Monday, October 24, 2011

Chapter 14

Thought 1: The book talks about the implementation of technology to avoid terrorist attacks and even goes into detail about tools such as a biometric screening system and how it is used. What are some other advances in technology you believe should be implemented to protect nations from terrorist attacks?


Thought 2: After the 9/11 attacks the United States was forced to re-evaluate its policy in homeland security. Do you believe the U.S. does enough with technology to stay a step ahead of terrorists? Do you think the United States should share that information with other countries to keep the world ahead of the non traditional tactics terrorist organizations use?

Thought 3: The C.I.A uses extraordinary measures to stay ahead of the curve in the war on terrorism. Do you believe the C.I.A goes too far with the technology it uses or do you think governmental organizations should use every technological tool to ensure the security of the nation?

30 comments:

  1. Thought 1 Comment: I think some technology that needs to be implemented to protect our nation and other nations from terrorist attacks would be that the technology in firearms, and other combat weapons be more advanced. Even create a weapon to not kill, but stun or paralyze a person for a certain amount of time to get other information out of them. Another way would be better technology in airports around the world and there also should be a way for us and other countries to see who is flying in from other countries and to know about who they are before letting them come here, I know we welcome all kinds of people here to live in America but sometimes I feel we shouldn't be so trustworthy of others. any technology is going to help us improve.

    Thought 2 Comment: I feel the government keeps a lot from the American people, I believe they are staying ahead with technology to help our country as much as possible and to help with the fear of another terrorist attack. I don't feel that the U.S. should share information with other countries when it comes to our technology, if it benefits us in a way that can help our country then why should we share our secrets for them to use something against us. We know right from wrong and i trust our government, but I am in unfamiliar territory when it comes to those other countries and am not sure if I could trust them or not. It would have to be a group decision from our government.

    Thought 3 Comment: I don't feel the C.I.A goes to far, is it really such a bad thing to feel and over abundance security? That is what we want! I don't think they should be so nosey and in our everyday lives but trying to fix the situation and being educated and learning more about advancements will really help us. We all feel insecure at times about what's going on with the advances our government is trying to make in stopping terrorism. Are they too much? my answer is no, there could never be too much security or advances in technology to help our nation in my opinion.

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  2. Thought 1: I feel that nations have many advances in technology that we do not know about. I think that they have many ways of finding and receiving information quicker than the past and it helps to keep our nation safe and secure. If we knew everything that they had we would be in trouble but our government doesn’t tell us things I think for a reason our of fear. If we as the public knew every aspect of terrorist’s activity we wouldn’t be living the way we do today.

    Thought 2: I believe that the U.S. does what it needs to protect the public and keep information out of mainstream. I feel that we should keep our advances in technology to ourselves and only share that information if it’s necessary to keep the United States safe. Its important to share to keep the world a safe place but our government’s main concern is keeping the United States safe then the rest of the world.

    Thought 3: I feel that what they use and how they use the technology is up to the government and we really shouldn’t be concerned if they are keeping us safe. If we were to live in fear each day like other parts of the world then maybe my view would change but as of right now since 9/11 we understand that terrorism is real and can happen but we aren’t living like people in Europe where we are in fear each and every day. We have government protection that keeps this fear level to a minimum and it should always be like that.

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  3. Thought 1: I cannot even begin to imagine technology that is being used today to avoid terrorist attacks, let alone future advancements of that technology. My hope for the future of technology is that when it must be used against terrorist, it is used in a manner similar to that of the SEAL Team Six mission that killed Bin Laden and avoided civilian casualties.

    Thought 2: Obviously, the U.S. is doing something right because it has, thus far, prevented another major terror attack. I think that we should be cautious who we share this information with so that it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands and be used against us.

    Thought 3: As a civilian, I do not believe I am able to define “extraordinary measures.” As long as the technology that the C.I.A. is using does not harm innocent civilians, then more power to them to protect me.

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  5. Thought 1: It is difficult to answer as to what exact technologies should be used to combat terrorism because if a civilian such as myself is already aware of such a technology, then terrorists will no doubt have already started developing counter measures to mitigate its effects.

    If there is one crucial area that is and should continue to be developed/refined, it is cyber security. As citizens of the "information age" it is critical to develop the capability to conduct operations in cyberspace. Terms such as cyberspace, cyber security, cyber warfare have been christened as hostilities over the web have become an unfortunate reality.

