The Feds have actually cited the "drug dealers and terrorists looking into the windows" thing before. I can't find a reference at the moment, but I'm pretty sure I'm not engaging in hyperbole. They don't want sight-lines in close proximity.
The not City Hall Plaza spook thread.
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Re: Menino Proposes Selling City Hall
Sounds like something out of a cold-war movie. Laser-sighted listening devices and such. Is espionage even a serious threat like it was in the 80's? And Drug dealers? Does that mean low-level pushers or members of Columbian cartels? They probably have sighted that as an issue, but I have to believe that terrorist threats are at the top of the list of concerns.
Sounds like something out of a cold-war movie. Laser-sighted listening devices and such. Is espionage even a serious threat like it was in the 80's? And Drug dealers? Does that mean low-level pushers or members of Columbian cartels? They probably have sighted that as an issue, but I have to believe that terrorist threats are at the top of the list of concerns.
Lurker
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Re: Menino Proposes Selling City Hall
"Is espionage even a serious threat like it was in the 80's?"
I would imagine so now that the Chinese are playing the great game handedly and Putin's SVR has a budget thanks to the oil boom.
The FBI building is a waste of space in this location and should be moved to some secure site in South Boston. Let's not waste prime waterfront development space though. Perhaps the projects could be demolished? I think that might get Bulger in a tizzy.
"Is espionage even a serious threat like it was in the 80's?"
I would imagine so now that the Chinese are playing the great game handedly and Putin's SVR has a budget thanks to the oil boom.
The FBI building is a waste of space in this location and should be moved to some secure site in South Boston. Let's not waste prime waterfront development space though. Perhaps the projects could be demolished? I think that might get Bulger in a tizzy.
Beton Brut
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Re: Menino Proposes Selling City Hall
Oh, the irony! At least Whitey would know where to find his old FBI cronies even after being "out of town" for so long.
Oh, the irony! At least Whitey would know where to find his old FBI cronies even after being "out of town" for so long.
tobyjug
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Re: Menino Proposes Selling City Hall
It is a greater threat than ever. The Chinese military is being built off of industrial espionage in this country and arms purchases from Russia. China plans naval hegemony over the China Sea, Brunei, Indonesia, in other words oil and oil routes. Don't forget Taiwan either.
China has been waging an intense cyber war against the United States for at least the last 10 years. Most of the serious hacking in the world eminates from China. Don't be surprized if within hours, if not minutes, of the first PRC missile volley at Taiwan, considerable portions of the U.S. electric grid fail due to "technical problems of an unidentified nature."
The positive things to come out of the current panic will be the reduction of oil consumption occasioned by the economic downturn, reducing the revenues available for Russian rearmament, and the reduction of profit and growth supporting Chinese rearmament. The recession may prove to be a very effective economic weapon.
The western (chiefly American) zeal for opening communist countries to the free market system was madness. It has transformed our rivals from well armed but economically inefficient ideological competitors to well armed economically efficient competitors for scarce global resources.
You younger fellows are going to have it alot tougher than those of us who had only to worry about containment and the Fulda Gap. Yes, espionage is still a problem.
It is a greater threat than ever. The Chinese military is being built off of industrial espionage in this country and arms purchases from Russia. China plans naval hegemony over the China Sea, Brunei, Indonesia, in other words oil and oil routes. Don't forget Taiwan either.
China has been waging an intense cyber war against the United States for at least the last 10 years. Most of the serious hacking in the world eminates from China. Don't be surprized if within hours, if not minutes, of the first PRC missile volley at Taiwan, considerable portions of the U.S. electric grid fail due to "technical problems of an unidentified nature."
The positive things to come out of the current panic will be the reduction of oil consumption occasioned by the economic downturn, reducing the revenues available for Russian rearmament, and the reduction of profit and growth supporting Chinese rearmament. The recession may prove to be a very effective economic weapon.
The western (chiefly American) zeal for opening communist countries to the free market system was madness. It has transformed our rivals from well armed but economically inefficient ideological competitors to well armed economically efficient competitors for scarce global resources.
You younger fellows are going to have it alot tougher than those of us who had only to worry about containment and the Fulda Gap. Yes, espionage is still a problem.
Lurker
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Re: Menino Proposes Selling City Hall
Russia is too much of a demographic and ecological basket case to really pose a threat to the West beyond economic blackmail using oil and natural gas. Their sales of weapons to every unsavory character that is to their current advantage hurts the West, but is eventually going to come back to bite them, HARD. I could see China seizing Siberia at some point for resources and there isn't much that Russia could do in that theater of operations to stop them right now.
