It's scary because the US government has such a history of suppressing dissenting ideas, especially when it comes to anti-war activists, environmental activists

It's scary because the US government has such a history of suppressing dissenting ideas, especially when it comes to anti-war activists, environmental activists, or any domestic groups which express opposition to the United States' form of capitalism. The FBI has a long history of infiltrating and undermining such groups. I understand what you're saying, but it also means that many possibly beneficial ideas and/or movements tend to not see the light of day.