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  8. The United States has done an exemplary job of keeping the country relatively "terror free." Give the poor economy, wars on two separate soils, and minimal public support, the United States continues to keep the peace across the world.

    The question regarding as to whether or not the United States should share its information should under go a lot of scrutiny and cynicism from the American people and it should be expected. Can the United States really trust that other nations will be responsible with such information? Osama Bin Laden was hunkered down and hiding in a large compound (reportedly nearly 5000 sq ft) very possibly over the past decade within Pakistan- our ally against terror; are we expected to believe that there was no prior knowledge of his where abouts all those years? Corruption and Infiltration is a big challenge we'd face with such a policy.

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  10. It is certainly necessary for a nation to have a "heavy handed" organization that is willing and trained to take extraordinary measures in response to extraordinary circumstances. Although many would argue that there should be limitations placed on such organizations like the CIA to protect the rights of humanity (even the rights of citizens), one has to remember that terrorists place no such reservations or restraints upon themselves and are willing perform any level of violence to achieve their goals (as 911 demonstrated). In order to effectively fight terror, we must have an organization that is willing to match such force for the sake of freedom. We have to trust our CIA service men and women -citizens of our country- who've taken the oath and sworn to defend our country and protect the freedom we love.

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  11. 1:
    It is very difficult to prevent a person's actions, let alone detect their intentions in the first place. Any methods of attempting to do so beyond screening U.S. border entry points would involve rather questionable breaches of individuals' privacy. That being said, existing technology provides more than adequate means of achieving this, through the monitoring of cellular devices, internet activity, and the individual's physical location and movements as distinguished by their electronic device usage. Perhaps such technology could consist of a literal search engine accessible to government authorities and police that is capable of databasing information on individuals as well as tracking their physical location. Names could simply by entered, which would pull up recent activity information, both geographically and electronically, and where they are currently. What if technology allowed that the same information could be accessed by "scanning" people, both in person, or from local surveillance cameras?

    2:
    I've read somewhere that the public knowledge of current technological capabilities is approximately two decades behind what is actually possible and already in use by a limited few, included the technocratic elite and government agencies. I'm not sure how true this is, but it doesn't seem entirely unlikely. Therefore, I would say the government does likely do enough to stay a step ahead of terrorists whether we are aware of it or not. If this information is shared with other nations, it is likely to increase both the likelihood of terrorist plots being foiled, and of terrorist organizations gaining knowledge of such technology and finding ways to circumvent its effectiveness.

    3:
    I've stated in my earlier responses that it is highly unlikely that we, as the public, have very limited knowledge of what the CIA is actually capable of. Also, there is a very thin line between taking extreme measures to protect the nation defined as geographic collection of people, and taking extreme measures to protect the interests of the nation's executive powers. I believe it is safe to assume that the CIA does indeed go too far in securing the interests of the latter, most often to the disservice of humanity in general.

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  12. Thought 1: The US already implements many screening tools. But like Spencer has said, we cannot predict others actions or intentions. And there are many negative implications with too many security measures. We are supposed to be a democracy, a nation based on freedom and civil liberties. When the individual’s privacy is meaningless and the government has unchecked powers we are no longer a free society. That being said, I think we should have our screening systems better linked. Everything should be compiled so it is easier for our security officials to check information on individuals entering our borders. But this should be done in a way that doesn’t degrade our rights guaranteed to us in the Constitution.

    Thought 2: I think the US does more than enough with technology to prevent terrorism. We can take every possible measure to prevent it, but that will never guarantee that an attack won’t happen again. And the more extreme measures taken, the more ethical issues there are. I think it is important that we share information with our allies. There is a good chance they have information that is useful to us and it helps strengthen our relationship with these other countries.
    Thought 3: I think the government has taken some security measures too far. While I completely support national security, I don’t agree with the infringement of individual’s privacy. We have been continuously investing too much power in the central government. I think that policies like the Patriot Act bring us further and further from a democracy. Since 9/11, the government has constantly used the threat of terrorist attacks to keep citizens fearful and complacent. I definitely feel the government needs more checks and balances to keep from having total control. After all, we are a nation founded on the principle of power by the people.

