Pentagon Insider Threats

Following on to my prior comment that the NSA certainly spies on its own people with as much priority as it gives to spying on known terrorists: Spying is a multi threat environment an the threat can come from anywhere. Lately that "anywhere" is from within. Bradley Manning was simply a lowly troop in a sensitive position. The Pentagon is the military. Our own people are the greatest threat not to national security but to the security of those who gather and analyze all information all the time. Today's headline:  

Unhappy With U.S. Foreign Policy? Pentagon Says You Might Be A 'High Threat' 

Link here

It is absolutely ironic that the "greatest threat"  that potentially has equal or greater damage (as far as our keeper's of secrets are concerned) is our own military and civilians, (government or contractors) that work with and have knowledge of things that we do not know about but they feel compelled to expose!!!

Ironic!

When there was danger from the troops or they must be taught a lesson the action taken by those in authority was to instill fear (terror) by decimating the ranks.

With all information all the time there are more modern ways to instill terror on a very precise surgical basis by collecting all information all the time on all those that have the highest security clearance or access to high security programs.

What a way to run a free country???

Categorically, those that hold and keep the secrets must simply be under the same level of observation as the terrorists that threaten our security.  They that hold the secrets are a far greater number.  They are also our own citizens.

From the Link:

"Notably, the CyberAwareness Challenge is given to a wide range of federal employees whose roles have far less to do with security threats than that of a National Security Agency contractor like Snowden. The Department of Housing and Urban Development even requires its private business partners accessing a tenant rental assistance database to complete the training. "

How many attending the training ask the question "Is this necessary?"

Or: "Is the right?"

Don't ask or you will be.....

I immensely respect the analysis of Andrew Bachevech:  "Are Manning and Snowden Patriots?  That Depends on What We Do Next."

The government is very afraid of its people.  It has good reason to be and that is exactly a healthy situation.  Secrets are for protection.  What is the government protecting?  Itself while it presents itself as protecting the people.  Maybe not so much the government protecting itself but those that profit from the government protecting their franchise and owning a police state to protect it.