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Comment by nickysielicki | Hacker News Reader

> "In God We Trust / All Others We Monitor"

Good lord. Seeing it so openly is just bizarre. Where do these places find their employees? I want to be reasonable and try to see both sides, but I really can't. I just don't understand how someone could love this country and also work at a place with this sort of environment and culture. I don't understand the character behind this --- you work for less pay in the public sector, why? Because you love your country? You love your country and you show it by being proud of spying on the average American? Makes no sense. What do you love about America?

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Other than tests in the US, I'm pretty sure it was only used in war zones (North Korea and Vietnam). To me that's pretty nonobjectionable (not that I necessarily agree with the decision to have those wars, but if we're going to invade a country I'd rather we do it right). The Air Force's version (SR-71) actually has quite a few fans, even amongst people that aren't fans of mass surveillance. It surprises me that even if you don't agree with the use of the airplane, you can't even see why people would be willing to work on it. There's always going to be people that want America to have the biggest/best/most tools in its arsenal. Even if the events going on in SE Asia weren't a direct threat to the US, the A-12 was designed less than 20 years after Pearl Harbor. America got its ass kicked by due to inadequate knowledge of a foreign military's movements. It was that generation's equivalent of 9/11.

Anyways, the slogan is a bit tongue and cheek anyways. I don't think that sort of dark humor is uncommon, especially in military/intelligence circles. Check out some of the NRO mission patches and slogans. Some are definitely designed to troll Illuminati/New World Order conspiracy theorists. My favorite is an octopus encircling the Earth with it's graspy tentacles.

Reminds me of a good talk on youtube about mission patches for classified operations. The tanker squadron out of Groom Lake has the text "NBKAWTG... Nobody", and some satellite constellation had semi-accurate orbit actually depicted on the patch.

This one? https://media.ccc.de/v/30C3_-_5604_-_en_-_saal_1_-_201312282...

The CIA doesn't operate domestically, or at least doesn't make it their day to day. Domestic crime is the FBI.

And the quote you cited is a joke. A decent one at that, imho.

Because they haven't figured out how to monitor God yet.

Not for lack of effort

I don't think you understand what a love for this country is. It's not some superficial fly my flag from the back of a truck and call it a day. It's an active sacrifice of your life to a greater good that isn't necessarily tangible in the way that you would like it. There are people who understand the meaning of love of country much more deeply. As others have pointed out CIA doesn't spy on the American public. They are actively participating in foreign policy. As much as you may not like the idea of having to do unmentionable things we still live in a world where we have enemies that want to do harm to the American public. We have gotten a glimpse into this within several recent generations that still can talk about it. As others have pointed out Pearl harbor was that generation's 9/11. You can sleep safely with your wealth even in the upper middle class of America and beyond, because people sacrifice their lives and their salaries for you. I'm not here to argue about this. My family has always been active military and just recently I found out my great uncle ran spy missions across the Berlin Wall. To be honest I've always wanted to work for the CIA/NSA. Taking a low pay is part of the deal.It's because it's a purpose, a way to give back to your country. As much as people complain, they have no idea how many people have come before them and taken that low wage so that they have the option to take the higher wage. It's a duty like the military that is an honor. I've always respected this as my family has in one way or another been a part of this. You are safe in front of your screen because of those sacrifices. For all of the downvotes I may get for expressing this I will still be proud of what my family has contributed to this country. If people like you do not understand this it is still my duty to educate you on the intangibles of taking a position at the CIA. I'm literally watching a commercial where some rappers are riding around on kids three wheelers for mountain dew. It can be infuriating for some but for others these are the freedoms that are afforded for those sacrifices. You get the freedom to express your opinion and although we may not agree I still support your right to express your opinion. We will all come to a better place because of it.

Or as commonly attributed to George Orwell...

"We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."

I may say that I would work for them while you DO WORK FOR THEM, no matter how much you are in denial. You still try and criticise me for the verbal opinion while you physically create the reality yourselves. Ironic.

Intelligence is a function in most every country. It’s like a slaughterhouse or a sewage processing plant: we all enjoy comfort thanks to their existence but most of us would rather not hang out around them or know how the sausage is made, so-to-speak.

Well, except they make movies about ones and not the others...

this is entirely true. It's just the thing you leave out is that a sausage factory is built on suffering pigs and the American comfort (as provided by the CIA) is built on a suffering global south.

> built on a suffering global south.

If the so-called "global south" had the means to raise their standard of living on the backs of others, they'd do it in a heart beat. Don't think poor countries are in any way more moral, they just have less capacity for overconsumption or exploitation of others.

Are you arguing that the very act of spying on foreigners means you don’t love America?

> You love your country and you show it by being proud of spying on the average American?

It's really hard to not judge people harshly when they make such basic and stupid mistakes. CIA spies outside the US, or on foreigners in the US. Not on Americans.

What evidence do you have of your claim that they don’t spy on Americans? There are large scale dragnet surveillance programs. What evidence is there that the CIA does not have access to them?

Because the NSA does the large scale signals interception and they are a different agency than the CIA.

Different buildings and everything.

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