NSA Targeting Domestic Computer Systems

The NSA was originally supposed to handle foreign intelligence, and leave the domestic spying to other agencies, but Presto Vivace writes with this bit from CNET: "'The National Security Agency's Perfect Citizen program hunts for vulnerabilities in 'large-scale' utilities, including power grid and gas pipeline controllers, new documents from EPIC show.' 'Perfect Citizen?' Who thinks up these names?" "The program is scheduled to continue through at least September 2014," says the article.

Re:So ?

[reboot246]

Exactly. Speaking as someone in the utilities business, I welcome the NSA and the work they're doing. It's scary how vulnerable the nation's utility systems are.

Re:Imperfect citizens

[slick7]

'Perfect Citizen?' Who thinks up these names?"

Answer in subject line.

Hitler had his youth organization that turned in their parents.
We have GTA IV, HALO, Gears of War, etc. De-sensitizing children to violence leads to cold-blooded adults. War does the same thing, but it's more expensive and messier; and it is "these" people that will become the storm-trooping, hob-nail booted thugs to keep the peace. Peace through violence. Serving their masters, which you undoubtedly are not.
There will come a time where there will be only two choices to pick from; prisoner or prison food.

Re:Imperfect citizens

[K. S. Kyosuke]

I believe that "Perfect Citizen" is the English version of the Russian "novy sovetsky chelovek".

Re:NSA is domestic, you idiots.

[elucido]

Up to 9/11 the FBI was the domestic counterpart to the CIA. After 9/11 all lines got blurred.

The FBI never had the power of the CIA. The CIA can do clandestine ops while the FBI does not have the authority to do clandestine ops without the specific and expressed permission granted by the President. This is a major difference.

Domestic clandestine operations are operations which can be said to not exist at all. The CIA for example could run a clandestine CIA operation which does something clearly illegal such as hack a bunch of websites and then claim the terrorists did it. I'm not saying this sort of false flag is something the CIA would do, usually the FBI would do something like that but it's a possible example of a clandestine operation. The civilian government would believe criminals or cyber-terrorists did it.

Re:Imperfect citizens

[craigminah]

I'm curious to know who named this article, "NSA Targeting Domestic Computer Systems". Could have made it more dramatic and attention-getting by naming it, "NSA Targets Racist White Babies with Assault Rifles Because of G. W. Bush's Fault", or something to that effect (I know it's nonsensical but http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qItugh-fFgg [youtube.com])