Booz Allen Statement: Snowden Lied About His $200,000 Salary

Another wrong note surfaces
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Booz Allen has updated their statement about NSA leaker Edward Snowden with new information, and it seems that Snowden lied about making $200,000 a year.

Booz Allen can confirm that Edward Snowden, 29, was an employee of our firm for less than 3 months, assigned to a team in Hawaii. Snowden, who had a salary at the rate of $122,000, was terminated June 10, 2013 for violations of the firm’s code of ethics and firm policy. News reports that this individual has claimed to have leaked classified information are shocking, and if accurate, this action represents a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm. We will work closely with our clients and authorities in their investigation of this matter.

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139 comments
1 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:13:26am

I wonder if the IRS was harassing him over false salary declarations…another scandal in the making…

2 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:14:11am

Credibility Eddie.

3 Vicious Babushka  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:16:34am

He was still way overpaid, the entitled little shit.

4 Kragar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:17:49am

re: #3 Vicious Babushka

He was still way overpaid, the entitled little shit.

Yup, its nice to have daddy get you a job.

5 Targetpractice  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:18:01am

Next up, what exactly went into determining that pay. We’ve got this nice long chunk of empty time between when he washed out of the Army and when he showed up at BAH looking for a job.

6 Flounder  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:18:31am

You don’t understand, it is expensive to live in Hawaii, especially with a stripper girlfriend!
nypost.com

7 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:18:36am

This is relevant, because the claims that he’s making that are the most serious to me is that he could order wiretaps.

That he could get whatever data he wanted from the system he was the sysadmin from is hardly startling news. It illustrates the dangers of data collection— that there’s a big pool of people who can dip into it, and they may use it irresponsibly— but it’d be really hard to keep a sysadmin out of the system he sysadminned.

That he could do something active with that data, that he could order a wiretap, that’s the self-aggrandizing and weird and startling claim. I really think— and hope— it’s not true, and I think it’s not because of the self-aggrandizing nature of the claim.

8 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:19:08am

re: #5 Targetpractice

A timeline I’ve read showed him working for the CIA during that time period, but I’m not sure if that’s based on his claims or someone else’s.

9 Targetpractice  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:20:35am

re: #8 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut

A timeline I’ve read showed him working for the CIA during that time period, but I’m not sure if that’s based on his claims or someone else’s.

At this point, short of Langley confirming it, I’d take it as speculation based upon his stated timeline. The suggestion was made here yesterday that he might have gotten a lucky break while working as a security guard for the CIA, but where he went from there is still up in the air. I’m still convinced he’s just some desk jockey with delusions of grandeur.

10 Decatur Deb  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:20:49am

re: #8 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut

A timeline I’ve read showed him working for the CIA during that time period, but I’m not sure if that’s based on his claims or someone else’s.

Seen one vida that included time as an NSA Security Guard. That’s wage-grade work.

11 erik_t  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:21:31am

re: #7 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut

That he could get whatever data he wanted from the system he was the sysadmin from is hardly startling news. It illustrates the dangers of data collection— that there’s a big pool of people who can dip into it, and they may use it irresponsibly— but it’d be really hard to keep a sysadmin out of the system he sysadminned.

“System administrator”, colloquially, can mean a fair number of things. It’s not clear to me he was root on a gigantic NSA data center, or something.

12 Kragar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:21:57am

Fox News guest: Trayvon would be alive ‘if he didn’t have a street attitude’

During a break in witness selection for the trial of accused murderer George Zimmerman, criminal defense attorney Tamara Holder explained to viewers of Fox News’ live Internet stream that the prosecution may want to point out that the teen was only carrying Skittles and a can of iced tea at the time of his death.

“She was talking about the Skittles that he had, and the Coca-Cola that Trayvon Martin had,” Houck replied. “That doesn’t look good, you know, for the defense because [the prosecution is] injecting something into their minds. Like, this is a little kid with candy walking around the street.”

“Listen, Trayvon Martin would be alive today, okay, if he didn’t, alright, have a street attitude,” the former NYPD detective insisted. “That’s the bottom line.”

“‘Street attitude’ is a very broad thing and is something that actually can be used — and I’m not saying this to you personally — but something that can be used as something racist,” Holder pointed out. “Like calling a kid a thug.”

“That’s insane,” Houck laughed.

13 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:22:00am

What amuses me is that there’s already a petition on WhiteHouse.gov to pardon Snowden. I mean damn the guy hasn’t even been charged let alone convicted yet.

14 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:22:28am

re: #12 Kragar

Fox News guest: Trayvon would be alive ‘if he didn’t have a street attitude’

Sigh you didn’t know the kid. Shut the fuck up. Not you obviously Kragar but the dickhead detective here. And what about Zimmerman’s attitude? He obviously fancied himself as some kind of vigilante. Lest the people acting like Martin was some bad kid forget, Zimmerman is the one who actually has an arrest for violence. Martin may not have been a perfect kid but Zim’s defenders want us to forget that this guy had more problems than Martin did.

15 First As Tragedy, Then As Farce  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:22:40am

Google asks for permission to publish national security request data

Dear Attorney General Holder and Director Mueller

Google has worked tremendously hard over the past fifteen years to earn our users’ trust. For example, we offer encryption across our services; we have hired some of the best security engineers in the world; and we have consistently pushed back on overly broad government requests for our users’ data.

