PREVIEW: In The Crosshairs: How I Became the Target of an NSA Power Struggle, by Greg Hansen

Please give this person space.
Yes it is at the least embarrasing to read the replies, shameful.
I find this kind of behaviour repulsive, it is not a matter of "Freedom of Speach" but of underdog rebellion.
What is this? Denounce, Debunk, Deminnish. It is all over ATS,sadly, but if that is what we wan't to do we could eliminate ATS and just satisfy our lust when we engage "real" people.

Listen, it doesn't take much, just silence your inner "ME, ME, ME".
WIS

originally posted by: tadaman
You know I am very disappointed in ATS.

You guys have a real verified source with the courtesy to be answering questions from anonymous jerks, trying to be cool but still sitting here taking flak from wana be couch potatoes that just bitch about crap they cant change or just focussed on doing things in the micro world for their own personal gain, sitting here giving OUR EFFING GUEST a hard time.

Why dont you MIND YOUR OWN effing manners and STFU if you have nothing but contempt for the guy BASED ON HIS PROFESSION.

I am the first to denounce big government and programs like the NSA. I am also the first to lose my cool when morons attack me for no damned reason. This guy has kept his cool for several threads and many pages of barrage after barrage of personal attacks on him with nothing more than WHAT HE TOLD YOU as the basis.

You know what would be worse? IF the he didnt write a book about this and we NEVER KNEW.

Nothing you will EVER DO will end the NSA. NOTHING. You might as well be HUMBLE and thank someone who for whatever reason is giving us ammo to that end. Maybe nothing will come of his revelations. Maybe they will be just a grain of sand on the scale against the NSA. What we do know is that NOTHING you bitching rude asses will ever do will ever come as close to serving the public good as what this man has done.

He put his name out there, his career, security, as well as his life under a microscope, and what does he get? CRAP from people who havent even had the common sense to READ THE BOOK before judging him.

I dont even care if this post gets removed. I hope at least one rude SOB making ATS look bad and lose quality content reads this and realizes that not everyone is happy about this crap. Personally I am ashamed of some of our members.

Dumbasses.

Greg, Thank you.

You have held it down. For that, you have my respect.

Buddy, I'm going to go out on a limb here and tell you to calm the F down (just following suit). He is here to sell a book, if this was an honest tell all, free of charge, I'd back you 100%. But let's be real, he is here advertising, plain and simple. That's fine, mind you, but as such people should be allowed to voice disinterest, opposition, and ask any question that comes to mind (assuming it follows the t and c's). Get off your high horse and get a clue.

a reply to: dr1234

Well, I disagree.

he is a new member and has been treated like crap.

But dont worry I am fine. thanks though.

originally posted by: tadaman
a reply to: dr1234

Well, I disagree.

he is a new member and has been treated like crap.

But dont worry I am fine. thanks though.

I guess that's a subjective veiwpoint. I do see value behind the questioning though. I didn't think he was unfairly attacked, but maybe I missed the exact comments your referring to. I'm not perfect myself.

a reply to: dr1234

No one is. In the end its all POV. I didnt like what I saw. Supposedly we value peoples minds, not who they are as far as profession.

originally posted by: greghansen
a reply to: Siddharta

You have little idea what you are talking about. Thanks, BTW , for looking at my LinkedIn profile. yes I am pissed that I got laid off. I personally became the target of an NSA power struggle - no doubt about that. My crime was that I did what others wanted (REDACTED BY NSA) millions to do. If you think that wasting taxpayer dollars is fine, then good for you.

NSA employees - the Government employees - were afraid of me. Why? Because I kept bringing up their complete waste of funds.

[REMOVED BY ADMIN]

Mr. Hansen, I would like to thank you for your information.

It is a lot to take in, I will be buying your book to read more.

I can't wait for your AMA!!!!

I have several questions that I believe are important.

originally posted by: tadaman
You know I am very disappointed in ATS.

You guys have a real verified source with the courtesy to be answering questions from anonymous jerks, trying to be cool but still sitting here taking flak from wana be couch potatoes that just bitch about crap they cant change or just focussed on doing things in the micro world for their own personal gain, sitting here giving OUR EFFING GUEST a hard time.

Why dont you MIND YOUR OWN effing manners and STFU if you have nothing but contempt for the guy BASED ON HIS PROFESSION.

