Counter-Intelligence; Covert Operations; Secret Missions; Spies; Assassinations; Black Helicopters – along with Conspiracy Theories that have been around for many years. The History Channel has been showing details of some of this nation’s activities during and following World War II that has not been included in many History Books. There were some Clandestine Groups bent on maintaining an evil cause, such as, the SS Officers and Staff who escaped Germany near the end of World War II when defeat seemed certain. They located themselves in Latin and South America with a hope they might one day establish a Fourth Reich patterned after Hitler’s Third Reich.
The Washington Post has prepared a study of clandestine operations and has begun to publish their findings. It is entitled: “A Hidden World, Growing Beyond Control” by Dana Priest and William Arkin. The initial release states: “The top-secret world the government created in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work. These are some of the findings of a two-year investigation by The Washington Post that discovered what amounts to an alternative geography of the United States, a Top Secret America hidden from public view and lacking in thorough oversight. After nine years of unprecedented spending and growth, the result is that the system put in place to keep the United States safe is so massive that its effectiveness is impossible to determine. The investigation's other findings include:
• 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies work on programs related to counter-terrorism, homeland security and intelligence in about 10,000 locations across the United States.
• An estimated 854,000 people, nearly 1.5 times as many people as live in Washington, D.C., hold top-secret security clearances.
• In Washington and the surrounding area, 33 building complexes for top-secret intelligence work are under construction or have been built since September 2001. Together they occupy the equivalent of almost three Pentagons or 22 U.S. Capitol buildings - about 17 million square feet of space.”
In another publication, we read - The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder explains the intelligence contractor problem: "Contractors do a lot of work that the government used to do by itself; oversight has become next to impossible; the intelligence-policy complex has created a revolving door of sorts where the line between private companies and intelligence agencies blurs; and of course waste, mismanagement, and more. Since 9/11, the intelligence community has welcomed a surge in contractors while building a larger civilian counter-terrorism workforce - a larger national security state…The ODNI Director of Communications Art House…lists the three likely conclusions of the story: (1) The intelligence enterprise has undergone exponential growth and has become unmanageable with overlapping authorities and a heavily outsourced contractor workforce. (2) The IC and the DOD have wasted significant time and resources, especially in the areas of counter-terrorism and counterintelligence. (3)The intelligence enterprise has taken its eyes off its post-9/11 mission and is spending its energy on competitive and redundant programs.”
Spies and Counter-Intelligence have always been an integral part of History – Moses sent out 12 spies into what would be The Promised Land (Numbers 13 and 14); King David had 37 Mighty Men who had special skills and courage (II Samuel 23). They would break through enemy strongholds and accomplish what seemed like impossibilities. At one point, David longed for a sip of water from the Well in Bethlehem (V. 15-16), and three of his mighty men broke through the Philistine lines and brought him the water for which he longed. The recent news spoke of 12 Russian Spies in our country, ordinary type people, who were seeking strategic information that would be useful to their country’s causes. Jesus Christ desires that you be one of His Mighty Persons – with courage and daring – as you share His Gospel and penetrate enemy strongholds. He can and will use ordinary people for the task. He will use you! Consider these things with me!
The Washington Post has prepared a study of clandestine operations and has begun to publish their findings. It is entitled: “A Hidden World, Growing Beyond Control” by Dana Priest and William Arkin. The initial release states: “The top-secret world the government created in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, has become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, how many people it employs, how many programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work. These are some of the findings of a two-year investigation by The Washington Post that discovered what amounts to an alternative geography of the United States, a Top Secret America hidden from public view and lacking in thorough oversight. After nine years of unprecedented spending and growth, the result is that the system put in place to keep the United States safe is so massive that its effectiveness is impossible to determine. The investigation's other findings include:
• 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies work on programs related to counter-terrorism, homeland security and intelligence in about 10,000 locations across the United States.
• An estimated 854,000 people, nearly 1.5 times as many people as live in Washington, D.C., hold top-secret security clearances.
• In Washington and the surrounding area, 33 building complexes for top-secret intelligence work are under construction or have been built since September 2001. Together they occupy the equivalent of almost three Pentagons or 22 U.S. Capitol buildings - about 17 million square feet of space.”
In another publication, we read - The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder explains the intelligence contractor problem: "Contractors do a lot of work that the government used to do by itself; oversight has become next to impossible; the intelligence-policy complex has created a revolving door of sorts where the line between private companies and intelligence agencies blurs; and of course waste, mismanagement, and more. Since 9/11, the intelligence community has welcomed a surge in contractors while building a larger civilian counter-terrorism workforce - a larger national security state…The ODNI Director of Communications Art House…lists the three likely conclusions of the story: (1) The intelligence enterprise has undergone exponential growth and has become unmanageable with overlapping authorities and a heavily outsourced contractor workforce. (2) The IC and the DOD have wasted significant time and resources, especially in the areas of counter-terrorism and counterintelligence. (3)The intelligence enterprise has taken its eyes off its post-9/11 mission and is spending its energy on competitive and redundant programs.”
Spies and Counter-Intelligence have always been an integral part of History – Moses sent out 12 spies into what would be The Promised Land (Numbers 13 and 14); King David had 37 Mighty Men who had special skills and courage (II Samuel 23). They would break through enemy strongholds and accomplish what seemed like impossibilities. At one point, David longed for a sip of water from the Well in Bethlehem (V. 15-16), and three of his mighty men broke through the Philistine lines and brought him the water for which he longed. The recent news spoke of 12 Russian Spies in our country, ordinary type people, who were seeking strategic information that would be useful to their country’s causes. Jesus Christ desires that you be one of His Mighty Persons – with courage and daring – as you share His Gospel and penetrate enemy strongholds. He can and will use ordinary people for the task. He will use you! Consider these things with me!
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