Spies among us.

[Jara sang]

http://www.zwire.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=14464176&BRD=2553&PAG=461&dept_id=506035&rfi=6

Who does that new guy down the street really work for? And that woman at church seems awfully evasive. How about that new father at the soccer games who doesn't have a lot to say. Around here, all those could add up to one fact: spy.

Similar conclusions follow conversations every day in this region, where international intelligence mixes with homeland security and wanders through countless consulting firms and the occasional law firm to form a network so tight it's downright spooky.

But every spy needs a place to hang up the trench coat, stretch out and relax. That brings them to Hunt Country.

Sorry, this is a horrible article. I only post it so that people not familiar with the D.C. outlying areas can familiarize themselves. I live in the above mentioned area and what the article does not address is that people are not really secretive about their affiliation with the Intelligence community. I have met people who within five minutes of knowing them, told me that they worked for the Defense Intelligence Agency or that they are a tech person at C.I.A. This place is one gigantic open leak and the citizens of the Hunt country who work for Intell. seem to have no qualms with violating the Espionage Act when they think it will get them points at a cocktail party. The Loudoun Times Mirror is touting the Loudoun county/intelligence community connection in the same way that a groupie would fawn over a rock star. They should focus on the potential threat to National Security that these people pose rather than pay lip service to their Right-wing readership. After rereading this the article, it is just outright false, "form a network so tight" it is really not tight at all, this areas motto should be: loose lips sink ships.

[blogbear]

1. Some can't seem to move beyond all this everyone wants to be a patriot

or cop business..

[Jara sang]

2. These are REAL spies

...not your average Bushbot calling the cops on his liberal neighbor.

[blogbear]

4. I hear you..Guess some out there not only want to resurrect the '50's..

but also 'red scare' tactics..

[blogbear]

9. Ok but I'm used to REAL spies because I'm a recognized as part

of a disliked and discriminated against minority of people..I'm gay..

[salvorhardin]

3. I was not aware

that CIA, NSA or even the DIA were not allowed to tell people where they work. Obviously this is a problem if covert operatives are outed, but I certainly can't imagine them mentioning their employment status at a cocktail party. As for this article, they are doing nothing of the sort. It's merely a human interest piece about the changing nature of the community. There's no need, or way, to keep the thousands of people who work in our intelligence community secret. Sure, a small percentage of them will be involved with information in the course of their jobs that they can not talk about, but then so are many tens of thousands of other people around the country working under non-disclosure agreements with their clients or companies. It's not 1956 anymore.

[Jara sang]

5. I have personally been told information

That I should probably not have. D.C. is so insular that nobody really cares, everyone works for the Federal government, military or Intelligence community so nobody really sees it as a big deal.

[salvorhardin]

6. Who are you to judge though?

Who are you to judge though whether or not you should have been told something? I rather think that's the decision of the person doing the telling as to whether or not they should or should not be relaying information to you. If you honestly suspect someone of compromising national security, then you should report it to their respective employer.

[Jara sang]

7. I think that

Training protocols and command structure might come under that category.

[salvorhardin]

8. Doubtful

but again, if you feel that national security has been compromised, then do something about it. Contact their employer or your Congressional representative. Probably Senator would be better than House member.

If you have been told information that you should not have been told and you do not report it, you are as culpable as the person who told you.

[mmonk]

10. They can let you know