From: "Vladimir Z. Nuri" <vznuri@netcom.com>
Date: Sun, 17 Dec 1995 07:01:12 +0800
To: pcw@access.digex.net (Peter Wayner)
Subject: Re: More Balto Sun on the NSA: Infowar
In-Reply-To: <v02130500acf7d6f1eacc@[199.125.128.5]>
Message-ID: <199512162211.OAA07646@netcom23.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


PW on the NSA:

>The article also has some anecdotes about how the agency
>protected US firms abroad. One company was alerted that its
>European competitor was bribing the Latin American officials who
>were choosing the winning bid. Also, when the Peso collapsed,
>the US negotiators had access to some information that the
>Mexican government wasn't being as forthcoming as they should
>have been about the country's assets. They used this information
>in negotiations.

I'd like to point out how specious this supposed "benefit" is if
the NSA is actually now involved in economic espionage areas as this implies.
(@#$%^&*, I must have missed the senate meeting where they modified the 
charter, maybe it was the same one where they came up with Clipper)

suppose you get a message from our government with the implication
it came from the NSA: "Mr. businessman, we have information that so-and-so
bidder is involved in bribery". 

well, what can you do with this? why should
you give it any merit? the NSA has its own hidden agenda. they could
saying things to netscape like, "so-and-so cryptography is not secure.
don't use it". should netscape listen to them? isn't it obvious there
could be a conflict of interest, to say the least, and a delightful
opportunity for further spook "shadow" manipulation techniques, which
they get their wet dreams about?

the problem is that many businessmen are just as gullible and braindead
as the american public, and will roll over or listen with rapt attention
just like americans do when they hear the phrase, "national security".

there are many businessmen who think they are being "patriotic" by listening
to their government and cooperating with it in shadowy deals for the 
purpose of promoting "national security". frankly I think this is as
close to being a traitor to the true spirit of democracy as one can come
without ever being considered one by rational adults. (oh, well, the
distinction about rational adults has somewhat blurred in this century..)
Eisenhower's "military industrial complex" actually has the initials NSA..

so frankly, I would recommend that any businessmen who get "shadow"
tips from the government about how to run their business like PW describes
to tell them to ---- off. unless you're a patriot of course. then you
should turn me in for writing this message.

if the government actually had proof about their claims, that would be 
a different story. then I'd tell them to "---- off" *after* I got the
relevant info <g> .. but seriously this is not going to be a problem with
spooks, who love the following style of proof and information transmission:

"[x] is true because we know it is true, but exactly why is a matter of 
national security which we can't tell you. nevertheless because of [x] you 
should do [y]. in fact you are compelled to do it as a US patriot." 

just call it "proof by spook phlegm"

that's what we now have: a government of, by, and for the @#$%^&* spooks.