Homeland Security’s Space-Based Spying Goes Live

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from Dissident Voice: http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/10/homeland-securitys-space-based-spying-goes-live/


October 6th, 2008

While America’s attention has shifted to the economic meltdown and the presidential race between corporate favorites John McCain and Barack Obama, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) National Applications Office (NAO) “will proceed with the first phase of a controversial satellite-surveillance program, even though an independent review found the department hasn’t yet ensured the program will comply with privacy laws.”

As I wrote in June, NAO will coordinate how domestic law enforcement and “disaster relief” agencies such as FEMA use satellite imagery intelligence (IMINT) generated by U.S. spy satellites. Based on available evidence, hard to come by since these programs are classified “above top secret,” the technological power of these military assets are truly terrifying.

Unlike commercial satellites that beam TV programs, forecast the weather or provide global positioning services, their military cousins are far more flexible, have greater resolution and therefore, more power to monitor human activity. By utilizing different parts of the light- and infrared spectrum, spy satellites, in addition to taking ultra high-resolution photographs to within a meter of their “target,” can also track the heat signatures generated by people inside a building. (”Homeland Security’s Space-Based Spies,” Antifascist Calling, June 4, 2008)

In other words, when combined with illegal NSA and FBI domestic surveillance programs–from data-mining to the massive interception of telephone and internet communications–NAO will furnish DHS and outsourced corporate grifters who actually run the program, with the blanket coverage of American citizens long sought by securocrats. Aside from The Wall Street Journal and The Raw Story, not a single media outlet has disclosed this vital information to the public.

Despite the absence of rigorous oversight that would determine whether or not NAO complies with what’s left of privacy laws, DHS is proceeding full speed ahead . . .


read more: http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2008/10/homeland-securitys-space-based-spying-goes-live/

[anigbrowl]

1. www.googleearth.com

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5. "high-resolution photographs to within a meter of their “target,”

a bit more than google earth

[anigbrowl]

6. For now. I can't get that excited about spy satellites

They're not exactly a new thing, plus they are only as good as they are well positioned and as there are people to interpret the satellite data. If you are out in the yard with a bong this is not going to bring the cops running to your door.

[bigtree]

7. You haven't been paying close enough attention

This is part of the whole military in space nonsense. Besides the incredible waste of money, this is a foot in the door to their next generation 'defense' of their space assets which involves the whole gamit of space-based lasers to defend their assets to the whole 'missile defense regime. It's impossible, as the former head of NASA said, to separate their military nonsense from the academic stuff. It's been the collective shrugging of shoulders at their progress toward the militarization of space which has allowed them to get this far.

[anigbrowl]

8. I have been paying attention. I am just not that excited about it.

Partly, I guess, because the launch of this satellite is old news to me. I am getting really tired of arguments along the lines of 'if you are not freaked out by this you must be totally unaware of what's going on'. In any forthcoming conflict, I assume foreign nations like Russia or China will be attempting to knock out our spy and communications satellites and that we will be attempting to do the same to theirs. That's pretty much how it has always been through history.

[bigtree]

9. I'd assume the same attitude, IF we weren't just sliding toward that confrontation

I don't remember Russia or China shooting down one of our satellites (in history). Some folks have been working hard, for years now, to prevent the U.S. from provoking that confrontation with their ColdWar type build-up in space. Confronting that effort takes place in Congress. I would hope that folks aren't as sanguine as you about the need to oppose the militarization of space at every turn.

[anigbrowl]

11. Well, you might have missed the thing about satellite tests

We've blown one up (for 'safety reasons'), and so have the Chinese - our/their own satellites, that is, not each others'. I'm opposed to the militarization of space, but at the same time the historical reality is that any conflict space gets militarized sooner or later - the sea, mountain ranges, the air and so on. So while I don't promote it, I'm not surprised that such would occur.

The reason I'm not so fired up about this is that we've had spy satellites for a long time and this one is not some qualitative change, but just a somewhat better spy satellite - besides which, we don't hear much about the more hair-raising ones because they're classified. Spying from satellites is something I can live with, we've lived with it so far. I suppose it increases the ossibility of military action insofar as satellites like this are a juicy target in a hypothetical war, but really so are communications satellites and anything else.

[nykym]

2. So lets all

go outside at an agreed upon time look up towards the sky and raise a one fingeer salute to DHS

[bdamomma]

3. we must been scene as a threat to these bullies if we are being

spied upon now from space. Bullies they are, and they can be controlled.

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4. they are hiding behind the rationale . . .

. . . that they'll be able to track natural disasters, all the while operating their enterprise out of Lockheed's 'Space Battle Lab'

[JFN1]

10. Unreal...

The Founders wouldn't recognize this place...