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What an Uncensored Letter to M.L.K. Reveals

nytimes.com

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Re: What an Uncensored Letter to M.L.K. Reveals

#31

Post by scintill76 »

mathattack wrote: post #3
wyager wrote: post #2

Let this serve as a demonstration that government agencies actually can be comically evil. A lot of people dismiss accusations against government agencies or fail to consider hypothetical legal abuse scenarios because "the government would never do that". Yes, the government would ever do that.

It's stronger than the government would do that. It's that the government did that. This incident of the government trashing one of the world's great civil rights heroes is a mark of shame that all of us Americans have to bear.

I was going to make an "academic"-type counter-argument that not even terrorism fears approach the anti-communist hysteria that probably drove this incident, thus it won't happen again... but then there's the NYPD mosque spying case. It's not the same active blackmailing situation. But I think we can say the fact that it happened at all in "our enlightened day and age" is sufficient evidence that, if there were a few person(s) to discredit in order to tear down movements that the government didn't like or feared, they wouldn't mind trampling civil liberties to get it done.

Are there recent, well-documented cases of government blackmailing like this?

Re: What an Uncensored Letter to M.L.K. Reveals

#32

Post by res0nat0r »

Mikeb85 wrote: post #19

It continually amazes me that Americans can perpetuate the myth that their government is a democratic, moral force in the world given everything they have done, and are still doing...

The American government is not a single entity, it is comprised of many people both good and bad.

Re: What an Uncensored Letter to M.L.K. Reveals

#33

Post by Estragon »

Scuds wrote: post #6
mathattack wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's stronger than the government would do that. It's that the government did that. This incident of the government trashing one of the world's great civil rights heroes is a mark of shame that all of us Americans have to bear.

In J. Edgar Hoover's mind Civil Rights Movement -> Destabilizing Effect on American Culture -> Probably a Communist Plot -> Civil Rights Movement is the Enemy

The case against King was a little more specific than that, though still not a reasonable basis for suspicion: One of his close associates had historical ties to the US communist party.

It was such a weak case that Hoover had to really push on LBJ to let him go after King so aggressively, and probably reflected cryptic racism as much as his fear of communism.

Re: What an Uncensored Letter to M.L.K. Reveals

#34

Post by comice »

JoeAltmaier wrote: post #22
Mikeb85 wrote: post #19

It continually amazes me that Americans can perpetuate the myth that their government is a democratic, moral force in the world given everything they have done, and are still doing...

That's actually the best hope for America, the expectation that we should do good, do the best we can.

I don't see how perpetuating the myth helps with achieving that.

Re: What an Uncensored Letter to M.L.K. Reveals

#35

Post by waterlesscloud »

Mikeb85 wrote: post #19

It continually amazes me that Americans can perpetuate the myth that their government is a democratic, moral force in the world given everything they have done, and are still doing...

As compared to exactly which other government? Anywhere?

Re: What an Uncensored Letter to M.L.K. Reveals

#36

Post by Smother_Teresa »

Mikeb85 wrote: post #19

It continually amazes me that Americans can perpetuate the myth that their government is a democratic, moral force in the world given everything they have done, and are still doing...

It amazes me that people still paint an entire population with one brush.

Re: What an Uncensored Letter to M.L.K. Reveals

#37

Post by thisjepisje »

Smother_Teresa wrote: post #36
Mikeb85 wrote: post #19

It continually amazes me that Americans can perpetuate the myth that their government is a democratic, moral force in the world given everything they have done, and are still doing...

It amazes me that people still paint an entire population with one brush.

I find it funny how people feel offended as soon as you leave out the words "some" or "most".

Re: What an Uncensored Letter to M.L.K. Reveals

#38

Post by wuliwong »

thisjepisje wrote: post #37
Smother_Teresa wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It amazes me that people still paint an entire population with one brush.

I find it funny how people feel offended as soon as you leave out the words "some" or "most".

Why do you think that is funny?

Re: What an Uncensored Letter to M.L.K. Reveals

#39

Post by jafaku »

res0nat0r wrote: post #32
Mikeb85 wrote: post #19

It continually amazes me that Americans can perpetuate the myth that their government is a democratic, moral force in the world given everything they have done, and are still doing...

The American government is not a single entity, it is comprised of many people both good and bad.

And with the magic of compartmentalization, both kinds of people can work together to create a horrible organization that does all kinds of evil around the world.

Re: What an Uncensored Letter to M.L.K. Reveals

#40

Post by api »

Scuds wrote: post #6
mathattack wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's stronger than the government would do that. It's that the government did that. This incident of the government trashing one of the world's great civil rights heroes is a mark of shame that all of us Americans have to bear.

In J. Edgar Hoover's mind Civil Rights Movement -> Destabilizing Effect on American Culture -> Probably a Communist Plot -> Civil Rights Movement is the Enemy

All governments to varying degrees seem to operate with a number of hidden imperatives, with one being "maintain the status quo." There will always be some within the government bureaucracy who see anything that deviates from the status quo of their host society as criminal or an enemy.
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