Top Secret America

[PBO]

Here's an interesting article that I find equally curious & ironic

I'm interested to see how those living in the US view the article & what it implies...

http://www.smh.com.au/world/blinded-...719-10i02.html

[nitrostarter]

This is just another example of the ungodly government spending that needs to be cut....

[TexasSP]

Way too much going on for such a short article with a kind of blanket approach to the whole deal. Interesting but I would question a lot of the accuracies and sources for such a broad sweep of information.

However I am not questioning that spending is high and that there are issues. I do think careful consideration needs to be given each piece of the US intelligence puzzle before reaching any kind of conclusion and/or opinion.

The first thing I think has to be done is to outline what the specific goals, obligations, duties, jurisdictions, and powers are of the individual agencies. I think redundancies should be eliminated and a clear vision and path for each respective agency. Many departments and expenditures could definitely be eliminated.

However our governments solution to every problem is expansion. Some how the politician's believe the fix for all the problems is to make it all bigger.

[Finnster]

''After 9/11, when we decided to attack violent extremism, we did as we so often do in this country. The attitude was, if it's worth doing, it's probably worth overdoing.''

Sounds about right. What's amazing is that with all that and 9 yrs of war we still have not found bin Laden, and its possible Mullah Omar will come back into a leadership position as the Taliban is negotiated and compromised with upon our inevitable departure.

Anymore I think all our military spending is good for are jobs programs, pork spending for Congressmen and JO material for gun nuts. We sure as hell don't seem to use it to actually win any wars we get ourselves involved in.

Thousands of lives lost or decimated by injury, trillion$ spent, and not a whole hell of a lot to show for it.

[georgec]

Are they spending too much? Of course they are, it's the government! Have we been attacked since 9/11? No! Would we have had another attack if none of these measures were taken? I wouldn't want to find out!

[What's_nitro?]

Our Gov. needs to load everything they know onto a 100,000,000,000,000,000TB hard drive. Then go to Start -> Run -> [defrag C: -f]. Done!

[PBO]

Originally Posted by TexasSP

Way too much going on for such a short article with a kind of blanket approach to the whole deal. Interesting but I would question a lot of the accuracies and sources for such a broad sweep of information.

I agree, nothing like broad sweeping statements to justify poor journalism

Originally Posted by Finnster

Sounds about right. What's amazing is that with all that and 9 yrs of war we still have not found bin Laden, and its possible Mullah Omar will come back into a leadership position as the Taliban is negotiated and compromised with upon our inevitable departure.

This is the irony for me...the US in part created Bin Laden & Saddam Hussein, funded & supported them, only to spend significant amounts (not counting the human cost) in closing them down...absurd!

[georgec]

Originally Posted by PBO

This is the irony for me...the US in part created Bin Laden & Saddam Hussein, funded & supported them, only to spend significant amounts (not counting the human cost) in closing them down...absurd!

That has gone on for a very long time! For example, Fidel Castro at one time worked for the US government. The Shah or Iran, and on and on! It will never end till we stop putting our noses where they don't belong and stop trying to fund the rest of the world when we ourselves are on the brink of bankruptcy!

[TexasSP]

Originally Posted by PBO

This is the irony for me...the US in part created Bin Laden & Saddam Hussein, funded & supported them, only to spend significant amounts (not counting the human cost) in closing them down...absurd!

It's kind of like the spoiled teenager routine. Give them everything they want and then some, and they hate you for it. Nothing can beat a healthy relationship with good boundaries. This goes for all types.

I notice as of today we have pledged 500 million to Pakistan. Not too happy about that one myself. I am tired of handouts, at home, and abroad. I don't believe in paying people to like you.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38304435...d_central_asia

[georgec]

Originally Posted by TexasSP

It's kind of like the spoiled teenager routine. Give them everything they want and then some, and they hate you for it. Nothing can beat a healthy relationship with good boundaries. This goes for all types.

I notice as of today we have pledged 500 million to Pakistan. Not too happy about that one myself. I am tired of handouts, at home, and abroad. I don't believe in paying people to like you.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38304435...d_central_asia

Amen brother!

[PBO]

Originally Posted by TexasSP

It's kind of like the spoiled teenager routine. Give them everything they want and then some, and they hate you for it. Nothing can beat a healthy relationship with good boundaries. This goes for all types.

It's worse than that. Those guys were trained, armed, then sent out to do the bidding of the US

[Finnster]

Originally Posted by georgec

Are they spending too much? Of course they are, it's the government! Have we been attacked since 9/11? No! Would we have had another attack if none of these measures were taken? I wouldn't want to find out!

The irony is that we already knew about all the cell's activities before 911, but the intelligence agencies were not cooperating and the data was not disseminated nor acted upon. I'm doubting all this bloat has done anything to make them more effective.

Originally Posted by PBO

It's worse than that. Those guys were trained, armed, then sent out to do the bidding of the US

Yeah, well, what a mess no doubt. Seems we're always called upon as the cause of and solution to all of the world's problems

[PBO]

Originally Posted by Finnster

Yeah, well, what a mess no doubt. Seems we're always called upon as the cause of and solution to all of the world's problems

I'm not sure I understand how that applies if you (the US) initiate and impliment the "solution" to promote your own interests?

[georgec]

We in the US need to just take care of our own for a change! And then let's see how that works out for the rest of the world. We will always be damned if we do and damned if we don't, so I say let's not interfere. It will cost the US fewer lives and a whole lot less money!

[TexasSP]

Just remember that training and arming people you see to be allies at a specific time is not new or specific to the US. Many other countries have and have had a part in this. Just because we are the biggest doesn't mean others don't. Russia continually does this and denies it, China does this, Japan, UK, France, Germany, Australia, etc.

Everybody has blood on their hands and is guilty of it one way or another.