"... or its mendacious response to the disclosure of that role. This week saw another FBI 'nothing-to-see-here' statement to the release of files detailing how it actively sought to suppress the Hunter Biden story before the 2020 election, gave millions to Twitter, and targeted even satire or tiny posts that did not conform with its guidelines. The releases document what some of us have long alleged: a system of censorship by surrogate or proxy. The FBI has largely shrugged and said that there is nothing concerning about over 80 agents working on the censoring of posters, including many American citizens...."
"'The men and women of the FBI work every day to protect the American
public. It is unfortunate that conspiracy theorists and others are
feeding the American public misinformation with the sole purpose of
attempting to discredit the agency.'
What is striking about this statement is that the FBI is now adopting
the language of pundits on the left that any objections to its role in
censorship is a 'conspiracy theory.' Rather than acknowledge the
concerns and pledge to work with Congress to guarantee transparency, it
is attacking free speech advocates who are raising the concern that
Twitter had become an agent of the government in censorship."
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৭৭টি মন্তব্য:
80 agents. This is the farthest thing from a "nothingburger" that I have ever seen. Would the Supreme Court find this a First Amendment violation?
Same with Snowden. The narrative went instantly from “We would never spy on innocent American citizens” to “of course we are spying on all Americans, to keep you safe. You are welcome.”
If you don't shut up, they will SHUT you up. They have a gulag in DC for those people who disobey.
Western civilization was built on a foundation of high-trust societies. The institutions and cultures built on that foundation are vulnerable to exploitation. We've seen decades of exploitation by the political and managerial classes, without any attempt to preserve or strengthen that foundation, and the result is a rapidly increasing shift towards a low-trust society. Unfortunately, our institutions and culture haven't caught up.
The FBI had a bad reputation under J. Edgar Hoover -- FBI Director for 48 years. He was the untouchable Great Leader for life because he had dirt on all the politicians during his reign. Law enforcement agencies greatly suffer from a handful of bad insiders in power, be they Hoover or the various recurring spies who've caused havoc for otherwise 'neutral' organizations.
The FBI headquarters office also long ago developed a reputation for being where they could promote bad employees out of the way. This isn't rare in large bureaucracies, as management tries to help local offices and believes they can control or isolate the bad employees...instead the bad staff spread bad habits to good employees.
The current state of affairs was a highly predictable outcome, as today's FBI combines what made the old Hoover culture possible with a heavily left-wing DC federal workforce. History doesn't repeat but it rhymes. FBI rhymes with KGB, Stasi, and CCP.
The best outline of what's happening with the FBI may be "The Lives of Others" (2006) regarding East Germany's Stasi:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/
The FBI is the Mob.
I'd like to see some "Twitter files" on the FBI's statement. Who drafted the original? What discussion took place as it went through drafts? Who inserted the conspiracy language and what discussion did it evoke?
There is no way back. Disband the organization. Raze the building. Give the vacant lot the Carthage treatment. Let it be a reminder to the criminals at the FBI what they have wrought. Then do the CIA. Afterwards the American people should have a long talk with the Dept of Justice. That none of this will ever happen is beside the point.
What can one expect from an organization founded by a cross-dressing weasel?
"What is striking about this statement is that the FBI is now adopting the language of pundits on the left that any objections to its role in censorship is a “conspiracy theory.” Rather than acknowledge the concerns and pledge to work with Congress to guarantee transparency, it is attacking free speech advocates who are raising the concern that Twitter had become an agent of the government in censorship. Notably, Twitter itself now believes that such an agency relationship existed.
The statement shows an agency that is still engaged in framing public opinion and echoing the narrative being advanced by the White House. There are some who would question whether “working every day to protect the American public” should include censoring the public to protect it against errant or misleading ideas. There was a time when that was not a “conspiracy theory.”
-Turley did not kill himself.
Hunter's Laptop - Still hidden by the mob-FBI(D).
I would say that what is most chilling is that the media as a whole agrees with the FBI.
I repeat:
Still waiting for Wray's FBI and the CIA to take out Putin. LOL.
Oh wait - they are too busy playing Putin's Democrat Party gestapo back home.
It started under Trump and ended under Biden. Thanks Joe!
