NSA Whistleblower To Expose More Unlawful Activity: ‘People…Are Going To Be Shocked’
NSA Whistleblower To Expose More Unlawful Activity: ‘People…Are Going To Be Shocked’
CongressDaily reports that former NSA staffer Russell Tice will inform the Senate Armed Services Committee next week that not only do employees at the agency believe the activities they are being asked to perform are unlawful, but that what has been disclosed so far is only the tip of the iceberg. Tice will tell Congress that former NSA head Gen. Michael Hayden, Bush’s nominee to be the next CIA director, oversaw more illegal activity that has yet to be disclosed:
A former intelligence officer for the National Security Agency said Thursday he plans to tell Senate staffers next week that unlawful activity occurred at the agency under the supervision of Gen. Michael Hayden beyond what has been publicly reported, while hinting that it might have involved the illegal use of space-based satellites and systems to spy on U.S. citizens. …
[Tice] said he plans to tell the committee staffers the NSA conducted illegal and unconstitutional surveillance of U.S. citizens while he was there with the knowledge of Hayden. … “I think the people I talk to next week are going to be shocked when I tell them what I have to tell them. It’s pretty hard to believe,” Tice said. “I hope that they’ll clean up the abuses and have some oversight into these programs, which doesn’t exist right now.” …
Tice said his information is different from the Terrorist Surveillance Program that Bush acknowledged in December and from news accounts this week that the NSA has been secretly collecting phone call records of millions of Americans. “It’s an angle that you haven’t heard about yet,” he said. … He would not discuss with a reporter the details of his allegations, saying doing so would compromise classified information and put him at risk of going to jail. He said he “will not confirm or deny” if his allegations involve the illegal use of space systems and satellites.
Tice has a history for blowing the whistle on serious misconduct. He was one of the sources that revealed the administration’s warrantless domestic spying program to the New York Times.
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I wonder how the right will frame the smear campaign on this one? Perhaps tice is selling a book?
May 12th, 2006 at 4:15 pmBetter lookout Russell, you’re gonna have Pat Buchanan and Bill Bennett calling you treasonous.
May 12th, 2006 at 4:16 pmOhhhhh….I cant wait….bring it Tice!!!
how and when is Fox News going to discredit this guy over the weekend……
Could the information be a coordinated effort to record ……..
Internet activities????
healthcare information???
credit card information???
with this admin you never know………
May 12th, 2006 at 4:18 pmI never believed one administration could destroy the United States of America. I figured that our society was strong enough to thrive regardless who the President happens to be. I was wrong. Are we witnessing the end of American Democracy? Is it time to storm the Bastille yet?
May 12th, 2006 at 4:18 pmHAHHAHA HOHOHO LOL!!! These bastard’s goose is COOKED!
What next? If Chimpy gets too scared, we’re all in trouble. Remember the “cornered animal?” Possibilities/Probabilities include 1) Let’s Nuke Iran While We Can, 2) 911 Part Deux. Which will it be?
May 12th, 2006 at 4:19 pmThey won’t offer protection for true Patriots, just their own ciriminals. They want to scared the hell out others that know what is going on and prevent them from revealing what they know.
May 12th, 2006 at 4:20 pmOh! They haven’t been just datamining our #’s called, but they’ve been recording all our conversations? God, mine would put them to sleep.
I’m dreaming of an IMPEACHMENT Christmas……
May 12th, 2006 at 4:23 pmJust like the one I want right now.
The Bush camp is nuts. I was outraged at America this morning when I read that the Post poll had 63% approving of giving him the right to go through our personal (albeit) digital lives.
Time and time again it is bigger and worse than you thought with Bush and this one, please God, could be the tipping point. But only if more people get past the “be very afraid” mantra Bush recites every time he wants to shit on our democratic traditions.
You think I’m kidding? Would you believe these nutjobs are even checking sewers for traces of drugs!!! See for yourself: Stand Up for Liberty: Piss in Your Yard.
We the caring need to step it up for the assholes that won’t–call you congressional delegation and phone company (that way Dubya will hear it too).
May 12th, 2006 at 4:23 pmThree cheers to his good health! Tinfoilhatbuddy says I hope you stay alive to testify.
May 12th, 2006 at 4:24 pm#1Krazny, the right will frame it just as the NSA did in January — Tice is “unstable.”
May 12th, 2006 at 4:24 pmUnsubstantiated, but claimed nonetheless.
When they have no defense, they attack the messenger, his credibility, his integrity, his mental state, his sexual history, etc.
Is this thread repeated?
May 12th, 2006 at 4:26 pmuntil he testifies I just hope he’s now protected in a safe undisclosed location.
May 12th, 2006 at 4:26 pmI hope he makes until next week.
May 12th, 2006 at 4:27 pmpoor w, he’s getting a real lesson in what happens when you are a stupid, smug, lying dumbass piece of shit. i don’t think w should worry about his legacy any more. people now know him for ever more for what he is: the biggest loser in American history.
May 12th, 2006 at 4:27 pmThere is some craziness going on with this post which we are fixing now.
May 12th, 2006 at 4:28 pmAnd the problem does not appear to be a fault of the NSA’s… or at least that we know of
May 12th, 2006 at 4:35 pmYes Judd it was pretty weird.Must be the NSA guys trying to discourage everyone from following the tread to the Oval Office……
I hope he is in hiding with guards around him 24-7 its getting very weird in this country.
May 12th, 2006 at 4:37 pmLet’s see, revoked his clearance because of psychological problems…hmm… sounds more like the KGB to me.
May 12th, 2006 at 4:38 pmThis administration is more secretive and paranoid than Nixon’s. They are spying on Americans not to protect us from terrorists, but to protect themselves from being caught red handed and thrown out of power.
May 12th, 2006 at 4:39 pm#4–oh, it MUST be credit card data. I know this first hand. Leaving Las Vegas, having extensively used my credit card, I was told at the airport that the airlines had suddenly determined me to be a “special interest”. I had to undergo thorough and numerous checks, pat-downs, dig-thrus, questions, etc. All based on the use of my credit card.
They’re definetly mining credit card transactions and usage. Absolutely.