We have always made clear that we comply with valid legal requests. And last week, the Director of National Intelligence acknowledged that service providers have received Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) requests.

Assertions in the press that our compliance with these requests gives the U.S. government unfettered access to our users’ data are simply untrue. However, government nondisclosure obligations regarding the number of FISA national security requests that Google receives, as well as the number of accounts covered by those requests, fuel that speculation.

We therefore ask you to help make it possible for Google to publish in our Transparency Report aggregate numbers of national security requests, including FISA disclosures—in terms of both the number we receive and their scope. Google’s numbers would clearly show that our compliance with these requests falls far short of the claims being made. Google has nothing to hide.

Google appreciates that you authorized the recent disclosure of general numbers for national security letters. There have been no adverse consequences arising from their publication, and in fact more companies are receiving your approval to do so as a result of Google’s initiative. Transparency here will likewise serve the public interest without harming national security.

We will be making this letter public and await your response.

David Drummond
Chief Legal Officer

16 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:23:12am

re: #10 Decatur Deb

Seen one vida that included time as an NSA Security Guard. That’s wage-grade work.

That’s like a GS-5 position. Maybe even GS-4.

17 Targetpractice  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:24:27am

re: #12 Kragar

Fox News guest: Trayvon would be alive ‘if he didn’t have a street attitude’

With friends like these…

18 NJDhockeyfan  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:25:24am

OT but important. Total chaos in Istanbul right now. Here is a live video.

19 Gus  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:25:27am

re: #15 First As Tragedy, Then As Farce

Google asks for permission to publish national security request data

Assertions in the press that our compliance with these requests gives the U.S. government unfettered access to our users’ data are simply untrue.

20 Eclectic Cyborg  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:25:48am

Couple hires Larry Klayman; sues Obama, Holder, NSA

Days after it was revealed that the National Security Agency had quietly been granted access to phone records of Verizon customers, a couple in Philadelphia has filed against everyone involved, from the NSA to Verizon to Attorney General Eric Holder to President Obama.

The complaint was filed late last week in a U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. by the couple, and notorious activist attorney (and former federal prosecutor) Larry Klayman. The named plaintiffs in the lawsuit also happen to be the parents of a Navy SEAL who perished in a 2011 helicopter accident in Afghanistan.

“This is an action for violations of the First, Fourth, and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution,” reads the complaint, believed to be the first lawsuit filed over this hot-button issue. “This is also an action for violations of privacy, including intrusion upon seclusion, freedom of expression and association, due process, and other illegal acts.”

The purpose of the suit, says the complaint is to challenge “the legality of Defendants’ participation and conduct in a secret and illegal government scheme to intercept and analyze vast quantities of domestic telephone communications.”

The plaintiffs in the case, which was expanded yesterday to a class-action suit, allege they were a target of NSA phone-probing because they “have been vocal about their criticism of President Obama as commander-in-chief, his administration, and the U.S. military regarding the circumstances surrounding the shoot down of their son’s helicopter in Afghanistan.”

Can we go ahead and guess what party they vote for?

21 Decatur Deb  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:25:58am

re: #15 First As Tragedy, Then As Farce

Google asks for permission to publish national security request data

Clever. “You handed us this sack of catshit, now help us bury it.”

22 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:26:50am

re: #20 Eclectic Cyborg

Couple hires Larry Klayman; sues Obama, Holder, NSA

Can we go ahead and guess what party they vote for?

Agenda 9 O’clock.

23 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:27:21am

re: #11 erik_t

“System administrator”, colloquially, can mean a fair number of things. It’s not clear to me he was root on a gigantic NSA data center, or something.

Yeah, it’s still possible he did something actually penetrative to get this. But still, there will be some guy who, if the data simply exists, is going to be able to access it because he’s the network dude. Encryption can kind of solve this, but only kind of.

Snowden may not have been root, but someone is.

24 darthstar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:28:22am
25 Lidane  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:28:26am
26 Charles Johnson  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:29:30am

Immediately a Greenwald fan tweeted that this is irrelevant.

27 Targetpractice  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:29:31am

re: #25 Lidane

Good lord, wasn’t that the entire point of their accusations that Obama was as bad/worse that Nixon, that he was using the powers of his office in exactly the same way?

28 erik_t  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:29:42am

re: #23 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut

Snowden may not have been root, but someone is.

I don’t know exactly how the US government handles information compartmentalization from a server-side point of view, but it’s a serious enough issue that they’ve obviously found a way. I don’t accept a priori that there absolutely exists Some Dude who, acting of his own volition, has access to this entire body of information.

29 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:29:55am

re: #25 Lidane

Limbaugh getting facts wrong? The hell you say. I think Rush forgets what exactly Watergate was. It was the planting of listening devices at the opposition party of the president. But yeah go ahead Rush and continue to spoon feed your braindead listeners bullshit because they’d believe you if you said that Obama was going to put them in gas chambers.

30 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:30:01am

re: #3 Vicious Babushka

He was still way overpaid, the entitled little shit.

He was just one of many contractors hired to demonstrate how efficient and cheap the Private Sector can be…

31 jaunte  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:30:21am

re: #26 Charles Johnson

Truthiness persists.

32 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:30:45am

re: #26 Charles Johnson

Immediately a Greenwald fan tweeted that this is irrelevant.

I don’t see how it can’t be irrelevant. It speaks to his credibility. If Snowden lied about his salary. What else could he have lied about?

