BTW there are a lot more "Wave to the Nice People at the CIA" stories ...

Hi again. I realize I dropped the ball on posting all the yes-Virginia the-CIA-does-exist outside-the-beltway stories that ran in The Denver Post etcetera. I know that at this point these are kind of out of order, date-wise, and that I am a librarian and should get these things right. Hmm. Oh well! Get over it. (I am providing a nice image for you.) This is an editorial from 05/11/2005. The upshot of the editorial: "CIA would provide an important service to the country and be a good addition to metro Denver." Um. Yes. I hear you. That's why I'm posting the way fabulous picture of Beyonce and Jay-Z on the move. Because they are so very fabulous and wonderful and beautiful! You go, Beyonce and Jay-Z! We love you!

EDITORIAL -- CIA unit could benefit Denver

The Denver Post
May 11, 2005

The CIA, whose work typically has been shrouded in secrecy since its creation in the 1940s, is considering moving its domestic operations division from northern Virginia to the Denver area. The National Resources Division is responsible for operations and recruitment in the United States.

It's an important mission, but not the cloak-and-dagger stuff that makes the agency so controversial overseas, and Denver appears ready to embrace the CIA's possible expansion into the area with open arms.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, it was clear the CIA failed to successfully recruit agents with the right interests and skills, so the recruiting mission is vitally important to the country's anti-terrorism efforts.

About $20 million has been budgeted for the move, according to sources.

From Colorado's congressional delegation to Denver's mayor to business leaders, the move shapes up as a positive addition to the Denver economic landscape.

"Anytime there's a possibility of new jobs, especially high-paying ones, that's something to get excited about," said Lindy Eichenbaum Lent, spokeswoman for Mayor John Hickenlooper. "But given we have no details and no confirmation, it's impossible to say much more."

No one this side of Langley, Va., seems to have any details, and CIA leadership isn't talking. The CIA unit could involve anywhere from a few hundred jobs to more than a thousand, and could land in Lakewood at the Denver Federal Center, or in a non-descript office building elsewhere.

The move is consistent with the Bush administration's desire to shake up the agency's "beltway mentality" and expand recruiting beyond the east and west coasts. It would help decentralize federal security capabilities away from the vulnerable corridors of power concentrated in Washington.

Denver already is well-connected into the intelligence community - more so than most people will ever know. Besides many military links, a growing number of private businesses with government contracts are working here on intelligence and security issues. Their work is secret, but the government contracts have been a boon, said Tom Clark, executive vice president of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.

More than 300 companies in Colorado are associated with the space industry, including satellite-related technology and defense, he said.

Not all of the chatter around the possible move has been positive. Some skeptics worry this could make Colorado more of a target for terrorists. Others wonder if the CIA might be tempted to overreach its statutory restrictions on spying if it moves further away from congressional oversight.

It's fun and easy to conjure up some conspiratorial conclusions about the agency's intent, but at first glance it seems this particular function of the CIA would provide an important service to the country and be a good addition to metro Denver.