U.S. Intelligence Budget: $75 Billion, 200,000 Operatives

[Orwellian_Ghost]

U.S. Intelligence Budget: $75 Billion, 200,000 Operatives. Fusion Centers Will Have Access to Classified Military Intelligence

Speaking at San Francisco's Commonwealth Club September 15, Director of National Intelligence Admiral Dennis C. Blair, disclosed that the current annual budget for the 16 agency U.S. "Intelligence Community" (IC) clocks-in at $75 billion and employs some 200,000 operatives world-wide, including private contractors.

In unveiling an unclassified version of the National Intelligence Strategy (NIS), Blair asserts he is seeking to break down "this old distinction between military and nonmilitary intelligence," stating that the "traditional fault line" separating secretive military programs from overall intelligence activities "is no longer relevant."

As if to emphasize the sweeping nature of Blair's remarks, Federal Computer Week reported September 17 that "some non-federal officials with the necessary clearances who work at intelligence fusion centers around the country will soon have limited access to classified terrorism-related information that resides in the Defense Department's classified network." According to the publication:

Under the program, authorized state, local or tribal officials will be able to access pre-approved data on the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network. However, they won't have the ability to upload data or edit existing content, officials said. They also will not have access to all classified information, only the information that federal officials make available to them.

The non-federal officials will get access via the Homeland Security department's secret-level Homeland Security Data Network. That network is currently deployed at 27 of the more than 70 fusion centers located around the country, according to DHS. Officials from different levels of government share homeland security-related information through the fusion centers. (Ben Bain, "DOD opens some classified information to non-federal officials," Federal Computer Week, September 17, 2009)

...

http://antifascist-calling.blogspot.com/2009/09/us-intelligence-budget-75-billion.html

[unhappycamper]

1. I just picked up a book at my local library called 'Blank Spots on the Map' by Trevor Paglen.

a.k.a. 'The Dark Geography of the Pentagon's Secret World'. Interesting book.

on edit: to fix typo

[blindpig]

2. I feel safer already.

It's safer in a cage, right?

[Echo In Light]

23. This: Only 3 of 763 Patriot Act wiretaps in 2008 were terrorism related

Sort of helps put this in persepctive:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/9/24/785634/-Only-3-of-763-Patriot-Act-wiretaps-in-2008-were-terrorism-related.-65-were-Drug-cases.

[HamdenRice]

3. Mom says take a break from world wide Trotskyite revoultion. Your toaster waffles are ready!!!

You need to yell up from the rumpus room NOW and let her know whether it's maple syrup or honey!!!

[Junkdrawer]

4. Speaking of food, you are working on a pizza...

Personal attacks are not allowed

[HamdenRice]

5. The Trotskyite cultists then should be banned before me

In fact, they should be banned in 1/10th the time because they engage approximately 10 times the number of personal attacks I ever rouse myself to engage in.

[girl gone mad]

7. you've really jumped the shark.

calling DUers "Trotskyites" is about as relevant as teabaggers calling the President a "communist".

[HamdenRice]

8. Why is it wrong to call certain DUers Trots when ...

they constantly cite a website that is part of a self-described Trotskyite party?

Maybe you missed some of the debate, but this is about some "useful idiots" who constantly cite WSWS (World Socialist Web Site).

WSWS proclaims itself to be anti-union, because, they believe, the AFL-CIO is a criminal conspiracy against the working class. They also proclaim themselves to be part of a Trotskyite political party.

It turns out that WSWS is owned by a multi-millionaire corporate owner who runs a multi-million dollar non-union printing company and has for decades engaged in anti-union, anti-Democratic, anti-Socialist, anti-British Labour disruption.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6560399&mesg_id=6561071

So how is it "jumping the shark" to point out that certain posters are constantly citing an anti-union web site owned by a corporate millionaire who claims to be a Trot?

[Orwellian_Ghost]

9. Thread hijacking

and name calling. Direct violation of DU policy. How is it this is allowed to continue?

