At what cost?
Here we are, stuck in a near-fascist, socialistic state [albeit with trappings of a federal structure and Constitution] that would be shocked with the introduction of a truly free market, or the Constitution taken as supreme law [meaning what it says, not what the government says it says].
Are you telling me that Capitalism could not withstand Communism in the marketplace of ideas
?
It seems to me that if opposing thought has to be squashed in order to to let the idea flourish it is highly indicative of a flawed idea.
It's all relevant because to assert that the CIA is useful despite constitutional bindings is to assert that the constitution's bindings are irrelevant.
“Are you telling me that Capitalism could not withstand Communism in “the marketplace of ideas”?”
Communism never intended to compete with us in any free market. When did they ever abide by the will of the people to choose some other form of government?
No, Communists only make pretenses of that, but they always scheme to take power by subterfuge and violence.