Why don't they tell us?

There has been a steady Stream of Bad News from Washington lately, having to do with Surveillance, Privacy and related Issues.

There was the Associated Press Reporters Story.

Then there were the IRS Stories, involving, of all People, some Tea Party Groups seeking Tax Exempt Status.

Overnight, last Night, the Story regarding the Gathering of Telephone Call Logs by the National Security Agency from Verizon broke out.  Quickly rumours spread that other Carriers, notably A T & T are involved also.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/06/18796204-nsa-snooping-has-foiled-multiple-terror-plots-feinstein?lite

Now it further appears that an enormous Amount of Internet Traffic, eMails, Web Site Visits, we don't know exactly the Extent of it, is under Surveillance also.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/us/nsa-verizon-calls.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20130607&_r=0

http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/06/18809021-sources-us-intelligence-agencies-tap-servers-of-top-internet-companies?lite

There is Legal Precedent, for those of us who have studied Law for having serious Concerns regarding something called „Overreach.”  The Reason the Government has given for obtaining Secret Court Orders for such extraordinary Surveillance, unprecedented in American History is Terrorism.  And, Terrorism is a serious Issue, witness the recent Events in Boston, not to mention 9/11 and everything else that has happened in between.  Nonetheless, many are beginning to look at whether the War against Terrorism can be achieved without resorting to Secrecy when undertaking such extraordinary Measures which many also view, correctly, as Invasions of Privacy; something which the American Constitution and American Tradition have fiercely guarded for over Two Centuries and something which has become a Model, an Ideal, a Beacon for the Rest of the World.  In other Words, the War against Terrorism can be used to justify many Government Actions but not all of them in this Context.

To be sure, the Roots of these Kinds of Actions go back to the (George W.) Bush Administration.  But President's Obama's Administration has to shoulder the Responsibility and, right now, it appears more and more likely that Attorney General Eric Holder will be asked to fall on his own Sword.  But that may only be a Stop Gap Measure unless President Obama confronts the Issue and also establishes a Model, a Policy for successive Administrations to follow.

The simple Question is this:  why don't they tell us beforehand?

Senator Lindsey Graham (R., North Carolina) stated today that he is himself a Verizon Customer and if the Government was keeping track on his Calls to Waziristan, we think he said Waziristan, he would not have a Problem with it.  Neither would we or anyone else, we don't think, but would it not be appropriate to tell Senator Graham and everyone else that the National Security Agency would be doing this?  Then everybody knows and understands that Telephone Calls, Internet Traffic, whatever, is being subjected to some Sort of Surveillance and that can be the End of that, rather than the Facts coming out Slice by Slice in what one might refer to as a „Salami Tactic.”

Likewise, it may all be well and good that Senator Dianne Feinstein (D., California) states that all this was cleared and approved in Advance Years ago but, the Issue seems to be of sufficient Magnitude to where one has the Right to ask, why were the American People not informed this was going on?  It is difficult, we believe, to formulate an Argument that Secrecy adds Value to the Program; Carrier Pigeons and other antiquated Methods are not alternatives which Terrorists and Enemies of the United States could use with much Success.

 

ALL IN!!!

The Unfolding of the Story surrounding General Petræus continues at a dizzying Pace.  Senator Diane Feinstein from California compared it to ,,Peeling an Onion'' with one Revelation more startling than the one before unfolding before our Eyes.

Where all this will lead, nobody knows and, those who might possibly know are likely far more interested in ,,Damage Control'' than revealing what has been really going on.  Mika Brzeziński, Daughter of former distinguished Presidential Adviser, Zbigniew Brzeziński, a Man of, some would say, considerable Gravitas, expressed as much on her intellectually worth listening to TV Program today.

Most of us would agree that the rapidly unfolding Facts allow no Conclusions to be drawn at this Point; however, here at The Vitznau News Team, we thought we would highlight Compilation of some of what is known or believed to be known so far, along with the Concerns which these Pieces of Information raise:

§ Mr. Petræus and Mrs. Broadwell, both married, had an Extramarital Affair.

 

General Petræus and Mrs. Broadwell

 

§ Mrs. Broadwell appears to have been in Possession of some Classified Information, the Extent of which we do not know.  She did not have a Security Clearance.  How Mrs. Broadwell obtained this Information has not been revealed yet.

 

§ Mrs. Broadwell has made unverified Statements regarding ,,CIA Prisoners'' being held in Benghazi, Lybia at or around the Time of the Attack which killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens.

 

§ Mrs. Broadwell perceived, correctly or incorrectly, that Mrs. Jill Kelley (née Khawam) was, or was about to become her potential Rival.

 

Mrs. Jill Kelley (née Khawam)

 

§ Mrs. Broadwell sent anonymous eMails, possibly as many as 20.000 to Mrs. Kelley, apparently in an Attempt to disrupt the Social Relationship which Mrs. Kelley states existed between the Kelleys and the Petræuses.

 

§ Mr. Petræus sought to convince Mrs. Broadwell, unsuccesfully, it would appear, from sending this Avalance of eMails to Mrs. Kelley.

 

§ Mrs. Kelley knew an FBI Agent who had sent to her shirtless Photographs.  She turned to this Agent (after she had received the shirtless Photographs) in an Attempt to have Mrs. Broadwell, (whose Identity she did not know because the eMails were sent anonymously or using fictitious eMails), stop what she considered to be Harassement.

 

§ Apparently not calculated in Mrs. Kelley's Consideration was the possible Emergence of, some say, 30.000 eMails or 30.000 Pages of eMails which she had exchanged with General John R. Allen, ISAF (Allied) Commander in Afghanistan, who was in Line for a Promotion.

 

 

General John R. Allen

 

§ General Allen has stated that there was no ,,Inappropriate Relationship'' between him and Mrs. Kelley but, at least for the Time being, his Promotion as Commander in Chief for NATO has been put on Ice.

 

§ Mrs. Kelley is a wealthy Socialite and, undisputedly, well connected in Military Circles.  Her Husband is a Surgeon.  Together they have 3 Children.  Either Mrs. Kelley or someone in the Kelley Family serves as an ,,Honorary Consul'' for somebody or something.

 

 

Mrs. Kelley and the Florida License Plate on her Mercedes Benz

 

§ All of the Principals in this bizarre unfolding Story have, understandably, gone ,,Under the Radar'' and made themselves unavailable for Press Interviews.  Some have hired Agents or Representatives to speak on their Behalf.  Mrs. Kelley has hired as her Spokeswoman Judy Smith, who represented, yeah, Monica Lewinsky and Abby Lowell, who represented John Edwards.

 

Judy Smith, here seen with Monica Lewinsky

 

§ We need not tell you, President Clinton is ,,Under the Radar'' on this one.

 

§ Nobody ,,knew'' anything about this until after the Election.

 

Stayed tuned and, to any and all Readers of this Column; any News or developing Stories on this Saga, which appears to be quickly becoming more than just a little ,,Story'' about Sexual Escapades, please drop us a Note.  We welcome, indeed, seek to hear from all of you.

 

N. B. The Title of Mrs. Broadwell's Book about General Petræus is ,,ALL IN'' (whatever she meant by that) and, while we do not know if this is ,,ALL IN'' yet, neither does it appear to be ,,ALL OUT.''