[MD] Contents of Moq_Discuss Digest, Vol 21, Issue 8

[Ham Priday]

Marsha --

I watched about 20 mins. of  the Weiner interview.  (I lost patience 
downloading the 203-page Adobe document, and canceled it.)

What Tim Weiner was able to get in (between Rose's continuous interruptions) 
was interesting and probably a fair appraisal of covert operations 
undertaken by an open society.  Certainly the U.S. cannot expect to match 
Israel's intelligence-gathering capability, inasmuch as their nation's very 
existence is imminently threatened.  The British probably do it better 
because they've been at it longer and are less bound to political concerns.

Of course there have been incidents of abused power, such as the attempted 
overthrow of the Chilean election, and incomplete or outdated intelligence, 
as in the case of Iraq's (scuttled) WMD arsenal.  But CIA activities are 
hardly a representative example of America's morality or cultural standards. 
No other nation contributes more to the education, health, and disaster 
relief of third-world countries, nor has any nation been more active in 
liberating people oppressed by dictators and tyrants.  America may be 
resented and feared as a military power, but I think it is fair to say it is 
admired by an overwhelming majority of the world's people, including those 
of former enemy nations like Japan, Germany, and Soviet Russia.

It is the nature of democratic governments to be political, just as it is 
the nature of elected officials to be bureaucrats.  Unfortunately, the 
"lobbyism" has become a cottage industry of bureaucratic government. 
Equally unfortunate is that citizens who benefit from entitlements like free 
education and subsidized healthcare tend to take their freedom for granted 
and become dependent on a burgeoning paternalistic government.  (That, in my 
opinion, is what feeds the political aspirations of the Democrats.)

I always wonder about fellow citizens who are quick to condemn a country 
that has given them the right to express their opinions, elect their 
representatives, practice their religion, choose their career, and seek 
their fortunes.  My first question would be: Where on this planet would they 
find comparable freedom and opportunity?  Then I would ask: Why don't they 
move there?

Anyway, thanks for the CIA references, Marsha.  It always helps to learn the 
kind of things that influence other folks' opinions.


Regards,
Ham,