Spies and Lies, etc. : a two day seminar my brother just attended
It was organized by a friend of mine named Valerie Plame. Some of you might remember her from the Cheney-Bush days when Dick Cheney made the lives of Valerie and her then-husband, Joe Wilson, into absolute misery because Joe wouldn't lie about a fact-finding mission Cheney sent him on to Western Africa.
Aside from a few fans and hangers-on, the gathering was attended by former CIA agents, plus former State and Defense people. My brother used to work in that shadow area for much of his working life, and so when Valerie invited me, and I couldn't make it, my brother was happy to step in for me. He was probably much more at home there than I would have been, anyway.
Much of what was discussed had to do with Putin, where he came from, how he got where he is, and why he ticks the way he does. From what my brother told me, we can't expect much in the way of compromise from him. He gained his idea of success from the first Chechnya revolt, i.e. kill them off, raze their cities to the ground, and start over from the ruins, inserting your own puppets into positions of power. His formula hasn't changed and will not change, although one can't compare Chechya's geography or people to the Ukrainians. Putin now thinks he is Russia, Russia is him, and any dissent from that view is outright treason (no wonder Trump and the Republicans found him to be such a kindred spirit).
Two other topics of interest: our embassy/intelligence people that suffered from the so-called "Havana Syndrome" of debilitating headaches and brain damage, are finally being taken seriously by the Biden Administration. During Trump, the government refused to recognize that they had been seriously injured on the job, and were therefore not entitled to care, treatment, or compensation. The CAT scans showed no brain damage, therefore there was none (so said the Trump administration). One of those affected was there, and he told about the relief of those afflicted that the government was finally offering treatment and acknowledgement that they had been seriously injured, and that those injuries occurred on the job, and the victims WERE thus entitled to treatment. By the way, it WAS brain damage, just not something that was physically detectable. We still don't know what kind of device was used on our embassy, but we do know that it has been used selectively by the Russians elsewhere.
Finally, a fun thing I never knew. Moscow was always a carpet of KGB (and then FSB) agents, following everybody, and therefore making contacts with local people and/or making drop-offs extremely difficult without detection. Things got better when our intelligence people reached out to--Hollywood! They sought help from both make-up artists and magicians. When our people had learned some of the tools of Hollywood's trade, they found their jobs far easier.
This is all the stuff I am supposed to be able to blab on about freely, so I'll stop here. I'll just say that NEXT year, if this is held again, I'll make sure that we do NOT have a 40th wedding anniversary or a 70th birthday, so that I CAN attend next time. It sounded like great fun!
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I have three relatives in sensitive government positions and they never talk at all. 
We know what their college majors were, their training and work locations so we can make some guesses. One was so good at his cover that we didn't realize what he actually did at work until after his death when we went through his belongings.
Your nephew may be doing inside type work, support stuff. But who knows, I can think of a few scenarios which would give him good cover for more active covert work in Ukraine.
Thanks for posting this. It makes a huge difference knowing what's going on behind the wizard's curtain.
The "great and powerful Oz" using Hollywood movie tricks and Magician's sleight of hand is a natural fit. Who would know better how to temporarily suspend a foreign adversaries disbelief than the people who created the concept?
Thanks again. 
Your comments about Putin ring true and so they make sense. Fascinating stuff!
I hope you do get to attend next year. You'll have DU's collective ear on what you can say!
My opinion is not from youtube clips, either!
I've known Valerie for some 15 years now. It's a good thing I'm married, because had I not been, I would have been on the first plane to Santa Fe the moment she told me she had gotten divorced! But she has just told me she is very happy with her new man, and I wish her all the best. Her new husband is also named Joe, so she has nothing to fear in case she goes through old memories in her sleep 
I remember reading Valerie's book when it came out. It was several years ago, she was actually gone before Chump came in, but her book was quite good and informative.
Last edited Mon May 9, 2022, 02:21 AM - Edit history (1)
My path just happens to cross the path of people who are a lot more interesting than I am on occasion, that‘s all.
