Well...I might as well admit it. I'm a Russian super spy.

[Sheherezade]

Seriously, what does everyone make of this spy ring story? I'm thinking this was just a group of sleeper agents that the FBI decided to sweep up - but it is odd that they were being paid for so long if they weren't "needed" any longer. They didn't seem to be in positions that would give them great access to information. Still, what do I know?

And Vishenka....you can fess up here first if you are another "femme fatale" agent from NYC.

[GrayMatterWife]

And with that thread caption, we are now being monitored by Homeland Security...

[Sheherezade]

Oh goody!! That poor NSA agent. He/She may die from boredom or spend countless hours trying to "decode" all this talk about babies, budgets and bedlam.

[DCJenn]

Hey now, my parents both worked for NSA. (which fascinates Jenn P's husband to no end) Mom still has "White House Level Clearance". (in case they need any Vietnamese translated by a woman who purportedly hasn't done it in say...42.75 years)

I think it's really sad that there are 7 kids who are now freaking out- these are AMERICAN kids, by the way- born right here, as I understand it.

I read a description of the entire thing as a Russian "hail mary pass." I mean, seriously, if what's for sale at Wal-mart and stock tips from cocktail parties is where the Russians are, it makes the CIA and their fuck ups look like freaking James Bond and Jason Bourne in real life.

Jenn

[migirl]

DH and I were laughing at the news reports that said something like, "Federal officials are trying to figure out why the Russian government went to so much trouble to find out information that they could have gotten on the internet" and "It's a mystery how they thought they were going to get Washington secrets from a couple living in Yonkers".

[Sheherezade]

That's what is so intriguing to me. I can never accept that something was just a stupid move. I always imagine that there is some great story behind it that I will never know. There HAS to be a story, right? I can't imagine this program went on for so long on such an ill conceived idea. I had the same reaction to the Iraq war move in the wake of 9/11 -- it took me a long, long time to get beyond the idea that "they" (our leaders) must know something I didn't that made invading Iraq for 9/11 makes sense. But apparently, no.

Jenn - I'm also sad about the kids. On Diane Rehm yesterday, the analysts couldn't even track where the kids had been taken or offer any ideas about what would happen to them. That's terrible.

[Vishenka69]

I wish my life was so glamourous and that my house and expenses were paid by the Russian gov't. DH and I can't really figure this story out either. I'll try watching Russian news to see if there's any new info there. The only thing we can think of is that since lots of public news in Russia is manufactured by the gov't, may be they don't trust American news sources (i.e. Google, CNN, etc.). Really weird story. Guess FBI has nothing better to do.

[GrayMatterWife]

Guess FBI has nothing better to do.

I was thinking the same thing.