6 ms·

This appears to be the related story about the agent: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61508520 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61508520 Some truly crazy things in that

This appears to be the related story about the agent: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61508520 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61508520 Some truly crazy things in that article too. For example, > X states he will kill her, leaves the room, and returns holding a machete ... The video cuts out amid her screams ... X was arrested, charged with assaulting Beth and appeared in court. However, while he was at court, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped the case. How can there be a _video_ of a machete attack and the case is dropped? > items of hers that had also been seized by counter terror officers were returned to a member of her family by a man who did not identify himself. The relative assumed the man was an associate of X. ... We have established the visitor was an MI5 officer. Material seized by a police investigation, under a police warrant, had been given to MI5. Just read that last sentence! I'm not a UK national, but tend to believe in them -- including MI5 -- being the 'good guys'. We need good guys in today's world, desperately. This kind of article is hard to read.

deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
StopDisinfo910 1y ago
There are no such things as ‘good guys’ especially for states. States only believe in their own interests and the narrative always go towards the powerful and the one which won. That’s the fatal flaw in international "justice" and has been from the start. Where were the people who allowed the nuclear bombing of civilians during the Nuremberg trials? Why was nothing said about the western nation entering the war so late despite what they knew? Because that’s not justice, merely retribution. Then, you have to considered the role played by secret institutions in democratic countries. Do they serve the citizenship, the national interests (what does that even mean?), the people in power, themselves first and foremost? From history, I wouldn’t trust them very much, even less as a foreigner. Be wary of any institution or person holding power. Check and balance are deeply needed and we should be horrified every times they are being limited or abused. If the UK is still serious about being a liberal democracy, this should have sever consequences. I’m sadly fairly sure it won’t.
- Hendrikto 1y ago
  > If the UK is still serious about being a liberal democracy They have not been for quite a while. They are the type of country where you go to jail over a meme.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - sofixa 1y ago
    Who went to jail over a meme?
    - exe34 1y ago
      It didn't happen. They're referring to people who incited arson and murder while there was an ongoing race riot (which started on false pretenses to begin with).
    - deleted 1y ago
      [deleted]
    - whyoh 1y ago
      Here are two examples: https://www.womenarehuman.com/man-arrested-for-sharing-meme-mocking-transgender-pride-flag/ https://www.womenarehuman.com/man-arrested-for-sharing-meme-... https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uk-teens-who-mocked-george-22122018 https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uk-teens-who-mocked-ge...
      - exe34 1y ago
        > "A trio of Snapchat pranksters aged between 18 and 19 are now having to be protected by police after enraging people with their sick reenactment of the death of George Floyd" It's called protective custody. It's for their own safety.
      - exe34 1y ago
        https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-62352502 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-62352502 The first one was arrested for questioning because he refused to talk to the police when they first attempted to communicate. He was subsequently released - he never went to jail.
ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
My father was in the CIA (one of the earliest). He was an idealist who joined out of patriotism, and couldn't reconcile himself with what they were becoming. He ended up resigning. I really feel that it broke him.
- MSFT_Edging 1y ago
  The early CIA were basically monsters in men's clothing. Just one dark, twisted scheme after another with no humanity in sight.
  - ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
    I think the very earliest had decent folks. I believe it was more like the second-gen CIA (1950s and 60s). He joined in '52 (after graduating Harvard with an LLB, and working for a short time at a law firm), and resigned in '67. [EDITED TO ADD] I updated to the proper dates, and linked his eulogy. https://cmarshall.com/miscellaneous/MikeMarshall.htm https://cmarshall.com/miscellaneous/MikeMarshall.htm
    - thomassmith65 1y ago
      Your dad was probably representative of many people at intelligence agencies. There's no amount of apparent evil that bureaucracy isn't sufficient to explain.
      - ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
        Well, he was a field agent. His job was to run assets in-country (Valerie Plame had a similar role). He worked in West Africa, where Russian proxies were trying to foster communist insurgencies. He was a very, very decent person; maybe too decent. The straw that broke the camel's back, was the Shah of Iran.
        thomassmith65 1y ago
        There are a couple Miles Copeland books on my reading list. They might be of interest to you. He was a big CIA guy (and also father of famous drummer Stewart Copeland) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Copeland_Jr https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Copeland_Jr.
bigbacaloa 1y ago
[dead]
kirici 1y ago
With all due respect, there is not a single bigger evildoer over the last 300 years than the UK, they do not deserve any trust.
- Xss3 1y ago
  Hitler?
sys_64738 1y ago
> I'm not a UK national, but tend to believe in them -- including MI5 -- being the 'good guys'. MI5/6 are never good guys.
mytailorisrich 1y ago
Nothing surprising here. They considered this guy to be a valuable asset and so "raison d'etat" prevailed. This also highlights that whatever the official line on police and justice independence fed to the public phone calls and meetings that "never happened", well actually do.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

