Budget Increase for Space Based Spying Sought

Skulker303 writes "'The United States may eventually become "deaf and blind" to terrorist threats unless it devotes more resources to developing new technologies for spying from space, says a congressionally chartered group.' Story on CNN."

Poke and Laugh

[billcopc]

"The commission was created by Congress in the Intelligence Authorization Act of 2000 and is headed by Rep. Porter Goss, who is chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Bob Kerrey, who until recently was vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee."

Senate Intelligence.. that's an oxymoron

Re:Poke and Laugh

[Whiskey Jack]

Nonono, it's an Intelligence committee. They're studying intelligence and trying to figure out what it's all about. Seriously, though, I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I agree that the system we have in place now isn't very effective against terrorist activities. On the other hand...well, I don't much trust the government

Let the voice of reason be heard

[Loopy]

Umm, tell me why this counts as news? Unless there's some negative connotation, this is just business as usual. Where's the story on the Agriculture department's request for more funding? Oh, wait...we can't lambast poor farmers the way we can those eeevil, nasty Wepubwican hawks trying to deploy enough satellites to watch you piss in the woods on your next camping trip. Yeah, that must be it.

On a slightly less hemmorhoidal note, how many of you have read history? How many of you know that the Russians have successfully pilfered stealth technology? How many of you think they'll NOT sell it to the first fundaMENTAList with a billion dollars? How many of you think that the North Koreans or the Chinese are going to just up and say, "OK, America. We'll stop playing hardball and trash all our strategic assets if you'll just stop deploying those darned satellites. We're just a bunch of nice guys, anyway. Forget about things such as Tiennamen Square and other atrocities we've committed in the name of [insert favorite political cause here]." Yeah, right. A great man once said that the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. A reminder: vigilant!=paranoid

Terrorists are convenient.

[human bean]

Its really hard to get money to tap folks phone lines and read their mail (or listen to their microwaves, or watch their heat blooms, etc.)

We know that most of the threat is miles and miles off-shore from the continental US, but TERRORISTS could be anywhere, even in your own back yard

"{Knock knocK}"
"Yes, can I help you?"
"Uhm, well, me and the lads here, we're terrorists, you know, and we'd like to go into your back yard, 'cause we've noticed you've got a covered patio, like, and there is going to be a satellite pass real soon now, and we thought we could duck under there and get out of view for a few minutes."
"Well, all right, just shut the gate when you leave."
"Oh, thank you sir..."

As I was saying, they could be anywhere at all. So lets use them as an excuse and get some money so that we can get really good sat photos and intercept data. After all, I've played enough Command and Conquer to know how valuable that GDI satellite view is 8-).

Police state

[dashmaul]

The goverment (FBI,CIA,etc in particalur) want a police state in order to protect us.
However aren't they trying to protect our free freedom so we don't become a police state like other countries?