Setec Astronomy

[Warren]

MBS. The fact that MBS knew about the National Enquirer pictures before they were ever public is strong circumstantial evidence

???

It's evidence of a conduit of that information between MBS and TNE. The alternate explanation is that TNE hacked the phone and then informed MBS about it, which isn't impossible but not burdened with an overabundance of plausible.

Who is MBS?

[lunchstealer]

MBS. The fact that MBS knew about the National Enquirer pictures before they were ever public is strong circumstantial evidence

???

It's evidence of a conduit of that information between MBS and TNE. The alternate explanation is that TNE hacked the phone and then informed MBS about it, which isn't impossible but not burdened with an overabundance of plausible.

Who is MBS?

Quoth the Wiki:

Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, colloquially known as MbS, is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

And head of their intelligence/security apparatus, and the one who gave the order for Khashoggi's entrapment, murder, and dismemberment (possibly not in that order).

[Warren]

MBS. The fact that MBS knew about the National Enquirer pictures before they were ever public is strong circumstantial evidence

???

It's evidence of a conduit of that information between MBS and TNE. The alternate explanation is that TNE hacked the phone and then informed MBS about it, which isn't impossible but not burdened with an overabundance of plausible.

Who is MBS?

Quoth the Wiki:

Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, colloquially known as MbS, is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

And head of their intelligence/security apparatus, and the one who gave the order for Khashoggi's entrapment, murder, and dismemberment (possibly not in that order).

Ah. Okay, but I'm still missing the part where he knew about the National Enquirer pictures before they went public.

[Pham Nuwen]

I mean if anyone would know if and who hacked their phone I feel like it would be Bezos.

[Warren]

I mean if anyone would know if and who hacked their phone I feel like it would be Bezos.

Granted, but he also has incentive to lie about it.

[Pham Nuwen]

I can't see the upside to lying about this. Could you clear it up for me?

[Warren]

Meh, probably not.

[Pham Nuwen]

Good talk.

[Mo]

MBS. The fact that MBS knew about the National Enquirer pictures before they were ever public is strong circumstantial evidence

???

It's evidence of a conduit of that information between MBS and TNE. The alternate explanation is that TNE hacked the phone and then informed MBS about it, which isn't impossible but not burdened with an overabundance of plausible.

Who is MBS?

Commenting on what the Saudis did or did not do and saying this is like commenting on the Iraq war and saying, “Who is W?”

[Mo]

MBS. The fact that MBS knew about the National Enquirer pictures before they were ever public is strong circumstantial evidence

???

It's evidence of a conduit of that information between MBS and TNE. The alternate explanation is that TNE hacked the phone and then informed MBS about it, which isn't impossible but not burdened with an overabundance of plausible.

Who is MBS?

Quoth the Wiki:

Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, colloquially known as MbS, is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

And head of their intelligence/security apparatus, and the one who gave the order for Khashoggi's entrapment, murder, and dismemberment (possibly not in that order).

Ah. Okay, but I'm still missing the part where he knew about the National Enquirer pictures before they went public.

He apparently made comments implying he knew they were coming out in the WhatsApp messages

[Warren]

???

It's evidence of a conduit of that information between MBS and TNE. The alternate explanation is that TNE hacked the phone and then informed MBS about it, which isn't impossible but not burdened with an overabundance of plausible.

Who is MBS?

Quoth the Wiki:

Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, colloquially known as MbS, is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.

And head of their intelligence/security apparatus, and the one who gave the order for Khashoggi's entrapment, murder, and dismemberment (possibly not in that order).

Ah. Okay, but I'm still missing the part where he knew about the National Enquirer pictures before they went public.

He apparently made comments implying he knew they were coming out in the WhatsApp messages

I'm not finding that. Has anyone besides Bezos verified that?

[Aresen]

It's my honestly prejudicial preference to believe ANYTHING bad about any member of the House of Saud, individually or collectively.

[Mo]

FTI Consulting and the UN

[Warren]

It's my honestly prejudicial preference to believe ANYTHING bad about any member of the House of Saud, individually or collectively.

As am I. I'm not incredulous that they're guilty. I just want to see some evidence before I pack in my J'Accuse finger with confidence.

[Andrew]

Speaking of the Saudis: Operation Encore and the Saudi Connection: A Secret History of the 9/11 Investigation

My bigger takeaway from this article wasn't about the Saudis, it was that the US has a massive surveillance state that can't do basic surveillance or make effective use of all the information it gathers. Getting a few idiots together, providing them with weapons, and then arresting them for terrorism? Yes. Keeping tabs on a person of interest or interviewing them before they leave the country? Nope.

[Aresen]

Speaking of the Saudis: Operation Encore and the Saudi Connection: A Secret History of the 9/11 Investigation

My bigger takeaway from this article wasn't about the Saudis, it was that the US has a massive surveillance state that can't do basic surveillance or make effective use of all the information it gathers. Getting a few idiots together, providing them with weapons, and then arresting them for terrorism? Yes. Keeping tabs on a person of interest or interviewing them before they leave the country? Nope.

I think that is a general flaw of Security States: All the powers the Secret Police are granted does not make them particularly effective in 'protecting the country', but those powers are inevitably abused in going after petty nobodies in order to make the apparatchiks appear to be doing their job.

[Eric the .5b]

I think that is a general flaw of Security States: All the powers the Secret Police are granted does not make them particularly effective in 'protecting the country', but those powers are inevitably abused in going after petty nobodies in order to make the apparatchiks appear to be doing their job.

Just so. Recall that leading up to the Boston Marathon bombing, their anti-terrorism fusion center was organizing police infiltration and investigation...of completely peaceful protest groups.

[Mo]

I just made a GDPR request to Clearview. Curious what I get back.

[JD]

I think that is a general flaw of Security States: All the powers the Secret Police are granted does not make them particularly effective in 'protecting the country', but those powers are inevitably abused in going after petty nobodies in order to make the apparatchiks appear to be doing their job.

Just so. Recall that leading up to the Boston Marathon bombing, their anti-terrorism fusion center was organizing police infiltration and investigation...of completely peaceful protest groups.

And before the Pearl Harbor attack, Naval intelligence was obsessed with the idea that the real threat was Japanese-Americans living in Hawaii.

[Mo]

Stuff like this is why I find complains about Huawei to be a bunch of bunk. It's not due to any concern that allies communications are secure, it's about ensuring that we can read our allies' stuff.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics ... espionage/

[JasonL]

I have the concern about huawei and don’t have a particular take about us having monitoring capability. I mean it’s bad but not the same as chi coms with finger on the pulse. I don’t want China with that kind of ability.

[Warren]

Yeah. If anything, that seems to vindicate the concern.

[Hugh Akston]

The US may be an untrustworthy ally and a bunch of imperialist assholes, but at least they're a democratic bunch of imperialist assholes.

[Aresen]

I have the concern about huawei and don’t have a particular take about us having monitoring capability. I mean it’s bad but not the same as chi coms with finger on the pulse. I don’t want China with that kind of ability.

Easy for yoU to SAy.

[Eric the .5b]

I have the concern about huawei and don’t have a particular take about us having monitoring capability. I mean it’s bad but not the same as chi coms with finger on the pulse. I don’t want China with that kind of ability.

Easy for yoU to SAy.

Well, yeah. It's not like Canadians get a say.