33 Killgore Trout  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:31:17am

re: #18 NJDhockeyfan

OT but important. Total chaos in Istanbul right now. Here is a live video.

Thanks.

34 Sol Berdinowitz  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:31:24am

re: #15 First As Tragedy, Then As Farce

Google asks for permission to publish national security request data

Why don’t they just arrange for an ex-employee to leak them?

35 Bulworth  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:31:26am

re: #12 Kragar

“Street attitude”=Walking While Black.

36 Eclectic Cyborg  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:31:37am

OT: I really HATE networking.

I just got hughesnet internet (so far I’m satisfied but not blown away by the service) and have had a devil of a time getting my wireless router to work. The problem is, for whatever reason, the router won’t pick up a dynamic IP from the modem so whenever the modem disconnects (which seems to happen once or twice a day), it changes IPs and I’m having to go in and manually input the new IP in the wireless router to get my network working again. It’s a pain in the butt.

I’ve been Googling for the past 45 minutes or so but haven’t found a solution yet.

37 funky chicken  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:31:50am

I’d love to see his personnel file. The guy is obviously a shameless and accomplished liar, but one would hope HR at BAH would have been able to cut through his BS. Someone earlier said he would have gotten top secret clearance during basic training…nope. The guy is a total schmuck and couldn’t even finish anything at community college, and some genius (sic) hired him for a $122K a year position?

And how many good guys, veterans with honorable discharges are unemployed right now? Attending stupid “we love veterans!!!” job fairs attended by representatives of companies like BAH? But they hire this douchebag? Argh!

38 Vicious Babushka  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:32:08am

I see wingnuts have already lost interest in Snowden, they are back to BENGHAZI!!11 BENGHAZI!!11!!

39 Bulworth  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:32:21am

re: #29 HappyWarrior

Everyone knows what Watergate was. It was when ratfckers from the DNC invaded and bugged the WH.

//

40 Dr. Matt  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:32:28am

re: #35 Bulworth

“Street attitude”=Walking While Black.

“Street attitude” = Running away from an armed thug….while Black.

41 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:32:34am

re: #38 Vicious Babushka

I see wingnuts have already lost interest in Snowden, they are back to BENGHAZI!!11 BENGHAZI!!11!!

Cats with yarn balls.

42 Decatur Deb  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:32:41am

re: #32 HappyWarrior

I don’t see how it can’t be irrelevant. It speaks to his credibility. If Snowden lied about his salary. What else could he have lied about?

There’s that Morgan Fairchild thing.

43 Lidane  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:32:51am
44 Kragar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:32:52am

re: #26 Charles Johnson

Immediately a Greenwald fan tweeted that this is irrelevant.

Image: IRRELEVANT.jpg

45 Eclectic Cyborg  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:32:53am

re: #40 Dr. Matt

“Street attitude” = Running away from an armed thug….while Black.

…and carrying iced tea and skittles.

46 Bulworth  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:33:03am

re: #38 Vicious Babushka

Benghazi’s only 7 hours away!!!!

/

47 Vicious Babushka  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:33:29am

re: #37 funky chicken

I’d love to see his personnel file. The guy is obviously a shameless and accomplished liar, but one would hope HR at BAH would have been able to cut through his BS. Someone earlier said he would have gotten top secret clearance during basic training…nope. The guy is a total schmuck and couldn’t even finish anything at community college, and some genius (sic) hired him for a $122K a year position?

And how many good guys, veterans with honorable discharges are unemployed right now? Attending stupid “we love veterans!!!” job fairs attended by representatives of companies like BAH? But they hire this douchebag? Argh!

ENTITLED. WHITE. BOY.

48 funky chicken  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:34:24am

re: #28 erik_t

I don’t know exactly how the US government handles information compartmentalization from a server-side point of view, but it’s a serious enough issue that they’ve obviously found a way. I don’t accept a priori that there absolutely exists Some Dude who, acting of his own volition, has access to this entire body of information.

I’d have hoped the Bradley Manning thing would have gotten somebody’s attention. apparently not.

49 Vicious Babushka  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:34:38am

Prudence, Dumbest Woman On Teh Twitters, Derping up a storm:

50 Bulworth  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:34:46am

re: #38 Vicious Babushka

AND IRS!!!

51 Lidane  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:34:51am

Laser-like focus, etc.

52 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:35:14am

re: #28 erik_t

I don’t know exactly how the US government handles information compartmentalization from a server-side point of view, but it’s a serious enough issue that they’ve obviously found a way. I don’t accept a priori that there absolutely exists Some Dude who, acting of his own volition, has access to this entire body of information.

Sure, they may only get a portion of the pool. The thing is the same— if you have a bunch of data around that needs to be accessed (and I’m talking about the phone metadata here) then someone has to set up that system and method of access. I would be more sure that the NSA were totally competent on network security if we didn’t currently have a guy named Snowden running around in China with top-secret documents.

53 lawhawk  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:35:53am

Snowden lying about something as easily verifiable as his salary indicates that he might not exactly be the most trustworthy source.

If he was willing to lie about the salary, what else was he willing to lie about - up to and including the kind and type of information he claims to have had access to, the problems with the information he saw, etc.

It goes to the character and judgment of the suspect/witness.

It’s not like he said that he was getting paid $200k and he was really getting paid $185 or $190k.

