Spy Kids

The blogging must go on. Even though I am in Sri Lanka, where the heat directly affects the speed of the internet connection, if you turn on the air conditioner for 2 hours before hand, you can get about 20 minutes on the internet before it clogs up with moisture and jungle dust.

The CIA is probably known for more than it would like, as one of the more invasive and aggressive intelligence agencies. Indeed, outside of screaming patriots and fans of Matt Damon's work, the CIA is not too well-regarded. It's dramatic work, but ultimately sordid and underhanded, and deep down, we all know the real work of intelligence agencies doesn't involve buff ninjas humping their way to the truth. It's mostly corpulent computer experts trawling terabytes of email for words like "bomb" and "muslim".

But where the CIA cannot appeal to our intelligence, it appeals instead to our children. The CIA Kid's page proudly announces that "The CIA gathers intelligence in a variety of ways, not just by "spying", like you see in the movies or on TV (though we do some of that, too)". It seems to me that spying, actually having agents intercept classified documents or infiltrate foreign governments, shouldn't really be something the USA, or any other country, lauds itself for. Certainly in diplomatic circles, there is a pleasant fiction that countries never spy on each other, and intelligence agencies are only there to take satellite photos and fight terrorism.

But having to tiptoe around the issue of spying on other governments is a good thing. It shows that we're still uncomfortable with the idea of spying, that we're a bit embarrassed about the prospect of openly admitting that it's done. Children shouldn't be reassured that there's nothing wrong with spying. Of course there is.