Feb 27, 2014
Dr. Steve Pieczenik:
Edward Snowden: Spy or Whistleblower? Neither!
He is a Manufactured Avatar of the American Intelligence Community!
For over a year, the bloated American Intelligence Community, both the military and the civilian components, have been playing a game with us, citizens-taxpayers. A narrative was created in the personae, or what I call ‘avatar’ of an ostensible ex-CIA, ex-Special Forces and ex-NSA contractor named “Edward Snowden.” This Edward Snowden apparently leaked millions of intelligence documents regarding our massive electronic surveillance over our citizenry.At the same time that Snowden is seeking political asylum in Russia, he directly attacks both the Director of National Intelligence, Lieut. General [Ret. USAF] James Clapper and General Keith Alexander [US Army], Director of the NSA/Cyber Command as the major culprits who are ‘destroying our personal liberties’ and are ‘snooping‘ on ‘foreign countries and foreign businesses.’
Sounds nefarious?
On the surface, Snowden sounds like the Mick Jagger’s image conveyed in the introductory lyrics of “Sympathy for the Devil”—‘You don’t know my name, but you do know my game.”
A portrait of Snowden has been constructed by Snowden in collaboration with others to create this Janus-like two headed monster. Devil or angel? Spy or whistle-blower? Nothing could more simple than a binary decision by the worldwide audience than a reflexive response similar to the infamous Gladiator fights during the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. For some time now, Snowden has presented his personae on different European TV Shows including the German TV one posted earlier on my site (thanks Patriarch!). After watching this interview a few times, I came away thinking, not like an ordinary American citizen, but more like a counter-intelligence operative.What were the disturbing elements about Edward Snowden and this Intel narrative?
? On one hand, Snowden wants Americans to believe that he was just a simple Booz Allen sub-contractor who suddenly had a major crisis of conscience when DNI James Clapper ‘lied’ to Congress when he said that NSA never spied on the American public.
? Snowden’s personal indignation seemed to be credible and sincere. However, when he started to explain the complete layout of the intelligence community and how different compartments of the NSA worked along with the Intelligence Community, I could have sworn that he sounded more like James Clapper than James.
? Snowden never mentions John Brennan (his real boss at CIA). He only hammers on the—the DNI and the NSA (DNI and NSA are managed by military and ex Military)
? Snowden never mentioned his direct employer—Booz Allen— which is also controlled by John Michael McConnell, former Vice Admiral (26 years in Naval Intelligence, DNI 2007-2009, Director NSA ’92-’96).
? McConnell now heads Booz Allen, a $5.9B ‘nursing home’ for ‘retired military/civilian intelligence officers’ paid completely by the US taxpayers.There are many players in this BeltWay Bandit theater which includes corporations like L3 Corp, SAIC, Mitre. One of the stars is none other than James Clapper! with supporting performances from CIA-operatives including George Little [Media Relations], James Woolsey [Director of CIA under Clinton]. In a dramatic twist now Clapper and Woolsey want to ‘try’ Snowden as a ‘traitor’ and are vociferous in their protestations… Perhaps too much!
Edward Snowden is part and parcel of an intelligence game played out in the public, by ex officio and present day intelligence officers from the CIA; NSA; National Geospatial Agency; and Congress .
Far fetched?
But remember in the world of intelligence there are no good guys or bad guys- just players and non-players gaming out the need for more and more intelligence and surveillance for a series of contrived threats in order to control, subjugate and tax the public. That old quest for dominance and riches.
Am I too harsh? Maybe!
For the most part, the incestuous relationships among the CIA, the NSA , NGA and Booz Allen, Carlyle Group speaks to one concern above all others—how much money will the private/public, military/civilian intelligence sector continue to receive from year to year? At issue is not outcomes or results. For the most part, over the thirty years that I served in different administrations, I find the Intel Community easily loses sight of the mission. It’s relevance is much like the US military—only to itself. As I wrote in a previous blog, that our military had no need for the USA and the USA had no need for our military; so it is with our civilian/military Intel Community. Their only major concerns—security, pension, and career advancement. Not exactly the attributes required of a proactive, risk-taking enterprise.
