Don't buy into the Hype on the "domestic ISIS threat".

[sperbonzo]

The FBI and Domestic ISIS Arrest: Keeping Fear Alive as a Government Mission - Hit & Run : Reason.com


The FBI and Domestic ISIS Arrest: Keeping Fear Alive as a Government Mission
A continuing pattern of domestic terror, courtesy of our FBI.

Brian Doherty|Feb. 26, 2015 9:17 pm


Glenn Greenwald at The Intercept has some perspective worth keeping in mind regarding this week's spincter-tightening announcement of Domestic ISIS! Right here in New York City!

As my colleague Murtaza Hussain ably documents, ?it appears that none of the three men was in any condition to travel or support the Islamic State, without help from the FBI informant.? One of the frightening terrorist villains told the FBI informant that, beyond having no money, he had encountered a significant problem in following through on the FBI?s plot: his mom had taken away his passport. Noting the bizarre and unhinged ranting of one of the suspects, Hussain noted on Twitter that this case ?sounds like another victory for the FBI over the mentally ill.?

Greenwald notes with some case studies (see some clips by me at the end of the post on the same theme) that so many of the FBI's victories over terror involve their own nudging otherwise harmless people along to do or say things they can be arrested for?what Greenwald summarizes, in this week's domestic ISIS case and others, as giving us cause to "thank the brave men and women of the FBI for saving us from their own terror plots." resulting in "sending young people to prison for decades for ?crimes? which even their sentencing judges acknowledge they never would have seriously considered, let alone committed, in the absence of FBI trickery."

Greenwald asks a question I've been asking since at least 2006 about the domestic terror threat:

how serious of a threat can all of this be, at least domestically, if the FBI continually has to resort to manufacturing its own plots by trolling the Internet in search of young drifters and/or the mentally ill whom they target, recruit and then manipulate into joining? Does that not, by itself, demonstrate how over-hyped and insubstantial this ?threat? actually is? Shouldn?t there be actual plots, ones that are created and fueled without the help of the FBI, that the agency should devote its massive resources to stopping?

Greenwald ends with a quote he got from the ACLU of Massachusetts?s Kade Crockford from the mouth of former FBI assistant director Thomas Fuentes, discussing one of the agency's terror stings:

If you?re submitting budget proposals for a law enforcement agency, for an intelligence agency, you?re not going to submit the proposal that ?We won the war on terror and everything?s great,? cuz the first thing that?s gonna happen is your budget?s gonna be cut in half. You know, it?s my opposite of Jesse Jackson?s ?Keep Hope Alive??it?s ?Keep Fear Alive.? Keep it alive.

On the fifth anniversary of 9/11 I asked "Where's the Terror?" and revisited the strange lack of much demonstrated terror threat against our quite porous country allegedly facing a relentless and unstoppable worldwide gang of suicidal maniacs in such posts as "Undercover Federal Provocateurs Continue to Threaten America!", "Myths of Domestic Terror," and "The FBI: Making Sure we Don't Need to Import Terror from Overseas."












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[bronco67]

Fox news has a lot to do with this also. They spend all day shoving fear down old people's throats.

[sperbonzo]

Originally Posted by bronco67

Fox news has a lot to do with this also. They spend all day shoving fear down old people's throats.

They ALL do it. The other media outlets simply fear-monger on subjects that you probably agree with their agenda on....





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[RummyBoy]

They rather would have you running around like chickens..... The reality is that its not THAT easy to attack the US. Geographically or otherwise but you have keep DHS in jobs.

[_Richard_]

before it was 'go help the syrian rebels'.. now it's 'go help the kurdish rebels'.. ridiculous

[dyna mo]

I have a hard time believing there are no ISIS groups or members in the USA. sure, maybe those guys in the story are nitwits, both the IS peeps and the FBI.

regardless, we are an enemy to terrorists groups. the Al-Shabab call to target shopping malls for instance, = real. let's not forget they've done that shit before.

[Barry-xlovecam]

After the recent "Islamic Extremist" attacks in France and Belgium we know there is a problem in Europe.

The have been a few attacks in the USA of repute; 9/11 and the Boston Marathon.

