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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNSA Intercepted Children’s Letters To Santa
FORT MEADE, MD The National Security Agency routinely intercepts childrens letters to Santa, internal agency documents have revealed.
The documents describe an operation known as MILK COOKIES, based out of Fort Meade and run in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Service. COOKIES is the interception of the letters while MILK feeds them through a complex series of algorithms to spot any hidden messages.
Agency director Gen. Keith Alexander had previously testified to Congress in 2011 that the NSA would occasionally collect letters addressed to Santa, but insisted that it was totally accidental and that no one was actually reading or storing them.
The NSA is prohibited from directly monitoring American citizens under both Executive Order 12333 and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. However, because the letters are addressed to the North Pole, which falls outside of U.S. territory, they are considered potential foreign intelligence signals which the NSA is authorized to intercept.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a former senior administration official defended the program: Were only looking for any unusual presents, like children who ask Santa for pressure cookers, large amounts of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, hyzadrine rocket fuel, things like that. I mean a six-year old with a hammer is bad enough; just try to imagine that same six-year old with a truck bomb.
Read more: http://www.duffelblog.com/2013/12/nsa-letters-to-santa/#ixzz2oC0OIfYa
Katashi_itto
(10,175 posts)iamthebandfanman
(8,127 posts)with everyone else who reads this article and the others on that blog ..
Katashi_itto
(10,175 posts)AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)RC
(25,592 posts)They are too far to the Right.
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)Oh, and btw, you're wrong about that as well, as the majority of Snowden supporters that I've come across, outside DU, have been pretty well to the right themselves, especially the Paulite & Alex Jones types; many of the rightists who claim to be anti-Snowden are faking it and those who aren't are only saving face.
So far, most of the truly valid & forthcoming detractors have been on the left, mainly The People's View, etc.
RC
(25,592 posts)It is the Conservatives, those on the parnoid Right that support the surveillance state and are upset that Snowden has, and is still exposing the extent of the wrong doing of the NSA, constitutionally and other wise. Helping our enemies by exposing what we are doing around the world and all that crap. WE are that enemy the NSA is spying on. All of us, everywhere.
It is those of us against the surveillance state, that support what Snowden has done. We are mostly on the Left, i.e., Liberals. As per the 4th Amendment of the US Constitution, we Liberals strongly object to the invasion of our privacy. To be secure in our communications. The being OK with the wholesale, unconstitutional invasion of our privacy, is a paranoid Conservative mime.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)Because you obviously don't have the full story.
To be fair, some on the right who do support Snowden(and there are many!), are mainly happy that he, in their eyes, struck a blow against that "Kenyun Soshulist Marxist Muslum" tm) in the White House, and not necessarily caring about the NSA's activities(at least those done before Obama, anyhow), but it still does count. Frankly, given that Snowden is a Paulite himself, one can legitimately wonder if these same types of thoughts may have been running thru his own head.....it wouldn't surprise me one bit, sadly.
RC
(25,592 posts)So what Snowden did was bad, because he is a Paulite himself? Therefore we should content ourselves with living under a Total Awareness, Authoritarian government? And do nothing, because Snowden was a Paulite? I don't think so.
You do realize you are posting a Right-wing talking point, designed to denigrate Snowden and what he did? Really.
I don't care what Edward Snowden's politics are. It is immaterial anyway. He is a real Patriot. He was true to his oath to uphold the Constitution. What he did in exposing the extent of the unlawful and unconstitutional data collection and spying the NSA is doing, took real courage. He got the ball rolling to rein in the reach of the NSA. How is that not a good thing?
For your viewing pleasure:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017165335
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Dash87
(3,220 posts)Obvious paid poster. How many chocolate chip cookies do you get per post?
KittyWampus
(55,894 posts)Of course ideologues can't see anything but black and white.
I also have to chuckle since you took this seriously.
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)Yes, I don't like Snowden. Not at all. But the NSA *is* in serious need of reform, and much of it. I think most of us can agree on that, at least, right?
AverageJoe90
(10,745 posts)sibelian
(7,804 posts)Ichingcarpenter
(36,988 posts)but considering the NSA played World of Warcraft I thought its not beyond their waste of taxpayer's money.
LOL
Paper Roses
(7,475 posts)msanthrope
(37,549 posts)JDPriestly
(57,936 posts)Looks like the entire website is a spoof.
The Straight Story
(48,121 posts)Always good for a laugh, and probably ahead of the times like the onion is on some things.
Pholus
(4,062 posts)jmowreader
(50,562 posts)NSA tracks the movement of Santa's sleigh across the sky, and the NORAD guys stand on alert ready to scramble if he enters restricted airspace. It's a tradition.
lpbk2713
(42,766 posts)SummerSnow
(12,608 posts)Rofl.