National Security Agency

[Peter Lemkin]

That last article was a good one on much of what is publicly acknowledged about the NSA. Nice isn't it....makes you feel safe and protected - no matter where you live. Madness! I remember the day I was flying to D.C. to talk to Sen. Kerry's office about Plumlee's testimony, the woman sitting next to me was a PhD in math going for an interview at NSA. I asked her if she had any idea what they did with the 'math skills' of their staff....she had little idea, only that it would provide good pay and intellectual challenges. I'm sure it did for her.....and for the rest of us, she and the others there have bit by bit [literally] undermined privacy and democracy, IMO. Lots of software and hardware have 'back doors' now. The USAs posture is one of perpetual war - and the enemy is everywhere. Another personal note. I used DES level encrption via hardware [not software] when working on the book about TP et al, way back when. The software attached was the most difficult to use and my own computer often would deny me access. I had a phone number in FL to call - of the company that designed the hardware board. When I'd call, the operator would always ask what branch of government I was calling from....and I'd say my name. They would often laugh; I and only a few other individuals had purchased their hardware (trust me, it was not easy to get!). One day when I called for help the phone number was disconnected and a search turned-up a news item that the NSA wanted their product no longer used - and they 'disappeared'. It took me about a month to figure-out, without their help, how to remove their program and get my data back so I could use it unencrypted......