Former East German secret police captain says NSA spying ‘a dream come true

[damnedifIknow]

A former agent of the Stasi, the much-feared East German communist secret police, has said that the recently revealed NSA spying program would have been his agency’s “dream come true” because it has collected “so much information, on so many people.” Wolfgang Schmidt, 78, said in an interview with McClatchy newspapers that it is “the height of naivete” to think that the information will never be used against U.S. citizens.

“You know, for us, this would have been a dream come true,” Schmidt said. As a lieutenant colonel in the Stasi, he said that technology limited the secret police’s ability to satisfy its voracious appetite for information. Their listening devices, he said, could only spy on 40 telephone lines at once. Targets had to be prioritized. To take on a new spying subject, an old one had to be let go.

The retired spy said his mind reels at the notion of being able to capture data from millions of cellphones and computers simultaneously. “So much information, on so many people,” he marveled to McClatchy."

The Stasi was one of the most ruthlessly intrusive spy agencies ever to have its records exposed to public scrutiny. "

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/27/former-east-german-secret-police-captain-says-nsa-spying-a-dream-come-true/

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. But people get angry when we point it out

The Lt. Col will not be good enough either. It's not like he would know... in case it's needed.

[siligut]

2. Poor, sad man

A dream come true? How limited his dreams must be. I'll bet being an agent of the Stasi narrowed ones vision in many areas.

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. I've known security people over the years.

And the mission is the focus...pure and simple. As one of them put it...your job is to see monsters behind every shadow...never mind most are just shadows.

So I actually get his thinking.

[siligut]

5. Exactly my point

I know of these people too. They are very good at what they do, because it is all that they do.

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Yup, was emphasizing it.

Hey be kind...I read the summary for the immigration bill...had no time for the whole bill.

(Hey, it's more I am betting than the folks at the NYTs sadly)

[siligut]

7. Should have known

Sometimes I don't explain enough.

[napoleon_in_rags]

12. God, ain't that the truth.

I just wonder how many people over the years have had their lives destroyed because they were "shadows". The most disgusting thing is hearing the government ones complain "we have to be right every time, but the terrorists only have to be right once." No, the government security people don't have to be right every time: Indeed, they are wrong most of the time. But innocent civilians with their lives destroyed by noisy investigations don't have the power to do anything against "national security".

[Art_from_Ark]

9. He said it *would have been* a dream come true *for his agency*

However, later in the article, he has this to say:

"Schmidt, however, warned darkly that this kind of data collection has a dark side, that even though the U.S. government has claimed that the gathered data serves no nefarious purpose, it someday will.

“It is the height of naivete to think that once collected this information won’t be used,” he said. “This is the nature of secret government organizations. The only way to protect the people’s privacy is not to allow the government to collect their information in the first place.”

[siligut]

16. I am well aware of the dark side

It was more a comment bemoaning a system that utilizes humans for war, to the detriment of everything else.

[HiPointDem]

10. he said it 'would have been' a dream come true for the stasi. not his personal dream come true.

and he criticizes the powers nsa has.

the 'poor sad little men' reside at nsa, who are spying beyond the dreams of the fucking stasi.

[siligut]

15. He has gained some perspective since?

No sympathy for the devil? I was just musing in the face of danger. All of my electronics are acting funny; should I be worried?

[HiPointDem]

25. likely since east germany disappeared in 1989.

[siligut]

31. It seems the NSA may have learned from the failure of East Germany

Interesting, Schmidt said, "The Stasi was one of the most ruthlessly intrusive spy agencies ever to have its records exposed to public scrutiny." Does he know of another, more ruthless spy agency that wasn't exposed or is he just being circumspect?

[LittleBlue]

3. Ouch

That left a mark

[frylock]

8. kick

[JDPriestly]

11. K&R.

[PATRICK]

13. Digital Stasi

I have long wanted to make that comment myself but I am glad they finally let an expert say it- with open admiration. The Germans burned all the data, so toxic was the heap to civilization. The fallout was that real crimes- by the state scoundrels- escaped in the ash.

