Dubious Deal, Cloaked by National Security Claim

[SecularMotion]

Source: NY Times

WASHINGTON — For eight years, government officials turned to Dennis Montgomery, a California computer programmer, for eye-popping technology that he said could catch terrorists. Now, federal officials want nothing to do with him and are going to extraordinary lengths to ensure that his dealings with Washington stay secret.

The Justice Department, which in the last few months has gotten protective orders from two federal judges keeping details of the technology out of court, says it is guarding state secrets that would threaten national security if disclosed. But others involved in the case say that what the government is trying to avoid is public embarrassment over evidence that Mr. Montgomery bamboozled federal officials.

A onetime biomedical technician with a penchant for gambling, Mr. Montgomery is at the center of a tale that features terrorism scares, secret White House briefings, backing from prominent Republicans, backdoor deal-making and fantastic-sounding computer technology.

Interviews with more than two dozen current and former officials and business associates and a review of documents show that Mr. Montgomery and his associates received more than $20 million in government contracts by claiming that software he had developed could help stop Al Qaeda’s next attack on the United States. But the technology appears to have been a hoax, and a series of government agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the Air Force, repeatedly missed the warning signs, the records and interviews show.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/us/politics/20data.html?hp

[Ian David]

1. I bet he had a little person inside a box pretending to be a computer.

[leveymg]

2. Dues ex machina, plain to see, but where did he stash the hash?

And, why did it take $20 mil and so many years for the spooks to catch on, if indeed there was nothing there all along?

[Vincardog]

3. Because he was telling them EXACTLY what they WANTED TO HEAR. And they did not even have to torture

HIM!

[leveymg]

4. He and about a 100 GOP-connected contractors like him. Total take - almost $300 billion.

"A Pentagon study in January found that it had paid $285 billion in three years to more than 120 contractors accused of fraud or wrongdoing."

They even started a war using phony, cooked-to-order intelligence - what was the cost of that little scam? $2 trillion plus.

In China, such criminals would get bullets in the back of their brains. Here, we renew their contracts. No wonder they're eating our lunch.

[cyberpj]

5. I'd love to share that quote with an argumentative brother - what's the source please? nt

[boppers]

11. Uhm, it's from the article.

See:

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22A+Pentagon+study+in+January+found+that+it+had+paid+%24285+billion%22

..for other sources, but they're quoting the NYT.

[liam_laddie]

10. A most excellent and succinct comment!

:toast: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[boppers]

6. Actually, yes.

During some software demos, he had an assistant triggering a key every time a bazooka was shown, making it seem like there was advanced image analysis and object detection.

[Ian David]

7. OMFG! It *was* a Mechanical Turk! n/t

[Ian David]

8. The Bush Admin really WAS a bunch of suckers...

Iraq's Deadly Dowsing Scam
http://skippytheskeptic.blogspot.com/2011/02/iraqs-deadly-dowsing-scam.html

[No Elephants]

39. Yes, but why is a Dem admin. covering up for Bushco?

[Ian David]

40. Because as ranking members, Pelosi and Reid were briefed on all this shit. n/t

[Doctor_J]

9. I wish I'd figured out a way to cash in on the "Homeland Security" gag

Since I don't socialize with Repukes or right-wingers, I have no conduit onto the gravy train.

[Solly Mack]

12. k/r

snort

[safeinOhio]

13. Well, I have a secret bridge in an

unknown part of NY that leads directly to the terrorist, and it just happens to be for sale.

[boppers]

14. Well, we can contract out a trial bid for your bridge, but only a few million.

If it pans out, there's more money where that came from.

:eyes:

[2banon]

15. This is a really important story...

I guess it's the "saturday night dump".

Publish important stories over the weekend so that little notice/attention is actually given it.

A sort of 'cya', for the "ole grey lady"...

However this is just one of a plethora of stories (sourced by wikileaks) apparently archived w/NYT ebook Open Secrets, Wikileaks War, and American Diplomacy.. which I heard Keller hawking on NPR's Fresh Air, a few weeks ago.

Keller was so smarmy as regards Assange that I couldn't sit through the full interview, such as it was.

What I heard Keller implying, actually stating, was that there really wasn't much to report in terms of "new" information

But then here's this story, with names and specifics.. :wtf:

It's like Keller was deliberately understating the import of the wikileaks cable dump. Anyone else hear that interview and come away with a different take?

In any event, I sure hope this story get's it's due attention. Especially here.

[cory777]

16. Hiding Details of Dubious Deal, U.S. Invokes National Security

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — For eight years, government officials turned to Dennis Montgomery, a California computer programmer, for eye-popping technology that he said could catch terrorists. Now, federal officials want nothing to do with him and are going to extraordinary lengths to ensure that his dealings with Washington stay secret.

The Justice Department, which in the last few months has gotten protective orders from two federal judges keeping details of the technology out of court, says it is guarding state secrets that would threaten national security if disclosed. But others involved in the case say that what the government is trying to avoid is public embarrassment over evidence that Mr. Montgomery bamboozled federal officials.

A onetime biomedical technician with a penchant for gambling, Mr. Montgomery is at the center of a tale that features terrorism scares, secret White House briefings, backing from prominent Republicans, backdoor deal-making and fantastic-sounding computer technology.

