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LEGAL_BLOCK

                                                  July 26, 2010

  In tracing literary influences,
  it's entirely possible to run                INFLUENCE
  up against a legal block.

  In every public statement about
  "The Prisoner", it was necessary          Similarly, the "Cowboy Bebop"
  to deny that the main character           creators don't seem to mention
  was John Drake or even based on           the obvious point that Spike
  John Drake, for reasons most fans         is Corto Maltese.
  don't seem to follow: they didn't            
  have the rights.                             (Or maybe they do, but use 
                                                a Japanese form of the name?)   
     It's pretty obvious to anyone who
     looks at it that "The Prisoner" is
     essentially a sequel to "Secret Agent".
                                        
     The continual conflicts between         
     Drake and his superiors, the often      
     barely concealed contempt, it's all     
     finally boiled over, and he wants               Really what happens
     to quit.  And now what?                         is they send you off
                                                     with stern warnings
                                                     to keep your mouth
                                                     shut, and maybe keep
                                                     an eye on you.

                                                     But... what if you
                                                     violate their warnings
                                                     and publish a book?!

                                                     It doesn't matter much.
                                                     The mainstream (of what?)
                                                     media will ignore it, if
                          There is the case of       it gets any attention,
                          John Stockwell, a CIA      the usual suspects will
                          defector (I mean,          accuse the source of just
                          whistle-blower) who's      trying to sell books,
                          writings were subject      even the people believe
                          to prior-restraint         in your great revelations
                          and essentially            will feel like it doesn't
                          censored.                  have enough independent
                                                     confirmation to use in
                                                     Serious Debates.

                                                     I'm reasonably convinced
                                                     the author of "Confessions
                                                     of an Economic Hit Man" is
                                                     telling it straight, but
                                                     if you're not convinced I
                                                     don't know how to change
                                                     your mind.


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