Running a think tank is quite an interesting profession, and I don't consider it for myself a profession because I am retired from a much more dynamic industry in my opinion. Formally, I was a franchisor, setting up franchised outlets in over 23 states. Still, it is nice to be privy to interesting information, and along the way of the intelligence industry too, and what a big industry it is. Recently it's been called The Intelligence Industrial Complex, and apparently that title fits.
In any case, I've noted that we are sharing intelligence globally with other nations. Today these nations may be our friends, in the future they may not be. Nevertheless they will have collected lots of information on US citizens. That information is being accessed by foreign intelligence agencies, some of which may have been infiltrated by spies from rogue nation-states. Now then, it's not that they cannot find lots of information about Americans, as they open and freely post their personal vital signs on places like Facebook, however it should be a concern to all of us.
Further, running a think tank is interesting, because I note often enough, people contact your organization who are not exactly what they claim to be, or using false identities to get information. Even small bits and pieces of information can be pieces to a puzzle, and of value to foreign spies, corporate industrial espionage agents, and/or those who are very much against American capitalism, along with the freedom, liberty, and pursuit of happiness that we allow our own citizens.
They don't want that in their country, they want to control their people, for if they don't the people may have it off with their heads, and they are aware of those potential eventualities and consequences as per history. Now then here's a real problem, a foreign nation has information on US citizens in high-power, and in charge of important projects. That information is accessed by double agents and spies from rogue nations. Then those rogue nations and their spies, which are being tracked by our CIA contact the individuals, contact these good Americans to get information..
The CIA then notes that someone from the United States is in contact with the spy from another country, therefore puts them on a watch list. Then someone from the CIA or another US intelligence agency tries to infiltrate the groups, businesses, and activities of the US citizen who might potentially be compromised in the future, not knowing who side that US citizen is on. Therefore our intelligence agencies are inadvertently creating false targets to internally justify additional surveillance.
The more information they learn about foreign spies, and who those spies are talking to in our country, or rather trying to talk to, the more people we end up putting on watch lists who happened to be decent, honest, and unbreakable US citizens - and as the list grows bigger and bigger those intelligence agencies need a greater budget all the while defending their current surveillance programs. This is become somewhat of a challenge, and it's too bad we don't give our US citizens more benefit of the doubt, and if we know of foreign spies, maybe it's time to get rid of them, before attempting to label an American citizen as a spy, or a potential hazard.
Now then, I'm not criticizing anyone or any policy here because our nation is a great nation, we have a lot going for us, and we must protect all we are and all we've built. That is absolutely paramount, nevertheless how we go about that is equally important to maintaining our rights as citizens, and the freedom, liberty, and pursuit of happiness we claim as our foundational mission statement.
Otherwise, we don't have anything worth protecting. Do you see that point? Indeed I hope you will please consider all this on a purely philosophical level, without shooting the messenger, or jumping to conclusions or taking sides.
Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Future Military Technologies. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6912604
No comments:
Post a Comment