May 12th, 2006 at 4:43 pmBRING IT ON! Too bad it won’t be on TV because when ole Russ gets the spotlight and spun up it is very entertaining. He kind of reminds me of Bill Burkett of CBS 60 minutes fame. Before you hitch your star to Tice you might want to read some of his um writings and claims.
May 12th, 2006 at 4:43 pmHardy Haberman you are on top of it all.I believe your right… When was the last time and entire adminstration went to prison for Fraud,Obstructing Justice and a lot more crimes?
May 12th, 2006 at 4:44 pmHe will disappear soon, I imagine.
Again I ask:
Are we fighting Eurasia or Eastasia?
May 12th, 2006 at 4:50 pmI can tell you how they will smear Tice. They will say he is psychologically disturbed.
May 12th, 2006 at 4:54 pm#24 You just can’t smear everybody; it starts looking pretty weak. Don’t you have anything else?
May 12th, 2006 at 4:56 pmI heard Cheney invited him to go hunting this weekend
May 12th, 2006 at 4:56 pmR.T. Day might be even better than Fitzmas.
May 12th, 2006 at 4:59 pm#26 will hopefully be wrong, but funny how accidents happen, people are declared “enemy combatants” or family can be threatened. Since the government is above the law, anything is possible, Right?
May 12th, 2006 at 5:01 pmIs this guy dumv, telegraphing that he’s going to go public? He just painted a big red target on his chest! Or (hoping I don’t sound like a conspiracy nut) this could be a set up, a bone tossed to critics.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:01 pmkindness, mind if I share your dream?
May 12th, 2006 at 5:02 pmJudd,thank you for Think Progress, you and all the posters give us all hope with a bite.
Tice likely voted for Gore… he therefore has no credibility when criticizing this adminsitration… right?
May 12th, 2006 at 5:03 pmI sure hope that Russell Tice has bodyguards and protection to ensure that he actually gets to testify before the committee.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:03 pmOne can only imagine what kind of technology they have. But all you need to do is download Google Earth to see what can be done at just the “consumer” level. I saw my car in the driveway when I put in my coordinates! They can get much closer, rest assured. This is not the stuff of sci-fi. It’s real and it happens every day.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:03 pm[…] This link will take you to ThinkProgress where the story is posted. http://thinkprogress.org/ 2006/ 05/ 12/ more-unlawful-activity/ […]
May 12th, 2006 at 5:03 pmregarding credit card info, I remember an author on the daily show a couple of months ago talking about the information network based on everyones cc data and other personal info http://www.comedycentral.com/ shows/ the_daily_show/ authors/ index.jhtml?startNum=6
i think russell is leaning more towards the dna database, or a connection of friends, contacts, enemies for everyone in the us…cc info, book chekcouts, purchases, credit scores, public school grades, even online activity if your name is associated with the ip is already out there
May 12th, 2006 at 5:04 pmi hope reynolds wrap is gonna start selling hats, because after my last post - i think i even need one - what is going on!!!
May 12th, 2006 at 5:07 pmi hope mr tice is in a safe and secure location until he testifies. and after — especially after.
it wouldn’t be the first time someone who had the goods on the bushies met an unfortunate fate.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:09 pm[…] said former NSA officer Russell Tice to CongressDaily. Tice will testify to the Senate Armed Services Cmte next week that the warrantless NSA programs unveiled by the New York Times and USA Today are only the tip of the iceberg and has hinted that NSA activity “might have involved the illegal use of space-based satellites and systems to spy on U.S. citizens.” […]
May 12th, 2006 at 5:09 pmYeah, make sure Tice makes it there without being kidnapped….
May 12th, 2006 at 5:10 pmre 32# maybe “telegraphing” is a form of life insurance…if anything happens to him now…?
May 12th, 2006 at 5:10 pmre 32# maybe “telegraphing” is a form of life insurance…if anything happens to him now…?
May 12th, 2006 at 5:10 pm#24 an example of a smear is the attempt by The weekly standard to discredit Ray Mcgovern and build up poor Rumsfeld. This was selective portrayal of a career cia man as leftist scum without any critique of what he said vis a vis Rumsfeld. My whole family with the exception of MOM served in the military.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:10 pmHope he doesn’t pull a “Clifford Baxter”.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:10 pmRussell Tice should seriously consider a bunker at Iron Mountain. If W nukes upstate NY, with bunker busters, would that be grounds for impeachment? Would the Congress dare to act if he did? Would Cheney cast the deciding “nay” vote in the Senate during the trial?
May 12th, 2006 at 5:13 pm[…] Once again, Think Progress has the scoop: Think Progress NSA Whistleblower To Expose More Unlawful Activity: ‘People…Are Going To Be Shocked’ CongressDaily reports that former NSA staffer Russell Tice will testify to the Senate Armed Services Committee next week that not only do employees at the agency believe the activities they are being asked to perform are unlawful, but that what has been disclosed so far is only the tip of the iceberg. Tice will tell Congress that former NSA head Gen. Michael Hayden, Bush’s nominee to be the next CIA director, oversaw more illegal activity that has yet to be disclosed: A former intelligence officer for the National Security Agency said Thursday he plans to tell Senate staffers next week that unlawful activity occurred at the agency under the supervision of Gen. Michael Hayden beyond what has been publicly reported, while hinting that it might have involved the illegal use of space-based satellites and systems to spy on U.S. citizens. … [Tice] said he plans to tell the committee staffers the NSA conducted illegal and unconstitutional surveillance of U.S. citizens while he was there with the knowledge of Hayden. … “I think the people I talk to next week are going to be shocked when I tell them what I have to tell them. It’s pretty hard to believe,” Tice said. “I hope that they’ll clean up the abuses and have some oversight into these programs, which doesn’t exist right now.” […]
May 12th, 2006 at 5:13 pmI read James Banford’s book about the NSA “A Body of Secrets” and the thing that got me was just how many Ph.Ds in math and science they have working there.
Brilliant people and they are NOT morally clueless. Believe it or not, they KNOW the law and they know when some stuff goes beyond the law. One of the tricks at the upper levels is to try and FOOL THEM. “This guy is a bad guy. Track him.” But if they look at it it appears he has NOTHING to do with Terrorism. Then they have an ethical problem. Do they just focus on the work, (the de-encryption, the optics in the sats, the algorithms used to store data, translate speech and track info) or do they say, “Damn it, this IS NOT what I signed up for.
