National Security agency will not disclose gay surveillance

[PageOneQ]

http://pageoneq.com/news/2006/nsa_060606.html

by PageOneQ

The National Security Agency has responded to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network by saying it will "continue to neither confirm nor deny the existence or non-existence" of information obtained via surveillance of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender organizations, PageOneQ has learned.

The agency responded to attorneys for sldn, via a three page letter which may be seen here.

Steve Ralls, Communications Director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network told PageOneQ that, "This is an example of the continued stonewalling sldn has encouterd throughout our work to find out what was truly happening. This a dissapointing response and it destroys any hope of a continued transparency of government and that should offend most Americans.

http://pageoneq.com/news/2006/nsa_060606.html

[Taxloss]

1. What's "gay surveillance"?

Listening in on people and then saying "ooh, get her"?

[meegbear]

2. One more crack like that mate ...

and I'll scratch your eyes out.

[superconnected]

3. Yes.

Watching them to see if they are doing anything illegal so they can arrest them.

Also watching them to know who is gay, if there is ever a round up.

The fact that our government would watch gays should scare everyone. It's easy to become complacent when we get used to watchinhg attrocities.

The United States spending taxpayer money spying on it's people, is an attrocity.

[Taxloss]

4. I don't really condone the government listening in on anyone, regardless

of their sexuality. If there ever is a "round-up" there are three or four Republican senators they might like to talk to. Besides, I get the impression that the Republican agenda is to watch EVERYONE, including knitting circles and Dungeons & Dragons groups, which I find even more sinsiter than them singling out a single group.

[alfredo]

6. But the real question is"

Are the listeners "pleasuring " themselves as they listen?

[SpiralHawk]

16. I believe that qualifies as an "impure thought" Alfredo

I'll see that the Department of Homeland Purity is alerted.

[alfredo]

18. If it wasn't for impure thoughts my mind

would be a blank.

[warrens]

7. It's sorta like watching gay porn and getting all hot and bothered

Only it's live.

[arwalden]

13. Aaaaaaa!

:rofl:

[Nihil]

19. A specific kind of voyeurism?

:shrug:

[IndianaGreen]

22. They feel threatened by those opposed to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

They think that people that want to remove all restrictions to gays serving openly in the military, like yours truly, are a threat to the security of this nation. Bunch of psychopaths!

[Tace]

5. Any Group Is Under Surveillance

Our government is afraid of any people interacting -- that's the reason for the widespread wiretaps of phones and e-mail and internet.

EVERY individual -- and every group -- is under the microscope here.

I'm not gay, but if I were, I wouldn't feel that I had been selected for persecution based on my sexual orientation. I would realize that I am under surveillance, as an individual -- and as a participant in any group -- regardless of my sexual orientation.

[Mr. Mojo Risin]

8. I think this is justified

I've been hearing all these nightmarish stories about the recent upsurge of homosexual gangland mafioso terrorists taking over the midwest.

[BigDDem]

9. They're keeping an eye on us

because we're trying to wreck hetro marriage and destroy family values.

[LeftHander]

10. Gay Watch....new TV show on Fox about Agent Jack Mayhoff of the NSA

hehe

[heartofthesiskiyou]

11. This just shows how little

importance you liberals give to national security. I ask you how are you going to stand before the American people when gay mexican gangs crash our southern border and burns an american flag at your church conducting a marriage ceremony? Our vary nation is at stake. DON'T YOU EVEN CARE?:sarcasm:

[damntexdem]

12. Well, now we know how the NSA gets its kicks.

They're too far into the closet to come out, so all they do is surveillance.

[megatherium]

21. Oddly enough, the NSA has a gay and lesbian group

for its employees. They've had that since the 80's. The NSA has long been more tolerant than other intelligence agencies, because it is needs to recruit highly trained mathematical and linguistic professionals. Typically these come from university environments where acceptance of gay people is taken for granted, and bigotry would not be tolerated.

NSA people might be out of the closet, within the organization. But outside the organization they're in the closet -- about being in the NSA. Employees are coached on what to say if a relative or someone ask them who they work for or what they do. ("I work for the Department of Defense." *cough*)

Now the NSA recruits openly. You go to the big mathematics conventions (held in January each year), and they have a booth in the exhibits. They have cute NSA refrigerator magnets they hand out to the conventioneers. Last time I went to the convention, they were showing off a really cool toy: a working WWII-vintage German Enigma machine. You would press the W key and a Q would light up on the alphabet board.

[BigDDem]

14. Im sure Ken Mehlman

is the first to sign up.

[effektz]

15. Is this the excuse the bush administration

is going to use for everything it does? "we cannot confirm nor deny we are engaged in any given activity". Unchallengeable

[Systematic Chaos]

17. Welcome to DU, effektz!

Enjoy and have a great stay! :)

[HockeyMom]

20. PFLAG

I am a member. I would bet PFLAG is on the list of "terraist" organizations and my name is somewhere in some databank.