Quora / CIA propaganda

https://www.quora.com/

'What is it like to be a CIA officer?'

I got this message from a website called quora that has begun to send me emails, inviting my curiosity.
I had to respond. After answering someone's no doubt deeply felt convictions re the CIA an agency that he worked for I see that the post I am responding too was written on January 26, 2015 and there is no way to directly bring a link back to share with you. I will copy and paste Scott Stern's text here and then you can read my response..

Scott Stern

·

January 26, 2015

Chief Strategist at Red Stripe Strategy (redstripestrategy.com), a Chicago-based marketing consulting firm specializing in inbound marketing for small businesses.

What is it like to be a CIA agent?

As an ex-CIA officer, I can actually answer this one with a fair amount of authority. We used to joke that if there someone made a TV show or movie about what CIA officers actually do, it'd be more like The Office than Homeland or 24. There'd be a lot of shots of people waiting in line at Starbucks and complaining about how their computer just crashed for the 3rd time today. :)

In reality, shows like Homeland get some very small parts of the job right, but those are the boring details and not why anyone watches those shows. For example, the CIA isn't a police force (it doesn't arrest people) and most of the things you see on TV wouldn't happen because the lawyers would say we couldn't do it. There's all the politics, bureaucracy, IT problems, etc. of any large organization, public or private. I was a manager in the National Clandestine Service and most of my time was honestly spent worrying about my employees' schedules, editing reports, coordinating with other offices, etc. The same stuff that every manager in every company in the entire world does.

Obviously, though, there are some major differences. Secrecy and security are paramount. We can't talk about what we do or even let most people know who we work for, which is really stressful both on officers and their families. The seriousness and stress of the job itself exceeds most jobs in the private sector. To give a sense of it, the general feeling in my office was that anything less than absolute focus and 100% commitment could result in you missing the key piece of info that could stop a terrorist attack. The common sentiment was "how would you live with yourself if an attack happened, but you didn't do X, Y, or Z because you went home at 6pm/didn't want to call someone in at 10PM on Thanksgiving/etc." There's also definitely a "Holy Sh!t" moment everyone has early in their career where something happens and it hits you that you're actually working at the CIA. It's a pretty cool feeling and I had plenty of those moments, but if I told you about them I'd have to kill you :)

Admittedly, I got tired of that type of life and left. But I loved the job itself and have massive respect for the people who do it every day for their entire careers. CIA officers tend to get a bad rap in the media and public debate, but I really think most people would be impressed and proud of the work CIA officers do in some of the most difficult and dangerous places in the world.

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‘Operations officers (case officers) are the ones who recruit agents and assets to steal secrets and commit espionage for the United States government. Surrounding and supporting them are everyone from staff operations officers, analysts, security, administrative and other personnel.’

21,000 some odd personnel work in the CIA

‘Capital punishment  is a legal penalty under the United States federal government criminal justice system. It can be imposed for treason, espionage, murder, large-scale drug trafficking, or attempted murder of a witness, juror, or court officer in certain cases.’

So we have an agency of the United States created after WWII to go after our enemies, wherever they may exist.
We created an agency that supports and sustains ‘Espionage’ on every level (for your benefit of course ) against our enemies. Supports an activity that if it was turned on us we might suggest it is such a crime that death is the punishment. ..but as we all know we are a special people ordained with a strong sense ( such a strong sense of what is right that we are now enlisted to even search amongst us all, you, me maybe someone you know, here at home to find ‘evil’ wherever it may exist) of right vs. wrong for your own good.

You are allowed to question the activities of your government… as a matter of fact you are required to question the activities of your government.

JFK and the Unspeakable

Capital Cop with MAGA Hat/ dealing with the Mob

 https://www.wsj.com/video/why-capitol-police-officer-says-he-wore-maga-hat-at-riot/32CDC24E-6733-4E66-8B34-5B0AEEFEFB33.html

Video from Wall Street Journal 

 I was in a mob once when I was about 17 years of age. I am not proud of that day.

 I feel connected to the good people who were misled into violating the Congress of the USA. I understand the feelings of being a people who have been violated, or believe that to be the case. I like this cop in the video. I have no idea all the details of what is going on in this video ... what I see is that he was trying to achieve some good in a bad situation.

 All I can say about the election of 2020 'Valid Concerns' but dereliction of leadership was what took place. Let's move on and take a year or two to find new leadership. There are options. Neither lies nor violence need to be used to bring about a victory for the principals this country was founded on still waiting to be fully realized. 

