Spy Agency Watching Americans From Space (Yahoo! link)

[Kadie]

Spy Agency Watching Americans From Space

By KATHERINE SHRADER, Associated Press Writer
Sat May 13, 6:29 AM ET



WASHINGTON - A little-known spy agency that analyzes imagery taken from the skies has been spending significantly more time watching U.S. soil.

In an era when other intelligence agencies try to hide those operations, the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper, is proud of that domestic mission.

He said the work the agency did after hurricanes Rita and Katrina was the best he'd seen an intelligence agency do in his 42 years in the spy business.

"This was kind of a direct payback to the taxpayers for the investment made in this agency over the years, even though in its original design it was intended for foreign intelligence purposes," Clapper said in a Thursday interview with The Associated Press.

Geospatial intelligence is the science of combining imagery, such as satellite pictures, to physically depict features or activities happening anywhere on the planet. A part of the Defense Department, the NGA usually operates unnoticed to provide information on nuclear sites, terror camps, troop movements or natural disasters.

snip...
Privacy advocates wonder how much the agency picks up — and stores. Many are increasingly skeptical of intelligence agencies with recent revelations about the Bush administration's surveillance on phone calls and e-mails.

more...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060513/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/spies_eyes_3

[DS1]

1. So, with a few trillion spent on the NSA over the years, AND them

spying on us, and providing real-time data to the DHS, it still took about a week to evacuate NO after Katrina?

Heckuva job, Clappy

[Pavulon]

2. You mean like

looking for suspicious activity around nuke plants, water supplies, and other targets. Makes sense.

They are not watching you mow your yard.

I hope they watch chemical sites, facilities that destroy chemical weapons, and the like.

[Justsayin]

3. Probably more like political enemies list! n/t