A Lebanese collegiate network established “to develop Lebanese-American students academically and professionally” and provide them with “professional career opportunities” is doing so through “info-sessions” financed and run by the CIA.
Several CIA agents walk into a room full of Lebanese students. It is decorated with the flags of Lebanon, the United States, and the CIA.
The participants’ eyes glow as they stare at the spymasters who have decided to pay them a visit in appreciation of their intelligence.
They give their full attention to a presentation about the different sections of the CIA. They note down information about the agency’s need to recruit smart, ambitious, and multilingual young Lebanese like them.
When they are done, students and agents go out to lunch where they eat hummus, grilled meats, tabbouleh, and flat bread. The CIA’s long experience taught it that recruiting a Lebanese agent starts with a hummus plate and a shawarma wrap. So, following each session, the CIA hosts and pays for a traditional Lebanese spread.
None of the above details are embellished or fabricated. Such meetings have been taking place since 2008 in the US after a Lebanese American student group decided to connect Lebanese students with one another in various states and cities.
Under the guise of working toward providing them with employment opportunities in the US, they hold yearly recruitment sessions for the CIA.
[B]Connecting People[/B]
Once again, some Lebanese find the usual clever excuse to collaborate with the CIA. The smart alecks this time are a bunch of Lebanese students and Lebanese American citizens studying in US universities. They founded or joined a “non-profit” organization known as the Lebanese Collegiate Network (LCN).
The network is run by Lebanese and aims “to connect and develop Lebanese collegiate clubs, students, and alumni within the United States.”
The LCN which claims to work toward providing students with employment opportunities in the US has been holding information sessions sponsored and run by the CIA since its inception in 2007 up until last week.
The lecturers are CIA agents who are openly recruiting and hiring students. The last such meeting took place between March 30 and April 1, during LCN’s fifth Annual Convention at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.
But the CIA’s contribution is not limited to hummus. It is an LCN “Gold Sponsor” in 2012, alongside other, “Silver,” sponsors like Rotary and RotarAct.
The financial contribution of the CIA to the LCN could be a violation of the CIA’s regulations about working on US territory. US laws allow the CIA to directly recruit agents in the US but not to fund US organizations with US citizens as members inside the country, except in extraordinary circumstance.
[B]One Organization for All[/B]
LCN’s activity calendar published on their website shows that a few months into its founding in April 2008, LCN hosted the first CIA Info Session.
LCN explains that the aim of such sessions is to encourage institutions to employ members. But for five years in a row, the CIA was the only “institution” to provide career training for students!
Moreover, minutes of an LCN meeting held on 31 May 2011 show how some LCN leaders are satisfied with the CIA being the only sponsor and organizer of the sessions. The meeting involved several members of LCN’s board and staff and drew up a five-year workplan for the organization.
During discussions, LCN Treasurer Elect Tammy Ayoub suggested that, “other than the CIA maybe we can get a professional to come in and talk about their profession.” Another official, Anthony Gemayel, replied by saying “this might be difficult because not your whole club would be one specific major.”
They were answered by Patrick Sislian, LCN founding member and first president. “\[The] reason the CIA works is because it works across all fields, LCN doesn’t specialize in Engineering, etc.,” he said.
At the end of the session founding members and former presidents Serge Haddad and Sevag Sislian recommended a career fair and suggested two guest institutions: the CIA and the US Army!
LCN mission states that it is “a non-political, non-religious, and non-profit organization aiming to connect and develop Lebanese collegiate clubs, students, and alumni within the United States.”
On the other hand, the CIA’s mission says, “We are the nation’s first line of defense. We accomplish what others cannot accomplish and go where others cannot go. We carry out our mission by collecting information that reveals the plans, intentions, and capabilities of our adversaries, \[...] Producing timely analysis that provides insight, warning, and opportunities for the President and decision makers charged with protecting and advancing America’s interests. Conducting covert actions at the direction of the President to preempt threats or achieve US policy objectives.”
In the meantime, several people in the US are voicing their objections to the utmost secrecy of the CIA’s policies, financing, budgeting, and spending inside and outside the country. Its lax regulations, contrary to other US government agencies, are also under scrutiny. Several famous US commentators have also criticized the agency for being a killing machine.
LCN considers the “CIA info sessions” as one of its major achievements. In its first communique about the issue it claimed that “more than 100 students attended and engaged the CIA representatives with several intuitive questions that ranged from salary, commitment, and policies.”
The student network does not deny CIA funding. Its website and annual letters indicate that “the CIA donated US$500 per info-session to the LCN.” It also “purchased the food for all student attendants.” It goes on to add that “each dollar is invested back to the LCN membership.”
Nevertheless, several leaks from inside LCN indicate that the CIA’s contribution is upward of US$10,000 annually, thus giving it the Gold Sponsor status.
Written by Admin
We are group of Shia students whose aim is to make reach the fact about real islam and answer the doubts raised against shiaism in mondern days.
0 comments:
Post a Comment