 

Trump Covid Segregation

 It all flows together doesn't it? You can't separate something. Segregate someone. Try to tell your mind separate this subject to be dealt with now this one. Not in a world of Liberty. 

  Liberty on one side of the American coin... on the other In God We Trust. 

  Does that 'In God We Trust' phrase serve to awaken something of a connection to a force that
is greater than our individual selves? Viktor Frankl the author of the marvelous, recommended
reading in my High School for all new (young) Americans 'Man's Search for Meaning'. Frankl in his talks from coast to coast that he gave during the fifties and sixties urged we as a nation to consider putting up a statue of Responsibility that would be the partner of Lady Liberty overlooking New York Harbor.

  'In God We Trust' was that message look to something outside oneself to balance your love of Liberty. Is it fear of Liberty these days? Liberty is good enough for me but what about all the bad people? Are we still estranged from Responsibility? So estranged that we are willing to dismiss Liberty as a fiction of weaker minds. What power for goodness or healing could reside in Liberty? Not many apparently see that at this time. this nation

  I've wondered as I have read history and of course that is the joy of reading or discovering the story of Life on Earth. To wonder. Wondered, specifically can you wonder specifically? The wonder spreads...
Wondering about Liberty and Responsibility. Does Liberty demand that you serve? Demand that you not retreat? 

  The Trump four year stint is about up. What will be his role ahead? What is mine? What is yours?
Here is our President for the next 7 days speaking out for Peaceful behaviour from his supporters up ahead, https://youtu.be/hDNiNdsPHNA here is text from his DC speech ..never mind. Trump for all the possibilities that this man had to rise up and speak out on the dangerous drift this nation was sliding sideways to which he did in his way over four years.  His own weakness and ignorance compounded things and always undermined, his good intentions, which I still give him credit for, just dumber than a doornail. 

   Liberty is wonderful. Responsibility is not so easy. He said goodbye to his troops as they headed off for the Capital. 'I won' he said. Like he said regarding his first debate. Off his troops went.  Leadership zero. 

   In the meantime my local State Senator has notified me of a Zoom talk on the 26th. Re Covid 19


   I submitted a question. 
 
   Do you agree that the Bill of Rights are still in effect?

The people of California and your district
are allowing the governmental shutdown only to the point that the people's representatives, you, have a high degree of honesty
. ... that is being watched as best we can.

      This  is a Liberty question and a Responsibility question.

   

Barbara Lee 2001 fast forward 20 years...

Magnificent courage back then of Barbara Lee. 

(thanks Glen Greenwald for retrieving this video from history and sharing it via his weblog on substack.com)

from Wikipededia

The only representative to vote against the Authorization in 2001 was Barbara Lee,
who has consistently criticized it since for being a blank check giving the government unlimited powers to wage war without debate.^[4] Lee has initiated several attempts to repeal the authorization. Business Insider has reported that the AUMF has been used to allow military deployment in Afghanistan, the Philippines, Georgia, Yemen, Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iraq, and Somalia.^[5]

Are we at that point again with the events in DC? Is this the 'Liberals' turn to seize a moment of
fear and outrage and take irreversible steps pushing us all further down the rabbit hole. Completely unnecessary?

Once again the same forces are waiting in the wings. 

The 'Security' of the world depends on these noble forces 'Intelligence', they will chase terrorists wherever they will and can find them.

 'Liberal Democracy' will be maintained.

 As the security state describes the country it swears to defend ....

 I consider the term Liberal to imply an Independence of thought by virtue of what the name mean't
 to me growing up. 
 Liberal people practiced being open-minded, could handle diverse opinions and would be willing to listen to one's 'Enemy' ... or was that never Liberal?

Maybe that was always the outlaw/rebel who resisted labels and the forces of conformity.

Look at the AUMF of 2001 what powers are we going to grant the President to fight our present 'domestic' enemies. PLease Middle of the Road People ..., Just say no to hatred, fear and retribution.

Down the Rabbit Hole ...

 Down the Rabbit Hole. 

 To me that describes a situation that is not generally good.

  I think it was me used the term first today. When a friend asks how have you been doing sometimes you don't always lie. I might have said something to the effect that I have to climb out of my 'hole' of doubt  & fatigue. That part that does not feel comfort or whole or even peace. You know you go forth hoping and it almost always works, to some grateful degree, at some point in the day, you get lifted up out of your internal dialogue world and Life is happening!

