Spy Balloons: The ultimate distraction.

Somehow, we’re still talking about spy balloons. Long-forgotten are the revelations of Edward Snowden, who uncovered mass surveillance programs under the NSA and other U.S. agencies. Since that time, we’ve come to learn more and more about the capabilities of multiple U.S. agencies to surveil its own citizens. The spy balloon narrative overshadows the steady erosion of civil liberties in our own backyard. Resources James Fallows: What the Hell is Happening in the Sky? The Soldiers Project: How Many US Military Bases Are There in the World? The Guardian: US intelligence spending has doubled since 9/11, top secret budget reveals South China Morning Post: Edward Snowden: US government has been hacking Hong Kong and China for years Spiegel: European Union Spiegel: NSA Spied on European Union Offices WikiLeaks: Vault 7: CIA Hacking Tools Revealed The Intercept: NSA Blimp Spied in the United States Truthdig: Truthdigger of the Week: Alexa O’Brien UNFTR YouTube: Much Ado About a Spy Balloon -- If you like the pod version of #UNFTR, make sure to check out the video version on YouTube where Max shows his beautiful face! www.youtube.com/@UNFTR Please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts: unftr.com/rate and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @UNFTRpod. Visit us online at unftr.com. Join the Unf*cker-run Facebook group: facebook.com/groups/2051537518349565 Buy yourself some Unf*cking Coffee at shop.unftr.com. Subscribe to Unf*cking The Republic on Substack at unftr.substack.com to get the essays these episode are framed around sent to your inbox every week. Check out the UNFTR Pod Love playlist on Spotify: spoti.fi/3yzIlUP. Visit our bookshop.org page at bookshop.org/shop/UNFTRpod to find the full UNFTR book list, and find book recommendations from our Unf*ckers at bookshop.org/lists/unf-cker-book-recommendations. Access the UNFTR Musicless feed by following the instructions at unftr.com/accessibility. Unf*cking the Republic is produced by 99 and engineered by Manny Faces Media (mannyfacesmedia.com). Original music is by Tom McGovern (tommcgovern.com). The show is written and hosted by Max and distributed by 99. Podcast art description: Image of the US Constitution ripped in the middle revealing white text on a blue background that says, "Unf*cking the Republic."Support the show: https://www.unftr.com/membershipsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.