Posted on 06/21/2002 6:20:41 AM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
It´s one of the best kept secrets in America.
Not the existence of a "shadow government" ready to keep the bureaucracy afloat in the event of tragedy. Not the location of key military command posts. Not the next strategic move in the War on Terrorism.
No. The best kept secret in America, and nearly the only one we´ve got left, is Colonel Sander´s Original Recipe. The secret list of 11 herbs and spices that comprise the ingredients of KFC´s original recipe is more safely guarded than issues of national security.
When Colonel Harland Sanders began franchising his chicken restaurant in 1952, he realized the importance of keeping the recipe a secret. He knew the price of success, and he wasn´t about to give up all that he had worked for. The future of his business, and its ability to maintain a unique niche in the fast food market depended on secrecy. After all, if McDonald´s or some other chain could simply copy his product, he could never compete. For generations, only a select few have been privy to the company secret. And these few individuals are bound by threat of legal action from disclosing their knowledge.
But threat of legal action is not the reason the recipe has remained a mystery for more than 50 years. The reason is instead a sense of pride and duty among the secret holders. KFC employees don´t want the world to know their secret. They´re proud of their secret. They need it to survive.
If only Americans were so loyal to our national secrets.
In this day and age of global communication, instant access, media intrusion, and "calculated leaks" there is no more room for secrets in Washington. Well, that´s not entirely true. There are still secrets. Just not the kind that help the nation in any tangible way.
There are secret indiscretions, secret deals, secret sexual liaisons, secret payoffs, and secret oversights. As long as there are selfish humans running the show, these types of secrets will always exist. But as Bill Clinton will surely attest, the type of secret that doesn´t inspire a sense of loyalty in those with knowledge of it is a short lived one. Ultimately, the truth will be known. As the old Proverb says, "Be sure your sins will find you out."
What is entirely lacking in this modern era of ours is a sense of loyalty to the "secrets of our success." Closed-door sessions in Congress are no more than an empty formality. Within minutes following one of these so-called secret meetings, some official "speaking on the condition of anonymity" invariably leaks to the media the nature of the meeting.
The CIA, which for decades operated within the shadows of public perception, is now making public service announcements. Elite military forces in cooperation with CIA operatives are currently conducting "secret" missions to locate and oust Saddam Hussein from power. They have been authorized to use "lethal force" if necessary. How do I know this? I saw it on the evening news.
What´s next? Will the FBI begin making courtesy calls to wanted criminals before going to arrest them? I can imagine it now…
FBI Agent: "Hello. Could I speak with Mr. Mohammed, please?"
Mr. Mohammed: "Yes, this is he."
FBI Agent: "Sir, this is courtesy call from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Is there a day this week when it would be convenient for us to pay you a visit? We have a warrant for your arrest and wanted to be sure we caught you at a good time."
Mr. Mohammed: "Oh. Thank you for your consideration. (flips through day planner) It looks as though I´m pretty booked this week. Why don´t you stop by on Monday? I am free all afternoon."
FBI Agent: "Sounds good. We´ll see you then."
As ludicrous as this sounds, it is essentially the approach the CIA is taking against Hussein. If we are really serious about taking him down, why not go in with an elite force of commandos, kill him, and then hold a press conference to let the American public know what happened.
I don´t need to know every detail of every military operation. In fact, I don´t WANT to know. But apparently most of America does. They look at the War on Terrorism as just another action movie in which they, as armchair commanders-in-chief, need to be party to the strategizing and decision making. They want the next move in this very real war to be as obvious and predictable as a Jerry Bruckheimer action sequence.
An American public obsessed with entertainment will never be satisfied with a war that is fought in the shadows. We want to see the next step coming, watch the action unfold, and then rewind and analyze the replay. Honestly, I think that most Americans would be disappointed if tomorrow U.S. forces stumbled onto a terrorism convention, rounded up all of the world´s thugs, executed them, and forgot to invite the media.
Democrats and Republicans alike are guilty of sacrificing the security of our nation and the success of our war efforts for the sake of public opinion. Democrats continue their diatribes against the Administration for allegedly ignoring pre-September 11th intelligence. They clamor for an investigation into "what we knew, and when we knew it." On the other hand, Republicans are afraid of taking more flack for neglecting to warn Americans of impending attacks. So every bit of intelligence gathered gets subsequently leaked to the press by some "well-meaning" Administration official.
A recent press leak disclosed that the National Security Agency intercepted at least two messages in Arabic on September 10th that suggested a major event was to take place the next day. According to the Washington Post, the disclosure angered many within the Administration, including Vice President Dick Cheney, who called Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Rep. Porter Goss, R-Fla., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee to express his concern.
"The information that is being provided to these committees is extraordinarily sensitive," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. "The selective, inappropriate leaking of snippets of information risks undermining national security, and it risks undermining the promises made to protect this sensitive information."
It is precisely these types of leaks that may have led to the intelligence breakdowns that tragically failed to prevent the 9-11 attack. In 1998, a report emerged that American intelligence agencies had managed to tap into Osama bin Laden's satellite phone. Shortly thereafter bin Laden stopped using that phone, and America lost an invaluable resource that may have led to bin Laden´s capture and possibly could have prevented last year´s tragedy.
It´s too bad Colonel Sanders isn´t still around. We could use a man of his integrity around Washington. Perhaps we could promote him from Colonel to Director of Homeland Security. At least we know he can keep a secret. And that´s more than you can say for most bureaucrats these days.
Related ArticleSinking Ships Of Accountability
Source: CNSNews.com; Published: June 21, 2002;
Author: Brad Keena
They had a book out about 16 years ago that had a whole bunch of 'secret' recipes in it. They used nicknames for the brands to stay out of copyright trouble. As I recall, the main ingredient in the Colonel's breading mix was "Good Seasons" Italian salad dressing mix.
I think the best example would be Coca-Cola...now there's a secret! I'm betting that to this very day, they deeply regret the fact that it once contained cocaine (it was legal back then).
A lab analysis revealed that the 11 secret herbs and spices were Flour, Sugar, Salt and MSG.
SD
Now, we're going to have to shoot you.
"A lab analysis revealed that the 11 secret herbs and spices were Flour, Sugar, Salt and MSG." - Soothing Dave
Both of you.
There are lots of rumors out there but if that was a lab analysis, some researcher needs to be fired.
There's a numerical discrepency there which leads me to say that your source is incorrect. And the little problem that four, salt and sugar are considered neither herbs nor spices. Spices are tropical aromatics and herbs are seeds and leaves from temperate plants used for flavoring. While flour is technically a hulled, ground seed of a temperate zone plant... it is not considered an herb as it is not used to add flavor... it is an ingredient and has to be listed separately from herbs and spices. And while sugar can come from many plant sources, it too is an ingredient which cannot be considered an herb or spice. Salt is a mineral and also fails to qualify as an herb or spice- it is a flavoring. MSG is likewise a product of plants, but it is considered a flavoring, not a spice.
There is also pepper, paprika, thyme, sage, garlic powder, onion powder, and celery seed.
I'm not sure but I think the profuse amounts of slime are just considered an 'ingredient.' : )
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