  .... out of the rabbit hole

 My friend laughed in his usual way... and asserted jovially  (that means the dude keeps laughing)

'We are all in that hole!' I couldn't not laugh at the time! Hah! I laughed. I felt he kind of dropped a bomb of complete..... Wisdom? Close enough for me. Of course we all know that... (do we?)

 Thinking of me, thinking of DC, thinking of how many people showed up in DC to show their support for Trump. Loyal good people who are seeing things that maybe you don't see. That Nancy Pelosi and Schumer and all the Good Democrats just don't want to see. The valid concerns about this past election.

 Before we jump on me for even suggesting this wasn't an impeccably fair and well adjudicated election... Let's go back to the title of this little piece 'down the The Rabbit Hole'.  

       Down the Rabbit Hole.

       What if my friends analysis bares some essence that is hard to deny? You can deny it if you are being true to yourself. My hats off to you and I know I can do better. I think my friend offered up a view of the world that has healing potential. That reveals the way through. What if we are all 'down the rabbit hole.' Hating someone for going down a different rabbit hole then yours, is that going to help even us?

   Have we the consciousness to admit that a homeless person in our environment hurts us all?
  To believe you can hate or fear half of your fellow citizens?

    I am speaking to my local Bay Area friends and to the Blue Progressive World in general. I would join and I will join a Political force of humans who refuses to hate, no matter what. Like a group of people whose refusal to hate ......,
 was as powerful as your own arguments.

( the truth of it is it's not even a conscious choice of Good vs. Evil) Refusal to hate/ not relevant. When you get wakened up to life... you stop being so afraid, fear won't get translated into hate etc...


It's not the Progressive World I want. I think we have been hurting for sometime with a loss of vision of what Progressive even means.

 Today I drank a beer with the name 'Circle of Life'
 

, 

... deemed False that is the Truth! ( 'Good' People. )

 Not me yet.  < It won't be long yeah, yeah,  yeah, yeah...  till  you ...>

  Re: a bloggers post deemed False by Instagram (Facebook owned) a post that repeats the claims that
Kamala Harris and Cory Booker accused Joe Biden of during the Democratic Debates.

 My desire is not to go back and make anyone look again at Biden's bill back in the past.... almost all of us want to move forward and I am fine with that and I hope Joe lives long and prospers and finds a way
of actually uniting us.. even just a little bit. Not wishing to go back but knowing that we have to stand up against the Control of the Truth via internet powers... now backed up by the freshly restored Security State now with the leadership that won't dare question their opinion of who is friend or foe.

  As President Obama told CIA Director Panetta 'What the CIA wants, the CIA gets!'


 From the latest Glenn Greenwald post greenwald@substack.com

 Go ahead Glenn!

 ".........This episode demonstrates two crucial facts. The first is that what is so often passed off as quasi-scientific, opinion-free “fact-checking” are instead extremely tendentious, subjective and highly debatable opinions. That’s how Instagram can cherry-pick the conclusions of USA Today and treat it as if it is Gospel even though numerous other outlets, mainstream politicians in Biden’s own party, and criminal justice experts reached a radically different conclusion. “Fact-checking” in theory has journalistic value, but it is often nothing more than a branding tactic for media outlets to disguise their highly subjective pronouncements as unchallengeable Truth.

The second, more important point is that Silicon Valley giants lack any competency to determine the truth or falsity of political claims even when they act with the best of motives. Who at Instagram decided to rely on the USA Today claims while ignoring all the conflicting conclusions from other outlets and experts, and who decided how to apply that conclusion to the post at issue? And why did USA Today randomly decide to subject an anti-Biden meme about his crime bill from the account of a relatively obscure, anonymous Trump supporter but ignore similar statements coming from Senators Harris and Booker and Bill Clinton, thus handing Instagram an excuse to label any similar views as “False” and without “any basis”? Why are tech companies trying officiate political debates this way?

Recall that the censorship of Twitter and Facebook of The New York Post’s reporting on Hunter Biden’s laptop was based at least in part on the claim that the documents were the by-product of hacking and “Russian disinformation” — claims that have “no basis in fact.” As Matt Taibbi put it last week when warning of the dangers of YouTube’s decision to ban from its platform any questioning of the legitimacy of the 2020 election while still allowing similar questioning of the 2016 election: “There’s no such thing as a technocratic approach to truth. There are official truths, but those are political rather than scientific determinations, and therefore almost always wrong on some level.”