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  13. Thought 1 Comment:
    I think before we start creating new types of guns, we first need to step back and find the root cause of the problem. My first question is how are they getting into our country? If we don’t know how they are getting in, how will we ever going to be able to put controls in place to fix the problem? Yes I know now at this point, we are just trying to protect ourselves from having anymore terrible days like 9/11. But as far as the biometric screening system, I’m not sure if that will stop the terrorist or just make it harder for us to live free.

    Thought 2 Comment:
    My quick answer to that question would have to be no. I think the government could have used other technologies to assist with the war on terror. I also think they could have used resources like social media web sites, cell phones, ECT. I feel like we are only getting half of the story and then we are forced to make important decisions on that, come on that’s not right. That’s similar to how the government had all the media from the 9/11 attack removed from the internet. They made like a secret, we are at war, and will need your help, but just one thing, don’t ask any questions.

    Thought 3 Comment:
    I think the C.I.A are breaking laws on a daily bases, we are just not told about it. Do I think they are going too far? Yes, but what’s to far, and who is measuring that? Our government, I don’t think so. I know they are watching out for us but who is watching them?

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  14. THOUGHT 1: I am not sure what the exact technology would be to protect us, I am sure the US is definitely working on developing different devices. I also think that we should have a waiting period of 3 to 6 months for people to come into our country. If people would have to wait to come in then they would not be as likely to come and if they had to be hasseled and investigated as to why they are wanting to come to the US then this could help deter some terrorist. I realize there would be truly innocent people being put through the same process, but we must protect our country at all cost. A little inconvenience is worth being safe.

    THOUGHT 2: I think the US is doing alot to keep us safe, I do get a little nervous when they lower the security levels at airports, I would like to see them at a high status all the time. If we are developing new means of safety for the US then we should keep it to ourselves. I say this because if we share the information with other countries that we are currently at peach with and a war breaks, then we have comprimised our security. All countries in the UN could come together against terrorism and work together to deter it but it would be a mutual project and information could be shared in those kinds of circumstances.

    THOUGHT 3: I feel if the CIA has to go to extreme measures to keep us safe than that is what they have to do. THere are always things that we as average citizens do not know, nor would we really want to know. Technology is always going to be a part of security measures, some may be extreme but we need to think outside the box and "safety" is the issue. Technology will keep advancing and developing new security measures should be the US's number one priority. Any goverment organization should use whatever technology they have to protect us.

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  15. Thought 1: I think that we have already implemented some wonderful concepts and technological advancements in order to better protect our nation. Things like the patriot act, although it may be controversial have undoubtedly saved thousands of lives. Anything I can think of as far as things we should implement in order to keep our nation safe I feel has already been done whether we know it or not. The best thing I can think of would be the ability to track and listen to the communication between different terrorist organizations. Especially with the way things have been going in Pakistan, I think it would be greatly beneficial to keep tabs on them.

    Thought 2: I think that the government goes above and beyond the average citizens expectations with technology to stay one step ahead of terrorist organizations. The things we are capable of are unbelievable and we often even have boots on the ground under cover in those hot spots for terrorism. I don't think it would be a good idea for the government to share with us or anyone else their tactics for combating terrorism because then their concepts would become public knowledge and also obsolete.

    Thought 3: I don't think there is any tool that should go unused in obtaining the nations peace of mind. This country is hated immensely throughout the world because of the freedoms that we instill in our nation and it is our governments job to protect that. Any tool that our country can use to keep this nation its absolute safest is ok with me.

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  16. I think uniformity would be a very relevant answer. All countries should unify on methods at a basic level. More specifically bomb dogs and radioactive materials sensors that sweep at airports, etc... Biometrics is good I mean look at las Vegas casinos!!!!!!!! It can be good for ports of call, etc...

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  17. Thought 2: I beleive we are one of the leaders in doing the best but I also believe that powerful people step in the way and allow certain thing to take place to gain tactacal advantage of economics, regions businesses etc.. This is nothing new what about Cicero blaming them fire in Rome on the Christians while he allowed them to burn playing his violin. The end was that he got public consent to do as he pleased to the Christian faction. No opposition due to how he wagged the dog on the story.