Absent even the need for a network of citizens and spies turned rats, today's version seems cleaner, not automatically intimidating. No matter that as a super tool "that in the right hands could be used for good" it is like hunting a shoplifter with a nuke. No matter that it is even less likely to justify itself with results than boots on the ground police work. No matter that its dark origins and darker potential pretty much poison the well of its power to be benign.

This is progress- by a government that can't cope with tech advances that help people. Digitalized voting. This detoured information superhighway. The spread of propaganda. Supercomputer gamed stock markets. Drones. Spy satellites. Budget cuts to NASA. Scientific agriculture. Cuts to food stamps.

Fundamentally the same type of Congress that turned down funding for the first telegraph their are certain scents that guide their refined noses through the forests of scientific advances and potential. Greed. Control. Death.

[siligut]

18. Well said, this is why we can't have nice things

Too bad the Germans didn't burn the Nazi scientists too, before our CIA could introduce them to America.

[damnedifIknow]

19. Almost like something has influenced our government

If you think about it.

[siligut]

20. Yes, let's tip-toe around what we know

And continue to ignore that the experts in manipulation may actually have something to hide.

Let's let Godwin guide our communications, join in lock-step with those who ridicule, accept that RWers are just stupid and that Beck and Limbaugh are just crazies, never-mind their ability to infect thousands with their propaganda.

[ellie]

14. But we are the land of the free!

hahahahahahahaha

[backscatter712]

17. B-b-but comparing the NSA to the Stasi's OFFENSIVE!!!

Never mind that actual Stasi agents are saying the NSA's leaving the old Stasi in the dust...

[woo me with science]

30. +1

[sibelian]

36. +1

[Hydra]

21. This is the real problem

And plenty of people have brushed it off.

Big brother is watching! And name me one person who goes through an entire week that doesn't do something that could be construed as a crime?

It'll all be documented, and they can come pick you up when they think they need to.

Brave new world!

[WillyT]

22. HUGE K & R !!!

[L0oniX]

23. The SS by any other name.

[Jesus Malverde]

24. Imagine what Karl Rove did with it...nt

[snot]

26. K&R'd & bookmarked.

[woo me with science]

27. Huge K&R... Be aware of the propaganda machine

instructing you that all is just fine. All states that turn authoritarian build propaganda machines.

Everything is not fine. We are in a grave, grave place in this nation.

[xchrom]

28. Du rec. Nt

[Pholus]

29. But.......Snowden!!!!! nt

[Douglas Carpenter]

32. exactly the civil liberty trolls want people to concentrate on the dangers of setting up the

apparatus for a totalitarian state in order to divert our minds from the central issue of how Snowden has a girl friend who is a pole dancer .

[woo me with science]

33. ...

[felix_numinous]

34. This is why Germany

(and others) isn't putting up with this surveillance shit.

I think we have a lot more to learn from post- war Europe--what steps have they taken in response to this surveillance state...

Since these are multinationals, I wonder if the best ways to counter their abuses is a multinational response. Not only is our problem corporate, but they are not truly American, nor are they beholden to American interests. This is how they have us in a stranglehold, and why every time we come at them from one direction they are able to shift their activities to another.

These multinational entities are doing great damage to our democracy, economy and infrastructure and ecology-- because THEY ARE NOT AMERICAN. And all if the destabilization through divide and conquer techniques have been perfected overseas, and now are being used domestically. They are completely unfettered when the RW is in power, because they foster true believer authoritarian type psychology as crowd control.

We can do this--the first thing is to get rid if Diebold and get our elections back. Then we have to welcome President and Mrs. Obama back from overseas. They just happen to be in the WH--because the scope of this situation is WAY beyond this executive, and was put into place years ago ( I'm not sure what choices our Reps have right now?) I hope my post makes some sense to you all

Peace~~Felix

[woo me with science]

35. Kick