The NSA likely had all the chatter about/coming from any 'terrorist' long before the event.
Whether or not it got passed along or not is the point.
Do a Google search of 'Echelon' for a description of a very old predecessor to what is currently being used, if you doubt the ability of a government to monitor EVERY electronic communication, yes even your FReeper posts.
Consider one more item as you read; what you perceive as 'new' technology has been thoroughly vetted in labs 10-30 years before you were allowed to experience it.
Zillions of disappeared dollars did not, in fact, go to $200 hammers or $1000 toilet seats.
That is a nice way to cover research.
Consider a simple thing like computer memory. Ten years ago the government was procuring memory chips measured in TERRABYTES. (That was when having 512 MB was considered a big deal.)
Hint: that wasn't for opening a spreadsheet.
That is a nice way to cover research.
Actually, these figures were because of a law passed by the Dem controlled Congress that forced the military to "price" items based on the entire cost of building and operating a unit like a carrier group.