| Monday, January 30, 2006 |
| Welcome to the Neighborhood |
Look who's coming to my hometown of Aurora, Colorado. IT'S THE NSA, YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAH! The place of my birth (specifically, Fitzsimmons Army Medical Hospital, just like John "the Chump not Champ" Kerry) and the city of residence for 28 of my 30 years.
According to William M. Arkin, in an online piece today over at the WashingtonPost.com, Aurora, CO is set to become the American epicenter for national domestic spying. From the piece:
In May, Dana Priest reported here in The Washington Post that the CIA was planning to shift much of its domestic operations to Aurora, Colorado.
...
Aurora is already a reconnaissance satellite downlink and analytic center focusing on domestic warning. The NSA and CIA join U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) in Colorado. NORTHCOM is post 9/11 the U.S. military command responsible for homeland defense.
The new NSA operation is located at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, at a facility commonly known as the Aerospace Data Facility.
...
According to Government Executive Magazine -- thanks DP -- "NSA is building a massive data storage facility in Colorado, which will be able to hold the electronic equivalent of the Library of Congress every two days." This new NSA data warehouse is the hub of "data mining" and analysis development, allowing the eavesdropping agency to develop and make better use of the unbelievabytes of data it collects but does not exploit.
Growing up, we used to refer to the cluster of "globes" which house the satellite dishes at Buckley Air Force Base (pictured above), as giant teed-up "golf balls" and they are probably Aurora's most recognizable landmark. They are afterall big ass fuckin' balls situated in the eastern plains (not the mountainy parts CO is known for). They're hard to miss is what I'm saying.
FUN FACT: Aurora is affectionately called "Saudi Aurora" by many from other parts of Colorado, as there was a spell there in the mid-90's where we received some pretty negative national attention for a multiple homicide at a Chucky Cheeses (located about a half a block from the home that I grew up in) and similar such tragedies. For those extra curious, Columbine High School is about 20-30 minutes SW of Aurora depending on day and time.
To the kids over at the NSA, I say welcome and don't you be no super secret strangers you hear, drop on by a conversation or few. You know the numbers.
As far as us natives and such is concerned, if you just so happen to meet yourself a brand new friend who just moved to the area from say, I don't know, somewhere around the Maryland area and they claim to work for the Department of Defense be very careful about what you say to them. Or better yet, as discretely as you possibly can, excuse yourself and slip out the back. |
posted by MindSquash the Brain Worm @ 1:48 PM   |
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