The agency that falsely claimed Russian interference in the last two Presidential elections says others push conspiracy theories.
Any regular follower of Judicial Watch is aware of the agency's avoidance of its legal obligations under the FOIA. It has become clear that their objective is to conceal their own unlawful conduct, not to protect their investigations.
Turley is not the only one to notice the Bureau's use of "conspiracy theorist" reflecting the incestuous relationship between the Democrats, their leftmedia pimps and federal law enforcement.
There has never been a greater threat to the Republic than the corruption of the DOJ, the FBI, the DHS and the IRS coupled with the complicity of the sheeple who comprise the Democrat rank and file.
This is the normal path of history. Government power attracts corrupt mediocre people who would rather use the monopoly of force against people that cannot normally compete against.
This is why Trump is so hated by the political class.
They couldn't succeed the way he did.
But he was better at their job than they were.
They are just weak and mediocre without government power. That is why they are willing to go to the lengths that they do to hold on to power.
Won't let me post to FaceBook , gives this message: Your message couldn't be sent because it includes content that other people on Facebook have reported as abusive. Heckler's Veto
I expect nothing less from the generational edgelords that used Martin Luther King to get back at their parents while protesting the Vietnam War with chants of "we shall overcome" as they picketted Langley HQ...
...and then became Langley HQ.
Congrats Woodstock, your gonna send your grandkids to Odessa.
[Claps slowly]
This is some Nork-level gaslighting from the FBI.
Compare:
Famous — Infamous
Flammable — Inflammable
Information — Misinformation
The FBI has made it perfectly clear: They run this country now. If you don't like that, try to take them down and you will be put in a political prison. Don't even think about marching on Washington DC to petition your government. That's parading. And that's a crime now. So get back to work, prole. You owe 10% to the big guy.
They are weasels.
Remember when the left was the defender of civil liberties? I think a lot of lefties are lefties because they think we still live in that world. But we don't.
I am, by the way, having difficulty in getting the wikipedia article https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter_Files to reflect the fact that the Twitter Files show major government involvement on the Hunter Biden story. The article three times quotes Matt Taibbi's first thread, which has this ambiguous statement that there wasn't. They keep taking out statements that the seventh thread makes the involvement completely clear and explicit. Reason?
No Reliable Sources. Taibbi's statement was taken out of its context by WaPo, and that's a reliable source, so they can use it. No reliable source has reported on the seventh thread, so apparently it's okay to leave the Wikipedia article saying something that is known to be wrong.
Obviously, Fox News does not count, and I guess WSJ is failing to do their job here?
They explain it to me on the Talk Page: sadly, what can we do? I explain back, it is not "original research" to quote the seventh thread, given that the Wikipedia article is about these threads. Nope - they outnumber me, and back it changes to telling the world a bare-faced lie.
this problem is Completely Self Caused!
IF Only people would Just Realize..
that they are REQUIRED To OBEY the government (and Much More Importantly; The Party);
Then None of this would Ever come to light. Come ON People! Mindlessly OBEY!!!
Be like Igna.. Don't Just DO whatever the Party Asks.. BELIEVE What EVER the Party Wants!!
OBEY!
Trump is a huckster. The FBI sucks and is corrupt.
Both are true.
"Arlington Road" was a film released in 1999 starring Tim Robbins and Jeff Bridges about a domestic terrorist conspiracy to blow up FBI headquarters in DC. (Spoiler alert) in the end they succeed. At the time the film was made the guys building bombs were the bad guys. Will audiences a decade or two from now feel the same way?
I consider myself more of a "conspiracy CONJECTURE-ist". I (We) don't have enough controlled experimental data, yet, to form a predictive theory.
But certainly enough to start committing resources and setting up the required experiments.
For example, it ought to be feasible to hire some "penetration testing" on computerized voting systems not dissimilar to what banks and credit card systems hire to identify weaknesses in their computerized financial system. White Hat Hackers. Forget all the after-action nonsense in courts with legal subpoenas and FOIA document dumps. Go live -- in small scale. See what's possible, then show the data and code. I'd chip in a few bucks to a project that could confirm or refute the conjecture.
