(OT:) My 'admiration' for Ted Kennedy is GONE!

Since you'll never look for any actual facts about your friend's case, you'll never know the truth.

I'm not going to bother her too much about it, because she's pretty upset about the whole mess.

If I have any GOOD news to bring her, then I'll bother her with it.

I haven't exactly been in a concrete bunker with no connection to the outside world since 1993. Matter of fact, I expanded my horizins even more after I went back to college, reading the WSJ, listening to Limbaugh, NPR and the BBC.

What does all this have to do with the price of gas?

The price of gas is related to the past 20 years worth of history in the Middle East. But, you stopped reading history in 1993.

The WSJ, Limbaugh, NPR and BBC are not substitutes for books. And, the word "history" involves relatively recent events as well as very old ones.

Living it, and being aware of what is going on, is an *excellent* substitute for books.

Maybe even better since, with all the sources I listed, I don't have to read a myriad of 'books' to get a different perspective. If you read one history text, you very often only get one writer's point of view.

Living it? As a Dell technician, you have access to inside information about our government that isn't mentioned by news sources? Or, is "Dell technician" the Spanish term for "CIA analyst"?

Tell me which of your news sources told you anything you'd find in this book. You know Robert Gates because you're a genius.

"From The Shadows", by Robert Gates

Gates, director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1991 to 1993, began in an entry level position and rose to the top. His insider's account of the Cold War, CIA operations and the unraveling of the Soviet Union is sprinkled with revelations including the fact that 1983 was the most dangerous year in U.S.-U.S.S.R. relations and that both the CIA and KGB sponsored countless "black operations" designed to embarrass and discredit the other side. Gates also reveals that he secretly met with KGB foreign operations chief Vladimir Kryuchkov on two separate occasions and how the CIA often acted in contempt of Congress. While none of this may come as a huge surprise, it never fails to shock when it's laid out in black and white by someone who was on the inside. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly Gates, director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1991 to 1993, rose from entry level to the top. His insider's account of the Cold War, CIA operations and the unraveling of the Soviet Union is sprinkled with revelations. We learn that 1983 was "the most dangerous year in U.S.-U.S.S.R. relations"; that President Bush telephoned Boris Yeltsin in the Russian parliament building during the 1991 attempted coup; that for months the CIA predicted a coup attempt against Gorbachev-a warning that he ignored. Gates characterizes former CIA director William Casey as coming to the CIA "primarily to wage war against the Soviet Union." Both the KGB and the CIA, Gates divulges, sponsored countless "black operations"-forgeries, lies, dirty tricks and other covert propaganda activities designed to embarrass and discredit the other side. We also learn that during Gorbachev's 1987 visit to Washington, a collateral secret summit took place-Gates, then CIA deputy director, met with KGB foreign operations chief Vladimir Kryuchkov; they secretly met again in Moscow in 1989 when Kryuchkov was head of the KGB. Gates also candidly discusses how the agency's contemptuous treatment of Congress, evasive briefings and deceptions eroded public confidence.

WTF does being a "Dell Technician" have to do with it?

The WSJ has a lot of excellent articles. You should try reading it sometime. It isn't just all about business and finance.

I know Robert Gates because he was covered on NPR< the BBC and the WSJ. You can get all kinds of information from those sources.