Security Expert Lt. Colonel Tony Shaffer NSA Program PRISM Did Not Foil 2009 NY City Subway Plot, We Were Aided by the British

As Jack Webb, Sgt. Joe Friday of Dragnet fame would say, “Just the facts ma’am” …

Before anyone decides that giving away their freedoms and liberties and shredding the U.S. Constitution is ok and having the NSA surveillance record all of our telephone conversations, emails, etc. forever is necessary to protect them against terrorism, think again. This morning on FOX News, Security Expert Lt. Colonel Tony Shaffer, from the Center for Advanced Defense Studies, stated that PRISM did not catch the 2009 New York Subway bombers, the British did. Defenders of the government’s online spying program, “PRISM” claimed on Friday that it was responsible for preventing the NY City subway bombing. Correction, it did not.

“Let me say very clearly. The 2009 thing is a MacGuffin. They did not use this program to get the 2009 bombing stopped. It was actually the British who helped us do that.
And, more importantly they missed the Major Hassan Nidal attack. He was in touch with Anwar al-Awlaki. And, we missed the Boston bombing, too. The credibility of the program is not there.” [...]
Because there s so much documentation being obtained, we can’t actually focus on what is necessary to get to the real terrorists.”

From Buzz Feed comes the following … Public Documents Contradict Claim Email Spying Foiled Terror Plot.

Defenders of the American government’s online spying program known as “PRISM” claimed Friday that the suddenly controversial secret effort had saved New York City’s subways from a 2009 terrorist plot led by a young Afghan-American, Najibullah Zazi.

But British and American legal documents from 2010 and 2011 contradict that claim, which appears to be the latest in a long line of attempts to defend secret programs by making, at best, misleading claims that they were central to stopping terror plots. While the court documents don’t exclude the possibility that PRISM was somehow employed in the Zazi case, the documents show that old-fashioned police work, not data mining, was the tool that led counterterrorism agents to arrest Zazi. The public documents confirm doubts raised by the blogger Marcy Wheeler and the AP’s Adam Goldman, and call into question a defense of PRISM first floated by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, who suggested that PRISM had stopped a key terror plot.

Sorry, but its bad enough that the NSA spying appears to be governmental over-reach, the Obama administration has ZERO CREDIBLITY to oversee such a program. We’re supposed to believe than an IRS targeting scheme against Obama’s enemies could not also happen with NSA data gathered?

French Open Men’s Single Final Between Nadal and Against Ferrer Interrupted By Protester With A Flare

FIREWORKS AT THE FRENCH OPEN BUT IT WAS NOT BETWEEN NADAL AND FERRER … The only drama in today’s Men’s Singles French Open Final between Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer were the protestors. First, the protestors interrupted the match, then a protestor who ran onto the court near Nadal with a flare that was on fire and smoking. The protester was eventually taken off the court and tackled as well as a second protester was forcibly escorted out of the event as well.  Other than that, the final was an eventless 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 Nadal victory who won his 8th French Open title. I have to say this, how on earth in this day and age, in a post 9/11 world, in a post Monica Seles stabbing by a fan (video) could security in such a huge event like the French Open Final be so lax to allow a protester with an incendiary device into the stadium? Imagine if it was a terrorist with more evil intentions that just protesting legislation in France allowing for same-sex marriages? Good Grief. Never would I have thought that some one could get a flare through security. The French might want to beef up security for the next time. I could only imagine how this will effect going through security in the up coming Wimbledon Championships.

The French Open final was interrupted today when a protester managed to find his on the court and light a flare, just feet from where Rafael Nadal was standing. It was the second time the match had been interrupted by protesters as there was a brief ruckus in the upper deck. Several protesters were quickly ushered out of the stadium. The protesters are upset about legislation in France allowing for same-sex marriages according to CBSNews.com.

NSA Spying Whistleblower Reaveals Himself in The Guardian … His Name is Edward Snowden

The whistleblower behind the NSA surveillance of American citizens telephone records reveals himself.

