Spying on Spies

James Bond is probably one of the most prominent 'spies' in the world. Say his name and practically everyone around the world knows who you are talking about. There have been various actors who have played the part and there will probably be countless others who will do the same. Roger Moore was the third actor to portray the super spy and his characterization was slightly.... different. The reason? Well, his rationale was that here is the world's most famous undercover spy and yet he can walk into practically any bar in the world and everyone knows his name and his favorite drink. That being the case, how can one possibly be a good spy?

What does this have to do with today's blog? Well, recently the media has come under fire from congress for reporting on the domestic surveillance case whereby the U.S. government is keeping tabs on the financial records of people who could have possible ties to terrorists or terrorist organizations. Now I am not here to discuss the legality or the need for such a program. But I do want to talk about how much freedom our media is given. Freedom of the press is something that is heavily touted and bandied about. It's a good thing and it ensures that the truth (or some semblence of it) is released to the general public. But when is it time to draw the line?

I remember during the first Gulf War back in 1991. Everyone joked about how Hussein knew what we were going to be doing before our ground commanders did simply because he would use his satellite feed to watch the briefings carried live on CNN. This is of course a bit of an exaggeration but is it really that much of an exaggeration? We, the public do have a right to know things and it is the duty of the press to report them, but we can't forget that by telling the public, we are also telling the very people these programs are meant to find as well. For example, if we tell robbers that we are placing undercover police in banks and that they will be wearing red hats, who will the first targets be in future robberies?

By the same token, if there are programs in place to root out and find possible terrorist related people, it is for a reason. I am not here to laud nor praise the programs or techniques which seem to be prevalent these days in terms of conducting these searches. I can say that I don't agree with all of them but I can understand the reason. And I can take comfort in the fact that our government will function to judge those who misuse powers under false pretenses. Is that what's happening now? That's for you to decide. All I can say is that we must allow those who work in the shadows for our security to continue their work. There is a reason for it. So hopefully, the next time James Bond shows up at a bar, the press won't be there waiting for him to ask him about his latest plans.