Post-Christmas

Hmm... 4 months. Not surprising, but probably indicative of the future. Definitely indicative if I honestly think I will make any more post typing on an iPad mini.

On the Nature of Intelligence Leaks

It is amazing that our crack intelligence service doesn't seem to really have any brains.  A few years back they leaked the knowledge that those opposed to terrorism had a mole in a Yemen terrorist organization, and I don't know if the found the person who leaked that or not, but it did put someone in danger, if the mole did not get out prior to leak.  Just this week, it was revealed that the recent embassy closings occurred because the spy agencies managed to tap a conference call.  I am sorry, but both of these leaks seem to be much more disastrous to our intelligence gathering than Snowden's leak confirming the government scans all internet traffic for this or that keyword, if you are to believe them.  Snowden confirmed something that has been rumored for 15+ years, but was so general as to be ho hum, so what.  The other two leaks dealt with specific threats and most likely will make gathering new information using the earlier techniques more difficult.  I realize the NSA is in need of an attaboy or two, but this is really a stupid way to convince the public you are doing your job.  If you had followed the Constitution, you wouldn't be in need of an attaboy to gain back public support.

Thursday Morning

Summer in Seattle has it advantages, but this morning the sky looks nothing like it does in the picture, and the beverage in front of me is the other Seattle standby, coffee.  There are other things I want to write, but with this being a spur of the moment post, I don't have them organized in my head, so I will skip them.  The news cycle is so filled with garbage, it is hard not to have something to write about, but the problem is not sounding like an idiot doing so.  If I do sound like an idiot, then I am guessing it can't be helped, but that is one reason I am leaving my ramblings to how I write rather than how much I currently despise whatever currently stupid thing is going on in the world.  On that note, I think it is time to wrap up today's excursion to my blog.

Just a bit of something...

It has definitely been an interesting year so far, more on the general news front rather than anything in specific.  I really hope the US stops chasing Snowden quite so rabidly, as it is making the US look really pathetic, after he made the US look really stupid.  Honestly, at this point, at least domestically, he brought about a bit of discussion on the government spying on US citizens, which regardless of what sort of greater protection doublespeak they wish to wrap it in, is still absolutely something that should be scrutinized in the press and in congress, much more than it has been, and much more than it likely will be.  Internationally, Snowden said we were spying on China, as if that is an earth shattering revelation.  I am not sure when common sense national security issues became top secret, but obviously with no brains in the security apparatus, such things have happened.  Also internationally, and a bit embarrassing to boot, was the revelation that we are spying on our allies.  That is the black eye on the world stage, and that is something that will likely require more than just a few platitudes to clear up.  Hero or not, and I won't go there, I do believe some of the issues he brought up, like the possible abuse of powers granted by the Patriot Act, needed to be brought up, and needed to be discussed.  I also think before the US uses any political capital, like that issues with the Ecuadorian presidential jet, it should really review what has been in the press, and decide if what was revealed was really top secret, or if it was honestly just something everyone knew, but disclosure of it in the press just made it an issue that could not be brushed aside.  I have heard for years about some government agency or another culling email and such, but had never much thought about it, or even if it was more than just the proverbial internet myth, so now we know it isn't a myth, but a rumor confirmed-- hardly top secret stuff there, but then the US government has a tendency to over-react, just look at the TSA.

The is enough for this morning.  Waiting for Skyrim to update while drinking my coffee is sort of what led me here today, so I won't promise another update anytime soon, though such things do cross my mind periodically.