Free Republic

SPIES WHO LOOK JUST LIKE US: THE GAME THAT IS NOT A GAME SNIPPET: "The basic task of all spies, including the SVR Russian operatives recently caught, is to "steal and shape," Simmons explained. The "steal" aspect is best known to the public, that is, stealing another nation's military or production secrets, but Simmons also described how spies can "shape" a nation. Spies engaged in the "shape" aspect of espionage are known as "agents of influence," Simmons said. These "agents of influence" attempt to mold the thinking of a society or a government by targeting "experts who are quoted in...

... So much of today's contentious immigration debate focuses on those arriving from Latin America to work in agriculture or take low-level service jobs that Americans tend to spurn. But a new study by Stuart Anderson of the National Foundation for American Policy reminds us that the contributions of skilled foreign-born professionals and their offspring are no less important to the U.S. Without them the country would be hard pressed to maintain its world-wide advantage in such fields as math and science. The report, titled "The Multiplier Effect," will be released on Monday and available at www.nfap.net1. Here are some...

Two decades ago a heated controversy erupted in the Arab world over the relationship between intellectuals and ruling authorities. In the course of the debate, some participants proclaimed the need to "bridge the gap" between the two parties -- the "thinker" and the "prince". Proponents of this goal argued that it would be advantageous to both sides: for the intellectual it would keep wolves of hunger and fear at bay, while the prince would feel secure from the spectres of intrigue and revolution. Some intellectuals were against it, maintaining that they should dedicate themselves solely to the pursuit of truth...

What Is Going On? What Happened to "Either You're With Us, or You're With the Terrorists"? I wouldn't post a vanity like this if it weren't for the dizzying - no sickening - chain of events that has been taking place in the world as of late. And from reading everyone's else's posts, I'm not alone. So I wanted to put some of these frustrations out for discussion in the hope that if nothing else you can vent a little steam. At least you'll be doing it among peers (except for the typical infiltrators), and WTH, maybe we'll form some...