On Jun 20, 2006, at 10:26 AM, Carl Remick wrote:
> Somewhat anomalously for a corporate lawyer, you are touchingly
> naive. This isn't a lodestone for idealists -- such as the Peace
> Corps -- that we're talking about. This is the CIA, a magnet for
> sly, secretive sorts who enjoy playing evil games. Wake up and
> smell the intrigue, counsellor.
No it's not the Peace Corps, but really, you've got to understand how The Pig System sucks in decent people who think they're doing the right thing. They really do see themselves as defending freedom against Terror (or, a generation ago, the Evil Empire). There aren't many people besides Michael Ledeen who are so in love with sly, evil gaming in itself. Ditto the military - it's full of people who signed up out of idealism. Many of them have crises when they find out just what it's all about. You're not going to go anywhere in figuring out how power works if you ascribe evil motives to participants.
Doug