Part 140 (1/2)
”I told you there were other ways,” Kennedy shot back
”Well, for your information, there's a little htily
”And how did you find out? Pray tell?”
Marvin grinned devilishly before answering ”CMR Van Eck
Whatever We have Mason covered”
”You're using the saht these bastards”
”At the expense of privacy?”
”There is no clear cut legal status of electronetic emanations from computers,” Marv said defensively ”Are they private? Are they free to anyone with a receiver, like a radio or TV? No one has tested the theory yet And that's not to say we've tried to publicize it The FCC ruled in 1990 that eavesdropping on cellu- lar telephone calls was legal By anyone, even the govern a most questionable technical practice an aura of respectability hidden behind the legal guise of freedom
Kennedy was uncomfortable with the situation, but in this case, Marv had the President's ear
”And screw privacy, right? All in the name of national security”
Henry did not approve of Marvin's tactics
”It's been done before and it'll be done again,” Marvin said fairly unconcerned with Kennedy's opinions and whining ”Citing National Security is a great antidote to political inconvenience”
”I don't agree with you, not one iota!” blasted Kennedy ”This is a deood and the bad, and one preht to privacy That's what shredded Nixon Phone taps, all the tied Marv to his old tial” Marvin's alal either”
Kennedy frown deeply ”I think you take the NSA's charter as national listening post to an extreht hed Henry Kennedy ”The President gave you the task, I heard hireebut it would help”
”Don't worry The speech will make hi about Not afor nincorave called Henry Kennedy's office in the baseendary technical ineptness One ti a speech to the VFW, the sound went out Trying to be helpful, the President succeeded in plugging an 'in' into an 'out' which resulted in afalse security alert, and the subse- quent loss of any sound reinforcement at all
”You kno I feel about him, Phil,” said Henry with concern
”I support him 110 But this is a new area for all of us We don't have the contingency plans Defense hasn't spent years studying the proble out the options or the various scenarios Phil, until recently viruses and hackers were consid- ered a non-proble picture”
”I know, Henry, I know, but the politicians had to rely on the experts, and they argued and argued and procrastinated”
”And Congress, as usual, didn't do shi+t” Kennedy coe the fact that he's winging it
Christ, we don't even know the questions e a lightbulb” His affection for the President was clear through the barb ”And you knohat really pisses me off?”
”What's that?”