He was off by a whole lot more than that. Entire pay grades different.

Why would he lie about something like that? To brag? To claim importance that was neither deserved or warranted?

These are all important questions about the provenance of the source of the story.

54 Kragar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:35:58am

Bill O’Reilly suddenly opposed to NSA surveillance he supported under Bush

On his show Monday night, the conservative host described the NSA’s surveillance programs as a “massive intrusion.” O’Reilly warned that “corrupt government officials” could leak sensitive data to hurt their political opponents. He said that amassing telephone records might be “acceptable,” but keeping actual content of private conversations on file was “flat out unconstitutional.”

O’Reilly’s tune was far different under the Bush administration. At the time, he voiced strong support for the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping program, which collected the telephone records of millions of Americans. In 2006, after a judge ruled the program was unconstitutional, O’Reilly speculated that she didn’t care if Americans were killed by terrorists.

“Does she want dead people in the street here in America?” he said on his show. “Because I’m sure that she would not only oppose the NSA program, she would oppose coercive interrogation, profiling at the airports. She would oppose every anti-terror measure the Bush administration has put in just because they’re the Bush administration. But the unintended consequences of the opposition is death.”

55 erik_t  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:36:02am

re: #52 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut

I would be more sure that the NSA were totally competent on network security if we didn’t currently have a guy named Snowden running around in China with top-secret documents.

Truthfully, I think he’s running around with a made-up powerpoint and Glenn Greenwald’s leash.

56 Kragar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:36:36am

re: #51 Lidane

Laser-like focus, etc.

STATE’S RIGHTS!

Oh wait…

57 darthstar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:36:41am

re: #51 Lidane

Laser-like focus, etc.

Good…and we should primary any Democrat who votes for it.

58 Joanne  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:37:34am

re: #36 Eclectic Cyborg

Let me know what you find. My wireless printer does that every time there’s a power outage. It’s virtually useless.

59 darthstar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:38:21am
60 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:38:50am

re: #53 lawhawk

Snowden lying about something as easily verifiable as his salary indicates that he might not exactly be the most trustworthy source.

If he was willing to lie about the salary, what else was he willing to lie about - up to and including the kind and type of information he claims to have had access to, the problems with the information he saw, etc.

It goes to the character and judgment of the suspect/witness.

It’s not like he said that he was getting paid $200k and he was really getting paid $185 or $190k.

He was off by a whole lot more than that. Entire pay grades different.

Why would he lie about something like that? To brag? To claim importance that was neither deserved or warranted?

These are all important questions about the provenance of the source of the story.

Exactly, if Snowden’s going to lie about something like his pay, what else could he be lying about? The people who are rushing to embrace this guy as a hero are going to have a lot of egg on their face the more we find out not just about him but about the program.

61 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:39:09am

re: #55 erik_t

Truthfully, I think he’s running around with a made-up powerpoint and Glenn Greenwald’s leash.

The NSA’s reaction to this would then be the biggest troll ever, since they said it was ‘gut-wrenching’.

62 funky chicken  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:39:26am

re: #20 Eclectic Cyborg

Couple hires Larry Klayman; sues Obama, Holder, NSA

Can we go ahead and guess what party they vote for?

Tragic situation all around. They suffered a terrible loss, and now they have fallen prey to wingnuts who are going to exploit them. Hopefully somebody will be smart enough to convince this couple that the NSA isn’t interested in them or their type of advocacy. I don’t know how you tactfully say to these people that, well, you aren’t important enough to spy on, but that’s the truth.

63 lawhawk  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:39:40am

re: #51 Lidane

It’s so that the GOP leaders can keep the TP/socon kids occupied. They figure that if they get enough votes on banning abortion, or Benghazi, or the IRS investigations, they can bluster their way through the 2013 and 2014 election season without doing what’s known in the vernacular as “work” or “governance”.

64 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:39:57am

re: #59 darthstar

Seriously? Of course, it also bothers me that people are likening him to Ellsberg of the Pentagon Papers fame too. But Mandela? Sheesh.

65 Charles Johnson  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:39:57am

Important info: Analyst Overstated Claims on NSA Leaks, Experts Say

Analysts said that Snowden seems to have greatly exaggerated the amount of information available to him and people like him.

Any NSA analyst “at any time can target anyone, any selector, anywhere,” Snowden told the Guardian. “I, sitting at my desk, certainly had the authorities to wiretap anyone from you or your accountant to a federal judge to even the president if I had a personal email.”

Robert Deitz, a former top lawyer at the NSA and CIA, called the claim a “complete and utter” falsehood.

“First of all it’s illegal,” he said. “There is enormous oversight. They have keystroke auditing. There are, from time to time, cases in which some analyst is [angry] at his ex-wife and looks at the wrong thing and he is caught and fired,” he said.

NSA analysts who have the authority to query databases of metadata such as phone records — or Internet content, such as emails, videos or chat logs — are subject to stringent internal supervision and also the external oversight of the foreign surveillance court, former NSA officials said.

“It’s actually very difficult to do your job,” said a former senior NSA operator, who also declined be quoted by name because of the sensitive nature of the case. “There are all these checks that don’t allow you to move agilely enough.”

For example, the former operator said, he had go through an arduous process to obtain FISA court permission to gather Internet data on a foreign nuclear weapons proliferator living abroad because some of the data was passing through U.S. wires.

