Example number #55374567834650 of why government blogs suck. Shin Bet, Israel's hush-hush internal security agency, launched a blog over the weekend. But the Sabra spies aren't writing about running informants or breaking up terrorist rings. In fact, they're not discussing Israel's delicate security situation at all. Instead, they're blabbing about how much they love their families, and the joys of drawing a government paycheck. Zzzzzzzz.
The new site is "part of an attempt by the organization to attract more high-tech workers to [the agency's] ranks," the Associated Press says. It features four Shin Bet employees, referred to only by the first letter of their names, and appearing in silhouette. Despite the mysterious identities, however, these spies are pretty damn mundane.
"Yud," the "technological brain" and "expert in integration infrastructure," chats about how government work is so much mellower than his old, corporate jobs. "Family, Family, and Again
Family: In the priorities I draw for myself in life, family is above everything, the wife and kids are the most important thing in my life.
Because of that, when i was looking for a place to work, I emphasized the question of whether a potential job would respect the oh-so-delicate balance in my life between work and family life."
Ugh. I know -- it's mistake to expect too much from any government website. And that goes double for an agency that's accustomed to the shadows. But still...
If the Shin Bet blog has a saving grace, it's that some of the writers have a sense of humor.
(Translation help: Haninah)
