{"id":72925,"date":"2013-06-10T14:38:55","date_gmt":"2013-06-10T14:38:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=72925"},"modified":"2013-06-12T06:55:34","modified_gmt":"2013-06-12T06:55:34","slug":"israeli-involvement-in-nsa-spying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=72925","title":{"rendered":"Israeli Involvement in NSA Spying"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal<\/w:View> <w:Zoom>0<\/w:Zoom> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser \/> <\/w:WordDocument> <\/xml><![endif]--><\/p>\n<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal<\/w:View> <w:Zoom>0<\/w:Zoom> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser \/> <\/w:WordDocument> <\/xml><![endif]--><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"text-align: center;\">by Stephen Lendman &#8212; SteveLendman.blogspot June 9, 2013<\/h1>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"font-size: 9.0pt;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">It doesn&#8217;t surprise. On June 8,<a href=\"http:\/\/www.haaretz.com\/news\/diplomacy-defense\/how-was-israel-involved-in-collecting-u-s-communications-intel-for-nsa-1.528529\"><span style=\"font-size: 14.5pt;\"> Haaretz<\/span><\/a> headlined &#8220;What was the Israeli involvement in collecting US communications intel for NSA?&#8221; More on that below.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">On April 3, 2012, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wired.com\/threatlevel\/2012\/04\/shady-companies-nsa\/all\/1\"><span style=\"font-size: 14.5pt;\">James Bamford<\/span><\/a> headlined &#8220;Shady Companies with Ties to Israel Wiretap for US for the NSA.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">He said NSA chief General Keith Alexander&#8217;s &#8220;having a busy year.&#8221; He&#8217;s &#8220;cutting ribbons at secret bases and bringing to life the agency\u2019s greatly expanded eavesdropping network.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">&#8220;In January he dedicated the new $358 million CAPT Joseph J. Rochefort Building at NSA Hawaii, and in March he unveiled the 604,000-square-foot John Whitelaw Building at NSA Georgia.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">It&#8217;s for around &#8220;4,000 earphone-clad intercept operators, analysts and other specialists, many of them employed by private contractors.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Spies &#8220;R&#8221; Us defines US policy. NSA&#8217;s &#8220;mammoth 1-million-square-foot, $2 billion Utah Data Center is far more sweeping.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">It&#8217;s located at Camp Williams. It&#8217;s a Utah National Guard training facility. Once fully operational, says Bamford, it&#8217;ll &#8220;become, in effect, the NSA Cloud.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">It&#8217;ll receive data from NSA satellites, overseas listening posts, and nationwide multipleNo telecom facility monitoring rooms. What&#8217;s planned is an unprecedented global spy network.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">NSA operatives and hackers will harvest around 2.1 million gigabytes of data per hour. It&#8217;ll do so on the world&#8217;s most powerful computer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">It&#8217;s call Titan Supercomputer. It can handle over 20,000 trillion calculations per second or 20 petaflops. One petaflop = one quadrillion instructions per second.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Supercomputer power will be used to collect and analyze foreign and domestic communications from all possible sources.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Two Israeli companies are involved. High-tech firms Verint and Narus have longstanding US\/Israeli intelligence connections. For many years, Verint was a majority-owned Comverse Technology subsidiary.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Both companies have about half their employees in Israel. In August 2012, Verint acquired Comverse. It now operates independently.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">It makes security software. It calls itself &#8220;a global leader in Actionable Intelligence solutions.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Narus calls itself a cybersecurity company. It&#8217;s an independent Boeing subsidiary. It provides real-time network traffic and analytics software. It does so with enterprise class spyware capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">In 1997, it was founded in Israel. It created NarusInsight. It&#8217;s a supercomputer system. A previous article said AT&amp;T uses it at their secret San Francisco facility. It lets NSA spy on its customers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Verint&#8217;s software also is used to do it. Bamford called it &#8220;especially troubling that both companies have had extensive ties to Israel, as well as links to (its) intelligence service.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">A previous article discussed Israeli spying on America. The CIA calls Israel America&#8217;s main regional spy threat. An Israeli-based CIA operative once found food in his refrigerator rearranged.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Washington knows what&#8217;s going on. Publicly it&#8217;s ignored. Pre-9\/11, the FBI uncovered a massive US-based Israeli spy ring. It remains active.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">It betrays America. Numerous Israeli citizens are involved. They have close ties to foreign military, criminal and intelligence sources. They reportedly breach US laws with impunity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Israel&#8217;s featured prominently in annual FBI reports. It actively seeks proprietary\/secret US information. It&#8217;s mainly on military systems and advanced computer applications.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Proprietary commercial and industrial data are stolen. Israel recruits spies. Sophisticated methods are used. Computers are hacked for information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Washington&#8217;s Government Accountability Office (GAO) said Israel &#8220;conducts the most aggressive espionage operation against the United States of any US ally.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">The Pentagon accused Israel of &#8220;actively engag(ing) in military and industrial espionage in the United States. An Israeli citizen working in the US who has access to proprietary information is likely to be a target of such espionage.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">FBI whistleblower John Cole said Justice Department officials ordered dozens of Israeli espionage cases dropped. At issue was political pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Washington gives Israel billions of dollars in annual aid, state-of-the-art weapons and technology, and numerous other special privileges. In return, it steals US state and commercial secrets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Despite longstanding close ties, Washington considers Israel both ally and counterintelligence threat. In terms of technical capability and human resources, it matches America&#8217;s best.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">It has access to the highest US political, military and intelligence sources. Bamford said NSA-developed advanced analytical\/data-mining software was lawlessly given Israel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">An Operations Directorate technical director did so secretly. Apparently Israeli companies got access. Technology they got advanced their own.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Narus once boasted about being &#8220;known for its ability to capture and collect data from the largest networks around the world.&#8221; Unexplained was that stolen software facilitates is capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Retired Israeli General Hanan Gefen ran its secret Unit 8200. It&#8217;s Israel&#8217;s NSA equivalent. He admitted Israeli ties to Comverse.