The FBI's response wasn't just dismissive, it has haughty. In effect they're saying, "Sure we did it, we can do it any time we want, and there's nothing you can do about it, because we know the big guy and his handlers have our back. Neener-neener."
What I find most chilling is that approximately half the citizenry approves of the FBI's behavior in this matter - from Sam Harris to my Lib friends. You see, it is necessary to stop Almost Hitler, Literally Hitler, or Worse Than Hitler, depending on the education level of the speaker.
Too bad we can’t get bipartisan support to rein them in. Instead Democrats are pissed the FBI didn’t censor more.
This tells you it's been happening at all social media.
The arrogance is breathtaking, but utterly reflective of its political overlords.
The agents assigned to Twitter are just like the brave heroes who jumped into occupied France to help The Resistance...only different.
Howard said...
It started under Trump and ended under Biden. Thanks Joe!
Actually it started with the "Arab Spring."
But it wouldn't be an althouse thread without Howard posting something stupid, dishonest, and wrong.
The releases by Twitter over the past couple of weeks bring to light why Dem politicians were making noises publicly when Musk was threatening to buy and then bought Twitter - they were afraid these incriminating messages would come out and expose the Dems’ wet dream of censoring free speech. Damn that 1st Amendment!
Antifa Arson = A-Ok! Mass-shoplifting - A-OK! 2.7 illegal entrants - drug and female+child sex trafficking? A-OK!
Go to the US Capitol and take a selfie without a weapon? You're an insurrectionist!
Heartless Aztec said...
There is no way back. Disband the organization. Raze the building. Give the vacant lot the Carthage treatment. Let it be a reminder to the criminals at the FBI what they have wrought.
I believe the just-passed omnibus bill includes funding for a new, bigger, better, more secure FBI building in DC.
You still here, Groomer Howard? I thought you were on your way to help the Ukrainians fight off Putin.
Yes, Turley is correct- we have passed the stage of "This didn't happen" to the one "This did happen, but we did it for your own good", and the next stage is "Let's see you do anything about it". Democracy is now fortified.
Inevitably, the Left becomes an agent of the Government. It is their yearning, their tendency, to be part of a ruling class that imposes not only laws on how to act, but on how to think, what to think, what can be said or not, who is the approved sector and who is to be cast out, removed from their circles of friends, jobs, opportunities, and entire paths of life.
The FBI's answer, the media's answer is: "We're doing the good work. The Just Work. We're protecting you against yourselves."
This does not have a good ending. Jefferson's old quote, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." comes to mind. I always looked at that quote as an extreme position that we'd never face. We were too far along, too smart to let that happen. And yet, we are precariously close to something bad being forced to happen.
The liberals/Democrats think that they control to FBI. In reality, the FBI now controls the liberals/Democrats. The FBI is now the Gestapo for the national security apparatus and has the D's, some R's and the media under its thumb.
The FBI can destroy Joe by releasing the laptop and related files. We know that. What we don't know but can plausibly assume is that the FBI has similar information on most of Congress (both sides), most other politicians, the media, etc. And most citizens.
Chilling to any actual thinking person. Has the proverbial shipped already sailed? The only way out of this is for both sides, Ds and Rs, to call a truce and to dismantle the real common enemy. That won't happen until the D's wake up and see that they are just the tool and not the tradesman.
Concerned about surveillance of US citizens? Depends on which party is in power.
Code pink and other anti-war groups active? Depends on which party is in power.
Riots and taking over Federal offices an unspeakable horror? Depends on which party is in power.
Is free speech under attack? Depends on which party is in power.
There are others.
Except:
Fiscal restraint? Does NOT depends on which party is in power. My own, retiring thank God, senior Senator Shelby has 2/3 of a BILLION in earmarks in the current spending bill all by himself.
I worked with Shelby's staff a few times in my career. No funding request was dismissed if it would result in positive reporting on Shelby or (many, many cases) would result in a building named for the Senator. I heard the term "budget dust" when the request was too small to worry about. A $3 million dollar research request was just one example I recall.
I did NOT vote for Sir Richard.... ever. Our Senator-elect is Katie Britt. She was a Shelby staffer. I try to be optimistic, but...
Blogger Howard said...
It started under Trump and ended under Biden. Thanks Joe!
