A book recommendation, especially for Carmelites:
TITLE: Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
AUTHOR: Tim Weiner
PUBLISHER: Doubleday
DATE: 2007
PAGES: 514 (Text; PARTS ONE - SIX, 50 Chapters) + 8 (Photos) + 154 (NOTES)
Legacy of Ashes gives readers insights not only into the Central Intelligence Agency, but for Carmelites it gives readers insights into the mentality of CIA employees:
• View government as a covert management operation, unaccountable to citizens.
• Have mindsets which precludes considering information which does not fit preconceived notions.
• View the law as something to be circumvented e.g. violations of the Municipal Code (failure to maintain Flanders Mansion, Scout House, Forest Theater, et cetera), violations of the Local Coastal Program (implementing historic provisions, forest management program, et cetera), violations of state law (selling of Flanders Mansion).
• Use manipulation, deceit and deception as management tools e.g. installation of Sunset Cultural Center, Inc., removal of the Post Office bump-out, violation of the Municipal Code (installation of lights in the Ocean Av. medians), et cetera.
• Use the media to promote propaganda, misinformation and disinformation agendas.
NOTES:
The title, Legacy of Ashes, was taken from President Dwight D. Eisenhower, when he said, “I have suffered an eight-year defeat on this” and said he would “leave a legacy of ashes” to his successor.
The CIA’s “deepest secret:” “For sixty years tens of thousands of clandestine service officers have gathered only the barest threads of truly important intelligence.”
For a New York Times Book Review, click on post title above, or copy, paste and click,
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/12/books/12besc.html?ex=1341892800&en=fa98968a9ca21fd7&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
The C.I.A.’s Missteps, From Past to Present, Michael Beschloss, July 12, 2007
6 comments:
Sue McCloud is poison to an open system; there is no doubt about it. The question is, how do we empower voters to get rid of her?
Kudos to this blog for pointing out how Mayor Sue McCloud has carried over her CIA training to the way she has run her administration of Carmel. Unfortunately, she has done as good a job for Carmel as the CIA appears to have done for our nation through the years.
While it is not clear that all of her CIA training and philosophy has been brought to bear on staying in power or promoting her impractical neocon philosophy, certainly it is clear that she has commonly employed covert management, avoidance of accountability to citizens, circumventing and violating the laws (both city and state), manipulation, deceit and misinformation as tools to stay in power despite wide spread disatisfaction with her in both the business and residential communities. It is really too bad that Carmel residents and businesses have had to suffer under her excesses and it will take many years for Carmel to fix the problems that her administration has created once she is gone from public office.
Excellent insights here - her CIA attitudes come across quite clearly also in this week's Monterey County Weekly.
I think this blog could be a powerful tool to help more Carmelites see just how their mayor is gutting their city government, behind their backs, in secret, and for her own personal uses. To that end I might suggest moving some of the more detailed stuff - and the pictures of trees - to another blog and have this one be more focused on short but informative items shedding light on the mismanagement of city government.
TO: anonymous
FROM: villageinforest
Thank you for your suggestion. The labels to the posts, for example, Core Commercial Trees, give bloggers the ability to type the label in the blog search box at the top and all of those posts should appear-like a subset blog within a blog. Originally, the blog was to be as holistic as possible-in other words, all topics about CBTS together. But, I get your point and I will consider your thoughtful suggestion. Thanks again!
After reading Legacy, anyone would think twice before voting for elective office anyone with a career background in the CIA. Mayor Sue certainly fits this conclusion, certainly not a exception to the rule. Plus, very poor management skill sets.
I couldn’t resist this nugget from William F. Buckley, Jr.:
“The attempted assassination of Sukarno last week had all the earmarks of a CIA operation. Everyone in the room was killed except Sukarno.”
Editorial, National Review, 1957
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