I believe Mark (everytime we go on a heist he has to start shouting my name...) is delving into a time honoured discussion between us on the value of life and the decisions that can come up in situations of doom and death. In fact, I find his little explanation here very clear, kickassy, and might quote this shit on a philosophy paper one day (as the learnéd Mr. Nettling once said...).
6) Perhaps I didn't explain this too well, because that makes two people that have asked about it vaguely implicity (in Roo's case, explicitly), or questioned it is a better word. The Ministry of Defence, the Foreign Office, and MI5, MI6 and that other one I cant remember that is the real British equivalent of the CIA or NSA WILL take Commonwealth citizens as applicants. I don't know how much our loyalty to the UK would be questioned (and thus, limit our actions and work... I've actually thought about this too, in light of the CIA and my half-flappy head so full of lies-ness), but Commonwealth citizens, again, can join these organisations. And, grace to... shit that's a french construction, owing to Canada's nonindependence until the 80's, I am a Commonwealth citizen, nominally loyal to the Crown. So I could be James Bond, maybe getting SOME girls, though I agree Jack Ryan is also pretty fucking sweet.
And dudes, how is it that somehow alot (well, two) of my close friends have connections of family to the CIA? Man, fuckin' everywhere.
Responses, in no order. 1 on Roo's) I am fairly sure any drugs I have done are long out of my system, and alcohol doesn't count, checking the website.
2 on Roo's) W would NOT be my boss, at least if I took a career in the Agency (we all assume I like the CIA the most, weird), since by that time he would be OUT. And I am fairly sure the President does not have direct control over the intelligence services, either way. Not considered part of the armed services, so not CINC of the CIA. And I don't know how far I 'trust' the American people: I certainly trust them to elect, according to the information they have, the person they like the most. I am still unsure how that translates into real terms.
3 on Roo's) Good point. I know of the US problem there, but not Canada's. Will check it out.
And out of time. Will recommence after I get back on. Still waiting for Andrew's comment on this, should be fun as fuck. Thanks for everyone who commented, lets keep this one up...
Looks like those classes in ass-kickery are coming in handy. You know, the ones I teach.
Okay, more seriously, you wanted more comments on your musings. Though I'm sure you want us all to debate this thing and laugh as we squabble like little puppets, I must resist. Had you said, "Debate the CIA. Go." Maybe. But you didn't, so you fail. Hence, I'm sticking to my sound advice of:
Do want you want, what feels right to you, weighing only your personal pros and cons against the decision. I'll support you either way.
Out of seriousness now, consider George Carlin (who you get to see, you bastard), "Let's just kill the motherfucker, go to the peace rally, and get laid."
Mark, I would like you to look in the second paragraph (ignore the first sentence as a paragraph) and go to the end two phrases of that paragraph. Now, what does it say there?
I think it says "Debate the CIA. Go.". I think.
Though your advice is sound. Agreed. But I like to point stuff like this out, if only in revenge for my "Being ahead seven hours is like being behind seven hours!" and you pointing that out.
I would argue that you quote yourself out of context. Yes, even you don't know what you are saying. Agreed you did say that, and I suppose it can be interpreted literally. But given the context, I interpreted as 'Debate my joining the CIA. Go.' So yeah, I overlooked the literal interpretation, so I concede that point. Poop.
So given a literal meaning, it's all about the body count. Thus, since the CIA seems to do good in that department, no problem there. For you optimists, I'm only half joking.
Also, I think I meant to say if that had been the only thing you said, If nothing else, I resort to the excuse that I had only had 2-3 hours of sleep, coming from 4-5 hours the night before. Damn I wish it were winter break, I despise classes. Making me wake up and do work.
Yeah, somehow I missed this amazing discussion for 5 whole days. It has been a busy week I suppose. Uh, if you had asked me this like 2 months ago I would have been like fuck the CIA, the CIA sucks. Buuut since I'm no longer taking a ridiculously absolute line on things...I agree with Mark on his main point and most if not all of his other ones. It's a big thing to say oh the CIA did this and the CIA did that and frankly to gauge the CIA at all when it's a national intelligence agency (hence wreathed in mystery) that has been around for a long time. I'm not taking away from its colored reputation but I'm just saying what Mark said. There's a lot of shit when it comes to the CIA and the best stuff doesn't make the news.
While I agree that we should be as aware of possible of the ramifications of our actions I don't think we can flee from any organization or institution that disagree with. I keep paying taxes and a big chunk of them is funding a war that is well on its way to killing as many people as Saddam did during his reign (only 200,000 or so more to go Bush, maybe you can finish before you second term ends in disaster! you freakin idiot!). So, you know, if you're in the CIA, as an intern let's keep in mind, you just you know play it by ear, or not. I doubt there's gonna be any serious crap coming "across your desk" and you don't want to be significantly responsible for raising the price of crude or killing baby seals then you can object or something. But it's all up to you.
What you really need though is a game plan. Don't forget that the CIA totally hates the President. After all the original justifications for the Iraq War went to hell when the President blamed the CIA and the CIA flipped him the bird. I mean, they like seriously did. You could read a news article and be like "dude, the CIA just totally dissed Bush...sweet!" So I think you should become the CIAs top French interpreter. And then, when Bush (or some similarly douchy president) has some critical speech in France, you can create your own "Eich bin ein Berliner" incident. Just have him/her going along suddenly throw in "I am a rotten vagina" or "I had frogs for lunch," you know, something that will make Frenchpeople everywhere laugh hysterically or give the US president the evil eye. Both would be equally funny (and newsworthy). You might even consider having that be your objective in your resume. Mark once had his be "to take over the world" and things worked out for him! Like I said, the CIA supposedly hates the President. And I figure, with this as your sworn and known goal, you won't get mixed up in any secret coups, dictator supportings, seal clubbings, etc.