It began with Nixon and has not ended. You and the FBI are merely satisfied with the current senile lapdog and the politburo running things. One big problem is that Marxism doesn't work as a governing philosophy and those in power are incompetent. They know no real economics and are foreign policy naifs. This will not end well.
Some years back, not long after the turn of the century, a friend opined that the USA was quickly becoming one of the most corrupt nations on Earth. I told him he was crazy.
Looks like I was wrong.
Bob Boyd said...
Heartless Aztec said...
There is no way back. Disband the organization. Raze the building. Give the vacant lot the Carthage treatment. Let it be a reminder to the criminals at the FBI what they have wrought.
I believe the just-passed omnibus bill includes funding for a new, bigger, better, more secure FBI building in DC.
12/23/22, 9:09 AM
Mitch and his troop of Conservative haters funded the FBI who is spying on them (and us) Tell us again how we need to vote harder so we get the majority, when the leaders of "our" side vote against us every time.
Old and slow: "I would say that what is most chilling is that the media as a whole agrees with the FBI."
You need to understand and internalize that the national security state has fully merged with the democratical party and the legacy media.
They are one and the same.
This began conceptually with Operation Mockingbird, grew with the increase in the scale of our govt for decades, was provided all the technical tools for full authoritarianism with the Bush Homeland Security Act and then made fully operational and weaponized under the obama Administration.
They ran tests of their capabilities within the color revolutions across the globe and then ran that same gameplan against Trump in 2020....along with everything else they've been doing to destroy election integrity and flood the nation with millions of illegals.
This is why the legacy media and tech firms and the MIC are overflowing with legions of "former" DOJ/FBI/CIA/NSA/State Dept alumni, who go back and forth between highly compensated ("payoff") civilian roles and partisan govt roles.
The uniparty system rewards its henchmen and buys off the "opposition" politicians like a McConnell or a Richard Burr and all the rest.
There are many that compare this level of corruption and degradation with the collapsed Western Roman Empire, which is probably true...which would mean its not recoverable.
HBTPFH: "Trump is a huckster. The FBI sucks and is corrupt.
Both are true."
McConnell, Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney et al thank you for your tireless efforts to avoid the actual elephant in the room.
sing it bro!
Someone called the FBI the mob. Chillingly correct. They use the same tactics as the mob and the cartels only they don’t kill you and your family, they falsely charge you until you are bankrupt and falsely incarcerate them.
Gen Flynn was forced to accept a plea bargain or the fbi threatened to investigate, bankrupt and incarcerate his son. Just like a cartel.
They are criminals and the organization needs to be terminated.
Anything bad about the Bidens is all... Russian disinformation. The FBI and the loyal hack-D press concur... in unison.
I'm getting to the point where I've become numb about this corruption. My outrage capacity is gone. A big part of this is that I know nothing will be done. We are so, so screwed.
Did the FBI search twitter for evidence in the 2020/2021 riots where dozens died and billions of damage were done? No? How about preventing islamist terrorists from using twitter? No? How about twitter used for child porn and worse? NO? And yet they spent time on POLITICS! Oh, sure, just protecting americans...from one of our political parties.
If a wimp like Turley is attacking the FBI, you know they've done something very, very wrong. I agree with all the outrage directed at the FBI, but this is just one in a very long line of incidents.
The problem is that almost none of the Republican US Senators including Mitt Romney, MItch Mcconnell, Coryn, Collins, Graham, etc. seem to agree. Has anyone heard a peep from them about the out-of-control FBI? THey just rewarded the FBI by giving them $ for a new FBI building and extra $ to pursue J6 convictions.
Raze the building.
You don’t need to hate the FBI to agree with this sentiment; you just need to approve of good architecture and disapprove of the Brutalist style. Bad as the J. Edgar Hoover Building appears when you see pictures of it on the Internet, it’s nothing next to what it looks like when you drive past the real structure.
There is an ex FBI agent named Andy Bringuel. He went to MD Collins High School graduating in 1979. I watched in horror one day hearing him brag about violating average people’s constitutional rights and yes “running this country”. This was about 2018. He said that “they would get that motherfucker (Trump)”. I told him he was a fucking monster and he told me he could have my taxes that afternoon. Then he left a group of several now ex friends just staring at each other. That’s your FBI.
