CIA Sabotage Manual: "In the 1980s the CIA produced a small illustrated booklet in both spanish and english designed to destabilise the nicaraguan government and economic system. It was hoped that if enough disenfranchised individuals undertook activities that subverted economic stability, the Leftist government would be more easily overthrown. The manual described itself as 'a practical guide to... paralyzing the military-industrial complex... without having to use special tools and with minimal risk for the combatant.'"
Now we know. It was all those false hotel reservations that finally knocked down that wall and brought Freedom™ to those suffering under Communism.
I love the "slack off!" one!
Who knew that the subgenius literature contained the key to overthrowing the Sandanistas? Sure, it's obvious in retrospect ...
While I don't doubt the US is capable of this, there's one thing in it that makes me think it's fake: The US government would never spell the word "tire" as "tyre".
The text attached states that it was translated back to English by an Australian, so...
If it was written in English and Spanish to begin with why would it need to be translated back to English?
Unless I read something wrong.
I was just going by this.
He contradicts himself.
Oh well.
'tyre' is an accepted alternate spelling of 'tire'.
Sure, it's spelled "tyre" in British countries, but that's irrelevant. As the previous comment said, the US government doesn't spell it that way, nor does any US citizen I've ever seen, and I rather doubt that Nicaraguans do either.
You've been subverted into thinking the US gov't didn't write it!
What <lj user=goulo> said...
Tyre is not acceptable in the US, at least not by a government agency.
I personally like the alternate spelling and use it myself, but it would never pass in any kind of publication or official document.
Nor would they publish a manual designed for Latin American civilians in English in the first place.
I always love these manuals, they're so.. useless. Like you should give a good read to the al-quada training manual, its like 'make sure to have a stable car before performing an operation' and other such more or less common sense/useless information.
Considering the mindframe of the people that do this type of stuff, it's probably not common sense.
They're not usually well educated.
indeed, good point.
more or less common sense
See also the US Army FMs.
While I don't doubt that the US might do such a thing, I'd like evidence that this is for real. If such a leaflet were publically distributed, could it be obtained under the FoIA?
Oh, this is absolutely real. It was a big story when it was revealed in the '80s, and versions with the original Spanish and an English translation were availible in print.
I remember it being mentioned in Bloom County, where Binkley was suggesting that they sneak into the Pentagon and flush all the toilets to throw the entire military-industrial complex into a state of higgledy-piggledy.
I'm not sure how to spell higgledy-piggledy in American vs. British English, however, nor do I know if it translates into Spanish.
Call me skeptical, but I'd prefer to see scans of the original before jumping to conclusions of "reality."
Yep - it's the 'block toilets' one I remember.
Anarchy! Sponsored by the CIA.
Much like buying one of those Che Guevara tee-shirts from a big chain store in the mall, that seems, uhh, wrong on some level.
Hey, if the irony-oblivious dime-store white-bread suburban American high-school rebels want to lap those shirts up, I can't blame retailers for selling them first and smirking later...
Looky what I made.
You've been filming me at work!
This would be really great if someone was saying "Haw haw" in one of these.
It would have been so much cooler if Jack Chick had written it.
make a manual for another county: Sabotage
same actions done here in the US: terrorist
Are you saying there's no difference between phony hotel reservations and what Al-Qaeda does? Or maybe I skipped the page that said "BE A SILLY GOOSE! Kidnap innocent people and murder them on camera."
Here's one of the pages you skipped.
Ok, that's a bad thing.
I think sawing the heads off of aid workers is even worse, but I accept your point.
The government's actions of promoting "phony hotel reservations" effectively created Al-Qaeda. We made our bed, too bad you do not like the consequences - should of thought of that beforehand.
Well then, what are the hostages' families complaining about? Someone should tell them to quit whining and accept it.
Those completely, absolutely, need to be made into bumper stickers and/or t-shirts.
Apparently Big Explosions in Latin America are not so disruptive after all. Or maybe Bush really can't do anything right. ;)
Venezuela blames foes in oil pipeline blast
Monday, December 5, 2005
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- An explosion that damaged an oil pipeline supplying Venezuela's largest refinery was caused by government foes attempting to disrupt congressional elections, officials said.
The state oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela S.A., said Monday that Saturday night's blast had not forced any reduction in output because the refinery has enough crude on hand to continue operations while the pipeline is being fixed and the oil field has capacity to store pumped crude.
"We have enough storage capacity," said Oscar Rivas, the company's head of operations for western Venezuela. "Production will not be affected."
The slack off one looks a tad bit racist. I mean, maybe it's just the mustache or something, but I can't help but the get the impression that someone really wanted to draw a caricaturized lazy hispanic guy.
My preferred method of sabotage is to inset my wooden shoes into machinery causing it to break, but sadly nobody respect the old ways any more.
Pff. Only luddites are afraid of the New Ways.
Fast and eager learners, the English.