Discussion of relative merits of NSA -- and NSA operations in Denver -- coupled with creepy picture of terrorist from Munich Olympics ...

Yes. That is a totally creepy picture. But I have been meaning to use it just 4-ever. Anyway. First thing is first: Correction on the Federal Center. You can say metro Denver or Lakewood. But I think at one point I said Golden. Totally wrong. Could not be more wrong than Golden. It is metro Denver or Lakewood. OK. So we're moving on to the NSA. Not nearly as sexy. That's why they get the Munich picture. Because they need something to make them creepier. All they do is vacuum up petrabytes sp? of data. They figure out how to do the data-matching / data-mining, etc. They figure out how to vacuum up the data. Someone else kicks down the doors in this world. It ain't the friendly folks at the NSA. If it were up to the NSA, everyone who purchased hummus on their AmEx last week would have their door kicked in. Totally kidding! Please don't vacuum up my phone calls to Iran! I mean to New Jersey! I totally misspoke there! I swear I never call Iran!

Here is the NSA story. I love those NSA people. They are so sexy! They are the ones who really get things done in this world! We love you NSA! Please do not hurt us!

NSA moving some workers, operations to Denver area
Intelligence service being secretive about who, where and when; post-9/11 decentralization among factors
An author of books on the agency says Denver is a sensible choice because of other operations here

The Denver Post
January 24, 2006

Author: Mike Soraghan and Aldo Svaldi
Denver Post Staff Writers

Washington -- The National Security Agency, the country's largest and most secretive intelligence service, says it is moving some operations to the Denver area.

The NSA, which monitors communications around the world for the United States intelligence community, confirmed the move in a statement to The Denver Post but did not say how many people would be coming to Denver, when they would arrive or where in the Denver area they would be based.

"The move of some operations into Denver is a result of NSA's decentralization of expertise from Fort Meade. This strategy better aligns support to national decision makers and combatant commanders," the agency said in a statement attributed to NSA spokesman Don Weber.

Fort Meade is the NSA's heavily guarded headquarters in Maryland, just north of Washington.

In the past year, the NSA decided to move roughly 300 staff members to a satellite operation at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora known as the Aerospace Data Facility, said James Bamford, author of two books on the NSA, "The Puzzle Palace" and "Body of Secrets." He didn't know if that move had been implemented yet or whether it was the same move confirmed to The Post by the NSA.

Local economic development officials have been told the NSA is coming but say they don't know where or how many people are involved, said Tom Clark, executive vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp., a regional economic development group.

Clark called the Denver Federal Center in Lakewood a potential location, but Lakewood officials said they are working closely with General Services Administration officials on development of the federal site at West Sixth Avenue and Kipling Street and have heard nothing of intelligence agencies.

Only 7 percent of the NSA's workforce, estimated at somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000, now works outside the Washington area. According to press accounts, the agency wants to expand outside of Washington, basing 20 percent of its staff elsewhere by 2011.

"It worried people after 9/11 how vulnerable they were" at Fort Meade, Bamford said.

In recent years, the NSA has moved some operations to Fort Gordon, Ga., and San Antonio. At San Antonio, the NSA is expected to add 3,000 new employees and spend tens of millions on construction, the San Antonio Express-News has reported.

Bamford noted that Denver makes sense because it's close to North American Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado Springs, the spy satellite operations at Buckley and satellite contractors in the Denver suburbs.
It was disclosed last year that the CIA plans to move its domestic operations division to the Denver Federal Center.

Who is looking out for you? I'm saying! Love from your fan club prez, Jeanie