Spy Agency Watching Americans From Space

[DoYouEverWonder]

May 13, 2006

WASHINGTON - A little-known spy agency that analyzes imagery taken from the skies has been spending significantly more time watching U.S. soil.

In an era when other intelligence agencies try to hide those operations, the director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. James Clapper, is proud of that domestic mission.

He said the work the agency did after hurricanes Rita and Katrina was the best he'd seen an intelligence agency do in his 42 years in the spy business.

"This was kind of a direct payback to the taxpayers for the investment made in this agency over the years, even though in its original design it was intended for foreign intelligence purposes," Clapper said in a Thursday interview with The Associated Press.

Geospatial intelligence is the science of combining imagery, such as satellite pictures, to physically depict features or activities happening anywhere on the planet. A part of the Defense Department, the NGA usually operates unnoticed to provide information on nuclear sites, terror camps, troop movements or natural disasters.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060513/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/spies_eyes;_ylt=A9FJqbBkrWVEtiEAHgSs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

[maddezmom]

1. check out this: Lt. Gen. James C. King , MZM and Cunningham connections

Grand Jury Demands Lawmaker's Documents
Investigation Centers On Ties to Contractor

By Renae Merle and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, June 29, 2005; Page D01
~snip~

Meanwhile, MZM announced yesterday that retired Lt. Gen. James C. King would take over as chief executive and president of the firm and indicated that it is considering a sale or merger. A statement said the company is "exploring strategic alternatives." It did not mention Wade or address the controversy.

King told workers yesterday that his primary mission is to protect the company's assets in preparation for its sale, according to two former employees told of the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity.

A sale "would not be our first course of action per se, but it is one of the things we're looking at," said Scotty Brumett, an MZM spokesman. "We're looking at many different things."

`snip~

King's appointment "marks the completion of a transition in the corporate management," the statement said. He will have "sole executive authority over the management and operations of the company." Before joining MZM, King was director of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, now known as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

MZM specializes in defense and intelligence contracting and had about $60 million in revenue last year. In recent years, the firm's largest source of revenue has been a type of contract called a blanket purchase agreement, with the Defense Information Systems Agency, an arm of the Pentagon. The company has collected contracts worth $163 million over the past 2 1/2 years under the agreement, with work that included developing political strategy and helping government agencies gain "geospatial awareness," according to government procurement records.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/28/AR2005062801660.html

[Newsjock]

2. WTF!?

This is the pre-emptive shot across the bow by the MSM to blunt the impact of next week's revelations about domestic spying via satellites:

http://thinkprogress.org/2006/05/12/more-unlawful-activity

"See, Muhrkins? Spying is GOOD for you!"
Damn, I woke up early today, and not three minutes later, I'm already in a foul mood that the AP is pulling crap like this.

[Gin]

3. what kind of "political strategy" can be developed from space???

{with work that included developing political strategy and helping government agencies gain "geospatial awareness,"}

[rodeodance]

4. they probably tract all peace movements/protests.

[adigal]

5. I just went out into my back yard

and gave them the salute in English AND Italian, just so Justice Scalia can understand it too.

[teknomanzer]

8. I've been flipping the bird at the sky for the longest...

Like way before any of this Bush related surveillance crap. I know people must either have thought that I'm insane, paranoid, or that I hate God. But even paranoids have real people watching them.

[Zorra]

6. "And we can watch everything that goes on in anybody's bedroom

at anytime - you wouldn't believe the things that we see - from homosexual orgies in the WH to Bill O'Reilly's dildo collection - yep, we see it all."

[leveymg]

7. That means they saw the NOLA levies break in real time, but did nothing.

It's almost like every time these bozos open their mouths to boast about something, they inadvertantly admit to another major crime.

He said the work the agency did after hurricanes Rita and Katrina was the best he'd seen an intelligence agency do in his 42 years in the spy business.

"This was kind of a direct payback to the taxpayers for the investment made in this agency over the years, even though in its original design it was intended for foreign intelligence purposes," Clapper said in a Thursday interview with The Associated Press.

Direct payback? There's some direct payback coming. At minimum, 20 years to life worth, for those involved in spying on Americans and looting the Treasury.

[rodeodance]

9. seems it is a private agency who conracts with the CIA (and others).

.......He considers his brand of intelligence a chess match. "There are sophisticated nation states that have a good understanding of our surveillance capabilities," including Iran, he said. "What we have to do is counter that" by taking advantage of anomalies or sending spy planes and satellites over more frequently.

Adversaries who hide their most important facilities underground is a trend the agency has to work at, he said.

NGA was once a stepchild of the intelligence community. But Clapper said it has come into its own and become an equal partner with the other spy agencies, such as the CIA.

Experience-wise, the agency is among the youngest of the spy agencies. About 40 percent of the agency's analyst have been hired in the last five years.

"They are very inexperienced, and that's just fine. They don't have any baggage," said Clapper, who retires next month as the longest serving agency director. "The people that we are getting now are bright, computer literate. ... That is not something I lie awake and worry about."

[Missy M]

10. I think the people on the ground could see very well what...

happened after hurricane Katrina. NOTHING!!!! We didn't need a satellite to tell us that.

[leftchick]

11. terror camps = quaker meetings

we are so fucked. It is indeed 1984.

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. Except in 1984

they didn't have the Internet.

That was the one big thing the Neocons overlooked. They didn't understand the power of this medium and they grossly underestimated our impact. Now we drive and even create the news. That's a very powerful thing.

If it wasn't for the Internet, BushCo would have turned the USA into a military state by now. That's what he tried to do in New Orleans but because of the Internet he was stopped.

Bush is the one whose so fucked now.

[leftchick]

13. I so hope you are right

I am not very optimistic right now. Navy ships heading to the gulf have me down. :(