The FBI is America’s KGB.
We aren’t that different from the Soviets - when you have a huge, bloated, ideological and social-engineering government that controls the flow of resources in the economy and details of everyone’s life - the top law enforcement agency becomes the political arbiter of what policies get enforced at the highest levels, and becomes the monitoring agency to control infighting and stability at the top.
True.
Today you have two dangerous ingredients:
1. Government (Intel and law enforcement) have the capabilities to invade your privacy, mass collect, share, sort, filter information. They have special powers with FISA, NSLs, etc. that are frankly unconstitutional.
2. These government agencies IC and LE have become part of the political games, leveraged against the political opponent.
What’s the result. Exactly what you claim and sounds ridiculous to some. We are basically the same as what we once called the “bad guys” in the East.
Other than putting a pretty face on it, still pretending to care when a TV camera is there, we do ALL the same things. And if you don’t believe that, go ask a J6 protestor, General Flynn, someone at Trump tower that was surveilled in 2016...
It is in fact a threat to our Republic and democratic system!
The only way to fix this, is to cut the nuts off.
Ever see Lord of the Rings and “my precious?” It’s the same thing. These Intel powers and capabilities we have allowed to grow inside the US and be used AGAINST American citizens are in violation of basic constitutional concepts AND pose a threat because the temptation to use them is just to great.
You can always rationalize / make up some excuse why you need to collect on someone. Trying to fix the system procedurally and through policies will not work in the long haul. We will fall right back into the same place.
You have to physically dismantle much of the system. You have to make it physically impossible to do the sort of things, (or where necessary to retain some of the capabilities) to the scale, being done today.