Effective use of Resources

[GKinnear]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/science/earth/05satellite.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Maybe the CIA should have been paying attention to potential terrorism descriminators instead of using overhead resources to guage Polar ice cap health.

Whatever your feelings are about global warming, yo have to admit that environmental monitoring isn't a part of the CIA's mission.

[Steve Davies]

To quote from your own article (emphasis mine):

The monitoring program has little or no impact on regular intelligence gathering, federal officials said, but instead releases secret information already collected or takes advantage of opportunities to record environmental data when classified sensors are otherwise idle or passing over wilderness.

[Guest]

'nuff said.

[PapaJu]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/science/earth/05satellite.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Maybe the CIA should have been paying attention to potential terrorism descriminators instead of using overhead resources to guage Polar ice cap health.

Whatever your feelings are about global warming, yo have to admit that environmental monitoring isn't a part of the CIA's mission.

Not sure I agree with that. There are a lot of legitimate security issues involved with global warming--just look at how the opening up of the Northwest Passage due to the melting ice is inviting all sorts of oil exploration in what Canada considers its territory. The intelligence community needs to keep at least a minor focus on just about everything. That said, there is definitely a line between what's necessary for security reasons and indulging Al Gore's fantasies.

[GKinnear]

I see it more as a slippery slope. Sure it involves images that have already been collected and downgraded to protect the sat's capes, but how much time and effort was involved in ensuring that now classifies info was passed out. Also, I have to ask why if the scientist already had a Secret clearance, why were the images downgraded? Can't these scientists also get the required info from commercially availabe sources, like GeoEye, or from one of the civil government bird? NOAA has a polar orbiting satellite already. Sending a NRO bird to track individual ice floes seems a bit of overkill and not exactly the best use a expensive gov't resource. Again, that would be more appropriate for NOAA.

Thanks to Anglia, I think the Green Movements motives have become a little suspect and hate to see anymore of my tax dollars wasted.