  In the meantime John Brennan spoke to a Los Angeles Times audience last night. (CIA man for 20 years, Director of CIA under Obama, 'It's not torture', 'drones are precise', ... an Undaunted enemy of our enemies abroad and domestic'....  the next biggest threat to the USA 'bad actors' on the internet.

   We are in for the next level of' 'interesting'. It will be easier for those who get their news from 'Everybody knows', the angry memes condemning bad People.  .... backed up by our undaunted, loyal, watching out for you on your behalf and behalf of Liberal Democracies and their allies across the Planet, your security state. 
 

The Mob and Trump

A dangerous game. Trump's supporters, in general, are better people

 Mob's are dangerous things no matter what, or who, you are protesting.  When you have no leadership that makes it a lot worse. It's time for any and all Trump supporters to let him go his own way.

My heart has been hurting for sometime now and I know I am not alone. For many reasons.


For anyone in the capital at this time, and in America, I understand your anger at the Mob. For anyone who was part of the mob, I can imagine that you are trying to sort it all out, and might even wonder how you let yourself get swept up in this something. Something very ugly and beyond anyone's control. Isn't that the worst thing of the whole experience? That it represents something demeaning to this country you love? ..and so out of control! 
'make America Great again' ending with such a fiasco.

I saw a little bit of the clip that President Trump created... his speech directed to 'the mob ' I didn't have the stomach to listen too much. In fact my short fuse, already disgusted by what I saw, had little patience for any of it so I joined Trump's enemies saying "F You!" when I heard him laying into you. I don't know the quotes.. whatever it was that he said I thought it was pathetic. Not that there weren't way too many ignorant people who think violent activities is the solution there. There was but for this leader to not take some responsibility for the events that blew up in is face. Grounds for divorce. 

That's the sad state of the four years with 'my guy'.   Friends can taunt me 'your guy'.  Maybe I can try to describe that relationship better someday.

 In the mean time maybe I'll listen to the full video before cutting him, President Trump, off. Maybe I'll listen to Cory Booker's full video before cutting him off.

 There's an old Traditional American Bluegrass song called Standing in the Need of Prayer. The lines go something like this. 'Not the sinner, not the preacher, but it's me Oh Lord standing in the need of Prayer'

 

It's a Beautiful World!

  That's about all their is. It would be nice that we don't blow it up with an excess of Fear and Hatred.

  God bless the wildlife and try to give them more room. We humans have taken an awful lot. Time to give back.

Cory Booker and Response

 Cory Booker

From a youtube post.

More emotion and passion to fight emotion and passion.... but who is really ready to dig for the truth? Perhaps it was due to Covid but observers in the election were kept at more than arms length. The 'litany' of complaints and suspicions brought by legal observers has been dismissed. Has it been fully investigated? It seems there was no big conspiracy, just random incidents, a wave of distrust between left and right. Trump lost the election in his first debate, then declared he won the debate. Then you Declared you won the election, President Trump, that is not evidence of anything. There is no way you know who won. You were 10 points behind in the polls. Americans are sick of being declared racists and despite the shoot himself in the foot rhetoric of our President the people were voting for themselves when they voted for Trump. That's why they almost shocked this nation by keeping Trump for another term. It's a big mess. Too bad Republicans lost Georgia, Gridlock would have been best for this country. if Republicans tried to appeal to the Independents in the state they might have kept their seats. Instead it was all rah rah for our side and hatred of the other. Which is Mr. Booker's position too. Mobs are not good. Violence injury and death follow. Some people feel that this is the path forward that bloodshed is somehow the righteous vehicle to counter crimes, tyranny oppression. That the emotion will bring some long term good. I am not of that belief. I believe you have to decide what is the world you want to live in. The 'Love is Love' crowd, the 'Love Wins' crowd (as my friends and neighbors seem to be, judging from the signs that attest to that reality) have to have faith and live it, if that is where they claim to come from. The 'Fuckers' who voted for Trump might be the one's carrying this Torch. Verbal violence is just the primer before real violence begins. The fools who were the mob at the Whitehouse did not gain a single vote. They lost votes. So it goes. 'Be like water' I think, is a good idea. I am of the belief that when we find our full identity, that we won't settle for being a Blue person or a Red person. That identity thing has to do with a sense of mission on behalf of future generations and this whole big Living event called Life on Earth. Conservative Liberal... we've Fd up this Planet and we need to back off, give it back to more Wildlife. Less people is OK. We'll get by.