China is a big problem, one would hope that economic liberalization would cause the masses to demand representation a la the American Revolution. That was one of the intended goals of the West's engagement with China, but the extent of the police state, and the collectivist history of the country prior to the current communist dictatorship, makes it culturally less likely. Modern China is divided ethnically and less homogeneous than we are led to believe by government authorities. There are significant tensions regionally, but the central government always clamps down hard on unrest. Our only hope is that China liberalizes politically into a benign democratic power, or breaks up into 3-4 smaller countries along ethnic lines.
We should be supporting Japan's slow moves to change their constitution to build carrier fleet again and perhaps build their own nuclear weapons. They would probably be one of the most moral and trustworthy countries with such things, given recent history. It would also be in our best interest to shift all of our cheap manufacturing from China to India. Boosting a regional power that is democratic and wouldn't be thinking to use large sums of money to start a large war in the Pacific would probably be a good thing.
Getting back to City Hall, it boggles my mind that more people aren't complaining that government offices shouldn't be placed on prime development land. Years from now if City Hall is relocated to a waterfront location, we would probably be faced with the same exact problem.
"2088 Oh noes dudes!!! Like the totally wicked City Hall is like wasting x like Acres of like the totally wicked awesome waterfront! Gotta like totally relocate to like xxxxx and like get the like awesome monies!!!! The mayor's idea is like wicked pissah!.Can we like believe again?! Together we can!"
Russia is too much of a demographic and ecological basket case to really pose a threat to the West beyond economic blackmail using oil and natural gas. Their sales of weapons to every unsavory character that is to their current advantage hurts the West, but is eventually going to come back to bite them, HARD. I could see China seizing Siberia at some point for resources and there isn't much that Russia could do in that theater of operations to stop them right now.
China is a big problem, one would hope that economic liberalization would cause the masses to demand representation a la the American Revolution. That was one of the intended goals of the West's engagement with China, but the extent of the police state, and the collectivist history of the country prior to the current communist dictatorship, makes it culturally less likely. Modern China is divided ethnically and less homogeneous than we are led to believe by government authorities. There are significant tensions regionally, but the central government always clamps down hard on unrest. Our only hope is that China liberalizes politically into a benign democratic power, or breaks up into 3-4 smaller countries along ethnic lines.
We should be supporting Japan's slow moves to change their constitution to build carrier fleet again and perhaps build their own nuclear weapons. They would probably be one of the most moral and trustworthy countries with such things, given recent history. It would also be in our best interest to shift all of our cheap manufacturing from China to India. Boosting a regional power that is democratic and wouldn't be thinking to use large sums of money to start a large war in the Pacific would probably be a good thing.
Getting back to City Hall, it boggles my mind that more people aren't complaining that government offices shouldn't be placed on prime development land. Years from now if City Hall is relocated to a waterfront location, we would probably be faced with the same exact problem.
"2088 Oh noes dudes!!! Like the totally wicked City Hall is like wasting x like Acres of like the totally wicked awesome waterfront! Gotta like totally relocate to like xxxxx and like get the like awesome monies!!!! The mayor's idea is like wicked pissah!.Can we like believe again?! Together we can!"
tobyjug
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Re: Menino Proposes Selling City Hall
I have never understood this suicidal policy for exactly the reasons you describe. It is the sort of reason that Australia will always be a friend of a well armed United States.
Agreed about India as well. It was amusing when Putin wanted an extra half billion for the Gorshkov due to "overruns" and Bush hinted that he would give the Indian Navy the Kitty Hawk for free.
As to City Hall, what you say about locating it on prime land makes sense. I gather that the inside view is that any site must have the potential to be prime, and that City Hall is meant to be the catalyst for achieving primacy. The problem is that any City Hall complex will outlive its function, and not move on quickly enough to the next would be prime location.
I have never understood this suicidal policy for exactly the reasons you describe. It is the sort of reason that Australia will always be a friend of a well armed United States.
Agreed about India as well. It was amusing when Putin wanted an extra half billion for the Gorshkov due to "overruns" and Bush hinted that he would give the Indian Navy the Kitty Hawk for free.
As to City Hall, what you say about locating it on prime land makes sense. I gather that the inside view is that any site must have the potential to be prime, and that City Hall is meant to be the catalyst for achieving primacy. The problem is that any City Hall complex will outlive its function, and not move on quickly enough to the next would be prime location.
Ron Newman
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Japan's pacifist constitution is a great achievement of the 20th century. We should be encouraging more countries to follow Japan's lead, rather than asking Japan to reverse this accomplishment. Japan understands that building wealth is more constructive and useful than military might.
Beton Brut
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But if your neighbors are "baddies" intent on taking your wealth away...