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the work done by the members of thesecret unit, scoffing publicly at the $20million spent on SRI’s contribution tothe whole collaboration – gleefully andwith great abandon spreading the cleverlyorchestrated dis-information to themasses. Should we start the ethical discussionshere?Just where does one find a place to starttalking about the ethical applicationof C/RV when ethical issues are so intimatelyintertwined in its entire history,beginning with the start up of the secretunit, the operational work undertakenby its members, the nature of the orderspassed down through the various chainsof command, and then the calamity ofthe dis-information campaign designedto discredit everything that happened?Could we be so naive to think a discussionabout ethics in C/RV need only encompassthis short span of time? Sorry,but the story isn’t finished yet!The tender pink underbelly of this topicis the vulnerability of having everythingthere is ever to be known - known tothose of us who have been trained inC/RV. If we can tap into anything andeverything, that would lead any laypersonto these important questions - dowe individually, or as a group, or as anindustry, consider anything as secret (orsacred)? Have we ever drawn a ‘line inthe sand’ which we agree we will nevercross to get information? No? Why not?Because we can’t first agree on wherethe line should be drawn and what informationthat line represents. Oh, really?Well then, let’s try to figure this outby starting with a few questions we canagree on.Truthfully speaking, have any of us beenunknowing, unwitting pawns in someoneelse’s quest for information and indoing so innocently and unintentionallycrossed that line into what would normallybe considered sacred or secret?The answer is yes.Can we bring ourselves to admit that insome cases we have knowingly participatedin these things in order to discoversomething about a secret or sacredthings? For many of us, the answer isagain - yes.And herein lies the crux of the matter.When the topic of ethical use of C/RVcomes up, how can one debate or discussor agree on anything in such a discussionwhen the truth of the matter isthat in many cases we have, in fact, alreadyparticipated in the unethical practicesof CRV - whether we knew it at thetime or not - whether innocently or purposefully.No wonder our emotions run high whenthis issue is raised, complete with theblaming, the sarcastic remarks, the bullyingcomments meant to silence thediscussion. It has worked - and kept usfrom admitting this truth, talking aboutthis guilt whether it be by association,unintentional or accidental. But the sillytruth of the entire matter is that we allknow this about each other, ourselvesand our industry. It’s the worst kept secretwe have! We all know about it andyet we’ve done a bloody good job of hidingit all these years by refusing to talkabout the real need for ethics in our industry.Why? Perhaps because doing soreinforces the guilt we feel for our owninvolvement in it. There’s no denying it -at least there’s no denying it with us - insidethis community. Because we knowbetter.So the first step forward into some freshthinking about all this would mean werealize that by setting standards for ethicssome of us will see they may need tochange the manner in which they practiceC/RV slightly. And would that be abad thing?Secondly, for both practitioners and instructorsalike in this industry, surely wecan agree that in terms of what we’re focusingon in the ethical practice of CRV,we’re speaking of that which would normallybe considered “sacred” or “secret”in our every day lives.Much like the ‘right to privacy’ for ordinarycitizens, we all know and valueour ‘right to privacy’ and what ‘privacy’means to us personally. No one has todefine what that means. We demandthis right and respect others’ rights toprivacy in our normal daily life. And sowhat would be so different about thisright and that which is secret and sacredin terms of CRV? We should easily beable to transfer over the ‘right to privacy’to that which is normally consideredsecret - in terms of CRV, wouldn’t youthink? It’s not like we’ve been taskedwith reinventing the wheel here.I’m dumbfounded to find myself evenasking these types of question butrealize even these have been difficultto agree upon in past discussions aboutethics and C/RV. I also know we are in anage where there are not and will not beany more secrets because of C/RV. Doesthis then assume we have the ‘right toview anything and everything’ regardlessof what we understand and value inour own ‘right to privacy’? Just becausewe can view anything and everything ,does that mean we should or should beencouraged to do so? From an ethicalperspective, the answer is real simple:No!I can’t imagine there would be anydisagreement with that conclusion,but nonetheless if there is then pleaseimagine what it would be like if youhad no right to privacy while someoneinspected and passed judgment on allyour secrets, uncovered all your sacredthoughts and beliefs and commentedto others on them, ran through all yourmemories - both treasured and devastatingmaking a note of them so they canbe discussed with other people later on.Or that your efforts and plans in somethingyou’ve spent a year working on willbe revealed to someone who intends toruin you, your family, your children, yourcompany, your reputation at home, atwork, at church.The point is this: highly driven, focused,unethical people will and can use theirC/RV abilities to pursue their own agenda.And highly driven, focused unethicalpeople will hire C/RVers to pursue theiragenda. I don’t think I am speaking directlyto any of these people here butjust the same, as an industry and as agroup of ethical practitioners, I believecoming together to put a set of ethicsin place is easier than we have come tobelieve and is needed more than ever.Establishing ethical standards that wecan adopt and pass on to those who willfollow in our footsteps will begin toIssue:1 eight martinis 17