As reported at The Guardian, the individual behind the NSA spying leak is 29 year old Edward Snowden. The secrets he released can be prosecuted. Edward Snowden is a former technical assistant for the CIA who also worked at the NSA for the last four years as an employee of outside contractors including Booz Allen and Dell.  Obama has said no one is listening into the private phone calls of American citizens, its just data mining. Like that isn’t bad enough? Of course it was Obama who also said that the IRS was not targeting conservatives and the Tea Party for political purposes.  Barack Obama says that his administration has started criminal investigations into the NSA leaks. Snowden stated in his interview with the Guardian, “I can’t in good conscience allow the U.S. government to destroy privacy, Internet freedom and basic liberties for people around the world with this massive surveillance machine they’re secretly building.”

NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden: “I don’t want to live in a society that does these sort of things”

“I could be rendered … You can’t come forward against the world’s most intelligence agency and be completely free from risk because
there’s so much powerful adversaries that no one can easily oppose. If they want to get you, they’ll get you in time.”

click on pic for VIDEO of Edward Snowden discussing why he blew the whistle on the NSA

The individual responsible for one of the most significant leaks in US political history is Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old former technical assistant for the CIA and current employee of the defence contractor Booz Allen Hamilton. Snowden has been working at the National Security Agency for the last four years as an employee of various outside contractors, including Booz Allen and Dell.

The Guardian, after several days of interviews, is revealing his identity at his request. From the moment he decided to disclose numerous top-secret documents to the public, he was determined not to opt for the protection of anonymity. “I have no intention of hiding who I am because I know I have done nothing wrong,” he said.

Snowden will go down in history as one of America’s most consequential whistleblowers, alongside Daniel Ellsberg and Bradley Manning. He is responsible for handing over material from one of the world’s most secretive organisations – the NSA.

In a note accompanying the first set of documents he provided, he wrote: “I understand that I will be made to suffer for my actions,” but “I will be satisfied if the federation of secret law, unequal pardon and irresistible executive powers that rule the world that I love are revealed even for an instant.”

Snowden has certainly put himself out there. Snowden had said that he had a comfortable life, and all that has changed. Will he be prosecuted? It would appear that the Obama administration is going to go after Snowden.

In the interview, Snowden described a comfortable lifestyle and a stellar career that included a $200,000 salary from consulting company and defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, of McLean, Va., and a home in Hawaii that he shared with a girlfriend. The paper said Snowden is now staying in a hotel in Hong Kong.

UPDATE I: NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden: ‘I do not expect to see home again’.

Q: But isn’t there a need for surveillance to try to reduce the chances of terrorist attacks such as Boston?

A: “We have to decide why terrorism is a new threat. There has always been terrorism. Boston was a criminal act. It was not about surveillance but good, old-fashioned police work. The police are very good at what they do.”

Q: When did you decide to leak the documents?

A: “You see things that may be disturbing. When you see everything you realize that some of these things are abusive. The awareness of wrong-doing builds up. There was not one morning when I woke up [and decided this is it]. It was a natural process.

“A lot of people in 2008 voted for Obama. I did not vote for him. I voted for a third party. But I believed in Obama’s promises. I was going to disclose it [but waited because of his election]. He continued with the policies of his predecessor.”

Q: Do you think what you have done is a crime?

A: “We have seen enough criminality on the part of government. It is hypocritical to make this allegation against me. They have narrowed the public sphere of influence.”

Q: What do you think is going to happen to you?

A: “Nothing good.”

UPDATE II: Booz Allen Statement on Reports of Leaked Information.

Booz Allen can confirm that Edward Snowden, 29, has been an employee of our firm for less than 3 months, assigned to a team in Hawaii. News reports that this individual has claimed to have leaked classified information are shocking, and if accurate, this action represents a grave violation of the code of conduct and core values of our firm. We will work closely with our clients and authorities in their investigation of this matter.

Ariel Castro Accused of Kidnapping Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus & Michelle Knight Indicted on 329 Charges Including Murder, Kidnapping and Rape

THE FACE OF EVIL …

Ariel Castro, the man accused of kidnapping and holding Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight for a decade has been indicted on 329 charges, including murder, kidnapping and rape. The indictment returned by a Cuyahoga County grand jury was a who’s who of sick and twisted depravity of crimes perpetrated upon the three woman he kidnapped, sexually abuses and held captive for a decade in his Ohio home. The list included 2 counts of aggravated murder, 139 counts of rape, 177 counts of kidnapping, 7 counts of gross sexual imposition, 3 counts of felonious assault and 1 count of possession of criminal tools.

