You have been given a magic wand:

[Robb]

Poll question: You have been given a magic wand:

A former colleague and I were kicking this around the other day, the idea that the same person can say in one breath that better intelligence is the only way to combat terrorism, and with the next espouse that no intelligence apparatus currently in place is worth its weight in dirt.

He said, wryly, "If you gave intelligent Americans a magic wand and told them they could use it to eradicate either the CIA or land mines from the face of the earth forever, at the end of the day you'd still have land mines."

So I thought I'd bounce this odd question off some intelligent folk and see what pops up.

Wave your wand, and tell me why.

[MH1]

1. The CIA is composed of humans and can be repurposed

or at least change the way things are done.

Land mines exist for one purpose and one purpose only. If they were something else they wouldn't be land mines.

Thus I have to get rid of land mines, because there might be a possibility of doing something useful with the CIA.


:hide:

[Chulanowa]

2. I'd ditch land mines

The CIA can be fixed, but land mines work just fine at what they do.

[Ozymanithrax]

3. All modern nation states need intelligence agencies...

We should not pretend that if we just keep to ourselves that other nations will treat us fairly or declare Peace and light throughout the universe. If you only have one nation that desires to benefit itself at the expense of others, they will do things that do harm to their competitors.

Until we live in a perfect world, intelligence agencies are a necessary evil because we humans are a competitive bunch of SOB's.

Land Mines are terrible things. They can set in the world for decades, there are places that still pull land-mines from WWII out of the ground. They are the most stupid of all weapons that are indiscriminate in their mayhem. If you step on one, it will blow you up. They are strange looking objects that curious children are attracted to with that same fatalism that moths are attracted to a candle. If we must fight and kill each other, we should try to keep these conflicts limited to adult combatants. Finally, there are many more efficient ways of controling a battlefield. Why resort to an relativly old technology that is far less efficient than most weapons in use today.

[baldguy]

4. Valerie Plame was CIA.

Working to stop people like Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi from getting nuclear weapons technology - and using it..

[Uncle Joe]

5. I disagree with your friend, get rid of the land mines with one exception.

The DMZ Zone between North and South Korea.

Thanks for the thread, Robb.

[NYC_SKP]

6. Well, that's what SHE calls it. (I love her so.) n/t

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

7. "So I thought I'd bounce this odd question off some intelligent folk and see what pops up."

What controls are in place to be sure only "intelligent folk" contribute to your poll?

[Robb]

9. Heh.

Is it possible for me to be unintentionally ironic in retrospect? :D

[old mark]

8. I'd get rid of the mines. Watching "Christians In Action" step on their dicks

over the decades has been pretty amusing, even moreso than watching congress trying to act sincere.


mark

[AllentownJake]

10. Adios DLC

The other two will take care of themselves.

[GreenMetalFlake]

12. Well put

:thumbsup:

[tekisui]

11. I'd send the CIA to detonate ALL the land mines.

Two birds with one stone.;-)

[ensho]

13. land mines first then the CIA - the world would be better without both

of them.

[Motown_Johnny]

14. Adios, the need for land mines and the CIA

[ThomWV]

15. We have other ways to get rid of land mines - it would take a magic wand to get rid of the CIA