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Comment by saagarjha | Hacker News Reader

> “I don’t think Americans should be doing this to other Americans,” she told Reuters. “I’m a spy, I get that. I’m an intelligence officer, but I’m not a bad one.”

I’m not sure if the article is cherry picking quotes to make Stroud sound horrible, but I’m very concerned by the viewpoint she espouses. It’s ok for Americans to target 16 year olds on Twitter, but not other Americans? This makes her a “good spy”?

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I used to work in the Pentagon. Having done projects with military, and then moved to contracts filled with former NSA, I discovered something that was blatantly obvious:. The NSA has a uniquely and horrific cultural arrogance. The organization breeds and selects the amoral tendencies. I can't begin to tell you how horrible it was working with some of them. Just nasty people, period.

Can you share specific examples? You've left us hanging ... :)

Sounds like a case of the ‘ol Spy Vs. Spy.

for example a spy sabotages a train track to sabotage a weapons program and some kids die because of lack of transportation to nearest city hospital, does that make the SPY a bad one?

Trying to interject personal morality into the grey area of Intelligence and counter-intelligence is not a fruitful conversation. That does not mean, we should not try, but its not cut and dry.

That's not spying, that's terrorism.

Now maybe you want to make the case that there is good and bad terrorism?

Terrorism is a rather specific activity and this is not it.

Terrorism is an interaction whose purpose is collateral damage. An interaction whose participants aim to damage those who are not involved.

Honestly? Maybe. I'm not sure how I feel, but I'm open to this possibly being okay.

Why would it ever be ok? It's dehumanization of non-americans at its worst.

At its worst? Surely there are worse ways...

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