Could someone explain WHY nations are still spying on each other?

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   mega1posted 14 years ago

   I mean recently these Russian spies were arrested for hanging around in the U.S. finding out about things like commerce, industry, social networking . . .  why should that be a crime?  I mean, in this day and age open info - why pay people to go spy?  why arrest them for getting info?  It makes so little sense.  I mean, yes, if it was secret, classified stuff about starwars equipment or some such, but all they have to do is ask about most stuff - don't even have to come here really, can just go online and look things up!  so weird. . . am I wrong?

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      tony0724posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Because the Russians want to know all about Justin Bieber , Beyonce , Lady Gaga and Vampires. And not to mention the fact the Russians are smart enough to know you cannot trust what you read in the mainstream media And when you want the upper hand , info is priceless. Love of power is the thing that has the modern world spinning out of control.

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         mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         and will power bring the gulf's pelicans and other creatures back?  will power give us back the health of all the oceans?  will power give us the guarantee that the monsters of commerce won't be able to kill off the whole planet digging for stuff?
         
         just wonderin'

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            tony0724posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            How were you able to intertwine two completely unrelated subjects ? Kinda curious. And power is something even the most modest of nations covet. Ask the IMF and the Fed !

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               mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

               As far as I can tell every subject is involved when it comes to keeping the physical, natural, planet healthy!  Name anything that doesn't affect the planet's health!

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                  tony0724posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  Heres one , Russian spies ! As far as I can tell that was the original topic matter for this post !

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                     mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                     They are alive, right?  they breath, eat, travel, build houses, have jobs, use some of the planet's resources each day plus the things they tell their government influence how that government makes policy deciscions that affect how the planets resources are used and abused.   Even you and I affect the planet's health - no way around it!

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                        tony0724posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                        Yer right that explains the spying !

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                        psycheskinnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                        Ooookay.
                        
                        I would suggest one subject per thread, just for us simple non-holistic folks.

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                           tony0724posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                           Thank you !

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                           mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                           Ooookay - that's pretty funny - you are non-holistic?  how did you manage that?  and that has anything at all to do with spys?  hahahaha!

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         rianirianiposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         you are so right!!!..i'm not russian, but  i do want to know why JB and Gaga and vampires are HUGEE in US....i just don't get it...did the spies get it?

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            tony0724posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Hard to say. I will have to ask the kids about your first question though !

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            mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            I bet they didn't get it - they probably asked the wrong people and that's how they got caught!  This latest on the spy front actually has me a little paranoid - won't this just start a new paranoia here in the U.S. - people calling their rivals spys (since Americans don't believe communism exists anymore we don't call each other communist and get each other driven out anymore)  but now we can get that noisy neighbor deported if we're willing to turn him in as a spy!  Oh boy.
            
            spys or spies - which is it?  oh, so now you probably suspect me!  Wouldn't I know how to spell the plural of it if I was one? wouldn't I?

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      jrree57posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      food and land
          See this is been going on sense the beginnig of time. One group is hunters the others are vegitarians --one wants the others goods.
        Spies are a modern day version of how advanced man has become to eat and sleep and get land for food.
      
          Believe me if the china or russian armys could invade and take your property and make you a slave they would. This is history --not my oppinion -- on history and those who donot know history repeat it.

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         mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         well, that's all true - man's been fighting man forever - thing is, if we continue the way we been we'll kill the planet and nobody will have anywhere to live.   At least that's my humble opinion.  And spying on each other just seems very childish.

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      Brenda Durhamposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Well, let's see.....
      
      Some of the 911 criminals, from what I remember the News saying, had lived in the U.S. for a while, basically integrating into our society before they carried out their plans.
      So, y'all who take this stuff so lightly are burying your heads in the sands of "tolerance" and ignorance of reality.
      
      Now, I wish someone would tell me why our trained spies haven't been able to weed out Osama Bin Ladin.   Perhaps he has fallen into those same cracks of political correctness, since he is a "citizen of the world" too
      .......

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         tony0724posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Brenda wrong topic matter , this is about the planet and the oil spill !

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            Brenda Durhamposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            It's about spying.
            
            Oh....excuse me!  Let's save "mother nature"!   The heck with finding terrorists! 

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   jondavposted 14 years ago

   Because politicians seem to be unable to tell the truth to either the public or eachother. So everyone spies on everyone else.

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   MikeNVposted 14 years ago

   No matter how much stuff you have... humans always want more stuff than the other guy.  Doesn't matter if they already have more than they could possible ever need.
   
   So that's your answer.  GREED!

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   Dame Scribeposted 14 years ago

   Wow they still after the secret Colonel recipe for KFC?