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">At the time, it owned Verint. It owns other Israeli high-tech companies. They specialize in eavesdropping and surveillance. They operate globally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">According to Gefen, the &#8220;correlation between serving in the intelligence Unit 8200 and starting successful high-tech companies is not coincidental.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">&#8220;Many of the technologies in use around the world and developed in Israel were originally military technologies and were developed and improved by Unit veterans.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Kobi Alexander founded Verint. He formerly served as chairman. He&#8217;s a fugitive. FBI accusations include fraud, theft, lying, bribery, money laundering and related crimes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Two of his top Comverse associates were indicted on similar charges. Both were imprisoned. They paid millions of dollars in fines and penalties.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">NSA claims it takes malfeasance and other legitimate complaints seriously. Spying technology and expertise take precedence.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Bamford says take NSA assurances cautiously. &#8220;Who&#8217;s listening to the listeners,&#8221; he asks?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Haaretz asked if Verint and Narus &#8220;collected information from the US communications network&#8221; for NSA?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Neither company responded when asked. Former senior NSA official-turned whistleblower Thomas Drake exposed fraud, waste, abuse and other lawless agency practices.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">They relate to warrantless data-mining practices. In April 2010, he was indicted under the Espionage Act. Charges included &#8220;willful retention of classified information, obstruction of justice, and making false statements.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">After a May 22, 2011 60 Minutes broadcast, all charges were dropped. In return, Drake pled guilty to a minor misdemeanor. He was sentenced to one year probation and community service. He lost his high-paying NSA job and pension.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">On March 15, 2013, he spoke at the National Press Club. He focused on First Amendment rights. In part <a href=\"http:\/\/dissenter.firedoglake.com\/2013\/03\/17\/nsa-whistleblower-thomas-drake-on-the-us-secrecy-state-as-predator-of-the-first-amendment\/\"><span style=\"font-size: 14.5pt;\">he said<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">&#8220;The threats to the First Amendment by the government is bull\u2019s eye-centered on a free unfettered press designed to suppress and repress speech and political expression in America, create fear through privilege and unilateral authority over what is fit or unfit for the First Amendment.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">&#8220;If speech becomes the instrument of crime when revealing government crime and wrongdoing, we are under arbitrary authoritarian rule and not the rule of law.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">&#8220;I can make an argument that government increasingly prefers to operate in the shadows and finds the First Amendment a constraint on its activities.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">&#8220;And yet, taking off the veil of government secrecy has more often than not turned truth-tellers and whistleblowers into turncoats and traitors, who are then often criminally burned and blacklisted and broken by the government on the stake of national security.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">&#8220;I knew too much truth and exposed government illegalities, fraud and abuse and was turned into a criminal for doing so.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">&#8220;I was charged under the Espionage Act, faced many years in prison and became an enemy of the state.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">&#8220;It was five years of living under the boot of the Surveillance State, and yet I was saved by the First Amendment and the court of public opinion and the free press, including the strength and growing resiliency of the alternative media.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">&#8220;Do we really want the government listening in on and tracking the lives of so many others? Have our constitutional freedoms become the latest victims of 9\/11?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">&#8220;Will national security replace our individual rights? Will fear take priority over freedom? Will government censorship and propaganda triumph over personal choice and disclosure, use suppression repression?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">&#8220;If we starve liberty for the increasingly myopic sake of security, what will we have left to defend?&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">If truth-telling is criminalized, freedom no longer exists.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Drake corroborated information AT&amp;T whistleblower Mark Klein and others reported. Spies &#8220;R&#8221; Us reflects US policy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Drake verified NSA&#8217;s use of Narus techology. Britain&#8217;s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) collects intelligence from major US Internet companies. They do it via Prism electronic surveillance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Officially it&#8217;s called US-984XN. It&#8217;s used for sweeping domestic and foreign spying. It&#8217;s the main source for raw NSA intelligence. It&#8217;s top secret for good reason. Now it&#8217;s existence is publicly known.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Mossad&#8217;s longstanding ties to Verint, Narus, and other Israeli surveillance technology companies assures it access to \u00a0information they collect.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">It&#8217;s true wherever these companies operate. America has 16 active intelligence agencies. They operate the same way. Warrantless dragnet spying is lawless.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Freedom pays the greatest price. It\u2019s disappearing in plain sight. It\u2019s heading for the dustbin of history without legitimate resistance enough to stop it. Nothing less has a chance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">His new book is titled &#8220;Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">http:\/\/www.claritypress.com\/LendmanII.html<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"><span style=\"font-size: 9pt;\"> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"color: #ccffff;\">Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: &amp;amp;amp; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;amp;amp; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: &amp;amp;amp; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;amp;amp; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/sjlendman.blogspot.co.uk\/2013\/06\/israeli-involvement-in-nsa-spying.html\">Source <\/a><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Israeli involvement revealed as more is learned about the mammoth U.S. domestic surveillance operation. As Stephen Lendman explains, freedom is heading for the dustbin of history<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39262,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[61,37,59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-Commentary","category-Israel_Anti-Semitism_Zionism_and_US-UK_allies","category-Surveillance"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/39262"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=72925"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73062,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72925\/revisions\/73062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=72925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=72925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=72925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}