[9794] in Commercialization & Privatization of the Internet
Spook's Backers: Mead Data, PRC, WAIS, Japanese, Etc.?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (David Rothman)
Fri Jan 21 13:55:04 1994
In-Reply-To: <199401210705.XAA02506@mail.netcom.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 94 13:46:47 -0400
To: "Glenn S. Tenney" <tenney@netcom.com>
Cc: com-priv@psi.com, steeler@well.sf.ca.us, cosndisc@bitnic.BITNET,
From: "David Rothman" <rothman@netcom.com>
Reply-To: rothman@netcom.com
: Thu, 20 Jan 1994 23:05:11 -0800
>FROM: Glenn S. Tenney <tenney@netcom.com>
>
>At 12:11 PM 1/20/94 -0400, David Rothman wrote [to Bob Stelle]:
>>Please tell us more about yourself and OSS [Open Source Solutions].
>> Who started your group?
>>Who's funding it? Who are your biggest contribors? Amounts? Size of your
>>budget? Corporate and industry affiliations of board members, president,
>>chair, etc? How many members? Presumably you believe in the "open books"
>>approach here.
[...]
>
>I've known Bob for a couple of years having been to his OSS conference
>twice, last year on a panel on intellectual property issues on the NII.
BTW, did you get any fees or expenses from Bob? How much in either
category? Who's your employer? Job title? Main clients?
>Bob can easily speak for himself (or "defend" himself if you'd like), but
>I'd like to pose the following:
>
>David, I think that your questions were an unwarranted attack.
Glenn, in effect, Bob *begged* for questions about his backers. In his
message of Jan. 20, He wrote: "To nurture the capabilities of our
information consortium (K12, univ. lib, private
investigators/information brokers, busines, media, govt, defense, and
intelligence), a National Knowledge Foundation will be proposed, funded
at $1 billion a year, to nurture *distributed* centers of excellence
*outside* government--centers charged [with] increasing the *content* of
the information commons."
Notice the fixation on using folks "outside government" to "increase the
*content* of the information commons". Here I'd naively thought that our
public libraries were already doing that through the purchase of books
and other material created by Free Enterprise folks like me. I was also
a little baffled why all of the billion had to go to the private sector
when libraries across the U.S. were shortening hours and closing
branches. How could I *not* wonder about this man's priorities, and about
his money sources.
Since Bob hadn't answered my questions to date about his backers, I
phoned a former CIA man, who faxed me an article from the Intelligence
Newsletter of September 30, 1993. The newsletter on the whole was
pro-Bob. It noted, for example, that a 1992 symposium of Open Source
Solutions offered "the critical insights of such high caliber
participants as the Deputy Director of the CIA, the Chief of Staff of
the DIA, the Director of Defense Information and many leading technical
experts. This year's conference seems to be well on its way to doing
even better..." Hardly a smear job.
Unfortunately, however, on its own, quite independently of me, the
Newsletter said questions had arisen about Bob's money folks.
"Given Steele's openly declared past asociations with the U.S.
Marines, the CIA and the American intelligence community, questions
have been asked of Steele's financial backing. He openly acknowledges
over a dozen corporate and institutional backers which included up
until now the Jane's Information Group, Analystical Science Corporation
(TASC), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), TRW/ESL,
MITRE Corporation, Mead Data Central, BDM Federal, Inc., GTE Government
Systems, Shima Media Institute, Science Applications International
Corporation, PRC Corporation, PSYTEP Corporation and WAIS, Inc..."
Face it, Glenn: This man does seem to have a few industry ties that
could influence his priorities. In his original post he might have done
well to have noted not just his intelligence connections but also his
industry ties. Mead Data has many wonderful qualities, but I highly
doubt that folks like this are on the cutting edge of making
information affordable to the masses.
Oh, and speaking of military and/or intelligence connections, I'll quote
from the Spring/Summer 1993 issue of American Intelligence Journal:
"...he remains a Reserve officer-instructor at the Marine Corpos
Command & Staff College, with full clearances."
"Full clearances"? Bob, you might explain. As you'll recall, I want to
know about *all* your past and current intelligence connections.
Especially I want to know if you are directly or indirectly receiving
money from the CIA or any of the many other intelligence agencies or
companies, foundations, or other entities tied to them. And for what
services, exactly?