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  18. Thought 3: I think most definitely the CIA is unbridled horse that does as it wants. They have specific measures that allow them not to be tracked or accountable.
    Hey one such example would be all the human drug testing in the lat 60s early 70's. No holds barred they were caught an taken to court where they were charged and fined.

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  19. Thought 1: I think that we should try to limit or be really restrictive about some of the people that we let come into the country; this is why I think that biometric screening is a really good idea. We also need to be more careful about the people on our own soil. Some form of improved intelligence. We should also not be so quick to jump to assumptions, like the situation with the Oklahoma bombing. Everybody was so quick to blame it on some Islamic group.

    Thought 2: No, I don’t really feel that the U.S. does enough with technology to stay a step ahead of the terrorists. At the rate that technology develops, somebody else is always going to be ahead of the game and most of the time, it is going to be the bad guys. As far as sharing our technology with other countries to keep the world safe…..well, I think that is kind of a double edged sword. What if one day they use what we gave them to turn on us.

    Thought 3: No, I don’t believe the CIA goes too far with the technology it uses. I agree that we should use everything in our arsenal to ensure the security of the nation. We probably don’t go far enough.

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  20. 1. Where there is a will, there is a way. Terrorist acts are not just about hijacking airplanes or bombings, it can be as simple as someone driving a car or truck through a crowded street running over and killing people, a person can simply throw poisonous gas into a restaurant. In most cases technology is used to find the culprit after a terrorist act has been committed. Most terrorist acts however are politically motivated. A few educated persons take advantage of the non-educated and teach them what they perceive is right and then push them to commit terrorist acts. I think that technology alone will not defeat terrorism, technology should be coupled with better foreign policy and better public education in countries where most terrorist originate from.

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  21. 1. We are already using the full body scanners and what not, however there needs to be advances in the X-ray technology. You are not supposed to carry liquid through those checkpoints (greater than maybe a few ounces). I had almost of liter of water in my camel bak not even really thinking about it and was not even questioned about it. If that was a volatile fluid it could of been bad news especially a whole liter.

    2. The U.S. definitely changed its security policy by adding the Department of Homeland Security, and every bit of technology that we have should be utilized to the best of its ability. As far as sharing it with other countries, thats a bit of a sticky place. It could help terrorism world wide, but the technology once its worldwide doesn't have the same effectiveness, because by the time it is made global, people will already know how to beat it.

    3. What the CIA does is classified for a reason, but would they be doing their job if the didn't do anything and everything to prevent the loss of American life. The government has technology that we couldn't even imagine, and if we didn't utilize every single resource that they have then it wouldn't even make sense to have the CIA.

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  22. 2. The USA definitely does its share of inventing and implementing technologies to help fight terrorism. I also believe that the US should share this new technology with our allies. I agree that sharing technology poses a risk that terrorist organizations can get a hold of this technology and find a way around it, but as I said before, "where there is a will there is a way". I don't believe that terrorism will ever go away for as long as there are those who oppose our way of life and beliefs. Do not forget that the USA is not the only country facing terrorism. Most countries in the world have some form of organization that is fighting against the government and if the US can invent technology that will limit if not completely eliminate their activities then I'm for sharing this technology to these countries. If you were to travel to another country wouldn't you want the government in that country to be able to provide the same security as in the US?

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  23. The CIA certainly may have gone too far to implement some of their policies and they certainly have the right to do so, if not them who would you want to conduct their activities? War, conventional or unconventional, will certainly result it some form of intrusion or inconvenience for the citizens involved. I think maybe we should ask ourselves the question of should we stand aside and let the CIA do as they need to to prevent terrorism, or should the CIA stand aside and let the terrorist do as they want because we do not want our civil liberties compromised? If you are innocent and the CIA is investigating you then you should have nothing to fear and they will leave you alone, but if a terrorist is targeting you and you are innocent they will still go after you.

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  24. THOUGHT 1: I have no idea what other technologies could protect our nation. Also, I would be weary to just throw any technology into use without thinking deeply about the potential infringement on liberties that could take place. I value our liberties and freedoms in America and I would be cautious in choosing what methods to use to protect our country.

    THOUGHT 2: Our government is far ahead of the technological curve. I think they are well prepared against any threat. Do I think they should share with other countries? Maybe... They probably share with Israel currently, but they have to be careful who they share information with. Some countries are working with terrorist organizations and some countries are completely run by terrorist organizations.