I am the first to denounce big government and programs like the NSA. I am also the first to lose my cool when morons attack me for no damned reason. This guy has kept his cool for several threads and many pages of barrage after barrage of personal attacks on him with nothing more than WHAT HE TOLD YOU as the basis.

You know what would be worse? IF the he didnt write a book about this and we NEVER KNEW.

Nothing you will EVER DO will end the NSA. NOTHING. You might as well be HUMBLE and thank someone who for whatever reason is giving us ammo to that end. Maybe nothing will come of his revelations. Maybe they will be just a grain of sand on the scale against the NSA. What we do know is that NOTHING you bitching rude asses will ever do will ever come as close to serving the public good as what this man has done.

He put his name out there, his career, security, as well as his life under a microscope, and what does he get? CRAP from people who havent even had the common sense to READ THE BOOK before judging him.

I dont even care if this post gets removed. I hope at least one rude SOB making ATS look bad and lose quality content reads this and realizes that not everyone is happy about this crap. Personally I am ashamed of some of our members.

Dumbasses.

Greg, Thank you.

You have held it down. For that, you have my respect.

We don't always agree, but on this we do.

I honestly hope you got a applause at minimum for your post.

This is the level headed content ATS needs.

Though I can't talk, I get warnings and deleted posts daily almost.

Good on you.

Bad on us hotheads, sometimes it is far better to just shut up.

Some of us, myself included towards the top of the list, have a hard time learning this point.

I'm not 40 yet, maybe wisdom will kick in at some point I hope.

originally posted by: greghansen
a reply to: Night Star

Thanks for that and I apologize for being a "tad" less than civil.

Greg, you are only human man, we all act like D-bags sometimes, don't let it get to you.

In all actuality, this is a great internet community.

Some of our more ...outspoken members just get uppity at times, I am as guilty as most others.

But you are a guest, and as such deserve a certain level of respect.

You didn't have to come here an share your story.

But you did.

Like it or hate it.

We should all be thankful.

And I for one am.

Contemplating whether or not to say exactly how I feel.. I'll keep it short and sweet and leave out anything that could be seen as antagonising, as I don't want to disrupt the thread.

I think you could have given this information out for free if you had truly bona fide intentions. I know everyone has to pay bills and the likes, I understand that trust me I do. I just straight away had my doubts, (Plenty of them), since I read the thread before this even.

Then I saw how you(Greg) reacted to someone daring to question your motives.

All I can say is, no thanks, I won't be buying the book. When you say 'Libaries can give it out for free', have you taken active steps to make this happen? Or do people have to chase up libaries themselves and try and get it sorted?

All I can suggest is that you do indeed offer the book for free and then give people a chance to donate. If people think you have good intentions and are not just a 'disgruntled employee', then you will receive donations. Perhaps even more than you will make off the book.

He joins ATS two Days before this post!
he is NOT a member, he Only joined to Sell his book.
if he had been a member for some time
registered 7:4:15. first post 6:4:16
I would be ok with it. but two days?

a lot of member are sick of the adds.
they scream at you! pop up over the posts
so you can not read them.
just how much money do the owners want?

there should be a rule as to how long some one
can be a member before they start Selling stuff!
But some one just wants the money?

a reply to: ATS

why do you hype this man so much?
before he was fired from the NSA he had no problem with spying on US.
Using us for the elite's BS.

It's like if satan suddenly became a christian and asked for forgiveness.
And the church would be like, 'Yeah satan, come here, tell us everything about your sinister past,
we don't really hold grudges here'.

a reply to: yeahsurexxx


Interesting thread so far...

On a side note.... I swear I know the OP or have seen him somewhere.... probably one of those times I had to go visit NSA because of work.

a reply to: yeahsurexxx

a reply to: ATS

why do you hype this man so much?
before he was fired from the NSA he had no problem with spying on US.
Using us for the elite's BS.

This is a scoop to get Greg to share some of his experiences working for NSA ...
I think Greg was trying to protect you and your country from threats ... But I am sure Greg can answer for himself if he can be bothered to that is ...
Unfortunately all nations need some form of spying on their enemies within and without ... Abuses happen but that can not be blamed on the OP ...

It's like if satan suddenly became a christian and asked for forgiveness.
And the church would be like, 'Yeah satan, come here, tell us everything about your sinister past,
we don't really hold grudges here'.

