This story is really starting to smell.

[kentuck]

These "contract" employees worked for Dyncorp, who are mostly involved in intelligence gathering and "police work" in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Why would they be contracted with the State Dept? That sounds like the last place that hire those types of employess? Unless they were looking for something? This story has a lot of open questions.

Perhaps some industrious reporter can get the names of the employees that were "fired"? Or the Supervisor who fired them and find out why he didn't tell anyone else about it?

Will they find out that John Poindexter's old program was behind this spying? And Obama is just the latest "political opponent" that has been spied upon? Maybe there is even a couple of Republicans on the list? Should the Congress call for an investigation? And an independent investigator? Obviously, these folks are too "incompetent" to investigate themselves.

[TwilightGardener]

1. Three separate individuals, three separate occasions, AFTER he

won his first state. And it never left the immediate office--never was referred higher than that. PLEASE, they must think we're retarded, "idle curiosity".

[frazzled]

2. What I don't understand: how was it that a reporter was the one to tell State?

No one on the television is questioning that. How would a reporter know this happened and approach the State Dept. with a question, when the State Dept. didn't know?

Or is this another case like Scooter Libby saying he first heard about Valerie Plame from a reporter?

But where would a reporter have gotten the information on these breaches? And why are none of the tv reporters asking? Circling the wagons on their own?

[kentuck]

7. Good question.

Is it possible that one of the "fired" contractors may be a disgruntled employee?? And he/she contacted a reporter? And that is why the State Dept called Obama's office? Before it could break in the news? Otherwise, they were going to stay quiet about the entire matter?

[DJ13]

8. how was it that a reporter was the one to tell State?

Maybe heard that a campaign had info they shouldnt have?
:shrug:

[KT2000]

3. Northrup Grumman

handles federal personnel files as a contractor.
The military industrial complex pretty much runs the government now.

[Warpy]

4. Oh, yeah, too much of this story stinks to high heaven

Employees should have been warned about poking into records, that it was tracked and they could be fired (hell, they did that to us and I worked in a hospital) if they got nosy. That they were contract workers hired from outside and not civil service is also odd. Employees with access to that kind of information need to have a "confidential" security clearance, at the minimum. They're making it sound like lowly data entry clerks. Data entry and the ability to retrieve data are two very different things. Was security that lax?

One of the companies that provided the employees, the two who were fired, is also involved in intelligence work in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Those two were fired awfully quickly, certainly before a full investigation could have been launched. Were the ones who got fired identified as intelligence operatives of some sort?

Finally, this stinks like typical RNC dirty tricks because they have done this before, they did it to Clinton, fishing for trips to Russia!

It's obvious that they've been trying to bury this one for weeks. It's obvious they didn't succeed because a civil service employee blew the whistle to Obama (per Olberman, earlier).

Usually, when a story stinks this bad, I wait 72 hours for the truth to shake out. This one stinks bad enough that I hope media damage control for the RNC doesn't bury it. It will continue to stink, no matter how far they push it down.

[malaise]

6. Good post

This stinks real bad.

[pscot]

5. It stinks to high heaven

n/t

[kentuck]

9. I did read a couple of days ago that ChoicePoint sold out...

to another company? I thought that unusual at the time. Of course, they are one of the biggest spying operations in America, as far as keeping all records on driving infractions, DUI's, tickets, accidents, lawsuits, etc. They work very close with the US military.

[mac2]

13. Private British contractors can spy and sell our information.

Is King George back in America? Maybe in the form or Lying Lips II-King GW Bush? Instead of off-shoring torture, they are off-shoring spying on all Americans (mostly their political enemies).

The Supreme Court said it violated our Constitution but they did it any way. Now they move off-shore so they can't be held accountable? Since it's our information and previous owned American company...it is ours. I'm sure under the state law they can't abuse the community doing business.

Not only that but the information was obtained without our permission or approval. Send it all to another country Choice Point?

It's their privatized world order government. We pay for it.

I complained about it but my representatives (Durbin, Obama, and Bean)are all too busy woith the primaries to protect us and our privacy...security. Give the Brits more jobs.

Impeach Cheney first and then Bush. Impeach so they don't get our protection and funds to flee after they leave office. Not with my tax dollars. They might find ways to corrupt and control from anywhere in the world since these private contractors swore an oath to them not us. That is treason.

[JimiJonga]

10. Uhm .Senseinbrener hooker scandal of new-york

This just helps get the story off of the senator out of new-york, who got whacked because he was snooping in the housing crisis, bushcheneywhogivesafuck loan inc.

Americans should just assign hooker vouchers to their congressmen at voting time. That way the politicos can have at each other.

Remember, its the nobility that did all the infighting and killing each other. Same old same old.


We 'intellectuals' have to remember that we are ALWAYS being played~~!

Barack would be entertaining, Hillary is half republican, and I cant tolerate another Universal health-care scam.

[mac2]

14. Ego.

[spanone]

11. they will stonewall and bu$h* will berate congress and like the fired attorneys, nothing will happen

i hate to be negative, but this has been the pattern with this congress since they took the majority

p.s. it smells like shit

[Hekate]

12. No, wait! Look over there! Is that a hooker I see?

Nothing to see here at State, move along.

Hekate

[1776Forever]

15. I would like to know if they had security clearances - and if not why not.

:shrug:

[Octafish]

16. DynCorp is a turd. And that, by definition, smells.

bobthedrummer pegged them way back when:

DynCorp & the Economics of Lawlessness {from unanswered questions via Scoop}

Here's a working link to Catherine Austin Fitts article referenced above:

http://www.ratical.org/co-globalize/AmTapeWormP1.html

[AlCzervik]

17. there is no way this was ever some rogue assholes, this shit was inside job and i'm not one for

conspiracy's.

[PM7nj]

18. They worked for CSC.

CSC used to own Dyncorp, but they sold most of it off a while ago. CSC's PAC has donated to many Dems. and gave $500 to Hillary (http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgot.asp?strID=C00101410&Cycle=2008)