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CIA suddenly stops publishing, removes archives of The World Factbook

simonwillison.net

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Re: CIA suddenly stops publishing, removes archives of The World Factbook

#31

Post by exe34 »

supjeff wrote: post #18
scarecrowbob wrote: post #13

Damn I wish the waning of US soft power felt like a positive thing to me; the CIA, along with the DEA, has been one of the more powerful criminal networks on the planet since its inception in the mid 20th C. It doesn't feel like the US gov is moving away from the soft-power/understated action stuff because the US gov is somehow committed to being less evil. It feels to me like they don't feel like it's as useful as t…

How much do we believe the current administration values "intelligence"? For the most part, the truth is trump's enemy. as far as he can control it, it's better for his to be the only authoritative voice. If he says Australia is full of muslims and bad hombres, he doesn't need the CIA contradicting him.

It gives me hope that Trump will replace the top generals and a few layers down with yes-men who will spend the military budget on coke and then the US will be less of a threat to the rest of the world. Another Russia is not a good thing, but it's better than a mad man at the top of the most powerful military in history.

Re: CIA suddenly stops publishing, removes archives of The World Factbook

#32

Post by exe34 »

epsilonic wrote: post #21
scarecrowbob wrote: post #13

Damn I wish the waning of US soft power felt like a positive thing to me; the CIA, along with the DEA, has been one of the more powerful criminal networks on the planet since its inception in the mid 20th C. It doesn't feel like the US gov is moving away from the soft-power/understated action stuff because the US gov is somehow committed to being less evil. It feels to me like they don't feel like it's as useful as t…

We're definitely going in the direction of "might is right". The "palantirization" of data stores (not just those for surveillance) is going to be an enabler of the "hard power" you're alluding to. This whole platform is probably a dragnet for identifying intelligent people with dissident views. Expect things to get uglier and stranger as well.

Project Insight. Hydra was growing inside S.H.I.E.L.D the entire time!

Re: CIA suddenly stops publishing, removes archives of The World Factbook

#33

Post by RajT88 »

Retric wrote: post #24
SECProto wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> NASA's 25 billion dollar budget for 2025 was a paltry ~.04% of the total government budget. I'm sorry, I think you have a math or data error here. The US government budget for 2025 was not $62.5 trillion dollars.

Yea, they where off by a factor of 10, so 0.4%.

Now fixed. Point still stands!

Re: CIA suddenly stops publishing, removes archives of The World Factbook

#34

Post by iwontberude »

scarecrowbob wrote: post #13

Damn I wish the waning of US soft power felt like a positive thing to me; the CIA, along with the DEA, has been one of the more powerful criminal networks on the planet since its inception in the mid 20th C. It doesn't feel like the US gov is moving away from the soft-power/understated action stuff because the US gov is somehow committed to being less evil. It feels to me like they don't feel like it's as useful as t…

It’s the incompetence and low-intelligence of our leaders that scares me most. We need actual clever people in office coming up with decentralized systems that work rather than the mentally deficient demagogues and liars coasting along collecting rent. Californian independence is the best way forward for us.

Re: CIA suddenly stops publishing, removes archives of The World Factbook

#35

Post by simonh »

exe34 wrote: post #31
supjeff wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How much do we believe the current administration values "intelligence"? For the most part, the truth is trump's enemy. as far as he can control it, it's better for his to be the only authoritative voice. If he says Australia is full of muslims and bad hombres, he doesn't need the CIA contradicting him.

It gives me hope that Trump will replace the top generals and a few layers down with yes-men who will spend the military budget on coke and then the US will be less of a threat to the rest of the world. Another Russia is not a good thing, but it's better than a mad man at the top of the most powerful military in history.

What were getting is another Russia with the full military and economic might of the US.

Re: CIA suddenly stops publishing, removes archives of The World Factbook

#36

Post by dragonwriter »

otterley wrote: post #25
dragonwriter wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are looking at the trees, and missing the forest. The subtle propaganda that the Factbook exists to spread is “the CIA is a neutral and trustworthy gatherer and purveyor of facts”.

I think that’s a secondary or even tertiary goal. The primary goal is to provide a public service to public and private parties who want to become better informed and to show the American people that their tax dollars are at work and reduce the risk of having their funding get cut.

The part before the “and” is the how of the propaganda I described, the part after the “and” is one of the outcomes the propaganda is intended to influence; neither is an alternative to the propaganda function.

Re: CIA suddenly stops publishing, removes archives of The World Factbook

#38

Post by unethical_ban »

SilverElfin wrote: post #2

[flagged]

$100,000,000,000 budget for ICE in a year. Average $400,000,000,000 a year in tax cuts for the wealthy. Those expenditures don't pay for themselves. Gotta cut useful services, medical care for the working class, and devalue the dollar some.

Re: CIA suddenly stops publishing, removes archives of The World Factbook

#39

Post by milesvp »

ericras wrote: post #37
clintfred wrote: post #29

Facts are the enemy. I remember reading books like 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 as a teen thinking, "Cool story, but the US will never look like that." Oof.

[flagged]

This drips of sarcasm. While the parent comment is low quality, it can be seen as merely noise. your comment actively makes this site toxic. Please refrain from such comments in the future.

Re: CIA suddenly stops publishing, removes archives of The World Factbook

#40

Post by Revolution1120 »

scarecrowbob wrote: post #13

Damn I wish the waning of US soft power felt like a positive thing to me; the CIA, along with the DEA, has been one of the more powerful criminal networks on the planet since its inception in the mid 20th C. It doesn't feel like the US gov is moving away from the soft-power/understated action stuff because the US gov is somehow committed to being less evil. It feels to me like they don't feel like it's as useful as t…

Shouldn't the DEA be the weakest agency? Now that the drug problem requires the involvement of the Department of Homeland Security, the War Department, and the U.S. military, shouldn't the DEA be shut down?
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