StopDisinfo910 1y ago

There are no such things as ‘good guys’ especially for states. States only believe in their own interests and the narrative always go towards the powerful and the one which won. That’s the fatal flaw in international "justice" and has been from the start. Where were the people who allowed the nuclear bombing of civilians during the Nuremberg trials? Why was nothing said about the western nation entering the war so late despite what they knew? Because that’s not justice, merely retribution. Then, you have to considered the role played by secret institutions in democratic countries. Do they serve the citizenship, the national interests (what does that even mean?), the people in power, themselves first and foremost? From history, I wouldn’t trust them very much, even less as a foreigner. Be wary of any institution or person holding power. Check and balance are deeply needed and we should be horrified every times they are being limited or abused. If the UK is still serious about being a liberal democracy, this should have sever consequences. I’m sadly fairly sure it won’t.

Hendrikto 1y ago
> If the UK is still serious about being a liberal democracy They have not been for quite a while. They are the type of country where you go to jail over a meme.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- sofixa 1y ago
  Who went to jail over a meme?
  - exe34 1y ago
    It didn't happen. They're referring to people who incited arson and murder while there was an ongoing race riot (which started on false pretenses to begin with).
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - whyoh 1y ago
    Here are two examples: https://www.womenarehuman.com/man-arrested-for-sharing-meme-mocking-transgender-pride-flag/ https://www.womenarehuman.com/man-arrested-for-sharing-meme-... https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uk-teens-who-mocked-george-22122018 https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/uk-teens-who-mocked-ge...
    - exe34 1y ago
      > "A trio of Snapchat pranksters aged between 18 and 19 are now having to be protected by police after enraging people with their sick reenactment of the death of George Floyd" It's called protective custody. It's for their own safety.
    - exe34 1y ago
      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-62352502 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-62352502 The first one was arrested for questioning because he refused to talk to the police when they first attempted to communicate. He was subsequently released - he never went to jail.

ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago

My father was in the CIA (one of the earliest). He was an idealist who joined out of patriotism, and couldn't reconcile himself with what they were becoming. He ended up resigning. I really feel that it broke him.

MSFT_Edging 1y ago
The early CIA were basically monsters in men's clothing. Just one dark, twisted scheme after another with no humanity in sight.
- ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
  I think the very earliest had decent folks. I believe it was more like the second-gen CIA (1950s and 60s). He joined in '52 (after graduating Harvard with an LLB, and working for a short time at a law firm), and resigned in '67. [EDITED TO ADD] I updated to the proper dates, and linked his eulogy. https://cmarshall.com/miscellaneous/MikeMarshall.htm https://cmarshall.com/miscellaneous/MikeMarshall.htm
  - thomassmith65 1y ago
    Your dad was probably representative of many people at intelligence agencies. There's no amount of apparent evil that bureaucracy isn't sufficient to explain.
    - ChrisMarshallNY 1y ago
      Well, he was a field agent. His job was to run assets in-country (Valerie Plame had a similar role). He worked in West Africa, where Russian proxies were trying to foster communist insurgencies. He was a very, very decent person; maybe too decent. The straw that broke the camel's back, was the Shah of Iran.
      - thomassmith65 1y ago
        There are a couple Miles Copeland books on my reading list. They might be of interest to you. He was a big CIA guy (and also father of famous drummer Stewart Copeland) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Copeland_Jr https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Copeland_Jr.

bigbacaloa 1y ago

[dead]

kirici 1y ago

With all due respect, there is not a single bigger evildoer over the last 300 years than the UK, they do not deserve any trust.

Xss3 1y ago
Hitler?

sys_64738 1y ago

> I'm not a UK national, but tend to believe in them -- including MI5 -- being the 'good guys'. MI5/6 are never good guys.

mytailorisrich 1y ago

Nothing surprising here. They considered this guy to be a valuable asset and so "raison d'etat" prevailed. This also highlights that whatever the official line on police and justice independence fed to the public phone calls and meetings that "never happened", well actually do.