“When he’s saying he could just put any phone number in and look at phone calls, it just doesn’t work that way,” he said. ” It’s absurd. There are technical limits, and then there are people who review these sorts of queries.”

66 Targetpractice  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:41:04am

re: #53 lawhawk

Snowden lying about something as easily verifiable as his salary indicates that he might not exactly be the most trustworthy source.

If he was willing to lie about the salary, what else was he willing to lie about - up to and including the kind and type of information he claims to have had access to, the problems with the information he saw, etc.

It goes to the character and judgment of the suspect/witness.

It’s not like he said that he was getting paid $200k and he was really getting paid $185 or $190k.

He was off by a whole lot more than that. Entire pay grades different.

Why would he lie about something like that? To brag? To claim importance that was neither deserved or warranted?

These are all important questions about the provenance of the source of the story.

I call it the “Used Car Salesman approach,” as in you bump up everything by a minimum of 50% to sell people on just how good a deal they’re getting. If Snowden had said he’s some schlub who had begun working for BAH 3 months ago at $112K/yr, folks might wonder aloud to themselves if he’s the kinda guy who really would warrant top-secret level clearance or be trusted with that level of access that he could spy on the president at any time.

67 Vicious Babushka  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:41:07am

IT TEH OUTRAGE!!!1!!!1!!ELEVENTY!!!!!!


68 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:41:14am

re: #65 Charles Johnson

“It’s actually very difficult to do your job,” said a former senior NSA operator, who also declined be quoted by name because of the sensitive nature of the case. “There are all these checks that don’t allow you to move agilely enough.”

This is pretty reassuring to hear. Anyone who’s done work in network stuff knows that, basically, ease of use and security are diametrically opposed.

69 darthstar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:41:37am

H/T Gus for the link.

70 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:41:53am

re: #65 Charles Johnson

Important info: Analyst Overstated Claims on NSA Leaks, Experts Say

And there we go again about credibility, Ed Snowden seems to be lacking in it. I still don’t get this guy. He claims to have had a problem with intelligence gathering. If he did, why on earth would he go work for a place like the NSA in the first place? I’ve said it before but while I understand the necessity of intelligence, I myself would be uncomfortable in working at such a place. So I don’t know what Snowden’s deal was.

71 William of Orange  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:41:54am

This is why I never trusted the “Cloud”. Contrary to you, I’m not an American citizen and, potentially, can be scrutinized with a FISA request. Granted, I’m just a very tiny cog in the Internet but I have a feeling of mistrust.

72 stabby  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:42:30am

re: #60 HappyWarrior

Reminds me of a certain marathon running politician.

My problem with this story is that the secret parts aren’t really verifiable, so I feel as if I’m listening to some know-nothing rambling in a bar. I don’t LEARN anything by reading stuff that may be a lie from beginning to end.

73 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:43:52am

re: #67 Vicious Babushka

Of all the things to get outraged over. That?

74 Vicious Babushka  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:43:57am

When are we going to find out that the hot stripper wasn’t really his girlfriend?

75 stabby  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:44:07am

re: #45 Eclectic Cyborg

You know, you can kill someone with ice tea. I learned that from Fox News the other day.

76 Vicious Babushka  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:44:24am

re: #73 HappyWarrior

Of all the things to get outraged over. That?

I doubt it will surpass BENGHAZI!!!11!!11!!

77 Dr. Matt  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:44:36am
Obama Calls Out Spectator’s Device Beeping During Speech (VIDEO)

In a matter of minutes I’m sure Jim Dim Hoft will be tweeting:

Obama lashes out in fury over spectator’s beeper!!!!!!

78 darthstar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:44:45am
79 Kragar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:45:51am

re: #74 Vicious Babushka

When are we going to find out that the hot stripper wasn’t really his girlfriend?

Actually apparently that part was true, though she was just a dancer, no word on the stripping.

80 Bulworth  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:46:10am

re: #67 Vicious Babushka

ALL CAPS//

81 Targetpractice  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:46:12am

re: #61 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut

The NSA’s reaction to this would then be the biggest troll ever, since they said it was ‘gut-wrenching’.

What’s been released doesn’t seem that scary, but I’d say by now the folks up-top have a pretty good idea of just what he walked out the door with.

82 Lidane  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:46:34am
83 funky chicken  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:47:01am

re: #47 Vicious Babushka

ENTITLED. WHITE. BOY.

My husband and most of his counterparts are white, as are the couple of retired senior enlisted guys he knows. Most of them are having a hell of a time finding jobs. They all went through the month-long separation class, have advanced degrees, expertise, TS-SCI level clearance, and outfits like BAH barely give them the courtesy of a “we got your resume” email. And forget about USAJOBS. It’s the place applications go to die, apparently. Applying for federal jobs requires writing pages of shit, responses to each … can’t remember what my husband calls them, and these guys faithfully do it, for no reason. So my husband is still active duty.

We just discussed PRISM. He didn’t know much about it because they aren’t allowed to even read published news articles about stuff like that on government computers, and he’s been working his typical 14 hour days. He choked on his sandwich and then started laughing when he heard the guy was a sysadmin and making $122K a year. Like, “well hell, I know who I’m sending my next 10 resumes to if they pay that for easy shit like sysadmin.” All you can do is laugh, I guess.

84 Decatur Deb  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:47:04am

re: #51 Lidane

Laser-like focus, etc.

