John Kerry May Bring Happy NSA Surprise for Poles (GazetaWyborcza, Poland)
"Visa procedures will simplified to the point that it becomes
essentially automatic. Now we'll be spared the hassle of having to submit to an
often embarrassing conversation with the American consul. It will be enough for
a Mr. Kowalski, in a phone conversation with anyone - say his wife, to hint
that he wants to go to America, and the NSA surveillance system will unerringly
catch it, check what it has accumulated on the Kowalskis
in its databases, and within 48 hours they will receive an answer from the
Consulate ... most likely registered letter with the coveted visa to the Land
of Liberty."
Secretary of State John Kerry and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the Chancery in Warsaw, Nov. 5, 2013. What they discussed would be hard to fathom by reading their respective press releases - but spying and visas were undoutedly on the agenda.
Why
is Secretary of State John Kerry arriving in Warsaw on Tuesday? The Foreign
Ministry press release speaks of "the development of bilateral cooperation,"
but gives no further details, doubtless hoping to pleasantly surprise us.
The
Foreign Ministry also informs that, "during the visit, discussions will
focus on the direction of bilateral cooperation between Poland and the United
States." That is an incredibly valuable revelation, as some expected
that the topic would be India's plans for a Mars expedition!
The
communication also states that, "both chief diplomats will discuss the
prospects for joint projects in the area of security" and "exchange
views on the current international situation."
Such
statements are very much needed. Indeed, they are of a rich tradition, the
beginnings of which could first be seen in the 1980s, when Mikhail Gorbachev, first
secretary of the Soviet Communist Party, arrived in Poland for a friendly
visit. Party and state authorities reported in advance on what would be discussed
with the honored guest, all of which was praised as "the manifestation of a new
information policy and the transparency of socio-political life." It was noted
with satisfaction that "time has run out for the instrumental treatment of
the public, of misleading it and informing it only after the fact."
It's
a real blessing that the Foreign Ministry is continuing on this course and doesn't
mislead us Poles, and as in the case with Kerry's visit, informs us about
everything in such a clear manner.
Of
course, there will always be malcontents and obsessive seekers of criticism.
They will point out to the Ministry that the statement says not a word about
those two to four million telephone calls which, according to Der Spiegel, are redirected from Poland to the NSA's databases every day, i.e.: as part of U.S. surveillance.
We
don't know whose conversations these are. The German weekly claims they are
Polish, which means that like the Germans, French and Spanish, the NSA is
eavesdropping on us on a massive scale. On the other hand, the heads of American
intelligence, who were last week interrogated by Congress, suggest something
else - that the NSA doesn't collect these conversations alone, but is helped in
the task by its European allies.
Theoretically,
one could imagine that German intelligence is eavesdropping on the French and Poles,
French intelligence on the Germans and Spaniards, Spanish intelligence on the
French, and Polish intelligence on the Germans, and they all share their spoils
with the Americans. At the same time they can retain a clear conscience, since
they didn't permit monitoring or collecting their countrymen's calls themselves,
and when it comes to spying on foreigners, this can be done without restriction.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
The
idea of cross-surveillance may seem crazy, but it would be very much in keeping
with the American style. After all, the whole circus at Guantanamo, and among
others, a secret CIA prison in Poland, were intended to enable them to detain suspects
at will and waterboard them to their hearts' content,
without formally breaking American law, since everything was done outside U.S.
borders.
Secretary of State Kerry greets a bakery
worker in Warsaw, Nov. 5.
Whatever
the solution to the puzzle over the millions of phone calls mentioned by Der Spiegel, no doubt the government owes
Poles an explanation.
I
hurry to satisfy the impatient that we will hear one as early as Tuesday
afternoon, during a joint press conference with both chief diplomats. Minister Sikorski will announce that indeed, we actually pass to the
NSA all telephone calls by Poles, as well as their addresses, fingerprints,
numbers, and the contents of their bank accounts, etc., in exchange for which Big
Brother Barack will abolish the need for Poles to apply for American visas. Perhaps
this isn't 100 percent certain, as that would require the consent of the unruly
Congress, but visa procedures will simplified to the point that it becomes
essentially automatic and unnoticeable to travelers.
Now
we'll be spared the hassle of having to go to Warsaw or Cracow to submit to an often
embarrassing conversation with the American consul. It will be enough for a Mr.
Kowalski, in a phone conversation with anyone - say his wife, to hint that he
wants to go to America, and the NSA surveillance system will unerringly catch
it, check what it has accumulated on the Kowalskis in
its databases, and within 48 hours they will receive an answer from the
Consulate. Most often it will be a registered letter with the coveted visa to
the Land of Liberty, which they will be able to glue in their passports
themselves.
This
is precisely one of those "directions of bilateral cooperation"
mentioned in our Foreign Ministry's statement, albeit without further details, just
to give us a pleasant surprise.