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   Uninvited Writerposted 14 years ago

   I find this case so intriguing. People were spying, pretending to be couples and they also had children. I definitely can see a TV movie coming out of this.

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   mega1posted 14 years ago

   Didn't mean to leave you to talk among yourselves - had to go watch Labyrinth - which, it turns out, explained things pretty well.   That is: that truth and reality being subjective to each wanderer, whatever one tries hardest to find out will still somehow always just be beyond our reach.  And whatever we try so hard to hold onto will also be right there and within our reach as long as we can let it go -
   
   ahhhh. 
   
   But still -  bazillions of our resources, time, money and stuff seem to go for such meaningless things -  and now the stakes (being the health of all the planet's ecosystems) are so high!
   
   oh, say, did those married spies have any children?    just wonderin'

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      china manposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Labrynth sounds like an interesting show - I haven't seen the show but you have just described one of the big issues with communication and understanding. Tell me more -

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         mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Labyrinth?  It's not the very greatest, but it was intended for kids I think - which includes me, of course.  David Bowie is the king of the goblins - George Lucas produced it - that's what convinced me to see it.  I guess I'll write a review.  But I'm only supposed to actually talk about spies and spying - since I started this stupid thread. 
         
         Everyone says that nations spy on each other because they don't trust one another - paranoia.   But I think its grown into something much grander.  Spying and the paraphernalia of spying (not to mention the various entertainments around the subject) have become businesses - not very profitable probably but managed like corporations.   
         
         Then there's the phenomenon that each nation's spies reveal a sort of national character in their methods, strategies, and goals.  Spying the American way is part of our national identity (even if our favorite James B. is English) There is a kind of "fashion statement" spies from different countries make.  You see what I mean?  Its a spy industry that has its own life and is unstoppable - you'd have to take out the entire C.I.A. and the U.S.I.A. in order to stop the U.S. from spying and would that be politically advisable? 
         
         It costs us a lot, in oh, so many ways.    Yet, I haven't heard that spying has stopped any wars or prevented any major catastrophes (won't mention the oil spill) even though "intelligence sources"  always seem to have had evidence that trouble was brewing which is only revealed after the war begins or after the catastrophe or terrorist attack.  So wtf good are these multi-billion dollar spies?
         
         Now.  are you all sick of hearing about spies?

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            china manposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            The whole story sounds like some institution just trying to justify its existence to me.
            
            I love the 'spies fashion statements' I think you have that about right, the whole thing has a history and culture all its own - I remember spies pictures were always in black and white, and the pictures of the locations etc, even when colour media was normal.  Our spies were always daring heroes, as you say James Bond, and theirs skulked on street corners just out of the light and always smoking. European spies were always sultry, mysterious, and too clever for their own good and ended up sacrificing themselves for their 'country'.

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               mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

               I was pretty shocked when I heard about these latest spy arrests, because I really thought that since the Soviet Union disbanded there was no threat from that area therefore no Russian spying going on.  Silly me.  All I know about spying comes from movies and books.  Fiction, in other words.   The real world of spying is probably incredibly dull and mundane. 
               
               Just finished reading that trilogy from Swedish author Stieg Larsson about a spy who really messes up some peoples lives.  Very good story, but I wonder if its premise is reasonable.
               
               Could a spy from some eastern bloc country come to the U.S. be protected by the C.I.A. because of what he knows and then no matter what evil terrible stuff he does to his own wife and child and other people too, he would be supported by the C.I.A.?  man, how awful.  If you haven't read these books I recommend them - the first was made into a movie "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" 
               
               Very curious about modern spying - a subject I will never get to know the truth about, probably.

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   shazwellynposted 14 years ago

   Because we live in a paranoid world

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      mega1posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      RIGHT!  I KNEW it!  Paranoia rules!  this was kinda a wacky question, huh.  I shouldn't be the one asking the wacky questions!  I'm supposed to be handing out wacky advice and answers!  oh well

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   mega1posted 14 years ago

   Y'all are makin' me laugh more than I've laughed for so long!  What a day!  no, no, don't stop!

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   Mishaposted 14 years ago

   I guess you had more than one question here
   
   The answer to the title question would probably look something like: nations will spy on each other as long as they exist. This is a natural behavior.
   
   As for this particular case - and I did not hear about it until I read your post, so I had to go and make some research - looks as an FBI attempt to convince us that they don't waste all of our tax money. And timing tells that the people who pulled the trigger on arrests are likely republicans

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    mega1posted 14 years ago

    dudes - there was a natural progression there - I don't give a     whether you are simplistic or not - if you want to reply to the original post - welcome - otherwise, if you just came to complain - well, hey, go ahead, but who gives a       do you actually have something to say about spying? or what?

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