Posted on 03/10/2017 8:34:41 AM PST by amorphous
The battle raging in the Deep State isn't just a bureaucratic battle--it's a war for the soul, identity and direction of the nation.
The battle raging in the Deep State isn't just a bureaucratic battle--it's a war for the soul, identity and direction of the nation.
When do the unlimited powers of the Intelligence/Security agencies threaten America's domestic and global national interests? The CIA and its political enablers claim the agency's essentially unlimited powers, partially revealed by Wikileak's Vault 7, pose no threat to America's interests, since they are intended to "defend" American interests.
This is the rationale presented by neocon CIA allies in both political parties: the CIA can't possibly threaten America's interests because the CIA defines America's interests.
This is the wormhole down which civil liberties and democracy have drained. It is an extraordinarily defining moment in American history when the director of the FBI publicly declares that there is no such thing as "absolute privacy" in the U.S.
In effect, privacy is now contingent on the level of interest the Security State has in the private conversation/data. If we read the U.S. Constitution, we do not find such contingencies: civil liberties are absolute. Post-1790 presidents have temporarily mooted civil liberties in time of war, and the CIA-led camp of the Deep State has justified its unlimited powers by effectively declared "a state of war is now permanent and enduring."
So what's left to defend if America has become the enemy of civil liberties and democracy, i.e. become a totalitarian state ruled by Security Services and their political henchmen and apologists?
I have long suggested that the tectonic plates of the Deep State are shifting as the ruling consensus has eroded. Some elements of the Deep State--what I call the progressive wing, which is (ironically to some) anchored in the military services-- now view the neocon-CIA (Security State)-Wall Street elements as profoundly dangerous to America's long-term interests, both domestically and globally.
Is the Deep State Fracturing into Disunity? (March 14, 2014)
I have suggested that this "rogue Deep State" quietly aided Donald Trump (by subtly undermining Hillary Clinton's campaign) as the last best chance to save the nation from the neocon's over-reach that the Establishment's Wall Street-funded leadership (Bush, Clinton, Obama, et al.) has overseen--including granting the CIA and its allies virtually unlimited powers unhindered by any effective oversight.
Does a Rogue Deep State Have Trump's Back? (January 18, 2017)
This profound split in the Deep State has now broken into open warfare. The first salvo was the absurd propaganda campaign led by Establishment mouthpieces The New York Times and The Washington Post claiming Russian agents had "hacked" the U.S. election to favor Trump.
This fact-free propaganda campaign failed--having no evidence didn't work quite as well as the NYT and Wapo expected-- and so the propaganda machine launched the second salvo, accusing Trump of being a Russian patsy.
The evidence for this claim was equally laughable, and that campaign has only made the Establishment, its propaganda mouthpieces and the neocon Deep State look desperate and foolish on the global and domestic stages.
The desperate neocon Deep State and its Democratic Party allies went to absurd lengths to undermine Trump via the "Boris ad Natasha" strategy of accusing Trump of collaborating with the Evil Russkies, even going so far as to briefly exhume former President G.W. Bush from deep-freeze to make a fool of himself, saying the Trump-Evil Russkies connection should be "investigated." Now the rogue elements have launched a counterstrike--Vault 7. Here is one example of how quickly the CIA's over-reach has been absorbed by the body politic:
I highly recommend reading Wikileak's summary of Vault 7: Vault 7: CIA Hacking Tools Revealed.
We now know that the CIA maintained a special program (UMBRAGE) to mimic Russia-based hackers and create false trails back to fictitious "Russian hackers." A number of highly experienced analysts who reviewed the supposed "Russian hacks" had suggested the "evidence" smelled of false trails-- not just bread crumbs, but bread crumbs heavy-handedly stenciled "this is Russian malware."
The body count from Vault 7 has not yet been tallied, but it wouldn't surprise me if former President Obama and his team eventually end up as political casualties.
Non-partisan observers are noting all this over-reach occurred on Obama's watch, and it hasn't gone unnoticed that one of Obama's last executive orders stripped away the last shreds of oversight of what could be "shared" (or invented) between the Security Agencies.
Indeed, the entire leadership of the Democratic Party seems to have placed all their chips on the increasingly unviable claim that the CIA is the squeaky clean defender of America.
Vault 7 is not just political theater--it highlights the core questions facing the nation: what is left to defend if civil liberties and democratically elected oversight have been reduced to Potemkin-village travesties? If there are no limits on CIA powers and surveillance, then what is left of civil liberties and democracy? Answer: nothing.
The battle raging in the Deep State isn't just a bureaucratic battle--it's a war for the soul, identity and direction of the nation. Citizens who define America's interests as civil liberties and democracy should be deeply troubled by the Establishment's surrender of these in favor of a National Security State with essentially no limits.
Americans tasked with defending America's "interests" globally should be asking if a CIA/NSA et al. with unlimited power is detrimental to America's soft and hard power globally, and toxic to its influence.
