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Iran has nukes.  Iran has stepped over so many UN resolutions that UN stepping is now commonplace.  And now it seems that Iran gassed a person who knew too much about their program.  With shady uranium deals with African countries and all the effort to hide their efforts--something is up.  If Iran is seeking only domestic nuclear power, why would it feel the urge to hide something.  There is no need to hide what can be seen in the open. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_nuclear_program_of_Iran 
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Crisis resolved, but really?

Finally, the 15 British sailors are back  in the UK.  Iran released them this morning (Iranian time).  Now everyone is applauding the diplomatic efforts of Britain, proclaiming diplomacy is the answer to world peace.  Diplomatic functions are very much important, but when it slips to appeasement is when it turns dangerous.  Appeasement has almost never worked.  Iran is just testing the waters; and I believe they have found Europe to not be much of a threat if Iran decides to do something bigger.  A book for the dedicated reader The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone 1932-1940 tells of Churchill during the turbulent years surrounding WWII.  It is an excellent reminder of how rogue countries put on the guise of peace and constantly test the waters to see how much they can get away with in the future conflicts.  
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Iranian crisis soon to be resolved?

The issue of whose water the sailors were in is very sketchy.  "The U.K. has said the Britons' two boats, from the frigate HMS Cornwall, were 1.7 nautical miles (3.1 kilometers) inside Iraqi waters when they were captured in the Shatt al-Arab waterway. Iran says the vessels were half a kilometer inside its territorial waters." -Blomberg News- I personally think one or two kilometers can be interpreted either way.  The question is who to trust.  I would say Iran is to be more untrustworthy of the two; but very early this morning, Iran in a press conference declared that they would return the sailors as a "gift" to Britain. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he was distressed by the EU condemnation of Iran and was pleased by the Iranian Coast Guard.  I believe that soon this crisis will be peacefully resolved with the release of the 15 sailors.  I would still be wary of Iran though.
(for more on this issue)
(for a timeline of the crisis)
(for a look at the sources of power in Iran)
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Presidential Daily Brief

The following is an excerpt of Inside the CIA by Ronald Kessler an excellent book to read for those interested in how the CIA operates and the crucial role directors play in the arena of intelligence. 

    {Besides an original and a new building at its headquarters on Dolley Madison Boulevard in McLean, Virginia, the CIA has its own printing plant on the compound that turns out routine classified documents as well as the President's Daily Brief, the top-secret document presented to the president every morning.  The document--usually eight to nine pages--comes off the press at six A.M.  A double-wrapped copy is delievered to the director's home so he can read it on the way to the White House.  A CIA briefer gives a second copy to the president around eight A.M.}

xxxiii    -Inside the CIA by Ronald Kessler
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Breakdown of intelligence agencies part four

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is located in McLean, Virginia.  The history of the CIA is a story itself, but I will discuss about how the CIA operates within its various components.  There are five parts to the CIA, the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) and four directorates or branches of the CIA.  The four directorates are Operations, Science and Technology, Intelligence, and Administration.  Each of the directorates is lead by a Deputy Director of Central Intelligence (DDCI). 

The Directorate of Operations is now known as the National Clandestine Service.
This service contains all the hush-hush stuff and is the coolest branch to be in.  It is also the most demanding.  The divorce rate for those in the Clandestine Service is much higher than the national average.  Hollywood loves this branch.  The purpose of the National Clandestine Service is HUMINT (human intelligence).  The term intelligence collector is often used to describe this branch. 

The Directorate of Science and Technology is the where the secretive high-tech gurus of the world reside.  From satellites to robotic flying insects with cameras--the DS&T makes it all.  DS&T's In-Q-Tel  is named after "Q" in the James Bond movies and fills "Q"s role making all the high tech stuff. 

The Directorate of Intelligence is the most relevant branch for this blog.  In is in this branch where the smart analytical people decide what all the intelligence means.  They condense all this intelligence into a report called the Presidential Daily Brief that lands on the President's desk every morning.  Look for future posts about the DI.

Lastly, the Directorate of Administration orders paper clips and runs basic logistics, not as cool as the NCS but still CIA. 







 
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Re fun facts: Secret Service

Earlier in fun facts: Secret Service I listed a site having Secret Service codewords.  Here are some of my favorites from the site:


BAMBOO                       PRESIDENTIAL MOTORCADE
BOOKSTORE               WHITE HOUSE COMMUNICATIONS CENTER
CEMENT MIXER          WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM (the place where the President and staff deal with crises)
PLAYGROUND            HELICOPTER PAD, PENTAGON
PUNCH BOWL            CAPITOL BUILDING
ANGEL                          AIR FORCE ONE (President's airplane)
HALO                             POPE JOHN PAUL II
POTUS                          PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
SNOWBANK                BARBARA BUSH
SNOWSTORM             GEORGE BUSH




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