THE CANCER IS GONE, but the cure is killing us. From Siberia to Slovenia, Tallinn to Timisoara, the totalitarian communist state has ceased to be; and along with it our own fevered nightmares of Soviet tanks rolling down Main Street. But the U.S. "national security state" is far too entrenched to be dismantled by the current political leadership, for whom life without it is simply unimaginable. Today, there is ample evidence that those who administer the national security opiate--including the Central Intelligence Agency- -are preparing to keep us doped up for the rest of our lives. As the people of the disintegrating Soviet Union struggle to eliminate their own out-of-control security complex, it's clearly time that the U.S. do the same. Yet despite new global realities, the American security apparatus keeps on growing and adapting to ensure its long-term survival. As we approach the 21st century, true democracy and open government move increasingly out of our reach.
CIA: OUT OF CONTROL, Russ W. Baker, "Village Voice", Sept. 10, 1991 |