Bureau of Investigation
Head of the Radical Division
In August 1919, the 24-year-old Hoover became head of the Bureau of Investigation's new General Intelligence Division, also known as the Radical Division because its goal was to monitor and disrupt the work of domestic radicals.[18] America's First Red Scare was beginning, and one of Hoover's first assignments was to carry out the Palmer Raids.[19]
They will never be defunded because Congress only passes omnibus bill these days, which should be illegal.
It will take someone like Trump, or hopefully someone more determined than Trump, to tear it all done.
Not holding my breath.
FMS… Federal Menagerie of Shitweasels
“Show us the man, we’ll synthesize and ferret out the crime…”
Arlington Road was a shocker. After years of Hollywood telling us that the FBI and CIA were the villains, suddenly the FBI were the beleaguered heroes. I couldn't finish it. It wasn't believable. It tried too hard to make us feel sympathy and respect for the FBI agent. The domestic terrorist was too diabolically clever and well-financed. Nowadays, if you find a domestic terrorist that competent, he's probably an FBI plant.
Normally I hate spoilers, but this one actually makes me want to give the picture another look -- if I could fast forward through the first hour.
P.S. If spoiler alerts are still a thing, remember to put them far enough in advance, not right before (or after) spoiling the ending
And - removed from Wikipedia!
Dave Begley said...
" I'm getting to the point where I've become numb about this corruption. My outrage capacity is gone. A big part of this is that I know nothing will be done. We are so, so screwed. "
We are screwed.
Not to worry. Trump will save us with his Super-Hero Bubble Gum cards...
"But it wouldn't be an althouse thread without Howard posting something stupid, dishonest, and wrong."
Could a single comment ever be stupid, dishonest and correct?
Keep this in mind if you're ever on a jury in a criminal conspiracy case and the FBI are involved.
They don't define things the way the rest of us do, including "truth."
“You and the FBI are merely satisfied with the current senile lapdog and the politburo running things.’
What an ironic comment coming from you. No wonder your FBI daughter you’ve spoken of so often doesn’t speak to you anymore. Or maybe she forgives you because of possible dementia? Who knows, only speculating.
Perhaps the press release would have been more persuasive if the bureau had given some specific examples of the "misinformation" that is allegedly being spread.
Perhaps the press release would have been more persuasive if the bureau had given some specific examples of the "misinformation" that is allegedly being spread.
What cases exactly have the bureau solved not boston marathon to orlando, parkland las vegas
Agree with professor Turley wholeheartedly.
Paul A. Mapes said...
"Perhaps the press release would have been more persuasive if the bureau had given some specific examples of the "misinformation" that is allegedly being spread."
Even if they did that, they would quote something factual from one of the so-called "conspiracy theorists" and declare the facts to be misinformation, just as they did with Hunter Biden's laptop.
[FBI] don't define things the way the rest of us do, including "truth."
The truth is in an X-file.
It didn't begin with Nixon, it began with the OSS at the conclusion of WWII. The intelligence services that arose post-war have gradually amassed power through procedures and methods. They've been content to let Americans believe they live in the best, freest society ever, to let the illusion of a high-trust society rule as a system of consciousness - as they've been working their magic behind the scenes, believing they are at the vanguard of protecting the American experiment. And Might makes Right.
Now comes the denouement. Relinquish power? hah. So now all of us chumps are going to slowly learn what the real score is. Just because you believe in something doesn't mean it exists - it might mean that it's been useful to allow it to exist. Sorry about that whole Freedom of Speech thing, but it's inconvenient.
FBI: I know you are but what am I?
(We know where you live)
Dear Inga,
Are you comfortable with FBI surreptitiously advising and manipulating "publilc square" "platforms" like Twitter, Facebook etc?
Ok with FBI sitting on Hunter's laptop while allowing, fomenting a conspiracy to deny its existence and import?
I mean..have your ongoing pissing match between nurse and doc but address something substantive here.
(How are those "migrants" managing in your air mattress world home?)
They know.
We know.
They Know we know.
They don't care.
caught red-handed
regardless of how embarrassing a deflection the institution attempts,
i still demand the same decapitation
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