NationStates Jolt Archive

I mean, not only were shortages of Arabic translators cited as one of the intel failured leading to 9/11 and the poor intel on Iraq, but nothing has been done to rectify the issue.

In fact, as shown below, many of the best translators are being turned away arbitrarily. Add that to the massive amounts of of "chatter" that the NSA must pick up in it's "focused" wiretap probes and you have a sure recipe for a bogged-down, useless excercize in futility.

There IS such a thing as too much raw data, after all.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13392191/site/newsweek/

D'UH!

Have you ever studied the Patriot Act?
It has got 1000 provisions on getting more raw data.
And zero on how to turn data into information.


Bush believes in limited government.
Above all, limited in ability!

One of the problems with the NSA and intel agencies in general is the "spook culture".

You need to find people who are unquestionably loyal, and that's difficult. Especially since the "standards" are so silly.

It eliminates marijuana smokers, for instance.

I'm sure that they are quite suspicious of Muslims and Arabs, and that makes it next to impossible to find a translator of Arabic.

One of the problems with the NSA and intel agencies in general is the "spook culture".

You need to find people who are unquestionably loyal, and that's difficult. Especially since the "standards" are so silly.

It eliminates marijuana smokers, for instance.

I'm sure that they are quite suspicious of Muslims and Arabs, and that makes it next to impossible to find a translator of Arabic.


There's more than that, DK, good buddy.

http://www.amconmag.com/2004_10_11/cover.html

and I quote:

Feith & Co. navigated by “moral clarity,” not by historical or political landmarks. According to an August report in Rolling Stone, one U.S. Army colonel, a veteran of Middle East work, fluent in Arabic, was interviewed by Feith for a possible job. During the session, Feith looked down at his résumé, “I see you speak Arabic,” Feith said. When the colonel nodded, Feith snapped, “too bad” and dismissed him.

It eliminates marijuana smokers, for instance.


Actually it doesn't. The intelligence community typically goes with the "habitual user" rule. They consider that to be twenty times or more in your entire lifetime. That's what the CIA does, and from what I've been led to understand, the NSA is less stringent, espescially if you've got ability.

Great all that info and no Arabic translators to work out what those terrorists are laughing at the USA about.

Actually it doesn't. The intelligence community typically goes with the "habitual user" rule. They consider that to be twenty times or more in your entire lifetime. That's what the CIA does, and from what I've been led to understand, the NSA is less stringent, espescially if you've got ability.
That rules me out.

I guess that's why I make more money consulting to Forture 100 companies instead of being brilliant for the government.

Great all that info and no Arabic translators to work out what those terrorists are laughing at the USA about.
In one scene in the movie Siege, some terrorist chatter turns out to be a long conversation about how hard it is to get a decent cup of coffee in New York. :rolleyes: