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Classified Cyber-Security Directive Puts NSA In Charge
dpreformer sends word that President Bush signed a classified directive Jan. 8 (it only came to light this week) putting all cyber-defense and counter-offensive activity for government networks under the aegis of the National Security Agency. Previously, federal agencies had disparate intrusion and attack monitoring programs. The directive does not address private-sector networks and systems. While some lawmakers and civil-rights advocates are unhappy with expanding the NSA's role domestically, one alternative that was considered and rejected — putting Homeland Security in charge — might have been worse. "A proposal last year by the White House Homeland Security Council to put the Department of Homeland Security in charge of the initiative was resisted by national security agencies on the grounds that the department, established in 2003, lacked the necessary expertise and authority. The tug-of-war lasted weeks and was resolved only recently, several sources said."
While this is not the most secret of the secretive (for years the very existence of the NSA was a secret) the fact that duties this big were assigned by a classified letter is appalling. When you couple this with the use of National Security Letters to compel the handover of goods to any thug in a trenchcoat it more and more appears that the goal of the present administration is to produce a kingly executive. One where oversight by the public and for the public is nonexistent and the whole process is simply inscrutable to us even as were are expected to knuckle under.
It is also interesting to me that it comes from this president who campaigned on the idea of a less controlling government, a smaller government, one that stayed out of our lives. This was based largely on the accusation that Clinton's favoratism for "Hate Crimes" legislation was an invasion of our privacy. It would be ironic if it was the least bit funny.
What I find is most interesting through is the use of the NSA in this manner. In many ways it is a textbook illustration of the way in which powers and agencies once built simply grow to fill all space they can. The NSA as initially instituted was a cold-war shop with the sole purpose of tapping and securing communications abroad while the existence of the group was a secret (many Americans were not aware of it until the 70's and the publication of the book "The Crystal Palace") it was, like the CIA, clearly setup to operate abroad and to spy on everyone but Americans.
It was, for lack of a better description a tool intended to work with us against others. With this addition that role has formally changed (it practically chainged with the AT&T hypocracy). While the formal change has been a secret the fact of the matter is that ever more of our resources are being turned inwards, onwords. Ever more effort is being expended to spy on us, on Americans with the understanding that our own government fears us as much or more than the rest of the world or at least that our own resources are better spent to attack us than others.
The idea of an executive floating on hostile seas rather than operating in safe waters has one crucial flaw. Dictators fall, and take everything around them, with them.
Bullshit. To find meaninful events, you are critical and selective. When looking for needles in metaphoric haystacks, you are best able to succeed with smaller haystacks. Anyone who has ever performed log analysis understands wht I always called "the bigger haystack problem". Log everything, and finding meaningful occurrences becomes impossible - or at least requiring too much effort for the value of the event.
Paller is a surveillance apologist, masquerading as a "security guru."
P.S. How do you really find a needle in a haystack? With a match.
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."