Nobody says they work exclusively out of the office, or in the area where they are assigned. Do you have any idea what the population of former Soviet citizens is in the Portland metro area for example?
I am married to one, so I have a pretty good idea - it is closer to 200k than 100k. Let's just say I comprehend the Russian language a whole lot better than I ever let them be aware of! No they're not all spies of course. but there are some...never mind - you honestly do not want to know what I know.
I've said it before and I'll say it again...the world was a whole lot safer when there was a Soviet Union.
Why? They kept the eastern part of the world "in check", and we kept the Western part of the world in check. With their "draconian" system in place, it kept this hemisphere alot safer than what it is today....at least the Russian Mafia wasn't as rampant as it is today. And, we could keep "tabs" on their KGB agents a whole hell of a lot easier. They didn't have NOC's under the guise of "business people" roaming the streets in every major and mid sized city in the U.S.
The last two year's while I've been on vacation in North Carolina, I've noticed alot of Russians, Belarussians, and Ukrainians in the area's surrounding the Research Triangle(and I've seen at least one or two on EVERY trip I've made down to Raleigh in the past 3 years) and in Eastern North Carolina. Coincidently, they seem to be concentrated in the areas around...Fort Bragg, Seymour-Johnson A.F.B, Camp Lejeune, and Cherry Point M.C.A.S. and are working as retail "business people." Hmmm?
I used to be fluent in Russian back in my college and early military days, but am quite rusty at it now, but when I do happen to use it on my business trips to Raleigh, you should see the stunned look on the faces of these folks. I especially like to hear them make some comment about someone, or something, and then to see the look in their eyes when I start to laugh, or make a comment back to them in RUSSIAN! They just about "piss" on themselves...they usually stop communicating to each other in Russian too!
Dos Vedonya!
The Jackal
"Do you have any idea what the population of former Soviet citizens is in the Portland metro area for example?"
No. I know there's a few in Medford. There's a Russian restaurant here that serves delicious food.
"you honestly do not want to know what I know."
Concerning the KGB? Or the Russian Mafia? Or both?!
I was reading about the "Thieves-In-Law" and how some Russian Mafia bosses would deliberately mutilate themselves in horrible ways to show how tough they were.
Really scary stuff!
Ed
"Let's just say I comprehend the Russian language a whole lot better than I ever let them be aware of! No they're not all spies of course. but there are some...never mind - you honestly do not want to know what I know."
And gee, they wouldn't even think to look on a website like this and see your comment. Now you've done it, they'll be after you! Come on, reality time, if they are trained spies/sleeper agents/etc., they would not say anything in Russian, French, English, German, Italian, etc., within earshot of you. If you are "hearing things" they're probably screwing with you. Being married to a Russian woman you should understand their sense of humor.