7.26.2006

The Importance of Being Earnest

When Econo-Girl made the ill-fated decision to criticize torture she was being a naive fool. After all, hadn't the DoD and the CIA both decided to adhere to the Geneva Conventions? I really meant what I said, but apparantly they did not. Hence, the termination of employment.

Ah, well. What's done is done and there are no regrets, although a little pain. At a certain point in one's spiritual development, beliefs and actions must agree. That, in the end, is what happened. It was a process I didn't have full control of. There was a lot of profit in compartmentalization, after all.

Econo-Girl has the full support of many in the intelligence field. She knows this because she is continually approached and thanked for her outspokeness. I thank you in return. Your words of support have meant a lot to me.



17 comments:

Anonymous said...

How to make an argument with no facts: [Paraphrasing]

"Everyone in the IC knows your lying. If only the public knew what a terrible thing you did, you would have all the credibility of a turnip.

Unfortunately, I can't give any examples of what you did, or how you are lying, because it is classified. It's terrorist loving commie pinko liberal traitors like you that are going to be responsible when you, your aunt, and this cute little puppy end up killed."

I have to say, this is a wonderful turn in discourse. Pretty soon, we'll all be able to believe that reality is whatever we choose, with no need for those old fashioned 'fact' things to back us up.

I, for one, intend to have more fairies and unicorns in my reality when I create it. I just hope no one straps me to a board and repeatedly drowns me while I'm in my reverie.

Never anonymous,

Lee

P.S. Forgive the repost, my point came at the end of the discussion last time, and I wanted a pre-emtive strike on illogic in this thread.

Manoj said...

Hi Econo-girl,

I dunno u... but had been reading all news abt u for last few hours... I now have grown a great respect for you... I guess you are maturing spiritually as well...

My best wishes to you... Pls stay in touch...

At the same time, I guess there must be some reasons for wat is accepted by everyone at FBI (waterboarding etc)... I feel that it is not necessary to eradicate it completely...

Anyway, very glad to meet you...

Cheers :D
Manoj
India

thailandchani said...

Lee, what is your point?

First of all,I really question whether you are a member of the IC. People in the IC generally know the difference between "your" and "you're".

That said, your name-calling and invective doesn't address the issue.

Should someone in the IC be able to express a personal opinion or not? Last time I checked, IC members are paid to think. That means asking questions.

The only thing that can make a traitor is actions - not thoughts, not questions.

It's certainly easy to throw out the straw man "it's classified so I can't discuss it." I've found that people who really know secrets don't engage in innuendo. They simply keep their mouths shut.

As for EG, I am only curious about one comment - and it didn't come from her. I'll ask the question directly: If she had access to "documents" related to torture, how did she have access to them. A contractor does not have access to CIASource, eh?

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the person who made the comment about "documents" is wrong.

Who knows? At any rate, she did what she thinks is best and necessary for her own conscience. We need more like her - and fewer lock-stepping, Kool-Aid drinking, non-thinking parrots for this current administration.

Aho! Sheesh!

thailandchani said...

CORRECTION:

Lee, my apologies. I misread your note and didn't see the quote marks. My remarks are directed at the quoted writer.



--Lisa

J. Kaushansky said...

Going into any branch of the federal government is a thankless task, to be sure. People like Econo-girl should be lauded for their decision to turn down what are almost certainly more lucrative (and less stressful) jobs in the private sector so they can work for their country.

The Lazy Iguana said...

I still find it amusing that in Gulf War Part 1 Hussien was BLASTED for "violations of the Geneva Convention" when he put downed American pilots on TV. And from the way the pilots looked, it was made known to him that he would be put on trial in an international court if he did not start following the convention.

Now lets fast forward to now. This same convention that was so great then is "quaint" today. Back then not following it was grounds for trial at The Hague, now following the convention makes us "weak".

But what can be done? The Rapture Watch people LOVE W because they want the end of the world to happen. They do not care about the means. As long as Jesus can return and rapture them all off in an instant while everyone else dies they are happy.

Anonymous said...

Econo-Girl:
A little patience, and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their spells dissolve, and the people, recovering their true sight, restore their government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are suffering deeply in spirit, and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public debt. If the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at stake.

Mark said...

There is a difference between intelligence and common sense as applied in the real world. After all, Einstein didn't know how to know his own ties.

Anonymous said...

It is painful to watch you, CC, cover your obvious security breach with this 'genuine' concern about the issue of torture. Prior to the post that got you booted I don't recall a single mention of the subject. It is likewise sad to watch you mislead those who visit your site into thinking that you were fired for expressing your opinion rather than violating the trust that the IC had in you. To hold the clearance you had one must be of high moral fiber. By fundamentally misrepresenting your day-to-day operations through a combination of omission and misdirection you showed us that you cannot be trusted with information which, if released, could cause 'grave damage' to national security. The decision to let you go that day was proper, and the absence of anyone in the press giving a shit about your case beyond day four is testament to that fact.

Anonymous said...

Then why doesn't someone tell the truth? If we don't know the story, tell us.

Mark said...

how can you have high moral fiber if you torture someone? you can't.

Catch-22.

Econo-Girl said...

"Obvious security breach"? Where?

The only "grave damage" is political. Having read the Intelink blogs yourself, you know that many quite sensitive matters are aired. There was actually nothing classified in what I wrote at Covert Communications, but I classified it anyway to keep the readership to Americans only.

So much for that.

Anonymous said...

Someone got their boxers in a wad because you stuck a NOFORN on it? Please! Tell me it ain't so!

Anonymous said...

she will be going to jail soon, she violated policy and law and it wasn't due to the posting

Anonymous said...

Mary McCarthy wasn't sent to jail and she did something far worse. My guess is this story is dead and buried. Mel Gibson is the big story now.

Econo-Girl said...

I agree with 5th floor girl, the story is dead for the most part. Relief! That doesn't make the issue dead with me, but it's over now, let's focus on the real issue: torture.

Anonymous said...

The issue of torture is one that will be debated for a long time because we don't have a working definition yet. Perhaps we can come up with one that won't require a SCIF.