It may seem strange to be defending the NSA employees here, but lots of them are just like us. Only smarter. What if they reflected the polling data on Bush? That means that only 31 percent approve. Do you really think that they are ALL in Bush’s camp? Statistically that would be just WAY off.
But just like the press, they might feel their lives and jobs are at risk if they don’t play ball. And if there is no good oversight they might not know who to go to.
The leadership of these organization have been known to spend a lot of time schmoozing with the powers that be to get MONEY. And one of the ways that the get the money is to say “We will deliver what you want.” So Hayden might be liked because he brings home the bacon, but that doesn’t mean that they are really happy with what they are directed to do with their power.
Oversight is ESPECIALLY important in groups like this that have huge abilities to gather info. They aren’t suppose to analyze it, but sometimes the very act of gathering sorting and delivering is a form of analysis. If Hayden gets the spot at the CIA that means that the NSA will get more money and will be the “approved” agency for all info, vs. conflicting agencies with in the Pentagon.
So the people at the NSA might support him knowing that, but when you see an announcement like this you also have to know there are probably HUNDREDS of people at all levels cheering him on, both subtly and not so subtly. Those people who are doing the real important work and who ARE keeping us safe and who are also pissed at Bush and how he is abusing his power are good people that I appreciate the most. They know this is a mission to protect us from actual bad people, (vs. boogie men genned up to scare us of each other) any work that pulls the away from actual bad people and onto political opponents, peace activists and journalists is bad for our saftey.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:15 pmI almost wish they hadn’t teased this story. Not because I don’t like a good tease (mee-yow) but because this gives the right-wing media days to anticipate the bombshell and mitigate its impact. It also gives the right-wing a few days to try to figure out some way to play “hardball” with Tice, figure out if he’s got a price and if they’re willing to play it. God, whatever Tice has to say, imagine if we didn’t know it was coming until he actually dropped it? How Fox News would have to scramble to make up spin? How flaccid and impotent the emperor would look as more people realized he had no clothes? As a result, thanks to this tease and the subsequent chance to assassinate Tice’s character, this could have about as much impact as Frank Pentangeli’s testimony in front of the Senate about the existence of organized crime in The Godfather part 2. And film buffs know what happened to him. Damn.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:16 pmIs this guy going to live until next week?
May 12th, 2006 at 5:18 pmFinally, we are hearing more and more americans that love america standing up for her values..Until republicans came into power we had values and we must get them back before they drag all of us down the sewer with them..
May 12th, 2006 at 5:19 pmIs this guy going to live until next week?
Comment by Planet B — May 12, 2006 @ 5:18 pm
Maybe that is why he came forward, no chance anyone would touch him now, too high profile.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:20 pm#5… don’t make the mistake of thinking all of this is one administration. This has been a long time coming. Congress has abdicated its duty to declare war for decades and the whole system is one of corporate oligarchy. Getting the Bush Junta out of power will stop some of the worst excesses, but the system that allowed them to do what they’ve done will still be in place.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:20 pmOh the sheep still won’t care.
The fear of ‘what if’ is still far greater than the pain of ‘what is’…
Not enough burden yet.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:23 pmI smell Presidential Approval Rating of 20-25% after next week’s testimony.
Anyone know what day that will be next week?
May 12th, 2006 at 5:24 pm#54 - Krazny,
May 12th, 2006 at 5:25 pmRumsfeld knows where he is storing his WMDs. He’s a goner!
Was there ever any doubt that the the only way Bush and his congress could secure America was by turning it into a dictatorship?
The president SAID he wanted to be a dictator. He SAID he would continue breaking the law. Our congress let him get away with it!
May 12th, 2006 at 5:25 pmHe needs to break some stupid laws that are outdated to SAVE US from TERRORISTS. You libs don’t get it.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:35 pmA class action was filed against Verizon today in federal court in New York. Asks for $5 billion in consumer damages. Kick. Ass.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:37 pm#60.
Outdated, silly old things like the Constitution.
The Nazi Party is on the march.
-GSD
May 12th, 2006 at 5:41 pmWeapons in space used on any tom, dick, harry, or mary? imagine that.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:41 pmComment by unbelievable — May 12, 2006 @ 5:23 pm and Slappy Mcgoo #51 that some insightful comments there!
The wingnuts are already on this one. They are focusing on “If you don’t have anything to hide, don’t worry.”
May 12th, 2006 at 5:42 pmComment by unbelievable — May 12, 2006 @ 5:23 pm and Slappy Mcgoo #51 that some insightful comments there!
The wingnuts are already on this one. They are focusing on “If you don’t have anything to hide, don’t worry.”
May 12th, 2006 at 5:42 pmHe needs to break some stupid laws that are outdated to SAVE US from TERRORISTS. You libs don’t get it.
Comment by Debbie Schutstaff — May 12, 2006 @ 5:35 pm
I know. The constitution is so pre-9/11 mentality. So outdated and obsolete. Who would even think of abiding it , anyway?
And why hold elections? That’s also so pre-9/11. Let’s have the Supreme Court pick the president instead.. oh, wait…
May 12th, 2006 at 5:42 pm#56 - Is SANTO starting to make a bit of sense?
May 12th, 2006 at 5:42 pmIt could be that I’m going crazy.
Oh yeah, and “Hail to the Chief” has been changed to the “Theme from Hogan’s Heroes”.
-GSD
May 12th, 2006 at 5:43 pm#60 - that’s pretty funny - you should try standup.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:45 pmHe needs to break some stupid laws that are outdated to SAVE US from TERRORISTS. You libs don’t get it.
Comment by Debbie Schutstaff — May 12, 2006 @ 5:35 pm
at least she admitted he is breaking the law. that is more then most of the wingnuts.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:45 pm#23 - You may be onto something, Punchy. It could be the credit cards, or tracking our bank accounts. I’ve heard some weird things now and then, but they usually have to do with credit card usage or payment activity. The “people with nothing to hide” might not mind their communications being data mined, but they’ll probably mind the government looking into their finances. That would shake them out of their stupor!
