TMR: CIA Used Modern Art As ‘Weapon’ During Cold War, 20 Layers of TSA Security, Highway Guardrail May Be Deadly
CIA Used Modern Art As ‘Weapon’ During Cold WarI know what you’re thinking after reading the headline. I can assure you that this is not a fake story from the Onion. It is a bit surprising and a little perplexing why the CIA would choose to use art as a weapon during the Cold War. After all, during the Cold War and even still today the modern art community is mostly composed of borderline communists who aren’t exactly walking endorsements of the free enterprise system.Don’t underestimate the U.S. government. They may be a wasteful gang, but they can be tactical. If nothing else the government has a proven track record in generating propaganda that influences its citizens, especially during times of war.But why modern art?The Central Intelligence Agency used American modern art as a weapon in the Cold War because it was an area of vulnerability for the Soviets. The work of such artists as Jackson Pollock, Robert Motherwell, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko were utilized in order to showcase the cultural power of the U.S. in a propaganda war with the Soviet Union. The artistic movement was held up as a symbol of American freedom by highlighting the creativity that is born from intellectual freedom.The Independent reports:
The existence of this policy, rumoured and disputed for many years, has now been confirmed for the first time by former CIA officials. Unknown to the artists, the new American art was secretly promoted under a policy known as the "long leash" - arrangements similar in some ways to the indirect CIA backing of the journal Encounter, edited by Stephen Spender.The decision to include culture and art in the US Cold War arsenal was taken as soon as the CIA was founded in 1947. Dismayed at the appeal communism still had for many intellectuals and artists in the West, the new agency set up a division, the Propaganda Assets Inventory, which at its peak could influence more than 800 newspapers, magazines and public information organisations. They joked that it was like a Wurlitzer jukebox: when the CIA pushed a button it could hear whatever tune it wanted playing across the world.The next key step came in 1950, when the International Organisations Division (IOD) was set up under Tom Braden. It was this office which subsidised the animated version of George Orwell's Animal Farm, which sponsored American jazz artists, opera recitals, the Boston Symphony Orchestra's international touring programme. Its agents were placed in the film industry, in publishing houses, even as travel writers for the celebrated Fodor guides. And, we now know, it promoted America's anarchic avant-garde movement, Abstract Expressionism.
The most surprising part of this story is that the government was able to find a use for modern art!In all seriousness, this revelation should serve as a reminder that the government, as it is currently constructed in this country, will not hesitate to snake their way into different movements and industries in order to protect government interests.As libertarians we need to remember that the form of coercive government we currently reside under today directly opposes the principles of liberty. The individuals who run the government in this country absolutely see liberty as a threat to maintaining the status quo and it is very likely that government agents are working undercover throughout the liberty movement in order to undermine its success.Take a lesson from history, and don’t let the government’s inefficient nature be confused with incompetence.20 Layers of TSA SecurityIt turns out the groping and scanning that occurs while navigating a TSA checkpoint is only one layer of security in TSA security theater. There are many other “layers of security” employed by the TSA that go unnoticed by travelers.Ned Levi provided some insight into the twenty layers of security in an article on consumertraveler.com. The author appears to view the TSA’s security process through a utilitarian lens. He doesn’t come across as wanting to abolish the TSA, but he stops short of endorsing the government bureaucracy. For example, he condemns full body scanners because of how easily potential terrorists could defeat the technology, but he endorses the use of canines, even calling for an increase in their use.Here’s a partial list of the layers of TSA security as reported by Mr. Levi:
1. Intelligence – This should be an important security asset for our travelers, yet, to date there have been serious failures of air travel intelligence, such as Richard Reid the “shoe bomber,” and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the “panty bomber.” A major improvement in the quality of TSA intelligence could greatly increase air passenger safety.2. Customs and Border Protection – If TSA is talking about intelligence, then CBP would help air passenger security, otherwise, most contact which CBP has with air travel is after passengers and cargo arrive from locations outside the United States.3. Joint Terrorism Taskforce – The JTTF is a partnership between various US law enforcement agencies, charged with taking action against terrorism, most importantly by the sharing of intelligence between agencies. While this important, it’s not a separate layer, but part of the intelligence layer.4. No-fly list and passenger pre-screening – On the surface the no fly list and passenger pre-screening should be worthwhile for air transportation security, but many have cited the no-fly list as prone to false positives and easily defeated. I seriously question the reliability of the list myself, considering two of its famous failures; Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, and Faisal Shahzad.5. Crew vetting – If done well, this would add to air passenger security.6. VIPR (Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) teams) – TSA describes VIPR as “Comprised of federal air marshals, surface transportation security inspectors, transportation security officers, behavior detection officers and explosives detection canine teams.” The assets of this layer are part of other layers, or have nothing to do with air transportation.7. Canines – I have called for a dramatic increase in the use of canines to inspect air passengers and cargo for explosives for a long time, but have seen little evidence a meaningful increase has occurred in recent years.8. Behavior Detection Officers – I have called for TSA to adopt the Israeli security model for air transportation security of which behavior assessment is a core element. Unfortunately, while it would appear this layer is increasing in use, it is apparently still not a core element of TSA security.
As you can see by several of the author’s quoted comments, he is not what I would call a principled libertarian. In fact, he’s probably not a libertarian at all.The libertarian solution that could replace the twenty layers of TSA security is pretty simple. Return the security process to the airlines. You already trust the airlines to fly you thousands miles above the earth in a cramped capsule with wings, why would you not trust them to put policies and procedures in place to make sure the people they allow on their planes are safe?Highway Guardrail May Be DeadlySpeaking of turning industries over to the market and property owners….what about the roads?The New York Times reports that the federal government continues to allow flawed guardrails to be manufactured and installed on highways nationwide. This is after a senior engineer within the highway administration expressed reservations about the safety of the design. People have been killed and injured by the malfunctioning guardrails, but the federal government continues to install the guardrails even with a federal lawsuit imminent.From The NYT:
The Federal Highway Administration, the agency charged with ensuring the safety of the nation’s roads, continues to say that the guardrails, installed on highways in almost every state, meet crash-test criteria. And the Texas-based manufacturer, Trinity Industries, a large supplier of guardrails nationwide, also denies there is a problem.But internal communications and documents from the highway administration show that a senior engineer charged with examining the guardrails expressed reservations about their safety, before he signed off on their continued use about two years ago.At one point, agency officials drafted a letter asking the manufacturer to conduct additional testing, but the letter was never sent, according to interviews and a review of the documents by The New York Times.“There does seem to be a valid question over the field performance,” the senior engineer, Nicholas Artimovich, wrote in an email to his colleagues in February 2012, after an agency engineer based in South Carolina raised questions about the guardrails.In a separate email to an outside safety expert a month later, Mr. Artimovich wrote that it was “hard to ignore the fatal results.”The federal agency continues to allow states to use federal funds to purchase and install the rail heads. Concerns over the guardrails are at the center of a federal lawsuit expected to go to trial on Monday in Marshall, Tex.
More than 30,000 people die each year on our nation’s roads. This is unacceptable. It is long past time for the old system used to regulate the roadways to be thrown out and a new, local system that places the responsibility of ensuring driver safety on the backs of property owners to be adopted.In the end, competition will lead to a much safer and probably more enjoyable experience on the roadways.Read The Morning Roar every weekday Monday-Friday!The Lions of Liberty are on Twitter, Facebook & Google+Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!
