32 replies to this topic

[Baro]

I'd rather totally cut out CSIS and put the money towards the CBC

[AllseeingEye]

Ok that was pretty good VHF, just about snorted my mid morning coffee all over my screen.

One can argue about the relative merits of the cost inherent in maintainng a domestic intelligence/spy apparatus but IMO the CBC = a colossal waste of money. Does Rex Murphy still pop up there to offer his usual acerbic so-called "analysis" of the day's newsworthy events? It got to the point that I could no longer stomach their Left Wing View of the World so I eventually stopped watching. What painful drivel. Which is too bad because "back in the day" in the 70's and 80's The National actually was a very good newscast.

The only thing remotely redeeming about CBC today is HNIC...... Even then they should have put Bob Cole out to pasture 10 years ago...

[piltdownman]

Getting way off topic, but CBC is not just a colossal waste of money, but terrible value for the money.

Last year CTVglobemedia only had $343.7-million in revenue. CBC received $946 million from funding from the federal government. That and they still have advertising just like any other channel. Some might say "look at all of their original Canadian programming", but CTV has just as many original prime time programs and they beat CBC in the ratings. The only programs ... other than hockey ... that get decent rating on CBC are Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.

[Jason-L]

I find it interesting that no one raises the possibility of the foreign influence being from the US. I guess its just not foreign enough? Given how many US companies are now doing work for the BC Gov't (IBM & HP, for example) that used to be handled locally, it'd be south of the border I'd be looking at first.

[Mike K.]

^good point.

Lockheed Martin was hired to do the last census, for G's sake, and even our pharmacare/MSP are contracted out to US-based Maximus. Coincidentally the contract between the BC Gov and Maximus was under wraps from public scrutiny until it was ordered for release the other day.

[AllseeingEye]

Actually Jason if you re-read my earlier post there is indeed a nod to US covert activies. Of course they are active in terms of intelligence gathering here...and Mexico....and in about 150 other countries. For one thing they have a budget commensurate to their population and resources. That is to say it is virtually limitless especially compared to us.

For another, unlike Canada, they truly have a vested interest in global events. We have always been seen as regional player; at times our foreign policy has changed to reflect that view, be it aimed at Europe in the immediate post-WWII, Cold War era, or later an emphasis on the America's (minus the US) with overtures to the OAS and specifically Cuba under Trudeau, and then even later Asia as we sought to mitigate dependence on the US for our economic well being.

You can certainly argue that many of their own past foreign and military policies, Bush Jr. et al., have a direct correlation on external threats to America, perceived and real, but the fact of the matter is they have much more at stake than we do. Like or agree with it or not, they perceive themsleves as the World's Beat Cop, and thus assume the risk that goes with the role. They are a target and therefore will undertake whatever activities they deem necessary to ensure they are as informed as they can be.

The British certainly did the same thing when they were running the show from ~ the 1700's to the end of WWI. Interestingly I had a conversation a few years back with an acquaintance who was in British Intelligence in the 1960's and 70's. Based on our conversation it was obvious he'd been posted to the Middle East. It went like this:

Him: You know how we gained the Empire and kept it for so long?
Me: Nope. How?
Him: By being the biggest b*****s on the face of the earth.
Him: And do you know how we kept it for so long?
Me: Nope. How?
Him: By being even Bigger b*****s.

The clear inference in part was of course they managed this in large part through having a well funded and trained Security-Intelligence apparatus which, when deemed necessary, obviously delved into their Bag of Questionable or Dirty Tricks in support of national aims. Today the US and others are no different. I am not making a judgement either way but simply stating that it is what it is.

As others have pointed out here in this country, at worst today likely there are Chinese influences sniffing about looking for industrial or military intelligence, and likely disinformation campaigns at discrediting Tibet for example. No doubt the Israelis are here keeping tabs on various Muslim influences. That in part because we are a) relatively lax about who gets into this country, and why they are here, and we often have little or no idea of their whereabouts, and b) more critically we offer easy access to the US. Lets face it on many levels Canada is a security sieve relative to the Big Players in the Intelligence field. Israel and the US may be close allies but they can and do spy on each other routinely. Just as the US spies on us.

OTOH in the US, as 9/11 proved, they have far more immediate and very real physical threats to worry about. Part of it too is psychological; you can draw a line directly back to shock of Pearl Harbour and use that as a starting point where the US committed never again to get caught flat-footed in terms of national "intentions". Unfortunately for them 9/11 served a sobering reminder that they haven't always been successful.

[VicHockeyFan]

Huh, the guy in the east was selling our secrets to Russia for $3k per month.

http://www.cbc.ca/ne...py-hearing.html

I wonder if his sentence will at all reflect the relative small size of his haul ie. if he was getting $100k a month, would the sentence be stiffer, or is selling secrets the same offense regardless of the take?

[sebberry]

The bigger question is who forgot to shut off the USB ports on the computers at Trinity

[AllseeingEye]

Technically-speaking the act of selling secrets is selling secrets, period, regardless of their magnitude. As I understand it from a colleague he is ultimately subject to life imprisonment, although chances are he'll get less. Either way he is going to live to regret his actions. Even in laid back, laissez faire Canada traitorous activities are viewed in a very dim light indeed, as they should be.

I was however somewhat surprised at the designation TRINITY which is suffice to say, transparent in the extreme. The Brits and Americans would never produce such an obvious code name for a security operation or facility. Typically in the US their security operations especially are designated via super computers that generate purely random code/names making it virtually impossible to associate a code place or name with the real intent or objective.

[Holden West]

Amazing things:

-How quickly and savagely the Russians turned on him after they tired of him--showing him a photo of his little daughter going to school. Lesson: never make a deal with Russians.

-How cheaply his loyalty could be bought. $3000 a month surely came from the petty cash drawer of the embassy.

-What the hell was he doing in Brazil? Why go there? That's a huge red flag for Immigration. Of course you will be nabbed for carrying a fortune with no explanation. Was it a setup?

-I think all employees with high clearance should be told upon hiring: because of your knowledge, you may one day be approached by someone from another country offering to pay for what you know. It may actually be someone from overseas, or it may be CSIS working undercover testing your loyalty. Make your decisions wisely.

[VicHockeyFan]

Amazing things:

-I think all employees with high clearance should be told upon hiring: because of your knowledge, you may one day be approached by someone from another country offering to pay for what you know. It may actually be someone from overseas, or it may be CSIS working undercover testing your loyalty. Make your decisions wisely.

Oh, I'm guessing this happens now. We aren't as stupid as we make ourselves out to be. I have a friend that works for CSIS, some good off-the-record stories.

(*cue knock at my door from a shadowy operative)

[AllseeingEye]

Oh, I'm guessing this happens now. We aren't as stupid as we make ourselves out to be. I have a friend that works for CSIS, some good off-the-record stories.

(*cue knock at my door from a shadowy operative)

Absolutely correct; in fact Canada punches far above its weight in terms of intelligence matters. Canadians would be _very surprised I think if they knew just how involved - and how good - we are in such matters. Like VHF I have a few friends in the spy game both here and abroad, and our firm does business with a major player in the Canadian intelligence field (not CSIS). Militarily we're lightweights, not so with regard to spycraft.

[Mike K.]

I think CSIS is trying to appear cool to potential recruits. But this makes me wonder, do Canadian national security recruits need to be inspired through Youtube videos? One would think there is enough interest in the organization without this sort of marketing campaign but I guess not.

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