If they push it through the House, even symbolically, that means there are a handful of old men and one president to stop it. Start making your 2014 GOTV plans now.

85 Vicious Babushka  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:47:18am

re: #79 Kragar

Actually apparently that part was true, though she was just a dancer, no word on the stripping.

There was a picture, purported to be her, dancing on a pole.

86 darthstar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:47:46am

Immigration bill proceeds: 82-15

Suck it, Ted Cruz.

87 FemNaziBitch  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:47:54am

WHAT WAR ON WOMEN?

IN A COURT OF LAW WITH A JUDGE WATCHING: Watch the video at this link

I also paged it for comments.

AND how are you today?

88 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:49:01am

re: #83 funky chicken

“Sysadmin” can easily be worth 112 thousand a year, if you’re a good one in a challenging place. I have a friend whose a sysadmin in Vegas who makes more than that. re:

89 FemNaziBitch  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:49:03am

re: #79 Kragar

Actually apparently that part was true, though she was just a dancer, no word on the stripping.

It shouldn’t matter if she was a dancer or a stripper. As long as her career was a legal profession in the jurisdiction.

Once again, slut shaming?

90 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:49:09am

re: #85 Vicious Babushka

I really would prefer to leave the poor girl alone.

91 Kragar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:49:11am

re: #85 Vicious Babushka

There was a picture, purported to be her, dancing on a pole.

Pole dancing doesn’t mean stripper.

92 Decatur Deb  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:49:19am

re: #85 Vicious Babushka

There was a picture, purported to be her, dancing on a pole.

That’s broken out of the ‘gentlemen’s clubs’ into the art world, competition and housewife fitness.

93 Gus  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:49:28am
94 Kragar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:49:45am

re: #90 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut

I really would prefer to leave the poor girl alone.

I feel sorry for her.

95 erik_t  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:50:02am

re: #89-#92

Updings! Updings for everyone!

96 Dr Lizardo  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:50:30am

re: #94 Kragar

I feel sorry for her.

As do I.

Hopefully, her next love won’t be so…….flaky.

97 stabby  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:50:47am

I once ran into Cliff Stoll in a book store, he and a friend were looking for a book on information theory, and I pointed one out.

He handed me his book, “The Cuckoo’s Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage “ said “I wrote this, buy it.”

So I used to have an autographed copy.

Anyway this is reminding me what happened to the East German spy he was tracking. The man was found, dead, by the side of the road. His killers had poured gasoline on him and burned his body. I don’t know if they burned him alive.

I don’t think things are quite that brutal now.. Not for an American public figure like Snowden anyway.

98 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:50:51am

re: #93 Gus

Only real surprise there is Kirk.

99 darthstar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:51:01am
100 Targetpractice  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:51:02am

re: #86 darthstar

Immigration bill proceeds: 82-15

Suck it, Ted Cruz.

Next up: The amendment obstacle course, where opponents try to pack it full of poison pills.

101 Joanne  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:52:13am

re: #66 Targetpractice

Really? $122k is more than most American’s make and pretty respectable. That this yutz made that kind of bank pisses me off.

Lie once, always a liar and everything said is forever suspect. That’s my worldview, at least (in my every day life).

102 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:52:14am

re: #100 Targetpractice

Next up: The amendment obstacle course, where opponents try to pack it full of poison pills.

Gentleman’s bet but I bet someone tries to sneak an ACA repeal in there. I’ve actually lost count of how many times they’ve tried to repeal it since the USSC affirmed its constitutionality last July.

103 Vicious Babushka  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:52:18am

re: #88 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut

“Sysadmin” can easily be worth 112 thousand a year, if you’re a good one in a challenging place. I have a friend whose a sysadmin in Vegas who makes more than that. re:

The Job From Hell only paid $46/hr.

104 lawhawk  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:53:02am

Snowden’s girlfriend has nothing to do with any of Snowden’s actions.*

*That is unless he was lying about his salary to impress his gf, in which case that relationship was/is on rocky ground and further indicts his character and judgment. It’s not about her. At all.

There’s no evidence she knows anything about what happened, and isn’t involved in the story. Of course, because she’s a young, attractive woman, it adds to the salaciousness of the story (and sex sells papers). So that’s about the only reason she’s even part of the story.

105 Vicious Babushka  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:53:17am

I say “only” compared to Snowden’s job, but it’s still more than I am making now (but I’m happy where I am and that’s more important than $$$)

106 Targetpractice  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:53:26am

re: #102 HappyWarrior

Gentleman’s bet but I bet someone tries to sneak an ACA repeal in there. I’ve actually lost count of how many times they’ve tried to repeal it since the USSC affirmed its constitutionality last July.

I’ll take that bet.

107 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:54:13am

re: #106 Targetpractice

I’ll take that bet.

Okay, I bet they will. 5:1 odds.

108 Targetpractice  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:54:18am

re: #101 Joanne

Really? $122k is more than most American’s make and pretty respectable. That this yutz made that kind of bank pisses me off.

Lie once, always a liar and everything said is forever suspect. That’s my worldview, at least (in my every day life).

It’s sad that Manning actually has a leg up on this guy, morality wise, because he never lied about his level of importance when selling his BS.

109 Vicious Babushka  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:54:34am

re: #104 lawhawk

Snowden’s girlfriend has nothing to do with any of Snowden’s actions.*

*That is unless he was lying about his salary to impress his gf, in which case that relationship was/is on rocky ground and further indicts his character and judgment. It’s not about her. At all.