The answer is obvious: a CIA with unlimited power and the backing of a corrupt Establishment and media is more than detrimental to America's soft and hard power globally--it is disastrous and potentially fatal to America's interests, standing and influence.
Those of us on the sidelines can only hope that the progressive wing of the Deep State, the rogue elements who see the terrible danger of an unlimited National Security State, will succeed in undermining the powerful political support for this toxic totalitarian regime.
The CIA/NSA/DHS/... responsibilities are better left to our military and states, who's power is somewhat curtailed by a periodic change of duty station, and in the case of states, closer to the people.
The above, out-of-control agencies, are far worse than standing armies our founders attempted to protect us from in the Constitution.
I know many will disagree, but IMO, the Federal government should be limited to providing a Federal Marshal service and FBI back to providing "investigative" services as was its original intent.
http://freerepublic.com/focus/news/3532407/posts?page=105#105
I agree with you 100%. When you take a really close look at what is going on right now, PRESIDENT Trump is America’s greatest action hero. IMHO. I think the CIA wanted to bring the Democrats’ weaponization of the “intelligence community” against the American people out into the sunlight and used PRESIDENT Trump to do it. To me, it’s starting to look that way. Again, JMO.
The Feds should also be required to provide for the national defense (military) and border integrity.
Medusa needs some heads removed. Almost all of them.
Thank you for posting this.
The battle raging in the Deep State isn't just a bureaucratic battle--it's a war for the soul, identity and direction of the nation.
You can say that again.
You can say that again.
Trump should make sure that if the Deep State are going to use their powers against the American people, then the Deep State should not get paid for it. Cut their damn budgets, real deep.
L8r
Whether or not there were effectual rumblings of this kind, ultimately this had to be a God thing. How God orchestrated it is secondary. God tends to use the little and weak, rather than the high and mighty, to bring about cataclysmic change to the good. Trump is not as much cause, as effect.
Now that the jobs growth/hiring is increasing for the average citizen under Trump, now would be a very good time to eliminate huge amounts of “guberment” largesse and employment. I vote for by reducing their individual pay to one dollar an hour starting with all obozo/Clinton embedded employs.
Here is an explanation of what happened to the CIA and most other branches of the FedGov:
___________________________________________________
Pournelle’s Iron Law of Bureaucracy states that in any bureaucratic organization there will be two kinds of people”:
First, there will be those who are devoted to the goals of the organization. Examples are dedicated classroom teachers in an educational bureaucracy, many of the engineers and launch technicians and scientists at NASA, even some agricultural scientists and advisors in the former Soviet Union collective farming administration.
Secondly, there will be those dedicated to the organization itself. Examples are many of the administrators in the education system, many professors of education, many teachers union officials, much of the NASA headquarters staff, etc.
The Iron Law states that in every case the second group will gain and keep control of the organization. It will write the rules, and control promotions within the organization.
IS the DEEP STATE behind the mass protests? There is no greater danger to your liberty than to not value it! IMHO, this treatise is worth some consideration, no matter one’s political lean. I recall back in the 70s, the CIA was my liberal friends fave villain (Sen Frank Church committee)... to them I ask: shall I assume the that their concern was limited by who’s party is in charge?
If so… refer back to my opening statement.
Many of these capabilities have been known, the exact manner has now been exposed. It is unfortunate that intelligence agencies have been breached, I don’t think this should be celebrated.
This deep state civil war meme is, in my opinion, propaganda. Steve Pieczenik, a self described “expert in psychological warfare”, appears on the Alex Jones show to tout this idea. http://stevepieczenik.com/about/
Don’t misunderstand, intelligence agencies abusing their powers against Americans - especially to influence our elections - is unacceptable. I am glad that has been exposed. Those responsible need to go to prison for a long long time, and then die a natural death in prison, cold and alone.
Destroying our intelligence capabilities is not good.
I fear intelligence agencies more than standing armies, that our founders warned us about, because of their ability to direct and indirectly control armies, police forces, and the body politic.
Oops.
#15
“The CIA and its political enablers claim the agency’s essentially unlimited powers, partially revealed by Wikileak’s Vault 7, pose no threat to America’s interests, since they are intended to “defend” American interests. “
That argument works really well if you define “American Interests” as destroying Donald Trump and all his white male followers.
CS Lewis made a similar observation —
On the one hand, a person with no moral compass who is “out for himself” can do a lot of damage, but may occasionally hold himself back (a little) and ask “Am I going too far this time?”
But someone with “good intentions”? They are convinced that the ends justify the means. They never hold back. They never question their own actions. They go full speed ahead all the time and they can do unlimited damage.
Agree, but that's not the issue, it's who controls those capabilities that's the problem, IMO. Something better left to our military who've earned such trust up to and including WWII.
Military organizations are far harder to corrupt, more dedicated and honor their oath more so than bureaucratic organizations for numerous reasons. This is true for all governments - as history has shown.
This is not to slander the great many dedicated, honorable civilian employees that make up these organizations, it's simply the nature of the beast, and what those running the show wind up doing.
The road to Hell...
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