A Cuyahoga County grand jury returned the indictment Friday against Ariel Castro, a former school bus driver fired last fall.

Castro, 52, is accused of kidnapping Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight and holding them captive along with a 6-year-old girl he fathered with Berry.

The grand jury charged Castro with two counts of aggravated murder related to one act, saying he purposely caused the unlawful termination of one of the women’s pregnancies. Castro also was indicted on 139 counts of rape, 177 counts of kidnapping, seven counts of gross sexual imposition, three counts of felonious assault and one count of possession of criminal tools.

Cuyahoga County prosecutor Tim McGinty said the indictment covers only the period from August 2002, when the first of the women disappeared, to February 2007.

The indictment refers to the women as Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 3 and gives a glimpse into the circumstances of their captivity.

The aggravated murder counts stem from the unlawful termination of Jane Doe 1′s pregnancy in late 2006 or early 2007, the indictment says.

Ariel Castro was arrested May 6, 2013 after Amanda Berry was able to scape from Casto’s ‘House of Horrors’ by breaking through a door at the home, yelled to neighbors for help. She was able to borrow a cell phone from and tell the 911 operator, “Help me. I’m Amanda Berry. I’ve been kidnapped, and I’ve been missing for 10 years, and I’m, I’m here, I’m free now.”

IRS Agent Hofacre Didn’t Take Kindly to being Skape-Goated as DC IRS Officials Knew Two Rogue Agents Were Not Behind the Tea Party Targeting Scandal

DRIP, DRIP, DRIP, the lie that the IRS scandal was just some local rogue agents is falling apart and shown for the ridiculous lie that it was …

IRS agent Elizabeth Hofacre told House investigators that officials in Washington knew that rogue agents in the Cincinnati office were not to blame for the targeting of conservatives and that it was a Washington official was the driving force behind the targeting of Tea Party organizations.  Hofacre took offence to being scapegoated and didn’t take kindly to having the entire mess dumped on the shoulders of her colleagues and herself.  She stated that there were too many safeguards in place and to much reporting to allow for something like this to be done. Any body who knows anything about government contract, metrics and reporting functions would know this. Having intimate knowledge of such things, there is no way that a low level individual, local Cincinnati agents could have pull this off without direct knowledge of their superiors. It is completely implausible as all of the metrics, data and reporting funnels up to your superiors.

All roads in this scandal lead to Washington, DC which further exacerbates the fact, as to why does former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman visited the White House 157 times? Hmm? This scandal is getting closer and closer to Obama every day.

The Hill:

Elizabeth Hofacre, the Cincinnati staffer, said that she started receiving applications from Tea Party groups to sift through in April, 2010. Hofacre’s handling of those cases, she said, was highly influenced by Carter Hull, an IRS lawyer in Washington.

Hofacre said that she integrated questions from Hull into her follow-ups with Tea Party groups, and that Hull had to approve the letters seeking more information that she sent out to those organizations. That process, she said, was both unusual and “demeaning.”

“One of the criteria is to work independently and do research and make decisions based on your experience and education,” Hofacre said, according to transcripts reviewed by The Hill. “Whereas in this case, I had no autonomy at all through the process.”…

…“I thought it was over the top,” she added, in interviews held by investigators in both parties from the House Oversight and Ways and Means committees. “I am not sure where it came from, but it was a bit unusual.”

Hofacre told investigators that officials trying to blame the Cincinnati office were misleading the public on purpose.

“I was appalled and I was infuriated,” Hofacre said. “Because they are inaccurate, and everybody that has been making those statements should know they are inaccurate.”

The Gateway Pundit reminds us of the multitude of abuses the IRS purposely and willfully afflicted upon conservative groups and the Tae party, while allowing liberal and progressive groups to just skate by.

The truth of the matter is that most Americans (60%) believe this scandal came out of the Washington, DC IRS office and that Barack Obama is doing a terrible job in dealing with the IRS scandal, including 62% of Independents.