I know I’ve heard this truth argument numerous times before – and often it’s explained to me that there’s a fine line between honesty and dishonesty, but I contend there’s a very broad and bold line – unless someone is “intentionally” trying to make the two appear indistinguishable from each other.

Your comment on open source above, standing the test of time against the truth though…how do you reconcile “truth by omission” within the open source (or classified) ranks – which is the fundamental precept for deception and happens to be the polar opposite of truth? We see this all the time in the free press, and it surely doesn’t stand the test of time against the truth…how do you constrain this problem.

Truth is not limited to 2 dimensions, which is probably why you consider HUMINT intelligence one of the most valuable…so open source (periodicals) methods and algorithms are likely flawed since they can often result in the wrong impression when conclusions are drawn. Just like in signal/information processing, too little sampling of information creates aliasing…ghost images that appear which are not what they seem. So the case I’m making is no matter where truth is, untruth cannot exist…they are mutually exclusive – you have only one or the other. This is analogous to having light in the darkness, there is no darkness in the presence of light, etc…

And since deception can merely be a statement of carefully selected truths, it is entirely dependent on the intention or perspective of the individual drawing the conclusion; not the open source fragments themselves which are all known to be true.

So the question is, how do you catch or stop someone who practices the art of deception? And can someone who practices deception distinguish between what is right and wrong? Funny thing about people who have a history of deception, you’ll find most people don’t trust them – and that’s because deceptive people result in untrustworthy behavior…wouldn’t you agree? If someone is untrustworthy with small things, how can they be any better with larger or invaluable/priceless items when the temptations are much greater? So from a National Security perspective, when lives both foreign and domestic are at stake…how could the price/value be any higher?

Let me get back now to one of your references of HUMINT intelligence, probably the most valued infomation in the information circles…are those the most honest, trustworthy, and law abiding people/operations you’ve ever seen? Here’s your opportunity Mr Gaffney to stand the test of time, to pursue only the truth and to depart from the path when other than the truth is sought…is the “end justifying the means” within the IC community? Are you aware of untruthful methods used as a tactic to obtain what is hoped to be actionable intelligence, or would you say nearly all operations used around the globe – if revealed to the country tomorrow, would be so overwhelming accepted as the “right thing to do” by 300 million citizens…that you would be proud to say you were a contributing member?

I always say “be careful of the culture you expose yourself to”…where cult is the operative word here, you may not be fully aware of the impact until it’s too late. Good day, my friend.