    THOUGHT 3: I'm not really sure what technologies the C.I.A. uses. The C.I.A. operates outside of most America's influence anyway so regardless what I think they will do what they see fit. I just don't want the liberties of Americans jeopardized.

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  25. Thought 1: Weapons and security are the best technologies we have to protect our nation against terrorist attacks.

    Thought 2: I think we are ahead of the game and should not share information because you never know who is truly on your side.

    Thought 3: I believe we should use every thing we have to be as safe as possible.

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  26. #1 As others have stated previously, the problem with new technology is that in the wrong hands it it lethal. Terrorists have access to the new technology as we do. I feel our best efforts are to secure our borders and make sure that it doesn't come in to our country. It is very hard to predict the actions of others but my hope is that they know we will hunt them down and kill them and with the current security measures in place we will not have another tragedy like 9/11.

    #2 I believe that any technology that we have we should keep to ourselves. I also believe that since the attacks on 9/11 the security measures have been improved. We were definitely caught off guard and the 9/11 attacks were a result of our underestimating our enemies. Rules and regulations only keep the honest person honest. Unfortunately, terrorists will find a way to attack, we just need to be ready.

    #3 I feel that the CIA should use any tactic that they need to make us safe. I don't believe that there is any such thing as "going too far" when it comes to making sure that 9/11 never happens again. The innocent people that have died on 9/11 and every day since because of the hunt for Bin Laden should never have happened and anything that needs to be done to prevent this from ever happening again, is ok in my book.

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  27. 1- I think early warning systems and preventative measures can be used to better protect the world from possible attacks. If not protect against them, perhaps simply warning of their likelihood would go a long way.

    2- I do think that the the US has done a lot to prevent further terrorist attacks in this country. I believe we have a done amazing job of tightening holes in transportation security and cyber attacks. I think that it is a dangerous thing to start sharing these ideas with other countries. This may "open pandora's box" so to speak. We may leak this information to be undone when terrorists learn of our measures and they attack possible weaknesses within them.

    3- I think that the CIA should use every possible technology to protect US citizens from threats both domestic and foreign. Any technology they have access to should be used if it protects our greater good, without too many sacrifices in individual freedoms.

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  28. Thought 1 - I believe that we do a pretty good job of avoiding terrorist attacks now since 911. The technology we create year to year will advance and make it easier for our security to do its job.

    Thought 2 - I believe that we do enough for this country in terms of homeland security. I do not agree with giving out our ideas or what we know about security. All it does is allow other people to know what we are thinking.

    Thought 3 - I believe that things are perfect the way that they are. If they went outside of the boarders, I believe that either group would be going over the line.

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  29. Thought 1: I feel that there is already so many technical advancements that we wouldn't even believe is possible. If we were to know these advancements, then other countries would find a way to get around it. One thing that I do think could protect our nation and be more beneficial in wars is advancements in firearms.

    Thought 2: I believe that the United States does enough with technology to stay a step ahead of terrorist. Our security nowadays is so much more strict than it was back then. I do not believe that we should share our technical information with other countries. It would not be good if the terrorist organizations knew what we did with our technology to protect our country.

    Thought 3: After 9/11, I believe that the C.I.A should use whatever is necessary to protect our country against terrorism. If we have the technological tools, we might as well use them to keep the United States as safe as we can.

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  30. Thought 1 Comment: I think the US is doing a great job at preventing another 9/11 from happening. The government is using all of its sources and technology possible to prevent such attacks from happening again. I think governments needs to monitor the buying of large quantities of possible bomb making ingredients and if a person does, they should screen them and see why they are buying such items.

    Thought 2 Comment: Some people believe the government violates our rights by not so much as searching randomly at airports but more so by listening on phone calls. This is possibly the case but I personally would rather be safe and the government catch terrorists than them not and be in danger. I think the US does as much as it can against terrorist attacks. I wouldn’t not share the methods with other countries because if another country wants to attack, than it would be easier to find a problem with our system and get through than it would if we didn’t tell them.

    Thought 3 Comment: In my comment on thought 2, I mentioned how the government possibly listens in on phone calls and I don’t see a problem because it is for our safety.

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