May 12th, 2006 at 5:46 pmI’ve been in the mountains on vacation since Spring, 2000. I just got back this afternoon. I haven’t read a paper, watched TV or talked to anyone since I started my vacation. I trust that Americans have taken care of the country. How are things in America these days?
May 12th, 2006 at 5:48 pmPlanet B
It’s not the system that allowed Bush to get away with so much. The system, if applied would have booted his sorry ass in 2003, no what allowed Bush to get away with so much is much more tragic.
What allowed Bush to get away with so much, was the American People. The American People who didn’t vote, the American People who voted based on “Values” voting, the American people who voted along party lines, and the American people who defined their country as a 2 party state. The American people who weren’t willing to weaken the opposition when the opposition had simply ceased fighting, and the American people who weren’t willing to abandon the ruling party they knew to be wrong.
The American people who let Fox get away with telling them lies. The American people who continued to believe Ann Coulter and the other Republican pundits no matter how many times they were discredited, the American people who swallowed opinion as fact and fact as opinion. The American people, who years previously, made politics crass.
The American people, who still won’t protest as their rights are stripped from them one by one. The American people more afraid of the damage done by one islamic terrorist half way around the world, then the damage done by toxins in their water supply.
It is not the system which is to blame, but the people who were supposed to make sure the system worked. The American government, when it works is a remarkable demonstration of checks and balances, but it needs the American people to make it work.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:48 pmNSA VISITS AMERICAblog.com
check this out…….
http://americablog.blogspot.com/ 2006/ 05/ americablog-welcomes-nsa.html
May 12th, 2006 at 5:49 pmwhy the change in spelling, debbie ? - the other day (your 1st!) it was “schutstaffel” … someone pointed out the nazi similarities… was that it?
May 12th, 2006 at 5:51 pmBetween Rove’s involvment in the Plame Scandal, whatever floats to the surface from Portor Goss’ resignation, the disgrace on immigration, the NSA scandal and the NEW NSA scandal…29% is going to be looking pretty high soon.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:51 pm#72 - Got about a week…?
May 12th, 2006 at 5:53 pm#74 - I bet they’ve visited TP, too.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:55 pmHelloooo! *fingers waving*
#72 that job as French ambassador isn’t quite as popular as it was in your day Ben. And as for the Republic you gave them, well, it’s looking like the people couldn’t ‘keep it’
May 12th, 2006 at 5:57 pmHe had better watch his back. If his testimony will be as damning as he purports it to be, he may just go missing. Kudos for his courage to take on the man. If only there were more like him.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:57 pmMy guess is that Tice will have an “accident” this weekend. Tragic slip and fall that rendered him incapacitated and unable to testify.
May 12th, 2006 at 5:58 pmBush claims success in the War on Terror because we have not had an attack in our country since 9/11. Our enemies are not after our land or riches; the terrorists hate our independent ideas and the foundations of our democracy. Bush hands the terrorists a triumph each day when – in the name of securing freedom – his administration secretly spies on its citizen’s phone records, or holds press events with only selected guests to discourage free speech, or agrees to the torture of prisoners with a signing statement against Congress’ intent. We may be winning a war against terrorists according to Bush, but what America will we be left if this administration continues to sacrifice our Constitutional soul to save our soil?
May 12th, 2006 at 6:00 pmMr. Tice,
May 12th, 2006 at 6:01 pmPlease watch your back! We will all be watching for you as well.
Thank you for your Patriotism and Courage in a time when America never needed it more.
I think there is a seat for Mr. Tice on a CIA jet flying in from Ukraine as we speak.
May 12th, 2006 at 6:03 pmI certainly hope that Mr. Tice is in protective custody somewhere. I would not put it past these criminals to fake some accident to get rid of him and his testimony.
May 12th, 2006 at 6:06 pmNSA: Not So American! Did you know the NSA has outsourced some of its spooky workforce to places like India, Pakistan and, ahem, Canada?
May 12th, 2006 at 6:11 pmNSA (no such agency)
May 12th, 2006 at 6:12 pmNSA = Not Secret Anymore
May 12th, 2006 at 6:23 pmTHE ONLY WAY TO PUT AN END TO THE CRIMES OF THESE FASCIST BASTARDS IS TO BECOME A REVOLUTIONARY AND OVERTHROW THIS NEO-NAZI ADMINISTRATION. #8, DON’T THINK IMPEACHMENT HERE, IT’S TOO LATE FOR THAT, THINK GUILLOTINE!!!!!!
May 12th, 2006 at 6:27 pmExcellent post Bruce(#73). Bill Moyers said, “Money ruined Democracy”. Until we Americans have all Federal elections paid for solely by public financing, the moneychangers from both parties will continue to sell-out The Constitution. “We the People” are our only hope left.
May 12th, 2006 at 6:36 pmHo Chi Minh
“You can kill ten of our men for every one we kill of yours. But even at those odds, you will lose and we will win.”
I always kind of dug that quote.
May 12th, 2006 at 6:38 pm…….and people laugh at the tinfoil hat PrisonPlanet.com site.
May 12th, 2006 at 6:42 pmThanks Mark.
May 12th, 2006 at 6:42 pmPossible Tice testimony revelations could include
(1) Massive cooperation between the government and private spy companies who collect data on citizens Greg Palast
(2) The exact nature of the special access programs run by Stephen Cambone, Rumsfeld’s lieutenant - what exactly the DIA has been up to inside the US.
(3) What’s this about illegal use of space satellites? Sounds like something out of that movie, “Enemy of the State”.
So they are going to say that Tice is psychologically disturbed? Isn’t that a rational response to Bush, Rumsfeld and Cheney? My psychology sure gets disturbed when I listen to the spew that comes out of their mouths.
May 12th, 2006 at 6:43 pmI hope the Republicans are proud. We have PERVERTS not only listening to us. Nope that’s not enough. Now they want to watch??
May 12th, 2006 at 6:43 pm[…] The news of the phone records being released to the NSA is just the tip of the iceberg according to former NSA staffer Russell Tice. Tice is scheduled to testify before the Senate Armed Services committee next week and will tell them that NSA staffers believe many of the activities the NSA is involved in are unlawful and that what has come out so far is just a small part of what is actually going on. A former intelligence officer for the National Security Agency said Thursday he plans to tell Senate staffers next week that unlawful activity occurred at the agency under the supervision of Gen. Michael Hayden beyond what has been publicly reported, while hinting that it might have involved the illegal use of space-based satellites and systems to spy on U.S. citizens. … […]
May 12th, 2006 at 6:45 pmI posted this in another thread, but it is even more relevant here. So, before the trolls bring out the “he was diagnosed paranoid” talking point, read on.