There’s no evidence she knows anything about what happened, and isn’t involved in the story. Of course, because she’s a young, attractive woman, it adds to the salaciousness of the story (and sex sells papers). So that’s about the only reason she’s even part of the story.

Maybe she will get some gigs out of this, like DWTS or maybe a Broadway musical.

110 FemNaziBitch  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:55:27am

How do you get a video to embed when it won’t forward into a Pages Post —there is no youtube link and the “embed” codes don’t worky?

111 Gus  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:55:40am
112 Targetpractice  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:55:59am

re: #107 HappyWarrior

Okay, I bet they will. 5:1 odds.

Now, does it count if they only introduce the amendment, but pull it before it gets to a vote?

113 Vicious Babushka  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:56:14am

re: #83 funky chicken

My husband and most of his counterparts are white, as are the couple of retired senior enlisted guys he knows. Most of them are having a hell of a time finding jobs. They all went through the month-long separation class, have advanced degrees, expertise, TS-SCI level clearance, and outfits like BAH barely give them the courtesy of a “we got your resume” email. And forget about USAJOBS. It’s the place applications go to die, apparently. Applying for federal jobs requires writing pages of shit, responses to each … can’t remember what my husband calls them, and these guys faithfully do it, for no reason. So my husband is still active duty.

We just discussed PRISM. He didn’t know much about it because they aren’t allowed to even read published news articles about stuff like that on government computers, and he’s been working his typical 14 hour days. He choked on his sandwich and then started laughing when he heard the guy was a sysadmin and making $122K a year. Like, “well hell, I know who I’m sending my next 10 resumes to if they pay that for easy shit like sysadmin.” All you can do is laugh, I guess.

It totally pisses me off that this little shit was pulling down that kind of loot while folks like you with more experience, credentials and education get turned down.

114 darthstar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:56:24am

re: #111 Gus
Fox will always find a lower road to take. If there isn’t one, they’ll dig.

115 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:56:39am

re: #111 Gus

Waiting on Fox to embrace Golden Dawn and Jobbnik next because those two come from the same rotten ideology that the EDL does. The other F word.

116 Dr Lizardo  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:56:51am

In the meantime, the Turkish riot police have pretty much cleared out Taksim, though the crowd in the background seems defiant still.

I know people on both sides of the fence on this issue - former students. One of them; she wants the protests to continue until Erdogan resigns.

The other - an Istanbul cop - is sick of the daily protests, and wishes the PD would get the order to go all Tiananmen Square on the protestors to end it once and for all.

117 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:57:35am

re: #112 Targetpractice

Now, does it count if they only introduce the amendment, but pull it before it gets to a vote?

Shit, I’d have to think about that. If we want to make it real interesting though, we should place bets on who will be doing it. My money would be on Rand though. Rand or Teddy.

118 Targetpractice  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 11:58:30am

re: #117 HappyWarrior

Shit, I’d have to think about that. If we want to make it real interesting though, we should place bets on who will be doing it. My money would be on Rand though. Rand or Teddy.

I see Cruz being the more likely, as Paul actually supports immigration reform and probably would recognize that an ACA repeal amendment would kill the bill.

119 lawhawk  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:00:19pm

re: #99 darthstar


Yeah, Rubio and Schumer are now in cahoots. How long before he’s RINO and purged by the right wingers for not being sufficiently xenophobic, racist, and otherwise bass-ackward.

120 chadu  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:02:20pm

re: #83 funky chicken

My husband and most of his counterparts are white, as are the couple of retired senior enlisted guys he knows. Most of them are having a hell of a time finding jobs. They all went through the month-long separation class, have advanced degrees, expertise, TS-SCI level clearance, and outfits like BAH barely give them the courtesy of a “we got your resume” email. And forget about USAJOBS. It’s the place applications go to die, apparently. Applying for federal jobs requires writing pages of shit, responses to each … can’t remember what my husband calls them, and these guys faithfully do it, for no reason. So my husband is still active duty.

KSAs?

121 Walking Spanish Down the Hall  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:02:53pm

re: #36 Eclectic Cyborg

OT: I really HATE networking.

I just got hughesnet internet (so far I’m satisfied but not blown away by the service) and have had a devil of a time getting my wireless router to work. The problem is, for whatever reason, the router won’t pick up a dynamic IP from the modem so whenever the modem disconnects (which seems to happen once or twice a day), it changes IPs and I’m having to go in and manually input the new IP in the wireless router to get my network working again. It’s a pain in the butt.

I’ve been Googling for the past 45 minutes or so but haven’t found a solution yet.

Whatever you do, do not cut the blue wire. Always cut the red wire.

122 Joanne  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:03:48pm

re: #98 HappyWarrior

Only real surprise there is Kirk.

Why? Kirk is a lying asshole (he’s my lying asshole, no less). I get his newsletters - but I can see his bullshit. Sounds great if you don’t pay attention, which I do.

He had a stroke. Personally, sad. Professionally, he needs to go.

123 funky chicken  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:04:45pm

re: #88 Absalom, Absalom, Obdicut

for the government?

124 wrenchwench  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:06:09pm

re: #118 Targetpractice

I see Cruz being the more likely, as Paul actually supports immigration reform and probably would recognize that an ACA repeal amendment would kill the bill.

