Hello, I'm an NSA Insider, and wow, do I have a story to tell

Well played NSA, well played.

So how do we know you aren't here just to skim the surface of what's going on at the NSA to make it seem as though you filled us in? Obviously you still have links to the NSA seeing as they redacted your statement about the amount of money requested.

Sounds good to me! Anything to help

originally posted by: SkepticOverlord
a reply to: Thunderheart

Absolutely not.

Our efforts here are to help Greg get his story out, because it's a story that needs to be out there.

Once again, Bill shows he's a class act by calmly answering, without rancor. Good thread, good job ATS

a reply to: greghansen

Hello and welcome, Greg! I saw your original Introduction thread and found it interesting. Thanks for coming here, glad to see you're sticking around! Looking forward to reading the AMA.

a reply to: pianoasis

Anything a former worker at NSA wants to have published has to go through pre-publication review. Mine took two months. If you don't adhere to the rules you can find yourself in jail.

a reply to: KnightLight

I have my aluminum hat on! Once again, my book went through NSA's pre-publication reivew. They redacted very little because I stuck to unclassified information and facts.

a reply to: tadaman

I SHOULD be appearing before congress to discuss the absolute waste of taxpayer money perpetuated by NSA.

a reply to: greghansen

I have to ask then, if NSA has to approve your book or you could face jail time. Is there really anything in there that we don't already know? I would think that anything juicy info you had, you would be prohibited from sharing that with the public.

a reply to: VeritasBlue

I didn't hear about the Hollywood thing - but I did work in NTOC (NSA/CSS Threat Operations Center) and it is straight our of Hollywood, big screens and all.

a reply to: Martin75

There is a lot you don't know in the book. If you don't want to read it, fine, but I think it is an eye-opener. How about this statement I make: The bottom line is this: if NTOC were a commercial organization it would have declared bankruptcy. What commercial organization would allow multiple failed attempts at replacing a popular technology that was in use by more than three hundred analysts, many of whom would be excluded from using the tool when the technology was decommissioned? What commercial organization would promote individuals involved in these failures to positions of greater responsibility?

a reply to: elysiumfire

"once as a traitor to the American people"
Let me get this straight - anyone who has ever worked for NSA is a traitor? How about the other Intelligence agencies. Those, too?

a reply to: BeefNoMeat

I'd stick with the roadside vendors - seriously. But, if you want a good place, try Chuy's near Stone Oak on 281. It has hatch chile burritos, something I have not found elsewhere.

a reply to: AutOmatIc

Thanks! You caught the essence of the book.

originally posted by: greghansen
a reply to: elysiumfire

"once as a traitor to the American people"
Let me get this straight - anyone who has ever worked for NSA is a traitor? How about the other Intelligence agencies. Those, too?

Only those who willingly work for an agency that has a reputation for spying on American citizens. Though ignorance is no excuse, I suppose some are less to blame than others.

a reply to: AutOmatIc

I tried replying but it didn't take (someone must be monitoring my keyboard).
Thanks for the kind words - you have captured the essence of the book.

a reply to: greghansen

Nevertheless you still seem to display a large amount of pride in the assistance you have given to an organization that needlessly incriminates the people it claims to protect.

So then, let me ask you a question no NSA agent would want to answer. When you are spying on a particular subject and find that they hold information that would be a crux to your organization, or to all secret US organizations in general, what methods do you take in discrediting them? Also, how often does the NSA find itself "neutralizing" these kinds of targets?

This whole thread reeks of misinformation.

originally posted by: universalbri

originally posted by: holton0289

originally posted by: DelMarvel

originally posted by: Thunderheart
a reply to: SkepticOverlord


On that ote. Did ya'all hear about XFiles coming back?

I hope the OP will decide to get a little more involved in his own thread.
138 Flags and over 15 pages...and we haven't heard much from him so far.
This thread is beginning to feel like the old X Files series...'Much Ado About Nothing'.

On a related note...

Didn't it used to be The 'Z' Files?...maybe not...But Seriously, 'We WANT to BELIEVE'...all of us.

Art imitates life...and vice-versa.
In reality (every reality), the main lesson to take away from Art & Life is that even if we decide to cancel our series because the story-line becomes tired, the weekly plot becomes mind-numbingly repetitive and mundane...with no satisfactory payoff or resolution to keep us interested.

STILL, a Brand is always more resilient than we feel it may be at any given moment...and a promising series always has the potential to not only make a comeback, but to even surpass it's own previous expectations and success.

A talented thinker (I can't remember who) once said:

"I gave people chances and the benefit of a doubt my entire life.
All i asked for was for you to believe.
You never did."

That person forgot to remember that even 'The X Files' can make a comeback after all this time...because 'We STILL Want to BELIEVE'. THAT is what makes us human...and what keeps us tuning in.

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to new episodes...I think they'll be better than ever.

I'm also looking forward to hearing more from the OP about his...new book.

Can you tell us why you are here, being as the NSA is allegedly spying on everyone, everywhere? Are you a mole? Does the NSA have any interest in ATS?

We have long thought we were being surveilled. Makes it hard to trust someone who appears to be infiltrating. Why should we believe that you won't put ATS on some 'high-risk list of subversive sites'?

Just asking.
If you've already answered that or a similar question, please excuse me (and can someone point me to an answering post?)

I just watched John Oliver interviewing Ed Snowden (for real) - did you know him? Were you in the same branch of the NSA?

a reply to: STTesc

Reputation does not equal reality. The domestic stuff began under George W. Bush when Executive Order 12333 (not a law, BTW, an executive order from our freedom loving President Ronald Reagan) was reinterpreted under the Patriot Act to allow domestic spying under certain circumstances. I can go into more detail on that some other time but I can tell you that virtually everyone in NSA was stunned to learn that there had been domestic intelligence gathering.