About Tice:
Russell Tice was a senior intelligence analyst at the National Security Agency until he demanded to know in April 2003 what had happened to a report he had filed about a former colleague he suspected of spying for China. Two months later, he found himself checking coolant at the agency’s motor pool.
Not only did Tice get demoted from the elite ranks of the intelligence community, but he was also deemed “paranoid” by one of the agency’s psychologists, a death sentence in the intelligence field. Just nine months earlier, Tice had been found psychologically sound during a routine evaluation.
In federal job: Blow whistle, get boot
He was not the only one to be labeled “paranoid”. Funny thing is, some whistleblowers are no liberals, but simply critical of the Bush administration’s misguided policies:
Whistleblowers who have stepped forward to accuse the National Security Agency of retaliating against them by falsely labeling them “paranoid,” “delusional,” or “psychotic,” cover a range of political views. Russell D. Tice, a self-described conservative, believes President Bush should be impeached over the current controversy involving the NSA’s domestic surveillance program. Another whistleblower, Diane Ring, is a staunch Bush supporter who supports the surveillance program.
NSA Whistleblowers Were Allegedly Isolated, Intimidated
Take heed, Bush cultists. Even you can fall from your Supreme (mis)Leader’s grace and find yourself labeled “paranoid” or worse.
May 12th, 2006 at 6:45 pmAnyone been whacked from outer space yet?
May 12th, 2006 at 6:47 pmIts time for a Constitutional Convention to ratify phased-in term limits for US Senate, US House, and SCOTUS - next please, thank you for your public service.
May 12th, 2006 at 6:48 pmHEY HEY HEY
May 12th, 2006 at 6:50 pmrandi rhodes just announced that rove IS indicted
will resign!!!!!!!!!!!
damn - it may have been a joke
May 12th, 2006 at 6:52 pmcan’t find the real thing… sorry
#91 BG; I always liked that quote too. Uncle Ho was prophetic when he said that to the French and it was also equally true in application to the US.
May 12th, 2006 at 6:54 pmGreat research Gregor,
the right will latch onto this supposed paranoi to descredit him. I am not sure how much more the public will take. This type of attack has occured over and over again against anyone critical of the government. The question is will it succeed? I am getting the impression, that many are not so ready to swallow the republican cool aid at this point. Their party has fractured badly, and many of on the extreme right are upset.
May 12th, 2006 at 6:55 pmTice should take Stephen Colbert’s phrase to a new level. Let’s pray in Stephen’s words: Oh, Lord, let me BRING IT”!!
Better hope this guy doesn’t befall a tragic “accident”, arranged by the New World Order, like everything else.
May 12th, 2006 at 6:57 pmHopefully he’ll have more than words.
May 12th, 2006 at 6:58 pmThe new motto for the independents, and the liberal bloggers out their (Also a Ho Chi Minh quote, given new meaning under present circumstances.)
“If the Grasshopper does not stop fighting the Elephant, the Elephant will die of exhaustion.”
May 12th, 2006 at 6:58 pmNOPE - this is what randi announced:
Rove Informs White House He Will Be Indicted
By Jason Leopold
t r u t h o u t | Report
Friday 12 May 2006
May 12th, 2006 at 7:01 pmThis type of attack has occured over and over again against anyone critical of the government. The question is will it succeed?
Comment by Krazny — May 12, 2006 @ 6:55 pm
Thanks for the compliment, Krazny.
And yes, anyone who disagrees is personally attacked and their claims are quickly lost in the noise and forgottten. The fact that the Bush administration chooses to discredit the person rather than the claims is (or should be) very revealing.
Maybe they will succeed -with the 31%ers, or whatever X%ers we have this week. There will always some who think Pres Bush can do no wrong.
May 12th, 2006 at 7:06 pmChangeAmerica.net : In Bush’s world, all Americans except his corrupt friends are members of Al Queda. I am spyin’ on ‘em because I am the decider. I decided to spy so that makes it legal.
Does anyone remember the Republicans claiming the absolutely had to impeach Bill Clinton because he “broke the law” and no one is above the law. They absolutely had to impeach him. It was all about everyone having to follow the law. Just look up their statements on the internet.
Hypocrite sleazbags!
http://www.ChangeAmerica.net
May 12th, 2006 at 7:11 pmMaybe he’ll tell us the Ashkenazi are not the descendants of Abraham - and that preperations have been made to “renegotiate” Balfour.
The “Right” - there is no “Left” or “Right”, there are only alter boys, who by their vote, are criminals as much as those they gave money to. Pelost - A1 AIPAC cheerleader - a champion for progressives - a hero - a hero that has already argued against impeachment.
+How much Money did state retirement funds loose because Fienstiens’s husband was selling Israeli securities into those portfolios. There all week - perhaps the only hero left is a little know right winger named Ron Paul. Any house memeber that voted to continue the concentration camps in Palestine and supported Israels withholding of PA moneys is a war criminal. Any congressman that voted for Iraq War or Iran Freedom act is a war criminal. The only thing their votes did aside from murder, is assure engergy would be expensive and their friends would get plenty of the 1.5 Billion borrowed since 2001 to pay for these illegal mass murders through top-secret we-will-never-know-or-see black projects.
They are all money lauderers - they are all murderers - they are all defrauders and extortionists - all off them.
For you worried about the “right”, is that air you’re breathing?
May 12th, 2006 at 7:11 pmwith kudos to the dead senator edwards from louisiana,
if tice brought in blood-stained sheets and a video shot with three cameras and directed by martin scorcese, of george bush and dick cheney in bed with a dead girl or a live boy, it wouldn’t make a bit of difference…
oh, senator reid might hold a press conference and speak with a cracky voice for three minutes, but, that is about it…
but, i’ll listen to tice and hope he has something good…
May 12th, 2006 at 7:11 pmI believe he will announce that the NSA actually enters the house of American citizens while they are out and snoops on them w/o a warrant…I don’t believe it stops at phone records…Thank GOD for TICE!!!
