somebody has to cash their cheques and tell them that everything is alright..
I am a truck driver and after 9/11 the Government produced a plan that asked all truck drivers to be vigilant of everyone on the road and report any strange behavior to an 800 #. As far as I know it’s still in effect but I for one would only use it if I saw something that appeared to be terrorist related. Since the advent of the “Patriot Act” you can be arrested, detained and any and all possessions confiscated, without any proof you have committed any crime, just on an accusation from anyone that you might be a terrorist and many people do not no this.
The government also promised that all truck drivers were to fill out a homeland security form, whereby, the government will do a background check on each driver to make sure he isn’t a terrorist. It was suppose to be a one time thing. Now the Government wants to do a background check on every driver every 5 years. The point being the driver has to pay for it each and every time. I’m talking about millions of dollars that flows into the Department of Homeland Security. Talking about putting a string on a citizen; the Government can find a driver at any time, at any place, and at any where at their discretion.
I would say, “OK”, then later report back that everybody is dedicated to their jobs, and there’s nothing to report. I’ve been told that many of our military warriors are being asked “one on one” by their commanders if they could shoot citizens here in the US. Many are saying, “Yes”, but their real answer is, “No”!!
Jun 21, 2013 With the NSA intercepting as many as 20 trillion communications belonging to Americans, they’ve created what can best be described as a backup server for the nation’s entire store of communications. And according to one of the latest Snowden leaks, the NSA’s database may contain evidence of crimes committed by Americans that have nothing to do with national security. So who should have access to this information and how should it be used? Political Commentator Sam Sacks reports.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYXyiLCZ8_k&fe…
Exposed: Inside the NSA’s Largest and Most Expansive Secret Domestic Spy Center in Bluffdale, Utah
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/3/21/exposed_inside_the_nsas_largest_and
March 22, 2012 New rules allow US to store personal data longer.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57402933/new-rules-allow-us-to-store-personal-data-longer/
Part 2: Former NSA Employee Thomas Drake and Jesselyn Radack on Obama Admin. Whistleblower Crackdown
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/3/26/part_2_former_nsa_employee_thomas
MONEY TRAIL: CORPORATIONS PAID BIG BUCKS BY NSA FOR ALLOWING SPYING by Daniel G. J. July 17th, 2013
http://www.storyleak.com/corporations-paid-off-by-nsa-for-allowing-spying/
Ten ways the NSA Spies on YOU:
1.) Metadata – Metadata is Data about data. Metadata describes how and when and by whom a particular set of data was collected, and how the data is formatted. Metadata is essential for understanding information stored in data warehouses and has become increasingly important in XML-based Web applications. In short it is used to get around the Privacy Laws.
2.) NSA is allowed to collect information on people Then the NSA determines and applies the 3 degrees of separation from suspects.
3.) NSA tracts numbers called and received, call duration and nearest cell tower are all logged.
4.) NSA uses a program called PRISM. PRISM is a major electronic spying program using existing information from social media sites. A few years ago over 18,000 Facebook accounts were affected.
5.) NSA has wire tapped all overseas communications, in and out of the USA. The data – mining of millions of calls was implemented by George W. Bush after 9/11.
6.) NSA can turn your cellphone, computer’s camera and microphone on remotely – by using a roving bug. They can even listen in when the phone is turned off.
7.) NSA works closely with companies like Google, Facebook, and other social medias; by incorporating CODE into Android phones. This means that about 75% of all smartphones sold in the world have the NSA CODE. The NSA has spent over $255 million in cracking E-mail encryption for millions of people. The NSA also worked to insert vulnerabilities into encryption systems and influenced companies product designs covert access.
8.) NSA, along with the U.S. Treasure Department, uses a program called “SWIFT.” SWIFT monitors financial transactions of suspects and foreign nationals. (Snowden revealed this) Snowden disclosed that SWIFT has been expanded to include U.S. Citizens.
9.) MSA also engaged in “MITM” – Man in the Middle – attacks. Posing as media sites like Google, Facebook, and others where the NSA harvested information from the people before sending it onto the real website.
10.) NSA has also spied on Love interest. They stated that the “Love Interest” happens very rarely and is strictly punished. The NSA itself has in 1 year violated Privacy Laws on 3000 occasions.
I hope that this will give you a clearer picture of what you are up against.
I think they need to mind their own dang business and get the heck out of our way. The American people have been successfully indoctrinated into a dependency that has enslaved us all. We the people, need to WAKE UP, and remember that “this is our land”, and that the only thing we need from the government is for it to be limited.
I think John has it right, to many people in this country have been led to believe we are to be cared for by the government, When if fact the government is suppose to be led by the people, for the people, corporations not withstanding
they can not trust no one not even their fellow worker
remember the witch hunts in new England history.
thats what this looks like
I don’t snitch on my fellow workers. It is no one’s business what they do unless it is to hurt someone or themselves.
What about, See something, Say something? Its the beginning of the end.