CIA disease

It's not just a disease of the CIA, of course; confirmation bias is always trying to undermine our ability to face facts.  But times of great political hysteria are fertile ground.

People are always trying to persuade me that we are more polarized and generally crazy these days than ever before.  I'm not really seeing it.  I was just reading a biography of William Bowditch, noting that around the turn of the 18th century many public-spirited men were shocked at the damage suffered by old and valued friendships from bitter disagreements over federalism.

Our Thanksgiving dinner was apolitical, though it's true that it was a small gathering of like-minded neighbors that presented no special challenges in that direction.  I wore my "It's beginning to look a lot like Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself" holly-and-berries sweatshirt without fear of giving offense.  It was a slightly somber gathering, though.  Our neighbor, whom we had expected to join us, is gravely ill in an ICU in Houston, the victim of completely unexpected complications from minor surgery.  Life is fleeting.  We are thankful for our health.

Our labrador lightened the atmosphere by eating half a trayful of the white turkey meat while we were distracted out on the porch.  Luckily there was still plenty, but she was a little restless and gaseous all night, the rotten creature.  She hasn't learned a thing and would do it again in a heartbeat.

7 comments:

Assistant Village Idiot said...

At our Thanksgiving it was half an apple pie that the black lab got into.

No politics. Even my liberal son is pretty conservative, and the most conservative son has a lot of Norway rubbing off on him in 8 years. The current nominees for new daughters-in-law all look slightly to greatly more liberal, so we'll see what the future brings.

Grim said...

My dog was very well behaved, as he has always been about food. He is generally a good dog who wants to please. Even on the rare occasion that he does something wrong, such as not coming when called because he'd really rather chase a deer or a cat or something, he usually gives me a regretful glance as if to apologize.

We did not have a large gathering that might have provoked a political discussion. I think I would have simply established a rule against discussing politics on the day at the feast for anyone eating at my table. Hospitality does not mean abandoning all authority as the host, after all, especially when it is exercised for the purpose of ensuring that all of one's guests can feel comfortable at table.

Grim said...

That’s an amazing article. Not only did the CIA lack any good agents in Russia or Cuba, but the KGB suborned their head of counterintelligence? I had no idea their failure was so complete.

E Hines said...

She hasn't learned a thing and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Well, if your lab is like my grandson, she did, indeed, learn something: the fun of passing gas--though grandson thinks it's great good fun to do so noisily. Fortunately, that's daughter's and SIL's problem, not mine or my wife's.

Eric Hines

raven said...

Some dogs are slow learners. Even when the risk-reward ratio is extreme, AKA porcupines.

ymarsakar said...

You won't ever find me taking doctors' minor surgeries. Including microchip implantation and various other shenanigans. I also, have yet in my life, have had to go to an emergency room, especially not for "surgical complications".

The Western doctor knowledge is far far out of date of the latest RnD.

ymarsakar said...

That’s an amazing article. Not only did the CIA lack any good agents in Russia or Cuba, but the KGB suborned their head of counterintelligence? I had no idea their failure was so complete.

It is more like, the KGB and the CIA were working together for purposes unknown to the Russian/American political heads. There is a lot more going on that is deeper than what people have been told by their medias.

It would be a lot easier to dismiss what I am writinng, except for Epstein being in jail awaiting testimony on his co conspirators, and Clintons being in jail.