> Shows how afraid people are to mess with the CIA. They shouldn’t even be allowed to operate in the United States let alone collect information on American citizens.
I think it's incredible that politicians haven't cracked down on three letter agencies ages ago. The threat to themselves seems like it should have been obvious. As long as they're sucking up data on US citizens (including presidents and congressmen) it would make it very very easy for those with that data to control anyone. When the NSA can lie to congress and face no consequences is it because the government if fine with that or because they are too afraid to do anything? It makes the highest offices of our government seem very weak and vulnerable. If they're terrified to do anything about them, what possible chance could the rest of us have?
McCarthy is a pretty unique figure in US history in that he was infamous for propagating the second "red scare" in the US. That's not to discredit these reports by any means, but it's not like he was do-gooder either. He was a vicious politician that didn't hesitate to accuse his enemies of being communist, which sometimes resulted in arrest and prosecution. [0]"McCarthyist" anti-communist (i.e. opposition political organization) laws were passed that were later struck down by the Supreme Court.
His ability to accumulate power this way made him a major political target, which isn't quite the same as someone just trying to reel in the 3 letter agencies.
> I think it's incredible that politicians haven't cracked down on three letter agencies ages ago.
It only goes to show that the "Deep State" is real. But, of course, because it came from the "wrong guys" the idea got ridiculed to the Moon and back, all while the people writing about it had colleagues or close family working for said "Deep State" institutions.
> It only goes to show that the "Deep State" is real.
Sure -- this kind of "Deep State", the apolitical (or, if anything, authoritarian-right-leaning) one.
> But, of course, because it came from the "wrong guys" the idea got ridiculed to the Moon and back,
No, it got deservedly ridiculed because it claimed the existence of a left-leaning liberal "Deep State". Since fucking when is the military-industrial / spook-and-spy / government assassin community made up of leftie librul pinko commies?!? These are people who either don't give a shit about party politics, or if they care, tend to be right-wing hardliner God-and-country semi- (or full-on) Nazis.
> all while the people writing about it had colleagues or close family working for said "Deep State" institutions.
Sure... [Roll-eye emoji]
The leftie librul pinko commie writers (obviously rightly) denied the existence of the capital-D-Democratic leftie librul pinko commie "Deep State" that the right-wing hardliner God-and-country Nazi writers were gibbering about, and which you bought and are spouting forth here. (Wisen up and stop that shit, please. Thank you.)
The leftie librul pinko commie writers would probably be the first to admit the existence of the actually existing apolitical or right-wing hardliner God-and-country Nazi "Deep State", if that were ever up for debate, but ironically the right-wing hardliner God-and-country Nazi writers (and you?) would of course out-screech each other denying that.
I think it's incredible that politicians haven't cracked down on three letter agencies ages ago. The threat to themselves seems like it should have been obvious. As long as they're sucking up data on US citizens (including presidents and congressmen) it would make it very very easy for those with that data to control anyone. When the NSA can lie to congress and face no consequences is it because the government if fine with that or because they are too afraid to do anything? It makes the highest offices of our government seem very weak and vulnerable. If they're terrified to do anything about them, what possible chance could the rest of us have?