Seems this poster has become a one-trick pony with constant slurs and outright lies disparaging DU members who don't agree with his/her agenda. I've seen many get banned for less. I don't get it.

[HamdenRice]

10. How were the toaster waffles?

Was the global Trotskyite revolution delayed by your going upstairs to have them?

No?

See?

Having a good breakfast is NOT inconsistent with worldwide Trotskyite revolution!!! Always listen to Mom while carrying out world wide revolution!!!


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6560399&mesg_id=6561071

[PreacherCasey]

11. Let's argue over the validity and implications of the information, not its source. Then,

this conversation might go somewhere.

[Orwellian_Ghost]

14. Agree

With that particular poster the point is to avoid what you are encouraging and prevent the information from being the focal point thusly becoming an obstacle towards the conversation going somewhere.

This is not by accident.

[HamdenRice]

16. When a source consists of dedicated liars, focusing on the source is relevant

Check out what the Stalinists and Trotskyites had to say about "propaganda." Once you understand their view on that, then the main issue is the source, not the "alleged" topic.

[Orwellian_Ghost]

17. How is Tom Burghardt

a dedicated liar?

I guess you didn't take the time to examine the source and you haven't even summoned the courage to comment on the piece.

Certainly as an applicant for censor you should at least read the piece.

Again you are only attempting to move the discussion away from the topic. And you will fail. People around here are quite tuned in to your slander.

[leftstreet]

20. The story is up at a lot of places. Stop whining

http://www.pacificfreepress.com/news/1/4774-us-intelligence-budget-75-billion-200000-operatives.html

U.S. Intelligence Budget: $75 Billion, 200,000 Operatives
Written by Tom Burghardt
Friday, 25 September 2009 05:55


:eyes:

[rug]

6. "200,000 operatives world-wide, including private contractors"

I'd like to see that figure broken down.

[wroberts189]

12. Does anyone have any idea what the hell these fusion centers are doing?

Besides snooping on everyone?


Who the hell are non-federal officials? Contractors? State employees?

And what kind of military intelligence are they collecting or needing anyway? These centers are all domestic.

[bemildred]

15. As a former software engineer, my guess is largely various forms of computer masturbation.

Large piles of random "information" are not in themselves particularly useful, and making them useful is not something computers are very good at. The usual tradeoff is you get either way more "data" than you - a mere human - can process, or you miss lots of stuff that was really what you wanted to see.

The "Let's collect lots of data and use it to rule the World" idea comes up over and over, lots of money is wasted on it, and it never pans out.

Which is not to say that database systems cannot be very useful, it's just that you have to be disciplined about it, and they have to be maintained continuously.

[Orwellian_Ghost]

18. Interesting comment

over at the original link:

"What really concerns me, if I understand the full capabilities of the system and the software, is its use for industrial and financial espionage, either to steal ideas and information, or to game the system, or to reward friends and punish non-supporters
It truly is an insider's club and the rest of the world is either consumed, subsumed, or locked out."

[bemildred]

19. Spreading "Fear, uncertainty, and doubt" (FUD) is what they do.

Don't believe the marketing hype. It is certainly true that we have issues with a rising wannabe police state, and a lot of law-enforcement voyeurs, and so on, but it's not new, and these "Fusion Centers" will not really change the game much. The fundamental problem that the wannabe police state faces is that they are outnumbered, the populace is very well armed, and they lack legitimacy in the sense of public trust and cooperation. It is true that this will be a massive source of corruption and law-breaking by putative law-enforcement types, but the problem is not the magic computer system they claim to have.

[Echo In Light]

24. Makes one wonder: what do 'they' know of what's around the bend that we do not?

[populistdriven]

13. that is $375,000 for each employee

[Hannah Bell]

21. pedigree (includes some rockefellers)

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/celeb/blair.htm

[Hannah Bell]

22. more than double the employees microsoft has world wide.

[maryf]

25. Kick

sorry I can't rec...

[reprehensor]

26. But Universal Healthcare would bankrupt us!

Yeah, right. A little trimming on all of this security/"defense" nonsense, and Universal Coverage is a done deal.