Six Reasons to Be Afraid of the Private Sector/Government Security State

[JEB]

I stumbled across this interview and found it interesting and thought some other DUers might also find it interesting.

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/23728-six-reasons-to-be-afraid-of-the-private-sector-government-security-state

snip:
Her new book, The American Corporate Security State, offers six reasons that people in the United States should fear the growing alliance between government and corporations to create a surveillance state. Truthout recently interviewed Edwards regarding her concerns about the growing collaborative encroachment upon privacy and - through the surveillance empowerment of the private sector - democracy itself.

snip:
How much taxpayer money is being spent on the expanding government intrusion into our privacy?

Documents released by Edward Snowden show that the intelligence community has an annual budget of $52.6 billion. That figure represents an increase of about $40 billion a year since 2001.

Prior to the Snowden disclosures, we did not know this figure. We are obliged to pay for the activities of the intelligence community, but we have no right to know what those activities are.


And a whole lot in between the two short excerpts. Please go to the link and read the whole interview.

[grasswire]

1. just want to point out an error in this excerpt

an annual budget of 52.6 billion can't represent an increase of 40 billion a year in last 13 years.

I'll read the article. Just wanted to note this -- it jumped out at me.

[JEB]

3. 12.6 billion is still a lot of money per year. Could that not be the annual budget prior to 2001?

[Thinkingabout]

2. I am more afraid of the people who slept from 2006 through 2013.

If anyone is upset about the rise in intelligence cost rising from 2001 through 2013 needs to stop and think, why might this be happening? Could it be prior to 2001 the 9/11 attack had not occurred im the US. Question one's reasoning if they do not include the reason why intelligence cost imcreased