“Now, as nearly as I can make out, those fellows in the CIA don’t just report on wars and the like, they go out and make their own, and there’s nobody to keep track of what they’re up to. They spend billions of dollars on stirring up trouble so they’ll have something to report on. They’ve become … it’s become a government all of its own and all secret. They don’t have to account to anybody.” –U.S. PresideNT Harry S. Truman, who created the CIA
14 thoughts on “What does the CIA REALLY do?”
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Maybe in Truman’s time but probably not. It’s a convenient line that is going to be used to excuse the president.
We are seeing the proof of that right now on this very site. The bulk of the supporters here are capital R as in Republican or small r as in libertarian. And so they now stop using the president’s name and switch to the deep state. It wasn’t a natural transition from blaming Obama to blaming Trump.
Mr. White seems to want to switch away from the fact that the deep state works for the president. That wasn’t a mistake that was being made around this site when Obama was president.
Regardless of the continuing support of Trump by Raimondo, which will have to largely be laid aside eventually, one way or another, there will never be the anti-president sentiments expressed against Trump that were expressed against Obama. Personally, I’ve been around this site long enough to know that’s just a fact.
I couldn’t agree more. I haven’t seen one mention yet on this site about Trump’s proposed $54 billion, or 9% increase of the military budget. I’m waiting for Raimondo to explain how this increase is really a direct counter to the “deep state,” rather than a clear demonstration of Trump’s total war mania, Antiwar, my ass.
We are seeing a simultaneous sellout by the Trump admin to the two biggest rip-off sectors of the US economy, the Military Industrial Complex and the Medical Industrial Complex. I would love to see a Venn Diagram of the overlap in individuals who profit from both — there would be a lot of well-known names.
” I haven’t seen one mention yet on this site about Trump’s proposed $54 billion, or 9% increase of the military budget”
Then you haven’t bothered to look for such mentions. Here’s 30 seconds worth of Google results for Antiwar.com articles on the subject:
http://news.antiwar.com/2017/02/26/officials-trump-will-ask-for-sharp-increase-in-military-spending/
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2017/02/26/michael-anton-and-the-limits-of-trumpism/
http://news.antiwar.com/2017/02/27/trump-seeks-massive-9-military-spending-hike/
http://news.antiwar.com/2017/02/28/trump-vows-record-military-spending-end-of-sequestration/
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2017/02/28/enemy-of-the-year-why-russia/
http://news.antiwar.com/2017/03/02/trump-pledges-12-carrier-fleet-as-he-touts-navy-buildup/
http://news.antiwar.com/2017/03/05/trump-administration-plans-for-dramatic-reductions-to-foreign-aid/
http://original.antiwar.com/engelhardt/2017/03/05/the-president-who-loved-generals/
Next?
… First of all, Raimondo never supported Trump, only Trump’s antiwar statements, and was critical of Trump’s prowar attitudes when manifested.
Second, the official U.S. military is Constitutionally sanctioned (Article 1, Section 8). The Deep State is traditionally associated with the CIA, neither of which are Constitutionally sanctioned. Trump can support the official military all he wants within the tolerance of the American people.
Spies and intelligence gathering was not unknown in 1776; George Washington himself was an adroit spymaster. Yet, the Constitution does not sanction intel as a major function of government, but instead has provisions curtailing its abuse by the government against citizens. The CIA only exists under statute law under the National Security Act (July 1947).
Once the CIA became independent of the War Department, it presumed, or rather pretended, a legal vacuum. The U.S. war department dissolved Sept. 18, 1947 and the CIA formed Sept. 18, 1947. The War Department became the Departments of the Army and Department of the Air Force, but there was no ‘Department of Intelligence’.
The CIA/Deep State especially as it operates now is unconstitutional and likely always has been. The Pentagon intel services, not necessarily so.
First of all, your constitution is meaningless and it’s only ever summoned up to use in making a point for partisan politics. There is no attempt to uphold any of it’s perceived values when it doesn’t suit the party bias. Forget it, it’s not going to be of any use to our antiwar cause.
The CIA/NSA/FBI/deep state work in accordance with the president and the US congress. If there is blame to attach then that’s where the blame lies. People like you will always be imagining that they are working for the other side, when in fact they are following orders. The heads of those agencies are put in place to follow party orders.
Each time your constitution is summoned up to make a case, it will be an example of how your constitution is being ignored. It’s likely the failing is in the words if it can be done so easily. The violations can be sidestepped and explained away so easily.
Well gosh, what were you hoping to back the antiwar cause upon then? Ideals of flowers, reason and good will backed by… ?
The Constitution in and of itself isn’t magic or sacred but the critical mass social consensus to be bound peaceably by fair rule of law in the first place, is.
