4 ms·

FBI COINTELPRO [0] and CIA Operation CHAOS [1] did way more than just sending some harassing mail to MLK [2] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO https

FBI COINTELPRO [0] and CIA Operation CHAOS [1] did way more than just sending some harassing mail to MLK [2] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_CHAOS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_CHAOS [2] https://openyls.law.yale.edu/bitstream/handle/20.500.13051/7728/08_2YaleJL_Lib35_1991_.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y https://openyls.law.yale.edu/bitstream/handle/20.500.13051/7...

colpabar 5y ago
It's important to remember that this was in the past. The FBI, as well as every other three-letter-agency, are the good guys now, and they are totally ashamed of doing those things. They're definitely not doing anything like that anymore!
- bleuchase 5y ago
  Like the old saying goes, a leopard can change its spots.
- armenarmen 5y ago
  it always is a comfort to know that the alphabet boys did bad things in the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, 2000's but are actually totally chill now
  - astrange 5y ago
    Although leftists already seem to think the CIA started the Iraq War, when they were against it and Cheney/Rumsfeld had to invent ways to get all the intelligence agencies out of the picture so they could make something up in peace. Similarly, they didn't overthrow Bolivia recently, but people think Elon did it personally to get cheaper lithium because he joked about it on Twitter once.
- astrange 5y ago
  If they were they wouldn't be able to cover it up. I mean, we know when they do it - nearly every domestic terrorist bombing/kidnapping attempt ends up being a group of one guy and 4 FBI informers as soon as the one guy asks how to make a bomb on Facebook.
- raxxorrax 5y ago
  My satire detector soothed my anger at this comment. It is getting a lot of strain lately...
- ttybird2 5y ago
  Indeed https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29399776 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29399776
cwkoss 5y ago
Seems very odd that people are downvoting the comment I'm replying to: downvoters - why are you downvoting this? Do you think it's false? Or just don't like hearing about it?
- reaperducer 5y ago
  I didn't downvote you, but often people get downvoted because they take the discussion off-topic. It's interesting to you that what the PRC is doing today reminds you of something the FBI did last century. But the discussion is still about the PRC, not the FBI. As you can see, your comment that is benign on the surface started a whole thread of off-topic comments, which bogs down the overall discussion and generates more heat than light. Or maybe people read what you wrote as yet another "what about..." comment, the likes of which always pop up like mushrooms after a rain in discussions about China's current-day misdeeds.
  - TechBro8615 5y ago
    At this point we can't even talk conspiracy theories without someone bringing up the meta conspiracy theories, like the Chinese saboteurs sowing division in this comment section...
  - plorg 5y ago
    The commenter was responding to someone talking about spy work in East Germany, a post that, despite being about something that also happened 50 years ago and a continent away, is the top comment under an article about China. Is you think one is relevant and not the other you're deeply blind to some ideology underlying your assumptions.
  - raxxorrax 5y ago
    I think this is still very relevant to the discussion. Because spying is a profession in which behavior tends to degrade to the lowest common denominator, it makes criticism of such actions very hard if your own domestic agencies engage in similar behavior. The domestic populance can only influence domestic policies, so it would be even more prudent to set criticism in that direction. Spying was excused as a necessity, so how would I condemn these actions in the first place? "Whataboutism" is an ethical argument but we are not talking about ethics in the context of spying at all.

colpabar 5y ago

It's important to remember that this was in the past. The FBI, as well as every other three-letter-agency, are the good guys now, and they are totally ashamed of doing those things. They're definitely not doing anything like that anymore!

bleuchase 5y ago
Like the old saying goes, a leopard can change its spots.
armenarmen 5y ago
it always is a comfort to know that the alphabet boys did bad things in the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, 1980's, 1990's, 2000's but are actually totally chill now
- astrange 5y ago
  Although leftists already seem to think the CIA started the Iraq War, when they were against it and Cheney/Rumsfeld had to invent ways to get all the intelligence agencies out of the picture so they could make something up in peace. Similarly, they didn't overthrow Bolivia recently, but people think Elon did it personally to get cheaper lithium because he joked about it on Twitter once.
astrange 5y ago
If they were they wouldn't be able to cover it up. I mean, we know when they do it - nearly every domestic terrorist bombing/kidnapping attempt ends up being a group of one guy and 4 FBI informers as soon as the one guy asks how to make a bomb on Facebook.
raxxorrax 5y ago
My satire detector soothed my anger at this comment. It is getting a lot of strain lately...
ttybird2 5y ago
Indeed https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29399776 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29399776

cwkoss 5y ago

Seems very odd that people are downvoting the comment I'm replying to: downvoters - why are you downvoting this? Do you think it's false? Or just don't like hearing about it?

reaperducer 5y ago
I didn't downvote you, but often people get downvoted because they take the discussion off-topic. It's interesting to you that what the PRC is doing today reminds you of something the FBI did last century. But the discussion is still about the PRC, not the FBI. As you can see, your comment that is benign on the surface started a whole thread of off-topic comments, which bogs down the overall discussion and generates more heat than light. Or maybe people read what you wrote as yet another "what about..." comment, the likes of which always pop up like mushrooms after a rain in discussions about China's current-day misdeeds.
- TechBro8615 5y ago
  At this point we can't even talk conspiracy theories without someone bringing up the meta conspiracy theories, like the Chinese saboteurs sowing division in this comment section...
- plorg 5y ago
  The commenter was responding to someone talking about spy work in East Germany, a post that, despite being about something that also happened 50 years ago and a continent away, is the top comment under an article about China. Is you think one is relevant and not the other you're deeply blind to some ideology underlying your assumptions.
- raxxorrax 5y ago
  I think this is still very relevant to the discussion. Because spying is a profession in which behavior tends to degrade to the lowest common denominator, it makes criticism of such actions very hard if your own domestic agencies engage in similar behavior. The domestic populance can only influence domestic policies, so it would be even more prudent to set criticism in that direction. Spying was excused as a necessity, so how would I condemn these actions in the first place? "Whataboutism" is an ethical argument but we are not talking about ethics in the context of spying at all.