It's 12:25 on a Sunday morning (we just finished a Saturday night) and I finally closed Body of Secrets without a bookmark in it. The last chapter, "Brain," was only 36 pages, but it turned out to be one of the longest. "Brain" was about the computer systems used by the NSA. The history of computers at the agency dates back to the very first calculating systems. They provided a lot of the motivation for computing research.
I learned that Semour Cray (creator of the famous Cray computer) lived in Wisconsin for a long time, then moved to Colorado Springs. He died in Colorado in 1996 as a result of an automobile accident in 1995. His ashes are spread about the mountains there. I moved to Colorado Springs two years after he died. So it's like, you know, we're related or something.
There wasn't any more about George H.W. Bush and industrial espionage. There was, however, some information about domestic spying and its legalities. I will quote the book now since this stuff is hot in the news:
Among the reforms to come out of the Church Committee investigation was the creation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which for the first time outlined what NSA was and was not permitted to do. The new statute outlawed wholesale, warrantless acquisition of raw telegrams such as had been provided under Shamrock. It also outlawed the arbitrary compilation of watch lists containing the names of Americans. Under FISA, a secret federal court was set up, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. In order for NSA to target an American citizen or a permanent resident alien - a 'green card' holder - within the United States, a secret warrant must be obtained from the court. To get the warrant, NSA officials must show that the person they wish to target is either an agent of a foreign power or involved in espionage or terrorism. (p. 440)
The book goes on to say that this only covers people inside the United States. "To target Americans outside the country, all that is needed is the approval of the U.S. Attorney General" (p. 441).
I haven't bothered to read much about the spying that the president is being hammered about, but I guess those would be some guidelines to start with.
In other news, we looked at four houses today. We will keep only one in mind. Also, I've changed the reading list again, but only subtly. The book currently being read is underlined, bolded, and in a slightly larger font. I will keep crossing out the listings of books I've read. Like that one at the top.
The title of this post was translated using Google Language Tools.
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