Isn’t Paul’s position that he supports reform with no path to citizenship ever? Or am I thinking of some other whackjob?

125 Bulworth  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:06:30pm

re: #111 Gus

The thing I like most about Fox is its even-handedness. //

126 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:06:36pm

re: #122 Joanne

Why? Kirk is a lying asshole (he’s my lying asshole, no less). I get his newsletters - but I can see his bullshit. Sounds great if you don’t pay attention, which I do.

He had a stroke. Personally, sad. Professionally, he needs to go.

It’s not that I like Kirk. It’s his state. Lot of immigrants in Illinois. With the exception of Cruz, these guys are all from the Mountain West and deep South. Okay Grassley’s from Iowa.

127 funky chicken  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:06:51pm

re: #120 chadu

that sounds right. I remember telling him I would not move to Saudi Arabia now, and he looked at me like I was an idiot. lol

128 FemNaziBitch  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:08:44pm

re: #126 HappyWarrior

It’s not that I like Kirk. It’s his state. Lot of immigrants in Illinois. With the exception of Cruz, these guys are all from the Mountain West and deep South. Okay Grassley’s from Iowa.

woah, I came-in in the middle of this. Are you talking about Mark Kirk? My Congress Critter?

Whad he do?

129 FemNaziBitch  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:11:20pm

8 News NOW

130 FemNaziBitch  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:11:33pm

re: #129 FemNaziBitch

8 News NOW

ignore

131 Backwoods_Sleuth  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:12:41pm

re: #74 Vicious Babushka

When are we going to find out that the hot stripper wasn’t really his girlfriend?

I liked how the Daily Mail described her as a “ballet dancer”.

132 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:13:00pm

re: #128 FemNaziBitch

woah, I came-in in the middle of this. Are you talking about Mark Kirk? My Congress Critter?

Whad he do?

See Gus’s 92. It was an immigration reform vote and he voted no (only one of fifteen to do so) and that surprised me since while I am not exactly a fan of his, I thought this would be the kind of thing he’d back given your state’s fairly large immigrant community.

133 Feline Fearless Leader  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:15:02pm

re: #27 Targetpractice

Good lord, wasn’t that the entire point of their accusations that Obama was as bad/worse that Nixon, that he was using the powers of his office in exactly the same way?

That was Nixon’s non-Republican evil twin that did all that.
/

134 piratedan  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:16:45pm

re: #70 HappyWarrior

stop looking at it from the personal Snowden angle and try to look at it from the libertarian one…. the guy has donated to the Paul campaign twice, which I think indicates that he’s got a noted libertarian bent to his outlook. Sympathetic at least. So where does he take his story to establish his bonafides?

You think that there was much vetting of his story by GG? He saw his own fellow travelerand as they bask in their self importance, shared outlook on the role of government and down the rabbit hole we go.

It’s good that he’s done so, because despite the framing that GG has placed on this, other POV’s are permeating into the discussion. GG and Snowdon may have released the tiger, but methinks that they won’t be riding it for very much longer since this is now being addressed by people who are actually serious.

So maybe Snowdon goes to jail, GG will claim victory no matter the outcome and perhaps we have a discussion about privacy, data, freedom and terrorism with a bit more perspective.

135 Kragar  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:28:52pm

re: #119 lawhawk

Yeah, Rubio and Schumer are now in cahoots. How long before he’s RINO and purged by the right wingers for not being sufficiently xenophobic, racist, and otherwise bass-ackward.

Fischer’s been calling for his head for weeks already.

136 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:30:58pm

re: #135 Kragar

Fischer’s been calling for his head for weeks already.

Fischer should just concede that no one’s going to be conservative enough for him except himself. Rubio has pretty much done everything the conservatives have wanted except being a know-nothing on this issue and while I do not like Rubio, I’ll give him some credit even if he’s only doing it for political reasons.

137 HappyWarrior  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:38:41pm

re: #134 piratedan

stop looking at it from the personal Snowden angle and try to look at it from the libertarian one…. the guy has donated to the Paul campaign twice, which I think indicates that he’s got a noted libertarian bent to his outlook. Sympathetic at least. So where does he take his story to establish his bonafides?

You think that there was much vetting of his story by GG? He saw his own fellow travelerand as they bask in their self importance, shared outlook on the role of government and down the rabbit hole we go.

It’s good that he’s done so, because despite the framing that GG has placed on this, other POV’s are permeating into the discussion. GG and Snowdon may have released the tiger, but methinks that they won’t be riding it for very much longer since this is now being addressed by people who are actually serious.

So maybe Snowdon goes to jail, GG will claim victory no matter the outcome and perhaps we have a discussion about privacy, data, freedom and terrorism with a bit more perspective.

True enough. It will be a good conversation to have but I do think GG made it harder to have a reasonable discussion on the issue by having a source that seems unreliable.

138 Lidane  Tue, Jun 11, 2013 12:55:35pm

re: #119 lawhawk

Yeah, Rubio and Schumer are now in cahoots. How long before he’s RINO and purged by the right wingers for not being sufficiently xenophobic, racist, and otherwise bass-ackward.

Rubio’s not an old white guy. He’s destined to be a RINO before 2016.

139 ReamWorks SKG  Wed, Jun 12, 2013 9:34:06am

re: #1 Sol Berdinowitz

Nobody lies to say they make _more_, do they? Why would you risk increasing your tax liability. Most people lie in the other direction.


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