Drones over East coast

[kork13]

How does the NSA fit into this?

You watch too many spy movies. The NSA likely has little to do with this, because A) they have the same restrictions on collection of information on US citizens that the rest of the DOD does. Unless the Intel connects an American to an authorized operation, it's illegal for NSA to monitor/retain record of it. B) The NSA has better things to do than listen in on punks harassing vacationers on the jersey shore.

[EasyMoney00]

You watch too many spy movies. The NSA likely has little to do with this, because A) they have the same restrictions on collection of information on US citizens that the rest of the DOD does. Unless the Intel connects an American to an authorized operation, it's illegal for NSA to monitor/retain record of it. B) The NSA has better things to do than listen in on punks harassing vacationers on the jersey shore.

Legitimately asking...so Snowden didn't expose anything? Or what he did say is hogwash? I think he's still in Russia. Would he be able to come back to the States and not face any penalties?

[james.hendrickson]

You watch too many spy movies. The NSA likely has little to do with this, because A) they have the same restrictions on collection of information on US citizens that the rest of the DOD does. Unless the Intel connects an American to an authorized operation, it's illegal for NSA to monitor/retain record of it. B) The NSA has better things to do than listen in on punks harassing vacationers on the jersey shore.

Kork, I'm with EasyMoney on this one, it might be more fair to say that the Federal Intelligence agencies regularly and routinely abuse their power.

[disneysteve]

kork, thanks for the input. As I've said, I agree that this isn't likely government or military. I think the conspiracy theories, like all conspiracy theories, are ridiculous. That said, it would still be nice to know who is doing this and why, and is it legal.

[Like2Plan]

Part of a drone show that went horribly wrong and now the drones have become autonomous solar powered AI entities that are curious about the surrounding world around them. Or, do they only come out at night?

Or, Santa's Elves doing practice runs? (The folks in NJ must have been extra good this year )

[ua_guy]

LOL! ^^^ Best response yet.

If you think about the conspiracy theories around this and those espousing them, it all appears to be with the goal of creating confusion, and also mistrust in our own government and also disagreement between our own citizens. Foreign adversaries can't physically attack us without serious retribution, so they try to bend our minds and erode the one thing that made us so successful in the first place: our Democratic Republic.

While I agree it's important to get to the bottom of this, I wouldn't rule out the ordinary and boring. Troublemakers, idiots, attention seekers, spooks.... Don't be a victim.

[EasyMoney00]

I think the conspiracy theories, like all conspiracy theories, are ridiculous.

Why are you so against conspiracy theories? There has been a lot of conspired events throughout history. They're just a theory until they're exposed or declassified.

People speculate all the time on events that haven't happened yet or may never happen...or why something may or may not have happened the way they did. Even on these forums people speculate all the time. Is it just because you don't view it as wacky that it's then ok?

[kork13]

Legitimately asking...so Snowden didn't expose anything? Or what he did say is hogwash? I think he's still in Russia. Would he be able to come back to the States and not face any penalties?

Snowden absolutely revealed/confirmed that (as James points out) the NSA was abusing it's power. As I said, NSA is chartered to be outward-focused. It should not be monitoring or retaining records on American citizens unless they get connected to other operations. But they WERE (illegally) doing just that, which was Snowden's entire point. Had he gone through normal, proper channels, he'd have had the government's thanks as a whistleblower vs. a price on his head & trapped in Russia to avoid it.

[ua_guy]

I often wonder what the NSA plans to do with a phone conversation I had with my mother 5 years ago. She may have revealed grandma’s Kolache recipe, which has been air-gapped from the internet on a 3x5 card since before the internet was invented.

Or that time I inquired about a used car over email.

But I do wonder, since so many of our own US citizens are intent on destroying our country, should the NSA monitor their communications? Hmm.

[EasyMoney00]

But I do wonder, since so many of our own US citizens are intent on destroying our country, should the NSA monitor their communications? Hmm.

Be careful what you wish for. Freedoms are eroding pretty quick. We need to cherish what we have.