Satan !!! Get real ... Perhaps you are one who holds grudges ... sounds that way to me.
Why not aim your angst at targets that deserve it ... what next ... "Elvis in league with Satan by doing Military Service"

I'm hesitant to chime in, as I don't know much about the subject matter, the author, or the book itself. However, I can understand the reaction of some members and the questions and comments.

For me, all I see is the promotion of a book. That has never sat well with me. It's the very reason I stopped listening to a certain AM radio talk show.

That said, I don't discount the information in the book. However, this is a place where topics like this are questioned, poked, and prodded regardless of the subject matter and its author. A persons occupation, or book, shouldn't make one immune to the same scrutiny that we are all held to.

a reply to: greghansen

every single part of government is full of everything that you describe, from the FBI to DHS to the Pentagon to the CIA and NSA.. doesn't matter, the same types of BS goes on, it becomes about ego at the highest levels, and one hand washing another and what is actually right for the American people rather goes out the window .

Sorry, but while you claim to have found ways to save money, you have the same type of ego difficulty as everyone else, and that is more than just readily apparent.

As for dealing with people who don't like intelligence agencies, such as those who have had to work with certain intelligence agencies before, if you are going to talk to people, you will have to talk to them too.. not just tell them off.. but of course, just like many of those types, the ones you are busy complaining about.. ego wins doesn't it?

a reply to: tadaman

He was treated no differently to how most of us were treated when we first got here...

Heck, if it weren't for some hardcore knockdown drag outs when I first came, I probably wouldn't have friends here now! It all started with some doozies I tell you!

I think it is good that Greg came forward to expose the wastefulness of the intelligence community. Since the intelligence community approved his book, I don't think that will hurt his chances of seeking employment through them again, if he wanted to go back to work there.

I wonder sometimes with all the data-harvesting how much that plays into the stock-markets worldwide. The intelligence community I believe has the power to greatly improve the value of US stocks and commodities. For everyone that has said in recent years that "The dollar is going to collapse, etc.", I think that they might be one of the key factors that is holding up the value of the dollar, even though the debt is looming continuously. I guess what I'm saying is that there are a lot of good things that they do.

Will there be another 911? Who knows? If their intelligence software is up to par with what they spend on it, then I don't see an event like that ever happening again, unless the disagreements within the intelligence communities cause it to happen. The other thing about it is this: If another event anything like 911 happens again, then I think the intelligence services are an enormous waste of money and should be mostly disbanded. I also think that if the intelligence services DO actually prevent another Pearl Harbor type of event, then we should take that into account (assuming that they would tell the public if something like that was prevented). Telling the world about a stopped attack would most likely prevent others from trying something like that. This is assuming that the fateful day in New York wasn't something that was "allowed" to happen. Time will tell us if all the money thrown at these programs is worth it, and whether they are operated with justice and privacy in mind.

Above all, I think that personal privacy of the citizens of the USA is paramount. These powers should never be abused in order to raise the "quota" of prisoners in the USA. Leave all of that type of thing to local law-enforcement, and the FBI if they are absolutely necessary to solve a crime.

originally posted by: OpinionatedB
a reply to: tadaman

He was treated no differently to how most of us were treated when we first got here...

Exactly right! Though, I'm not sure it stops even after a member has been here for a while..

As for the type of actions the book focuses on, I'd like to extend this type of behavior to society in general, not just specific to government or business. It's simply how the world works.

The biggest difference, in my mind, is specific to this situation and that is the secrecy and power that this organization maintains. I feel it does throw a certain spin on it, but I'm not sure how we can expect much different when nearly every social arena works like this.

We are no longer concerned with progress, only who gets credit for the appearance of improvement.

I'd like to hear more about Mr. Hansen's story though, and I do look forward to the AMA if he still goes through with it.

a reply to: Serdgiam

Ask me anything. Of course I will go through with it. I simply cannot talk about sources and methods - I am kind of disinterested in jail time.

a reply to: InFriNiTee

"I wonder sometimes with all the data-harvesting how much that plays into the stock-markets worldwide."
The stock markets are fixed. That is not a secret. Government policy re interest rates supports the market on the back of the common man.
"Above all, I think that personal privacy of the citizens of the USA is paramount."
I agree 100%. Nothing I ever did encroached on the privacy of US Citizens. If and when we get to an AMA I can talk more about PRISM and other stuff. If someone tells me where to post I'll post some interesting stuff on the forum.