Is Burn Notice the Reality of This World?

I just finished watching Burn Notice. It's a pretty good series about secret government agencies and corporations controlling what happens around the world.

I know most of the stuff and "tips" regarding what "spies" do in the show is BS, but what about the story?

Is our world really like that?

Do we really have spies running around Miami killing people?

Are there really that many shadowy corporations and secret echelons?



I don't think i will ever be able to enter "that world" even if it existed. I will never experience the life of those people.


Has anyone here lived that sort of life?

Im sure if anyone on here has, they would not feel at liberty to discuss such matters, as it would compromise their identity as well as their location.

reply to post by die_another_day


Well, my father applied for a position in the Australian secret service when he was younger and he was told that most of the people working there have pretty mundane jobs. Not everyone working at those organisations are like James Bond; they're just people who listen to phone calls and read e-mails etc.

While spies are real and murders are real, I don't think I'd say its reality.
More like an emulation of it.
With glorified deaths.

Originally posted by BigBruddah
reply to post by die_another_day

 

Well, my father applied for a position in the Australian secret service when he was younger and he was told that most of the people working there have pretty mundane jobs. Not everyone working at those organisations are like James Bond; they're just people who listen to phone calls and read e-mails etc.

That's exactly why MI5 and MI6 have tried to make spying look cool to kids for the last decade, because when they find out it's more about paperwork and sitting behind a desk than going on adventures with a license to kill they change their minds about wanting to be a spy.

Hi there! I do not know nor have I seen "Burn Notice", but I can tell you this, regarding your question to know if life really is like that.

When I was in high school, we had a day where many different enterprises or government agencies were there to present there work to students so we could get a glimpse at what was offered. At noon, just before lunch time ended, one of my good friend came to see at my locker, all speed up and nervous.
He got very close to me and whispered this; " Man! When I was about to go to lunch, cops from the RCMP came to see me and they asked me to follow them in a class. Once there, they offered me to work as an undercover agent for them! They told me to never talk about it, I'm not allowed! "

He told me because we were good friends and knew I would never rat on him. We were 15 then. That was 25 years ago. Last year, a man published a book in Québec, reporting about the same thing, at the same time. The guy had to spy on his best friend's father who was in organized crime.

My friend was very intelligent, and looked like nobody. ( Sorry friend! )

So MY answer to you is: YOU BET! Of course there are spies everywhere! Beware your kids! ( Just kidding on this one... )

I could even add that about 7 years ago, the school next to my house began construction on the school itself when summer arrived. We were told that the big, enormous black container that was put on the top was the new air conditioning.
It was almost six weeks in the making, and still not finished ( except for the outer casing, whren I saw a documentary on CTV with a former Canadian spy, and the guy was walking on the streets during the interview.
He was talking about NSA, stuff spy agencies do... Then he stopped and pointed to the top of a building and said; " You see that big, black container? They will tell you it is air conditioning, but if you look closely, how many air conditioning do you know that have doors and no venting? Teams work there to spy on everyone on the streets, and record everything that is said." Etc.

So, the next day, I started telling to people in the neighborhood, that the air conditioning that was being put on the school was the exact same thing as the "one" we were shown in the documentary. A few days later, the big, black container had been removed and replaced by another one, with venting slots all around.

Sorry it was longer than I had anticipated... I could tell more, but that's enough for this post.

Burn Notice is a fun show to watch. Michael is like a modern day super hero figure, righting wrongs and standing up for the little guy with the help of his trusty sidekicks. I like Sam, he's a real man's man in the mold of Willie from the Mission Impossible TV series (don't get me started! ) and Fiona reminds me of pretty Peggy Lipton ( TV's Mod Squad ) but much more deadly.

Burn Notice comes the closest to 'reveals' since the days of the original Hawaii Five-0. Making you feel like you're getting the inside scoop on how the pros get things done. Very entertaining.

Spies, intelligence and counter-intelligence movies & shows have enjoyed some good ratings over the years. Look at 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' and James Bond 007. Huge hits. Everything blown out of proportion for entertainment purposes.

I can't imagine how boring and painful working in the field is in real life. You've got the 'hurry up and wait' game like in the military. Agents probably have to stay in proper physical condition and test out on a firing range from time to time. Just like State Troopers that have to pass rigorous annual tests so they can sit in a parked prowler for 7 hours awaiting a speeder. I'm surprised they don't suicide from the boredom.

I think the spy game must be way different now that technology reigns supreme. The threats of the world change over time too. There might be more espionage in the corporate world than there is in the political, who knows.

I am sure there are the unsung heroes, brave men and women, that have made extreme sacrifices for their countries. We may never know their names or what they did, but they are out there, knowing they made a difference.