Community College Says NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden Took No "Cyber-Related Classes"

[JaneyVee]

In its story unveiling National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden, the Guardian reported that the 29-year-old attended "a community college in Maryland, studying computing, but never completed the coursework." The Guardian did not name the community college. But a spokesman for Anne Arundel Community College (AACC), located in southeastern Maryland, tells Mother Jones a student with Snowden's name and birthdate attended the college from 1999 to 2001 and then again from 2004 to 2005. He did not receive a certificate or degree, the spokesman, Daniel Baum, says.

But here's an interesting wrinkle: Baum says Snowden took no "cyber-related courses" at this college. Nor did he take any classes in the college's NSA-certified "Information Systems Security" program, which focuses on safeguarding computer data and networks, though he went on to work in a related field for the government and in the private sector. It's unclear whether Snowden studied computing elsewhere.

That was the whole article, but here's the link: http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/06/nsa-leaker-edward-snowden-community-college-computers

[still_one]

1. This gets more interesting

[SummerSnow]

9. Hmm... when it rains it pours

What else will be uncovered about Mr. Snowden?

[aquart]

3. In the Civil Service they take tests to prove competency.

In privatization they hire as cheap as possible.

[DevonRex]

10. Not anymore. That hasn't been the case in a long time. nt

[struggle4progress]

4. Just imagine how much BAH would have had to pay him if he actually knew anything about computers!

Hiring unqualified people is a wonderful cost-saving move from BAH, for which we taxpayers should all be grateful!

[grasswire]

5. self taught, and brilliant, said WaPo expert today.

Brilliant, attentive to detail, careful, and highly competent, said the WaPo writer who is the expert in intel reporting. This writer has personal contact with Snowden.

[kiranon]

11. Possible Aspergers - stong sense of justice/fairness, lack of

understanding of social mores/interactions/consequences, misunderstanding of how to proceed in life's pragmatics (flight to Hong kong and comments about freedom of expression there), leaving well paying job but may lack money to pay bills, brilliant, self taught, attention to detail and a computer genius. Will have to wait for more information but seems possible.

[randome]

17. Interesting idea.

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[font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font]
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[struggle4progress]

14. Gotta link?

[grasswire]

16. nope, the guy was on MSNBC

I've forgotten his name, but he has been The Post's expert on intel for years, and has a prior relationship or acquaintance with Snowden.

[OilemFirchen]

23. Gotta wonder... as evidenced by what?

His resume' doesn't suggest anything remarkable about him. In fact, it's a weird jumble of short hops in mediocrity.

Then again, he himself seems confused about his professional experience:

“I’ve been a spy for almost all of my adult life..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/snowden-made-cautious-approach-to-post-reporter-said-he-knew-the-risk-hes-taking/2013/06/09/8b5da450-d17b-11e2-9577-df9f1c3348f5_story.html

[olddots]

6. News is a business

I'm surprised the Kardashians haven't chimed in with some Snowden buzz.

[Benton D Struckcheon]

7. The whole thing is seriously insane

How does a guy with no (publicly known) IT training, no college degree, and a GED get this far? His whole career trajectory is extremely bizarre.
I'm thinking he was trained by the CIA and/or the NSA in a very particular specialty, he leveraged that into a nice job at Booz, Allen, and he wound up actually acting out on his obvious libertarian leanings rather than doing what these losers usually do: get off on reading stuff from the Mises Institute and related places, not to mention Ayn Rand.
I don't think - as I have posted - that this NSA thing is all that big a deal, at least for us here in the US - the rest of the world is a different story - but I have to hand it to The Guardian for breaking this.
The real damage is to what up to now has been the US's monopoly on successful social media companies. The only biggie not on the list was Twitter, but I'm betting they'll be swept up in the reaction to this. How serious that reaction will be is unknown right now, of course, but I'm pretty sure the damage done is going to be permanent.

[DevonRex]

13. It's fishy. If he'd been in MI maybe. But he left the Army 5 months

in. So no MI training at all.

[JI7]

8. the scandal seems to be how and why this guy got hired in the first place

[arely staircase]

12. unless he was hired to do something else

and we are watching him do it right now, at least the part we are supposed to see. what is he or whomever hired him up to? I don't know. but i get the feeling this has many layers to it and we may never see the bottom one.

[Eddie Haskell]

21. Right and why put so much faith in someone w/o credentials?

[Recursion]

15. AACC? They're right next to a Navy Signals Intelligence base

And just across the creek from the Academy.

The true story is probably banal, but the Jason Bourne-ized version would be awesome.

[randome]

18. If he'll lie about one thing...

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[font color="blue"][center]Stop looking for heroes. BE one.[/center][/font]
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[longship]

19. This is beginning to look like the JonBenét Ramsey confessor.

Jon Mark Karr, who now goes by Alexis Reich. (Who could have predicted that?)

Snowden's story seems to be unravelling faster than a WalMart sweater.

Curiouser and curiouser it gets. Surely we've fallen through the rabbit hole.

[MADem]

20. This is very curious, indeed.

No cyber related courses? And what does "attending" mean? Was he full time? Part time? Taking "life long learning" classes? I wonder if they'll find anyone who went to school with him?

This only obfuscates things--it sure doesn't clear them up....~~!

Good find!

[pinboy3niner]

24. Snowden's mother is an IT professional

His mother, Wendy, is the chief deputy clerk for administration and information technology at the federal court in Baltimore, a court official told NBC News.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/10/18882615-what-we-know-about-nsa-leaker-edward-snowden?lite

[MADem]

25. Fascinating!

Perhaps he learned it all at his mother's knee...?

I read in one of the many articles that he had family who had jobs "in government." That certainly qualifies.

I keep looking for the "how" of his entry into the NSA-CIA "espionage track" -- it seems so odd that he'd go from NSA janitor to IT in one fell swoop, but perhaps he had an opportunity to prove himself while pushing the broom, or something...?

[Tanuki]

27. No, as you yourself state, the mother is a clerk. n/t

[aikoaiko]

22. The college is getting awfully close to a FERPA violation

By talking about classes and programs of study.

[dkf]

26. The more I learn the more impressed I am.

Self taught and just talented! Love it.