"What public safety needs most is not just 'infrastructure' or 'spectrum.' What it needs is capabilities such as priority access, survivability, and rapid recovery in a crisis, as well as specialized services to support their missions. All of these capabilities can be provided today by multiple vendors, leveraging existing infrastructure and spectrum. In fact, this is exactly what our company is providing reliably and affordably to major public safety and defense customers in more than a dozen US states, including Alabama, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Washington state.
The discussion of programs- military, agency and other- to cope with the (at least) embarrassing disclosures of the internet community, and to harness the power of the net to manage and manipulate events are everywhere- Raw Story, Truthout, Free press Newswire, etc.
A bit aside, it's fascinating to me how compelled we all seem to be to make light of or defend ourselves from the accusation of purveying conspiracy theories.
As several here (and elsewhere) have said, it's silly to think that people or organizations would spend lifetimes and fortunes to amass economic and political power--and then do nothing with it.
Power's purpose is to have your way. It's generally a good idea to get organized if you want to "have your way". Publicly influencing events to your advantage (and excluding that of others) is--er, bad PR. "Discretion" (secrecy) is therefore pretty obligatory,--no?
From Janes' also-
US intelligence and security officials have been able to circumvent EU institutions in many cases so far by relying extensively on formal and informal arrangements with the individual member governments. In addition, Washington has felt confident that its European allies would use their powers to veto unwelcome EU-wide proposals in areas related to security and defence. If adopted, the Lisbon treaty could threaten many of these arrangements.
Sometimes you turn over a flat rock, and you find-- interesting squiggly stuff.
Wear gloves. Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.
I must write that diary on the structure of empire I keep promising.
it would be entirely irresponsible to speculate.
We are, of course, speculating. Every criminal investigation or indictment is preceeded or begins with speculation about possible suspects. It then proceeds to possible motives, methods, -- jeez.
It would be irresponsible (not to mention deadly dull) NOT to speculate. Capitalism searches out the darkest corners of human potential, and mainlines them.
In this case, conspiracy is not entirely impossible - we're talking about a fairly small number of people which are supposed to be co-operating with the military-intelligence of a single country. On the other hand, a conspiracy is unnecessary - as others have pointed out, blind atlanticism and fat business contracts would suffice.
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- Jake If you only spend 20 minutes of the rest of your life on economics, go spend them here.