Where does Snowden relate to this incestuous, abscess ridden, dysfunctional intelligence community?
In my opinion, he is an ‘avatar’ created by the community to pre-empt the American public and private industry from controlling the evolving narrative of the future of the internet and the need for NET FORCE—a concept I literally created thirty years ago. I envisioned several government agencies, both domestic and foreign that would have to monitor and control the net in the name of ‘national security’.
Snowden is just a ‘tool’ or ‘narrator’ for the American Intelligence community to delineate the problems of electronic surveillance; the need for private public oversight and involvement and the imperative for all Presidents and legislators to remember that at any given time, the NSA and the DNI can evoke the following iconic terms of fear—“We have a CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER!”Snowden has allowed himself to be compared to the historically renown ‘whistleblower’ Daniel Ellsberg of the infamous “Pentagon Papers”. However, like Snowden, Ellsberg was just another “CIA/military facilitator” who ostensibly worked at the State Department. He never worked at State.
Ellsberg was in fact a CIA operative with a flimsy State Department cover who had worked at the Air Force think tank—RAND corp. And, more importantly, he had worked closely in Vietnam with the nefarious “Quiet American” CIA operative– General Edward Landsdale.
Confusing?
On the one hand, both Snowden and Ellsberg work for intelligence organizations and even joined the military. Although in the case of Snowden, he “broke his leg during Special Forces training for Iraq” In the case of Ellsberg, he was a ‘gung-ho’ ,’crazy’ [according to my boss, Henry Kissinger] First Lieutenant Company Commander in the Marine 2nd Infantry Division. Neither man attacked their true linear patronage-the CIA. Snowden briefly states ‘he served in the CIA’ but makes no further mention of that fact . Nor does Snowden berate any Civilian/military leaders of the CIA .
Strange?
Ellsberg gets indicted for divulging the Top Secret Pentagon Papers then like Snowden, he ‘seeks refuge for fear he may be assassinated’.
Nonsense!
Where did I encounter Daniel Ellsberg between 1971-74? At M.I.T!!! At the John McCone Center of International Relations where all my Professors and students were trained by the CIA.
So like Snowden, Ellsberg works with the CIA and then ends up in a CIA sanctuary. Yes, I am saying that we the American citizens have been played by our intelligence community for their own benefit, without regard to our national security or their own legitimacy.
What I am really trying to say is that the CIA and other intelligence organizations created the wars in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somali, et al. Now, through an Edward Snowden, a bright young articulate ‘whistleblower/spy,’ the CIA and the other intelligence organizations are able to control all the narratives concerning 9/11, Stand Downs, Drone Wars, and other illegal activities by co-opting the public into a conversations that appears to threaten our core values, concerning ‘freedom of speech’ and other bill or rights issues; while all the time, extracting out more tax dollars and ‘spinning war stories’ as they wish.They are truly CATHOLIC IN SCOPE AND BELIEF! The CIA [Brennan], White House [Doyle, McTiernan,] NSA [Alexander], DNI [Clapper]—can all commit the sins of war and destruction while at the same time, they allow us to FORGIVE THEM OF THEIR SINS. Not bad! They are perpetrators of crimes; then they act as ‘judge and jury’.
From Ellsberg to Snowden, we have had Bush Sr, Clinton, Bush Jr, and Obama—FOUR CIA OPERATIVES working as ‘thoroughly vetted civilians’ espousing transparency, justice, honor and all the democratic values that a republic will allow. Then we have countless number of appointments in the military and civilian organizations representing much sound and fury signifying nothing. All along the narrative consists of a ‘good guy’ , a ‘bad guy’ and of course, don’t forget, ‘freedom of the press’.
My conclusion concerning Snowden is that we, Americans, have been had. For the most part, our legislators act as political panderers, nothing more than decaying appendages in a dying corpse. What remains is the exoskeleton of a republic where bread and circus is interspersed with occasional media blitzes orchestrated for and by our ignoble, imploding intelligence community.
Citizens call to action: recall these congressional waste products, demand accountability on the Intelligence Budget which is north of $50B, let’s elect a president that is not a tool of the CIA. Let’s examine the resumes of our candidates and ask questions of their background. Don’t get fooled again!
He would not be the first one.