HN is filled with people who work for intelligence agencies and military contractors. Defending US abuses as well-meant mistakes, or framing any professional consequences or exposure of bad things the US does as treasonous is how they sleep at night.
They may seem nice and thoughtful when discussing other subjects, but when it comes to surveillance, censorship, subverting elections, or misleading the public, they think it's the most heroic possible thing. I get the impression that they think that they're heroically sacrificing their own morality for the greater good, and if you told them they'd go to hell for what they've done, they would be proud. Meanwhile, outside of that mental drama, they're collecting huge checks and have never missed a meal in their lives.
Same vibe you get from people who work in extremely polluting industries who think of themselves as lovers of nature. They're doing what is necessary to save what is possible to save. Also incidentally collecting huge checks.
They may seem nice and thoughtful when discussing other subjects, but when it comes to surveillance, censorship, subverting elections, or misleading the public, they think it's the most heroic possible thing. I get the impression that they think that they're heroically sacrificing their own morality for the greater good, and if you told them they'd go to hell for what they've done, they would be proud. Meanwhile, outside of that mental drama, they're collecting huge checks and have never missed a meal in their lives.
Same vibe you get from people who work in extremely polluting industries who think of themselves as lovers of nature. They're doing what is necessary to save what is possible to save. Also incidentally collecting huge checks.