The Aluminum Hat Society isn't something one joins but rather others decide you are already in it. The judgment comes from average Americans ... who are typically less well-read than the average American Beagle.
The article yesterday regarding the U.S. and state-sponsored terrorism via the CIA which goes back at least to 1956 and is well-documented ... is also instant aluminum hat material because people don't believe it and rather than validating it they will relegate all of it to conspiracy theory. (Blog: One World Government and Other Bedtime Stories ... If You Like Nightmares)
A conspiracy theory implies to me something is secret but much of the CIA material is declassified years after the fact and that makes it public record information. Examples I've quoted regarding Kissinger's engagement with the CIA to assassinate Salvador Allende is easily-verifiable ... but people won't do it because it's much easier to scream Aluminum Hat and then do nothing.
(Ed: so what?)
It's a bitch when 'the enemy lies within' as the CIA has proven it is comprised of vicious, amoral savages so what can anyone less well-read than the average American Beagle do about it.
In my view, someone needs to hold the Presidents to task for it. The full-out Aluminum Hat member believes the CIA operates above the President and does things without his / her authorization but I'm not buying that. The standard routine with Presidents is to classify such activities to dodge any responsibility for them. Often they get away with it but sometimes, such as with Bay of Pigs, it's such a blazing fiasco that it becomes widely-known ... but still very little is done about it.
The basis for classifying such activities is largely due to their gross illegality or, at best, inconsistency with standards of ethics which are regarded as American. For example, it has been an American principle that the American military will only act defensively ... and yet the CIA has violated that principle multiple times through infiltration, incursion, and outright invasion.
Why is not the American President clearly and immediately accountable for everything the CIA does during his or her administration. History shows that has not been true at any time in the CIA's past.
The only intrigue really left in America is how many people believe this is all hogwash from an Aluminum Hat Society or they know it's true and have just given up on being able to do anything about it. None of this ever comes up in elections. Frequently, CIA activity isn't even declassified until years later. There is no accountability.
The article yesterday regarding the U.S. and state-sponsored terrorism via the CIA which goes back at least to 1956 and is well-documented ... is also instant aluminum hat material because people don't believe it and rather than validating it they will relegate all of it to conspiracy theory. (Blog: One World Government and Other Bedtime Stories ... If You Like Nightmares)
A conspiracy theory implies to me something is secret but much of the CIA material is declassified years after the fact and that makes it public record information. Examples I've quoted regarding Kissinger's engagement with the CIA to assassinate Salvador Allende is easily-verifiable ... but people won't do it because it's much easier to scream Aluminum Hat and then do nothing.
(Ed: so what?)
It's a bitch when 'the enemy lies within' as the CIA has proven it is comprised of vicious, amoral savages so what can anyone less well-read than the average American Beagle do about it.
In my view, someone needs to hold the Presidents to task for it. The full-out Aluminum Hat member believes the CIA operates above the President and does things without his / her authorization but I'm not buying that. The standard routine with Presidents is to classify such activities to dodge any responsibility for them. Often they get away with it but sometimes, such as with Bay of Pigs, it's such a blazing fiasco that it becomes widely-known ... but still very little is done about it.
The basis for classifying such activities is largely due to their gross illegality or, at best, inconsistency with standards of ethics which are regarded as American. For example, it has been an American principle that the American military will only act defensively ... and yet the CIA has violated that principle multiple times through infiltration, incursion, and outright invasion.
Why is not the American President clearly and immediately accountable for everything the CIA does during his or her administration. History shows that has not been true at any time in the CIA's past.
The only intrigue really left in America is how many people believe this is all hogwash from an Aluminum Hat Society or they know it's true and have just given up on being able to do anything about it. None of this ever comes up in elections. Frequently, CIA activity isn't even declassified until years later. There is no accountability.
2 comments:
Everything written in this post is accurate. Your portrayal of the CIA activities since the early 50s is accurate, and the knowledge and consent of the sitting President at the time is accurate. My view is that Presidents aren't held accountable because, deep down, most people believe the activities of the CIA are necessary and they're willing to look the other way so long as it's kept under the covers. The outrage only occurs when it's suddenly public. A Colonial Jessup line comes to mind that really sums it up: "You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall, you need me on that wall." I believe that's the relationship between the public and the CIA.
"A Few Good Men" makes the perfect metaphor as where I want Colonel Jessup is in jail. You see, (cough) sir, I do talk about stuff like this at parties and the reason is to make it stop.
Thanks for what you wrote as typically this stuff is regarded as Aluminum Hat and I know you have read the material. That confirmation means a lot as I don't see how America will ever have a foreign policy which truly reflects the Will of the People unless the people know fully what is in it.
I agree people think the CIA is necessary but they don't look to any depth at what the CIA does. That's where Colonel Jessup fits precisely as they really don't want to talk about it at parties. They would much rather look at cat videos on Facebook and pretend such things don't happen.
I strongly believe you would see a whole lot more flag-waving on the Fourth of July if people fully understood what America does and I don't believe Americans would support much of what the CIA does if people were apprised of it at the time. There are very few times in history when government secrecy served people in any good way.
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