May 12th, 2006 at 7:16 pmIt’s not just the NSA getting all manner of personal information about everyone on the planet. My teenage son was ordering a laptop on our home computer using my husband’s credit card (with permission, of course). He was asked for the last four digits of my husband’s SS#. He gave it and up pops a series of questions “to verify your identity.” The questions were multiple choice:
Which of these four address have you lived at:
1234 Smith st.
5678 Jones st
9999 Green st
2222 Brown st
One of them was an address that we lived at 22 years ago!
Then it asked which of these people we knew, and listed four names. One was my husband’s brother.
It then asked: “Which age group most nearly includes the age of Mary Smith” and listed four age groups. Well, the person identified was my mother-in-law and she is older than any of the age groups listed … I think “none” was an option.
This was freaky and bizarre. Where did a COMPUTER RETAILER get all that information? It certainly appeared to be linked to the LAST FOUR DIGITS of my husband’s SS#.
For people who think all this spying is just dandy because they “have nothing to hide,” you have your head in the sand. You may have a characteristic that someone is going to determine is an “out” … just like in Nazi Germany … gay people got pink triangles to wear, Jews got the yellow star and I am sure there were other groups as well. And then they systematically eliminated them because they knew where they all were. You really ought to hear Randi Rhodes rave on this … its spot on.
May 12th, 2006 at 7:18 pmThat’s it!
May 12th, 2006 at 7:20 pmI’m getting up from my computer right now and I’m walking outside, looking up at the NSA spy satellites and I’m giving them both a “Scalia vafanculo” and a “go cheney yourself”.
Sing mr. Tice…SINGGGGGGGGGGGGGG….
May 12th, 2006 at 7:33 pmNow let’s all go outside and yell…’I'm mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it any more!’
Every new revelation increasingly makes it clear the Bush Administration shouldn’t be believed about 9/11 either. Demand a new investigation.
http://www.3c.911truth.org
May 12th, 2006 at 7:35 pmI told everyone at work months ago that the reason bush isn’t getting warrants was because he’s spying on MILLIONS of us and that to do so they’d have to cut down the entire rain forest to make all the paper necessary. Turns out I wasn’t even close to the actual number. Sumbitch!
May 12th, 2006 at 7:44 pmPunchy: I had the same experience leaving Tucson in March. It was bizarre. I was pulled out of line at the check-in as soon as the TSA woman looked at my boarding pass. She said I was being searched because I was “a person of interest.” Of course, no one ever explained what that meant. They left me standing for ten minutes and then it was like someone suddenly remembered they had pulled me aside and came over and patted me down. Weird.
May 12th, 2006 at 7:45 pmHo Chi Minh; you hit the nail right on the head brother. The revoultion will not be televised, the revolution will be LIVE! Time to feed the hogs.
May 12th, 2006 at 7:46 pm#117
Demand a new investigation
errr…roberts has finished the first one yet…it has only been five years…investigations are ‘hard work’ as war-criminal rumsfeld is prone to say…
this country is over and done with… i urge everyone to renew their passports and apply for asylum somewhere in europe.
May 12th, 2006 at 7:48 pmWe need to do the following:
1. Use cash only at all times.
2. Switch to Qwest for phone services.
3. Dump AT&T and Verizon (and MSN).
4. Use payphones.
5. Go to another country if possible.
May 12th, 2006 at 7:50 pmYOU ARE all fools! you think the ECHELON is scary?! its not. that is just one you shouldnt even care about it we shouldnt even know about it you fools. you people have know idea where technology is and where it is going..and by the way its going there fast …. FUTURE SHOCK IS EVERYWHERE just wait until a walk down the street produces gigabytes of information liberals are mad at the administration for this inexorable technological system?? embrace the future or find a way off this planet … this IS NOT AN IMORTANT ISSUE chairman of the President’s Bioethics Council : Leon R. Kass should be NUMBER ONE WAKE THE HELL UP!!!!
May 12th, 2006 at 7:54 pmI hope Tice avoids small planes and doesn’t wake up dead having comitted suicide by stabbing himself in the back 20 times.
May 12th, 2006 at 7:58 pmV for Vendetta.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:08 pmthis is the official prediction of fcuk bush:
tice will say that the nsa has devised a way to capture keystrokes through the internet simply by having the 257.257.257.257 thingey….
if so: ’suck on my butthole, 007′
peace.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:09 pmfrom USAToday:
The former chief executive of Qwest concluded that agreeing to turn over calling records of his company’s customers to the government would have “violated the privacy requirements of the Telecommunications Act,” his lawyer said today.
Also, the lawyer said, then-Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio determined “there was a disinclination on the part of the authorities to use any legal process, including the Special Court which had been established to handle such matters.”
Disinclination…..hmmm.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:14 pmOn Paula Zahn Now, Paula’s interview with Mr. Tice (!) was interrupted for breaking news on new DNA results with regard to the Duke gang rape case. what the fu?????
May 12th, 2006 at 8:16 pmI sincerely hope he lives to testify.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:20 pmThis can’t be fixed at the polls. They control the new voting machines.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:23 pmThe reason(s) dumbya is so paranoid is:
Pot induced and
He is more corrupt and evil (along with his handlers) and has been doing things that real Americans know is illegal. He is scared shi***tless at what is about to happen to him, his handlers and their awful party.
Every day another outrage from the whore i mean white house.
I’m thinking that he is soon to totally melt down. I just hope it is on camera. I thought we would get to see him and his schoolmarm/drugdealer wife spitting pea soup at Colbert, but I guess someone told him to mind his manners FOR ONCE.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:38 pmHard to imagine the Bushies won’t pull some kind of maneuver to try to put a muzzle on this guy.