Also, I might actually, had I the random power to do so with a DC of 5 or whatever, raise crude oil prices. Why? If I could assure myself that, somehow, the price hike would cut into oil companies' profits, or actually show the actual COST of the good (called an externality, if I remember IB economics) to a consumer, the cost of its production, cleaning it up, damage to environment, people getting killed over it... then I certainly would. Or fuck, I might do it anyway, just to cut demand down a little.
Yeah, it would suck. Also, not many people would reduce their intake of the good, since its demand curve is inelastic as, well, a boner with that weird shit Jonah told us about one day, with the needle? I will now stop.
6) Perhaps I didn't explain this too well, because that makes two people that have asked about it vaguely implicity (in Roo's case, explicitly), or questioned it is a better word. The Ministry of Defence, the Foreign Office, and MI5, MI6 and that other one I cant remember that is the real British equivalent of the CIA or NSA WILL take Commonwealth citizens as applicants. I don't know how much our loyalty to the UK would be questioned (and thus, limit our actions and work... I've actually thought about this too, in light of the CIA and my half-flappy head so full of lies-ness), but Commonwealth citizens, again, can join these organisations. And, grace to... shit that's a french construction, owing to Canada's nonindependence until the 80's, I am a Commonwealth citizen, nominally loyal to the Crown. So I could be James Bond, maybe getting SOME girls, though I agree Jack Ryan is also pretty fucking sweet.
And dudes, how is it that somehow alot (well, two) of my close friends have connections of family to the CIA? Man, fuckin' everywhere.
Responses, in no order.
1 on Roo's) I am fairly sure any drugs I have done are long out of my system, and alcohol doesn't count, checking the website.
2 on Roo's) W would NOT be my boss, at least if I took a career in the Agency (we all assume I like the CIA the most, weird), since by that time he would be OUT. And I am fairly sure the President does not have direct control over the intelligence services, either way. Not considered part of the armed services, so not CINC of the CIA. And I don't know how far I 'trust' the American people: I certainly trust them to elect, according to the information they have, the person they like the most. I am still unsure how that translates into real terms.
3 on Roo's) Good point. I know of the US problem there, but not Canada's. Will check it out.
And out of time. Will recommence after I get back on. Still waiting for Andrew's comment on this, should be fun as fuck. Thanks for everyone who commented, lets keep this one up...
Reply
Reply
No offense to Dan, who is cool, but it was hot.
Reply
Okay, more seriously, you wanted more comments on your musings. Though I'm sure you want us all to debate this thing and laugh as we squabble like little puppets, I must resist. Had you said, "Debate the CIA. Go." Maybe. But you didn't, so you fail. Hence, I'm sticking to my sound advice of:
Do want you want, what feels right to you, weighing only your personal pros and cons against the decision. I'll support you either way.
Out of seriousness now, consider George Carlin (who you get to see, you bastard), "Let's just kill the motherfucker, go to the peace rally, and get laid."
Reply
I think it says "Debate the CIA. Go.". I think.
Though your advice is sound. Agreed. But I like to point stuff like this out, if only in revenge for my "Being ahead seven hours is like being behind seven hours!" and you pointing that out.
Reply
So given a literal meaning, it's all about the body count. Thus, since the CIA seems to do good in that department, no problem there. For you optimists, I'm only half joking.
Reply
Reply
While I agree that we should be as aware of possible of the ramifications of our actions I don't think we can flee from any organization or institution that disagree with. I keep paying taxes and a big chunk of them is funding a war that is well on its way to killing as many people as Saddam did during his reign (only 200,000 or so more to go Bush, maybe you can finish before you second term ends in disaster! you freakin idiot!). So, you know, if you're in the CIA, as an intern let's keep in mind, you just you know play it by ear, or not. I doubt there's gonna be any serious crap coming "across your desk" and you don't want to be significantly responsible for raising the price of crude or killing baby seals then you can object or something. But it's all up to you.
What you really need though is a game plan. Don't forget that the CIA totally hates the President. After all the original justifications for the Iraq War went to hell when the President blamed the CIA and the CIA flipped him the bird. I mean, they like seriously did. You could read a news article and be like "dude, the CIA just totally dissed Bush...sweet!" So I think you should become the CIAs top French interpreter. And then, when Bush (or some similarly douchy president) has some critical speech in France, you can create your own "Eich bin ein Berliner" incident. Just have him/her going along suddenly throw in "I am a rotten vagina" or "I had frogs for lunch," you know, something that will make Frenchpeople everywhere laugh hysterically or give the US president the evil eye. Both would be equally funny (and newsworthy). You might even consider having that be your objective in your resume. Mark once had his be "to take over the world" and things worked out for him! Like I said, the CIA supposedly hates the President. And I figure, with this as your sworn and known goal, you won't get mixed up in any secret coups, dictator supportings, seal clubbings, etc.
Reply
Also, I might actually, had I the random power to do so with a DC of 5 or whatever, raise crude oil prices. Why? If I could assure myself that, somehow, the price hike would cut into oil companies' profits, or actually show the actual COST of the good (called an externality, if I remember IB economics) to a consumer, the cost of its production, cleaning it up, damage to environment, people getting killed over it... then I certainly would. Or fuck, I might do it anyway, just to cut demand down a little.
Yeah, it would suck. Also, not many people would reduce their intake of the good, since its demand curve is inelastic as, well, a boner with that weird shit Jonah told us about one day, with the needle? I will now stop.
Reply
Leave a comment