There is no reason not to be vigilant of threat but to be obsessed with terrorist threats and sacrificing the values of constitutionally guaranteed freedoms in the USA, to citizen and non-citizen alike, only plays into the hands of fear of the terrorist.

So yeah, arresting a mental midget who lives in his mother's basement, who can't get at this own passport to join a terrorist enemy -- is a fuckin' joke ...

[k0nr4d]

Originally Posted by Barry-xlovecam

After the recent "Islamic Extremist" attacks in France and Belgium we know there is a problem in Europe.

The have been a few attacks in the USA of repute; 9/11 and the Boston Marathon.

There is no reason not to be vigilant of threat but to be obsessed with terrorist threats and sacrificing the values of constitutionally guaranteed freedoms in the USA, to citizen and non-citizen alike, only plays into the hands of fear of the terrorist.

So yeah, arresting a mental midget who lives in his mother's basement, who can't get at this own passport to join a terrorist enemy -- is a fuckin' joke ...

I like in europe and at this point, every time i eat a kebab i feel like im supporting a terrorist sleeper cell

[Spieglergirls]

The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

H. L. Mencken

[Mutt]

He has a point that's valid I'm sure, government agencies gonna do what government agencies gonna do BUT then there's the Boston Marathon bombing - I'm sure Greenwald if the two brothers had been caught beforehand would have described them the same way, as harmless lost youths who'd never really have followed through, victims of more fear mongering by the powers that be.

The Secret Service chases down a lot of mentally ill kooks who threaten the president, knowing that they are almost certainly harmless but it only takes being wrong about one of them.

So easy to be a critic, and the irony is that people like Greenwald are doing the exact same thing as those they accuse - whipping up fear of the government with anecdotal evidence.

[epitome]

I'd be obliterated if I were playing a game where I took a drink every time that guy tooted his own horn.

[Joshua G]

disregard.

[ilnjscb]

This technique is so classic. It's 101 for budget management. "Your identity could be stolen RIGHT NOW". I actually remember before the word "turrrrizm" (George Bush for terrorism) began being used a justification for everything. You need two trillion? Turrrr. You need billions in cash to be flown somewhere and then lost? Turrrr. You need your ratings to go up? Be tuff on turrrrizm! When Obama came into office, at least somewhat on the promise to end this insane bullshit, and then promptly took it even further, anyone with a brain knew something was up.

Two parties that would shut down the government over what toilet paper to wipe their asses with unanimously agree that every asset must be focused on "domestic terror". It boggles the mind.

[pimpmaster9000]

Originally Posted by dyna mo

regardless, we are an enemy to terrorists groups. .

no you are not...you are their best friends and idols because you suck so much people actually join ISIS for free...also you outbomb and outmurder every terrorist organisation combined and then times 100x at least...nobody can hold a candle to the USA in terms of terrorism and civilian death toll ect...

they really really like you

ISIS are just amateurs, maybe they are in the USA just for education?

[klinton]

if more people would think like OP, world would be different place to live.
however, unfortunately, most of the people are fuckin idiot sheeps who will follow anything. and each power loves them like that

[DraX]

Originally Posted by k0nr4d

I like in europe and at this point, every time i eat a kebab i feel like im supporting a terrorist sleeper cell

Yea those kebabs and döners, pretty tasty uh?!

[baddog]

Originally Posted by dyna mo

I have a hard time believing there are no ISIS groups or members in the USA. sure, maybe those guys in the story are nitwits, both the IS peeps and the FBI.

Michael said not to worry, so I am not worried.

[Joshua G]

Originally Posted by sperbonzo

how serious of a threat can all of this be, at least domestically, if the FBI continually has to resort to manufacturing its own plots by trolling the Internet in search of young drifters and/or the mentally ill whom they target, recruit and then manipulate into joining? Does that not, by itself, demonstrate how over-hyped and insubstantial this “threat” actually is? Shouldn’t there be actual plots, ones that are created and fueled without the help of the FBI, that the agency should devote its massive resources to stopping?

help me here. was the shoe bomber a fraud? how about the times square car bombing. what happened during the boston marathon recent? the shootings at fort hood? are you really posting propaganda that there is nothing to worry about?

there were no shortage of americans in 1939 saying, nazis, whats the big deal? theyre not attacking america right?