Anyway, he’s brave…
May 12th, 2006 at 8:38 pm[…] At the moment, Uranus’ serial tsunamis are inundating the shores of Bushland. With the Preznit’s progressed Moon opposing natal Uranus through May 22, every day is bringing a new explosion. Yesterday’s big news centered on the NSA’s data mining of ALL our phone calls, creating a big enough breach in the Constitution to drown an elephant. Today word is seeping out that Rove has told the Boss that he is about to be indicted. (Be still my heart!) Next week promises yet more drama when testimony from former NSA staffer Russell Tice threatens to make previous disclosures about the NSA eavesdropping pale by comparison. All of these shockers bode ill for the Bushistas due to the simultaneous predominance of Saturn – moving to cross Bush’s Ascendant, Mercury and Pluto through early July – and the Pluto quincunx of the Inaugural solar arc Saturn conjunct Inaugural IC through mid-June. Thus the upsets initiated by Uranus in May will continue in their aftershocks into July, doing a great deal of damage to the Puppet Prince along the way. […]
May 12th, 2006 at 8:38 pmYou think Bush cares if you’re outraged?
You, your Congress and your Judiciary have been procedurally de-balled while you were greedily cashing your $500 tax rebate check.
YOU didn’t even feel it because you were under a weird anesthesia, your demand for comfortable living.
What are you going to do sans your gonads? Whine when Jeb Bush gets into office next?
Being ball-less is pretty inconvenient now, isn’t it?
May 12th, 2006 at 8:39 pmuh, this guy is a commie fag, right? i mean, he’s only saying this ’cause he’s gay, right? um– is this the same guy who was abducted by ufos?
not that there’s anything wrong with that.
____________
i’m kind of afraid for this brave person.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:39 pmHere’s to sixteen stunning years lacking your privates and a Constitution.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:41 pmLook how they handled Wilson re yellow cake from Africa. Do you really believe all that data gathering is for fighting terrorism??Yes, if you feel the Dems are terrorists, and any other entity that disagrees with this facistic messianic buffoon in the WH.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:42 pm#124 these clowns in the SS/CIA/FBI have a habit of making people commit suicide. I loved the one about the guy that managed to shoot himself in the head twice to commit suicide.
At the risk of sounding like a crazy, take a look at the “Bush Bodies”
How about Bertha Champagne (neil bush’s nanny - not a drag queen). She managed to leave her car in gear all day and long about 9pm it traveled many many feet to kill her. This was a couple weeks after Neil’s company was in all 3 of the WTC buildings “installing security devices” on 9/10. Neil said she lived at his house, but her son said that was not the case and he “didn’t feel comfortable talking about the circumstances around her death”. Things that make you go HMMMMMM.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:44 pm[…] Think Progress notes that next week may bring revelations that what we already know about the NSA spying scandal is just the tip of the iceberg (link via AMERICAblog). […]
May 12th, 2006 at 8:46 pmuh, this guy is a commie fag, right? i mean, he’s only saying this ’cause he’s gay, right? um– is this the same guy who was abducted by ufos?
not that there’s anything wrong with that.
____________
i’m kind of afraid for this brave person.
Comment by M. Hildebrand
Are you like in Elementry school? Do you sincerly think that calling someone names can hurt them? And since you used the “fag” word are you hiding something you are ashamed of in yourself?
I bet you even use the N word too.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:50 pmTice is toast. By Monday he will be enjoying an extended, all expevses paid, vacation in Cuba at Guantanamo. He will never make it to the stand. If they cut him off eyeballing Paula just think what he will have left before he gets somewhere that counts. Click on Clyde to see the Mealy Mouthed Finger Flinger’s reaction.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:53 pmDon’t forget.
One of the reasons John Bolton was not confirmed officially as U.N. ambassador was because he got Gen. Hayden at the NSA to pass along to him NSA intercepts of U.S. citizens deemed to be “persons of interest” by Bolton. The White House, of course, stonewalled the Senate over the actual number of top-secret NSA intercepts Gen. Hayden passed to Bolton. And I just wonder which other Bush administration officials made requests to Gen. Hayden? This is why I’m actually looking forward to Gen. Hayden getting grilled during his CIA confirmation hearing. Maybe he’ll finally reveal how much illegal spying the Bush administration has really been doing, under the guise of protecting us from religious fundamentalist terrorists. Who’s going to protect us from the Bush admnistration and all their illegal activities? Maybe Congress will do something for a change other than being a doormat for the Bush administration and it’s “culture of corruption”?
May 12th, 2006 at 8:55 pmWake up.
“THE ECONOMY” is your false god, the one you place before your Creator. For it, and it alone, you imperiously clamor for more than you could possibly deserve.
More comfort, more convenience, more.
GWB knows you’ll do anything for this god.
May 12th, 2006 at 8:59 pmYou know what missing your balls makes you do? Think about your bowel movements more.
May 12th, 2006 at 9:02 pmDana darling, put down the sacramental wine, and remember….
EVEN GOD TOOK A FREEKIN DAY OFF
If you want to post things on topic fine, otherwise to quote Krash-Kart Cheeney:
Go F****K yourself
May 12th, 2006 at 9:03 pmAmerican: GAS, FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT.
May 12th, 2006 at 9:05 pmKJ: I can’t.
May 12th, 2006 at 9:07 pmKJ: I can’t.
I don’t have the constitution for it.
May 12th, 2006 at 9:08 pmWill the guy better reveal the Info. on the NSA before Bush thugs tell him to shut his yapper or he sleeps with the fishes!
May 12th, 2006 at 9:21 pm[…] I’m getting close to just giving up. If this story saying the NSA scandal is more severe than we ever thought turns out to be true, I think I’m going to head out and watch America sink into the earth from afar. Next week former NSA staffer Russell Tice will let us all know what we’ve not. “I think the people I talk to next week are going to be shocked when I tell them what I have to tell them. It’s pretty hard to believe,†Tice said. “I hope that they’ll clean up the abuses and have some oversight into these programs, which doesn’t exist right now.†[…]
May 12th, 2006 at 9:23 pmwhy now? He tried to get an audience in Dec 05 in a letter to Congressional committees.
As far As I know it was denied… at least until now.
May 12th, 2006 at 9:30 pmIf your desire to keep our country safe trumps your desire to keep our country free, you are not a patriot. You are an anti-patriot.
May 12th, 2006 at 9:30 pmDana, for some, it’s food + gas = entertainment
May 12th, 2006 at 9:32 pmThe NSA has the same information Social Sec. and the IRS have, and then some.
Plus, the capability to cross-reference by processing Teraflops of data at any given moment.
Your very movement can be tracked down if you carry a cellphone on you (GPS / antenna routing).
