The Senate Intelligence Committee has announced that it has officially begun an investigation of the CIA. (Los Angeles Times, February 28, 2009)
Alegedly, (my word), the main focus will be on interrogation methods and who gave the orders. Leon Panetta the Director of the CIA, (no experience necessary), has said that anyone who was following orders that may have violated set policy would not be prosecuted, (if you believe that then there is no War on Terror.)
The current Committee has admitted in so many words that sensitive information, (that obtained through interrogation that may have saved American lives), will be open to scrutiny.
WAIT A MINUTE – HAS AMNESIA SET IN SINCE THE LAST TIME THIS WAS DONE?
For those of you not yet born during the Ford, (hit on the head with too many golf balls), and Jimmy, (the peanut farmer), Carter’s administration here is a quick recap. Sen. Frank Church head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, began investigating the CIA as far back as 1971 during Nixon’s administration. The investigation picked up steam during Gerald Fords Presidency and finally came to roost during the Carter’s administration where most of the damage to our intelligence gathering was perpetrated.
“In 1974 the New York Times, broke the story that the CIA had violated it’s charter by spying on U.S. citizens who openly opposed the Viet Nam War.” (law.jrank.org/pages/5109/ Central -Intelligence-Agency-Church-Committe-Hearings)
Senator Church’s Committee , (he being so far to the left that our current generation of Liberal Socialists look like slackers), in their zeal to uncover abuses, exposed sensitive information to the press which was believed responsible for the compromise of ongoing clandestine operations with the end result being that a number of our intelligence agents and their informants were exposed and some were murdered by terrorist clients of the then Soviet Government. The fallout was so great that allied intelligence agencies refused to share information with their American counterparts.
Thankfully Carter, (in my opinion a failure on all fronts), was booted from office in the 1980 election and as luck would have it Sen Church died soon after, but the damage was done.
I should add that certain of the findings of abuses such as the use of LSD on unwilling subjects and internal wiretaps, (no warrants), on Americans citizens is not acceptable unless those persons are known to likely commit actions detrimental to our national security. However, the committee objected to wire tapping individuals who were in communication with the Soviet Union, who as we know was supporting interests and causes, ie the Cubans in Angola, the Palestinians, as well as the murder and kidnapping of American, European and Israeli citizens by their client terrorist groups who the Soviets were funding. A timeline of terrorist events, not all inclusive, can be found in the “Middle East Review of International Affairs, Journal”, Volume 5 No 4 – December 2001. Additionally the timeline for the Baader-Meinhoff terrorists can be reviewed in www.Baader-Meihnhoff.comwhich lists the group’s activities from pre-1968 to mid 1970s when they were finally captured and tried. With regards to assassinations lets not kid ourselves – since time inmemoriom assassination has always been a tool of last and sometimes first resort to further a nations’s interests. It is my opinion that if it works to protect our national interests so be it – the world of intelligence is not for bleeding hearts. )
The current generation of left leaning liberals are no doubt celebrating this current investigation of our intelligence agencies regardless of the consequences. We may say that the younger ones are to some degree guiltless in their leanings due to the acknowledged deficiencies of our educational system as well as exposure to leftist college professors with their own agendas of what is right and wrong.
In 1971 Richard Helms then Director of Central Intelligence said in response the Sen. Church”s investigation, “ The nation must to a degree take it on faith that we too are honorable men, devoted to her service.”
The bottom line is that an uninformed public can be easily manipulated by the press and Government for their own ends….this investigation is nothing more than pay back and pandering to the ignorant left….I leave you to think about the big picture.
Editor: I leave the reader to investigate and either accept or dispute this short essay.
