》So what is your underlying moral principle? That the state cannot take actions perfectly legal for citizens to engage in to prevent crime? Yes. That's the ent

》So what is your underlying moral principle? That the state cannot take actions perfectly legal for citizens to engage in to prevent crime? Yes. That's the entire point of the United States Constitution. The State has an overwhelming amount of power and resources relative to any of its citizens, including the richest ones. Our entire union is based on a document that outlines limits to that power, limits that often don't apply to citizens and corporations. That's why the state can only rarely stifle speech or actively exclude minorities (at least jn theory) but private organizations like the Boy Scouts of America can discriminate against legally protected groups and corporations can fire employees at the drop of a hat if they say something publicly that the employer disapproves of. 》Would it also be wrong for the state to send a sexy lady cop to seduce a gay basher/abortion doctor killer/female genital mutilator/other unpopular terrorist group? On a sting or a short term undercover op to catch someone who is actually dangerous to the public? Sure, it would be acceptable. This isn't an issue with an absolute answer, but six years of subversion that cause immense emotional pain to an environmentalist who clearly poses no threat (assuming they were competent it should maybe take 6-12 months to figure that out)? Are we talking about US Law enforcement or the Soviet era KGB?