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Welcome again to the Monday morning news kick off. For those of you who attended the ESRI User Conference last week, we hope you had a restful weekend and recovered from what was a most-excellent event. Speaking of ESRI, we are providing a link to Directions Magazine’s analysis of the event. Oh, and we have plenty of political and hard-news stories that impact what we do. So, as always, grab that cup of coffee, scroll down and be prepared for the most productive week of your life.

ESRI User Conference 2009 Themes
Our friends at Directions Magazine provided this very insightful blog post about the themes that emerged from the ESRI UC last week. Key themes that were highlighted include the overall subdued vibe, lots of Tweeting going on, and how the term “Fusion” has come back in fashion.

Is Congress Castrating the Intelligence Community to Protect Pelosi?
Jim Kouri, vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, penned this most compelling Op-Ed on the current status of the intelligence community and the political battles that are heating up with the proposed investigation into the secret CIA program that was not disclosed to Congress for almost eight years. Read the post here.

Specialized Interrogation Unit May Be Created
A Justice Department-led task force reviewing interrogation policy is leaning toward the creation of a small, specialized unit drawing personnel from intelligence, military and law enforcement agencies to question without the use of coercion any future high-value terrorism suspects captured by the United States, according to administration officials. Read more here.

Report: Industry May Be Unable to Meet Military’s Needs
The Aerospace Industries Association issued a report Monday warning that because of consolidation and other fundamental changes in the defense industry, manufacturers may not be able to provide the technologies required to carry out the strategies the Defense Department considers necessary to meet future threats. Read more here.

Google Mapping the Moon
Google is expected to announce today the launch of its new 3D view of the Moon in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing.

Happy Monday!

Tags: Department of Justice, Directions Magazine, ESRI User Conference Themes, GEOINT, Google Moon, Google Moon 3-D, Nancy Pelosi, USGIF