Something to keep in mind trying to reason about appropriate responses and preparation: The IC now has a century or so invested in perfecting the techniques wh

Something to keep in mind trying to reason about appropriate responses and preparation: The IC now has a century or so invested in perfecting the techniques whereby good people are led to do either nothing or bad thing, some of which are almost impossible to either detect or disrupt unless you are actively on guard—and that may well not save you. One analogy is to image yourself the target of "pick up artist" strategies backed by state-level resources. Not just one person matching their manipulation—based on focused study on human motivation, belief steering, and behavior steering—but an institution. Against the concerted efforts and craft of a committed IC you and I are utterly helpless... ...as individuals. Systemic confrontation and disruption is IMO the only viable path to preventing this sort of abuse under people like Patel.