Interviews with more than two dozen current and former officials and business associates and a review of documents show that Mr. Montgomery and his associates received more than $20 million in government contracts by claiming that software he had developed could help stop Al Qaeda’s next attack on the United States. But the technology appears to have been a hoax, and a series of government agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency and the Air Force, repeatedly missed the warning signs, the records and interviews show.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/20/us/politics/20data.html?_r=1

---

Activist News http://activistnews.blogspot.com

[gateley]

17. It's amazing we haven't blown ourselves up. nt

[leveymg]

25. He and about a 100 GOP-connected contractors ripped-off almost $300 billion.

From the article: "A Pentagon study in January found that it had paid $285 billion in three years to more than 120 contractors accused of fraud or wrongdoing."

And, the Iraq war was started using phony, cooked-to-order intelligence - that little scam cost taxpayers $2 trillion plus.

In China, such criminals would get bullets in the back of their brains. Here, we renew their contracts. No wonder they're eating our lunch.

[gateley]

35. I really don't understand us sometimes -- especially when it comes to stuff like

this. This really needs to be given the spotlight and TONS of media coverage to make everyone see the truth behind the curtain. And to put it in terms that you did - the cost to people.

Lots of problems with Haliburton, yet even when they install showers that electrocute our military personnel, we keep them on the payroll.

We make disparaging sounds about Blackwater, yet thy probably still get their lion's share of revenue from us.

If any one of these incidents occurred to an an individual politician from someone he hired, the person would be fired immediately and maybe even sued. But when they get money from deals and the hurt is spread to the faceless masses, it's okey dokey.

They keep doing it and keep getting away with it.

Whatever happened to the what, eight? billion in cash that just disappeared in Iran?

[disndat]

37. Simple. It all started with Bush & co.

stealing the 2000 election with the help of the SCOTUS.

[gateley]

38. That I get -- although I suspect it may have been going on longer

than Bush's reign, but they took it to an art form. I guess I don't understand that the Congress just let this go on with no apparent concern.

It's as though they all just accept "business as usual - that's how it's done here" and don't even entertain the thought of making it right. Except for a select, saintly few, of course -- but they can't be on top of EVERYTHING. :(

[AnneD]

18. We do keep insisting ...

On shooting ourselves in the foot.

[pepperbear]

19. wow, our very own Magic Alex.

[Syrinx]

20. I seem to recall reading about this guy in Esquire a few years ago

Why is the Obama administration trying to protect W and his minions?

[barbtries]

21. this is gonna make

a GREAT movie.

[Number_Six]

22. A little late

Wasn't something like this the plot of one of those "Die Hard" flicks?

[barbtries]

30. i don't know

i don't keep up with the movies like i used to.

[vicarofrevelwood]

23. For 2 Bucks,

The I.r.s. will chase you to the ends of the Earth!

[Exilednight]

24. That's what we get for thinking small. n/t

[dotymed]

26. G.D. it. can we Revolt now?

We must overhaul our government or have no futures.....

[tavalon]

27. Yes, but it will work better if we get a bigger coalition than just you and I, ya know?

[tavalon]

28. Geez, I would expect this kind of internet niavete from the last administration

but this one should have figured out we live in a post Wikileaks world, in which information will be outed because it can and should be outed. So, they need to start behaving as though someone is watching over their shoulders at all times. I wish they were intrinsically willing to do the right thing, but doing it because they're being watched is certainly second best.

[fasttense]

29. This is so like a Banana Republic

Buying into scams for billions of our tax dollars on the tiniest of bit of hope of catching terrorists. No one does their research. No one really cares if the money is wasted. Why it's just our tax dollars. They all believe the lies because their is no oversight, no one looking over their shoulder. What does it matter? They all got their bribes and a piece of the action.

The only one that got screwed was the American people.

Next step, cover it up so the public can't see what stupid corrupt idiots they put into office.

[LawnKorn]

31. Who says it was a scam? It was more like a few Republicans wanted to give money to their friend

They just gave $20,000,000 to some programmer under the guise of providing a product for the national defense. Never mind that their never really was any product.

After all, transferring taxpayer money from the Federal Treasury to worthless defense contractors is what Republicans do.

[Left_Is_Right]

33. Just another example of the screwing of America and the middle class

[FlyByNight]

32. The CIA repeatedly missed warning signs

Where have we heard that before?

Other than overthrowing democratically elected governments, is there any real use for this organization. They've, essentially, become a Praetorian Guard.

[lonestarnot]

34. Pug clowns in government give it a bad name.

K & R!

[2banon]

36. is this getting any coverage on those feckless sunday morning political,,,

shows, at all? if not, then this will simply disappear into cyberspace, almost as easily as it does here...

[newspeak]

41. It seems to me, that Little Boots was "feeding"

many of his "base"--that includes privatizing security and war profiteering. Well he made big bank, who cares if he bamboozled the people. After all, it's our money that Little Boots was giving away. Now, I can see a scenario--the administration has contracted with a corporation for security-eavesdropping on the bad guys. The company guy gets a message that something is going down--he tells some of his best friends and they think how can we make the most of this---ahah!!!! put options--yeah, we can really make some moolah on this.

Just saying that the terrorist meme has made lots and lots of money for some big corporations (some global). I'm with FDR when it comes to war profiteering, and anything to do with national security in this country should never ever be doled out to some for profit corporation.