Its either going to be fair rule of law or far more arbitrary raw force with or without (increasingly without) a legal fig leaf. The second option more openly contradicts the original premise of being antiwar.
The Deep State needs the Constitution and its establishment of rule of law to abuse as much as everyone else needs its rule of law to protect against being abused. Giving up here is perhaps not the best option for most people.
Once any sense of rule of law breaks down, and only monopoly of force matters, following orders doesn’t work anymore. Enter the various white hats in the CIA/NSA/FBI and various independents trying to reassert rule of law so they can have sane orders to follow, and these laws are drawn from the principles of the Constitution and its formulae,and customs for resolving social disputes.
Once the Constitution ceases to have binding power as a living document, a rather large power vacuum is created. A power vacuum usually resolved by war as various competing definitions of just rule vie for absolute legitimacy. It would be a long time before a critical mass of people could ever again together reassert a workable level of rule of law to form any semblance of a nation.
Sure hope you’re right about those “white-hats in the CIA/NSA/FBI,” Brockland A.T. And there better be a LOT of ’em!
But I wouldn’t count on it – – – they’re too busy spying on us and recording everything, creating the foundation for universal blackmail.
As Snowden put it remember – – –
“Even if you’re not doing anything wrong, you’re being watched and recorded. You simply have to eventually fall under suspicion from somebody, even by a wrong call, and then they can use the system to go back in time and scrutinize every decision you’ve ever made, every friend you’ve ever discussed something with.” –Snowden,: Leak of NSA spy programs “marks my end” – CBS News
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2016/02/l-reichard-white/lessons-dealing-american-stasi/ Lessons for Dealing With the American Stasi – LewRockwell
Not nearly enough, no. Nonetheless there are patriots who take their job seriously and are very good at it.
At some point the U.S. needs to deal with real challenges and issues and not the social warfare games of the snowflakey elites, which might arguable constitute a threat in and of itself.
House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes revealed just recently that there was ‘incidental’ surveillance of Team Trump, doubtless under pressure to accommodate two-year old revelations by CIA/NSA whistleblower Dennis Montgomery. Apparently there was a massive spy op against 156 judges and the Supreme court and business leaders including Donald Trump.
So, Russiagate is fiction – as Trump has claimed, and Trump is at least generally correct; the CIA types were spying on him under the Obama administration. Not that he’ll get any credit for that in the various snowflake news outlets.
Its not clear what the average person being spied upon has to be concerned about as far as blackmail goes. The few that make it up the ladder into politics and business, though, would have something to worry about. Or not; vice is a privilege.
The ultimate prize is probably corporate and political espionage; harassing plebes is more like sport and training/social conditioning, like the Spartans used to do to their helots. Build up that sense of entitlement to an attitude problem.
Sounds like you have good connections Brockland A.T.! Thanks for expanding my horizons. “Massive spy op” sounds about right.
Trump has been making the wrong accusation. “Did Obama/Clinton operatives look at the data that was being collected from my devices, even here in Trump Tower?” might work.
And given the U.S. history of chronic meddling, even if Russiagate was 100% correct, no big deal. Except for some of us more senior folks who still think Russia is the old U.S.S.R. rather than a country with a shrinking population looking for co-operation.
But the troubling part is the psychological atmosphere created here in the U.S. when you know you can be targeted by government operatives – – – or individuals who have access to the NSA etc. database – – – at will. Because there’s this – – –
L. Gordon Crovitz: You Commit Three Felonies a Day – WSJ
It’s true — the blackmail prize is “the few that make it up the ladder into politics and business….” So MAYBE, despite your “Three Felonies a Day” you won’t be but you know you CAN be. And so there’s Snowden’s observation.
AND a few of the results are beginning to come in – – –
Already about a third of writers are “chilled” by NSA surveillance –Scared Silent: NSA Surveillance has ‘Chilling Effect’ on American Writers http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/11/12-5
Is this the atmosphere you want for your kids, grand kids and the yet unborn?
They aren’t doing these things just to have something to report on…they’re not *that* bored.
Although the hindsight was warranted, day late, dollar short.
Henry Wallace should have been President, not Truman. The 1944 DNC was the original Bernie Sanders. Wallace was a heck of a lot more popular then compared to Bernie in 2016
And Reagan was the original Trump, where globalist insider GHW Bush was forced on the populist outsider just like Pence has been foisted on Trump. Pence could have been Hillery’s running mate for all the difference I’ve seen.
Behind CIA and MOSSAD you find ILLUMINATI !!!
And what is behind ILLUMINATI >>>>>>>>>>>>>> LUCIFER !!
I’m sure they have foreign national Playmate’s to play tag with at recess -. Its the MSM s ongoing fairy tale ..they say- ***** Your it !! **No your it !!! NoooYour it !!! Liar – your it !!