Does anybody remember the story when some guy paid off a larger chunk of his credit card debt (about $6000) and got a little visit from Homeland security?!
http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/3/3/2418/56602
Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not after you.
May 12th, 2006 at 9:39 pmI predict he will have a dreadful accident before he gets to talk.
May 12th, 2006 at 9:54 pmSHOOT TICE IN THE HEAD ON CAPITOL STEEPS
May 12th, 2006 at 10:03 pmTice is doing GOD’s work. Bless you brave son.
May 12th, 2006 at 10:07 pm5 will get you 10 that when its all over, Hayden gets confirmed. Tice will be forgotten. Maybe 6 people not on this site know the name of the last whisleblower to testify before congress.
May 12th, 2006 at 10:08 pmIt’s time to go. There is absolutely no intelligent life here.
May 12th, 2006 at 10:09 pmtice will turn around at some point in his testimony to see at least one of his family members sitting rather close to a man in black trench coat with a gun pointing to said family member, in the right-hand pocket of the mysterious gentleman…
or,
‘mr tice was found dead in a motel room in alexandria virginia this morning of an apparent drug overdose. mr tice has been under medication for his severe addiction to child pornography and meth for the past two years.’
or,
‘mr tice testified today in front of some half-ass committee and showed photographs of dick cheney being sodomized by a female prostitute with a bad attitude and a strap-on while president bush is seen bouncing what appeared to be a small male goat on his lap. president bush appeared to have a rubber cord wrapped around his upper-arm and a hypodermic needle can be seen dangling from one of his veins. mr tice also had a photograph of secretaries rumsfeld and rice waterboarding a young iraqi who looked to be approximately 11 years old.
one senator asked mr tice what he had for lunch yesterday.
tice said ‘chicken ala king and toast’
the meeting was adjourned.
afterward, senator reid made the following statement: ‘when are we going to see the movie ’stick it’… i want popcorn, and frist says i can sit in the front seat on the way…i like movies…oh, the hearing…i forgot, what were we talking about?’
May 12th, 2006 at 10:11 pmLove him or hate him, Tice got that emotionally disturbed look in his eyes. That guy is scary to look at. In the end when he’s done talking,nothing will change. Anything more is just wishing for the stars.
May 12th, 2006 at 10:14 pmbring this goddam goverment down man! The chimpman is toast. Islam rulz. plez relaese everthing u have on this evil Bush’ita empire and illegel activeties allah akbar
May 12th, 2006 at 10:18 pmActually, there seem to be a number of emotionally disturbed individuals posting here. By any chance are you all related?
May 12th, 2006 at 10:18 pmOMG now what is Wall Street going to do? How are the wealthy going to live on their dividends if these whistle blowers continue to whistle? Puny Little Traitor. This has nothing to do with Karl Rove’s impending indictment. This has nothing to do with the health care mess. This has nothing to do with oil prices. This has nothing to do with the War in Iraq. This has nothing to do with Bush and his idiot plans to invade Iran. And finally this has nothing to do with the fact that the Bush White House has been spying on Americans.
May 12th, 2006 at 10:20 pmbring down evil Bush empire! right on man expose all thier lies and secrit illegel activeties. islam rulz. Allah Akbar
May 12th, 2006 at 10:21 pmCome along Wingbat, time for your medication. Allah Fubar
May 12th, 2006 at 10:24 pmAre any of the regular progressives here gonna say ANYTHING to WINGBAT? #166#169 is just a little over the top. Hating Bush and Co. is one thing but you gotta admit this one went too far.
May 12th, 2006 at 10:25 pm#170 thank you. You can type faster than me. thanks again
May 12th, 2006 at 10:27 pmtoo far?
hey, i don’t know if he was being sarcastic, but, what is too far???
May 12th, 2006 at 10:30 pmThe Bush administration is self destructing before the eyes of the nation. Every day, more and more of their crimes are revealed. It is a pity that it took so long for their incompetence, dishonesty, and failures are revealed. The folks who voted for Al Gore just knew what kind of a terrible president Bush was going to be. He had no experience, and people said he will be surrounded by experienced staff members, what a load of BS. The people he has surrounded himself with are criminals from the Reagan administration, his father’s failed administration, and a lot of right wing cowards, hell bent on starting a war. WHAT A DISASTER.!! I hope more patriots come forward and expose these criminals for what they are, and show their loyal supporters, who are now the minority, just how dishonest these criminals are.
May 12th, 2006 at 10:31 pm[…] As if spying on international and domestic telephone calls and maintaining the targeted telephone records of tens of millions of Americans weren’t enough, NSA whistleblower Russell Tice claims there’s more! I think the people I talk to next week are going to be shocked when I tell them what I have to tell them. It’s pretty hard to believe. […]
May 12th, 2006 at 10:32 pmthis might be ‘too far’
but, i choose the see the glass as half-full instead of half-empty…too far! pshaw!! as they used to say in 20s…
May 12th, 2006 at 10:35 pmwell, i guess the ‘too far’ guy is calling the nsa so isn’t here to answer the question about what is ‘too far’…
actually, do you have to actually call the nsa, or do i just know what we are thinking at this point?
if only they would start putting the chips under people’s skin…then we would all be safe from dem ddtteerrrissts, and dem ferners wouldnf;t be takingg er jooobbbss!!!!
May 12th, 2006 at 10:41 pmPoll: Clinton outperformed Bush (CNN) — In a new poll comparing President Bush’s job performance with that of his predecessor, a strong majority of respondents said President Clinton outperformed Bush on a host of issues.
Man, are the neo-cons going to hate this.
May 12th, 2006 at 10:42 pmJames, Allah akbar and Islam rules IS too far. You wanna hate Bush more power to you, I assume your still a AMERICAN, and your posting here and on your own site because you want to improve America. Am I wrong?
May 12th, 2006 at 10:42 pm#177
Let’s have a big hand for the great Santo folks, wasn’t he great. That was an awesome perfromance. Remember he’ll be giving two shows a night over the weekend.
May 12th, 2006 at 10:43 pmWow I thought I’d get some people other than ROGER denouncing a poster saying allah akbar and Islam rules. Thump thump thump….. is this thing on.
May 12th, 2006 at 10:50 pmif someone wants to say ‘islam rule