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The official response to these leaks has been almost as embarrassing as the leaks themselves, and this statement is a continuation of that trend.

by UVB-76 13y ago

peteretep 13y ago
Could you describe what you find to be specifically "embarrassing" about the response?
- UVB-76 13y ago
  The context is embarrassing. A contractor who worked with the NSA became so disenchanted with the work they were conducting that he gave up everything he had to bring it to the attention of the public. Now a US Army General has been forced to justify the actions of the agency to the staff that remain, to suck up to them, and implore them not to revolt as Snowden did. The content is embarrassing. The constant references to 9/11 and to terrorism more generally. People have for years poked fun at this particular proclivity of officials, and the statement reads like a parody. The references to "foreign intelligence" are embarrassing. To those of us who are foreign to the United States, having widespread violations of our right to privacy justified by the fact we are "foreigners" is despicable. It might placate some US citizens, but this episode is a diplomatic catastrophe for the US, and rightly so. The very fact gross human rights violations are being justified in the name of "security" is embarrassing. The fact officials are not in damage control mode, acknowledging the gross misconduct they have presided over and seeking to rectify matters, but are instead seeking to continue business as usual. Everything about this statement is embarrassing.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
  - res0nat0r 13y ago
    > and implore them not to revolt as Snowden did. I don't have any evidence to support this, but I bet most NSA employees would rather see Snowden brought up on charges vs. using him as a lightning rod for revolt. The majority agree with what they are doing on a day to day basis, not the opposite.
    - UVB-76 13y ago
      > I don't have any evidence to support this, but I bet most NSA employees would rather see Snowden brought up on charges vs. using him as a lightning rod for revolt. The majority agree with what they are doing on a day to day basis, not the opposite. On the contrary, I suspect a great many recognize, as Snowden did, that the work they are doing is morally questionable, but would rather turn a blind eye, keep doing what they're doing and taking home fat paychecks than express dissent and face the wrath of the state, knowing better than most the capacity it has to destroy their lives.
      - res0nat0r 13y ago
        Maybe it could be the less of either extreme and they just quit and go work somewhere else? If there has been a mass exodus of NSA employees the last 5 years I'd believe it, but I don't believe that is the case.
        UVB-76 13y ago
        Granted. I suspect most NSA employees put up with it because their salaries are considerably higher than they could hope to achieve in the private sector, and they would rather be the spies than the ones being spied upon. Snowden, a fairly unremarkable sysadmin, was allegedly taking home compensation of around $200k pa. To be honest, even I'd probably turn a blind eye if I were being paid that much.
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]

The official response to these leaks has been almost as embarrassing as the leaks themselves, and this statement is a continuation of that trend.

by UVB-76 13y ago

The official response to these leaks has been almost as embarrassing as the leaks themselves, and this statement is a continuation of that trend.

peteretep 13y ago

Could you describe what you find to be specifically "embarrassing" about the response?

UVB-76 13y ago
The context is embarrassing. A contractor who worked with the NSA became so disenchanted with the work they were conducting that he gave up everything he had to bring it to the attention of the public. Now a US Army General has been forced to justify the actions of the agency to the staff that remain, to suck up to them, and implore them not to revolt as Snowden did. The content is embarrassing. The constant references to 9/11 and to terrorism more generally. People have for years poked fun at this particular proclivity of officials, and the statement reads like a parody. The references to "foreign intelligence" are embarrassing. To those of us who are foreign to the United States, having widespread violations of our right to privacy justified by the fact we are "foreigners" is despicable. It might placate some US citizens, but this episode is a diplomatic catastrophe for the US, and rightly so. The very fact gross human rights violations are being justified in the name of "security" is embarrassing. The fact officials are not in damage control mode, acknowledging the gross misconduct they have presided over and seeking to rectify matters, but are instead seeking to continue business as usual. Everything about this statement is embarrassing.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
- res0nat0r 13y ago
  > and implore them not to revolt as Snowden did. I don't have any evidence to support this, but I bet most NSA employees would rather see Snowden brought up on charges vs. using him as a lightning rod for revolt. The majority agree with what they are doing on a day to day basis, not the opposite.
  - UVB-76 13y ago
    > I don't have any evidence to support this, but I bet most NSA employees would rather see Snowden brought up on charges vs. using him as a lightning rod for revolt. The majority agree with what they are doing on a day to day basis, not the opposite. On the contrary, I suspect a great many recognize, as Snowden did, that the work they are doing is morally questionable, but would rather turn a blind eye, keep doing what they're doing and taking home fat paychecks than express dissent and face the wrath of the state, knowing better than most the capacity it has to destroy their lives.
    - res0nat0r 13y ago
      Maybe it could be the less of either extreme and they just quit and go work somewhere else? If there has been a mass exodus of NSA employees the last 5 years I'd believe it, but I don't believe that is the case.
      - UVB-76 13y ago
        Granted. I suspect most NSA employees put up with it because their salaries are considerably higher than they could hope to achieve in the private sector, and they would rather be the spies than the ones being spied upon. Snowden, a fairly unremarkable sysadmin, was allegedly taking home compensation of around $200k pa. To be honest, even I'd probably turn a blind eye if I were being paid that much.
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]