Presumably the AIJ material is accurate. It appeared as a contributor's
ID to an article he wrote as a guest contributing editor.
BTW, while we're on the subject of backers, I find it fascinating that
the Japanese are involved. Here Bob is supposed to be obsessed with
national competitiveness.
Just goes back to one of my earlier posts. The net is too international
to rant and rave too much about U.S. vs. Them.
Best way to "compete" isn't through silly, spy-based schemes. It's to be
adult and cough up money for *public* libraries and schools and lean on
them to be more innovative. See the January issue of Money magazine to
learn of the blessing that Prop 13 has offered California. ;-)
Would also help for American parents to get their children interested in
learning. (Can't blame the schools alone. Just ask Ross Perot about
football vs. school in Texas.)
*Well-spent* taxes, discipline, and *useful* innovation will make us
competitive--not a spooky National Knowedge Foundation.
>you react if every time you push Teleread (which, I might add, is virtually
>EVERY message you post!) [...]
Guilty as charged! You'll notice folks keep reading, because I include
new info on my posts and relate TeleRead to alternatives--including,
yes, Robert David Steele's scary plan. His heroes are spies. Mine are
librarians. I've gotten hundreds of requests for teleread.txt, and
until I'm TWEPPED I won't shut up :-).
> [...] someone asked you the same questions? WOuld you >open your books? >
Major backers this year: O'Reilly & Associates and Prima (another
publisher). I'll be doing three books to help stock the "information
commons." The ORA book will contain some terrific great activism tips
from an EFF alumnus and others ranging from pro-choice abortion folks
to a Rush Limbaugh fan. Hope you don't mind my plugging myelf, but you
asked for it. :-)
Unlike Robert, I'm not drawing a penny from the government, and I have
no foundation behind me. TeleRead is just one man's idea, not a group's.
Note: My views are mine, not necessarily my publishers'.
>Since Bob's OSS is a non-profit corporation, I believe the books ARE open.
>I know that he has posted financials on the bulletin board at his
>conference.
Terrific. Let's see them here. And why hasn't he included them with the
posts I've received so far?
>btw, Bob's background IS with the intel community -- he was with the Marine
>Corps intelligence center at Quantico. He does not hide this. Quite the
>contrary...
*Is* with the Marine as a Reserve Officer-instructor with full clearances!
>>The only real solution is a well-integrated national library system
>>online, together with support of local libraries, the Internet and other
>>alternative means. That way we benefit from centralization but have
>>checks and balances.
>
>I, too, have been touting online libraries for over two years -- it was a
>major part of my Congressional platform when I ran in the Democratic
>primary in California in 1992.
Great. Please e-mail me what you wrote. I myself have been pushing
TeleRead for several years.
Trust that your plan not only provided for free or low-cost e-books but
also for computers for the masses.
*If* memory services, you yourself requested a copy of teleread.txt.
But, do you think it really appropriate to
>raise this relative to this? Couldn't we start challenging YOUR motives
>for raising Teleread?
No CIA background or rich government contractors involved, thank you.
>
>Perhaps Bob's message hit you at a bad moment, or perhaps you had a bad
>week. I'd just suggest that you should consider how you would react if
>someone said the same things to you...
If I were *Bob*, I'd say, "You know--you're right! Mead Data and the rest
have plenty of well-paid lobbyists to look after themselves. From now
on I'm going to worry about schoolchildren and other average Americans."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Plug #2: Thanks to former CIA man Ralph McGehee, author of a book on the
the company and also the developer of CIABASE, which contains several
megs of CIA-related information. He's the guy who steered me to the
clips on Bob Steele. People interested in CIABASE may reach him at
703-437-8487.
Reminder: Folks, I'm CIA-friendly. In fact, I suspect that many in
Langley are looking upon Bob with horror. He's giving life to the worst
fantasies about CIA influence on domestic policy. Just because he's
"open" doesn't make him right. Let librarians be librarians; let spooks
be spooks. (I hope that EFF and the ACLU won't be comatose on this one.)
**************************************************************************
David H. Rothman "So we beat on, boats against
rothman@netcom.com the current...."
805 N. Howard St., #240
Alexandria, Va. 22304
703-370-6540(o)(h)
I *encourage* online reproduction of my public postings.
Permission hereby granted--implicit, explicit, whatever. Down
with unnecessary restrictions on the flow of knowledge!
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