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The FBI tried to ambush my source

theintercept.com

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Re: The FBI tried to ambush my source

#11

Post by y-c-o-m-b »

GiorgioG wrote: post #4

I hope stories like this open the eyes of folks who are die-hard Democrats or die-hard Republicans. They are not on your side. They are on their own side. I don't doubt that most folks at these agencies are hard-working Americans who believe they're doing what's best for our country. Having said that, this kind of unchecked power is dangerous.

I think deep down, many people in those camps realize it, but it's a very tough pill to swallow. Particularly if one is not equipped to mentally handle the hard emotions. These realizations amplify that feeling of helplessness.

Re: The FBI tried to ambush my source

#13

Post by yieldcrv »

GiorgioG wrote: post #4

I hope stories like this open the eyes of folks who are die-hard Democrats or die-hard Republicans. They are not on your side. They are on their own side. I don't doubt that most folks at these agencies are hard-working Americans who believe they're doing what's best for our country. Having said that, this kind of unchecked power is dangerous.

Exactly, we aren't talking about the ways these parties are different, we're fully aware of that, we are talking about the ways these parties are the same. When we say "both sides" or "both sides are the same" we are talking about the ways in which they are the same, and that these ways are problematic and bothersome.

Its as valid of a stance, for an individual, as a different individual choosing to privilege a way in which one party is different.

Re: The FBI tried to ambush my source

#14

Post by ajross »

I'm not really understanding what the newsworthy bits here are. There's an implication that this source had some kind of huge trove of data, but the reporter never got it and that's not what the story is about.

Instead, this story alleges: (1) the reporter planned to meet with a source to get a classified leak, (2) the FBI got wind of it, and (3) they planned what amounts to a sting operation (I guess, it's complicated because this was in France) to catch the leaker.

That's... I mean that's the FBI's job. That leak is clearly illegal, it's a crime. Their job is to enforce the law.

Beyond that there's some juicy details about the lawyer who originally ratted on the source and then got cold feet and warned the reporter. And that's interesting.

But... there's no government abuse angle here, not without knowing the contents of that leak that didn't happen.

Re: The FBI tried to ambush my source

#15

Post by anonporridge »

GiorgioG wrote: post #4

I hope stories like this open the eyes of folks who are die-hard Democrats or die-hard Republicans. They are not on your side. They are on their own side. I don't doubt that most folks at these agencies are hard-working Americans who believe they're doing what's best for our country. Having said that, this kind of unchecked power is dangerous.

Why else do you think career politicians from across the spectrum, from liberal Gavin Newsom to conservative Ron DeSantis, have worked hard to explicitly block ranked choice voting reforms? Not just voice their opinions against it, but proactively halt and override legislative reforms when they happen.

The duopoly doesn't benefit from making a more fair and inclusive system that allows for a greater diversity of political involvement.

"It's a big club, and you're not in it." -- George Carlin

Re: The FBI tried to ambush my source

#16

Post by ajross »

GiorgioG wrote: post #4

I hope stories like this open the eyes of folks who are die-hard Democrats or die-hard Republicans. They are not on your side. They are on their own side. I don't doubt that most folks at these agencies are hard-working Americans who believe they're doing what's best for our country. Having said that, this kind of unchecked power is dangerous.

There are no politicians involved in this story at all. This is just the FBI doing police work (and then getting burned by their own informant). Like it or not, distribution of classified material is a crime, and the FBI's job is to enforce the law.

There's no "unchecked" power here. The details are complicated because the meeting was international (so presumably there was some coordination with local police), but there's no court in the nation that wouldn't immediately stamp a warrant based on the straightforward facts alleged here.

Re: The FBI tried to ambush my source

#17

Post by lapcat »

jessaustin wrote: post #10

"whole" story There doesn't seem to be any reason to credit any particular novel detail in this... whatever this is. The details already related in Schmidt's book could be believed, I guess, but basically just amount to "FBI boondoggle to Europe". Wow that's news. We're not told who the go-between was, who the various parties in Belgium were, anything at all about why anyone believed "the source" was worth thinking a…

> It almost seems intended to embarrass Grayden Ridd, since his is the only name mentioned. Are we sure he was an FBI agent?

There's a reference to court testimony by FBI agent Grayden Ridd in this 2013 story about Robert McFarlane (of Iran-Contra infamy). https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/21/us/mcfarlane-sudan/index.html

(I somehow didn't see in the news that McFarlane died last month.)

Re: The FBI tried to ambush my source

#18

Post by jessaustin »

lapcat wrote: post #17
jessaustin wrote: post #10

"whole" story There doesn't seem to be any reason to credit any particular novel detail in this... whatever this is. The details already related in Schmidt's book could be believed, I guess, but basically just amount to "FBI boondoggle to Europe". Wow that's news. We're not told who the go-between was, who the various parties in Belgium were, anything at all about why anyone believed "the source" was worth thinking a…

> It almost seems intended to embarrass Grayden Ridd, since his is the only name mentioned. Are we sure he was an FBI agent? There's a reference to court testimony by FBI agent Grayden Ridd in this 2013 story about Robert McFarlane (of Iran-Contra infamy). https://www.cnn.com/2013/03/21/us/mcfarlane-sudan/index.html (I somehow didn't see in the news that McFarlane died last month.)

Good catch!

Re: The FBI tried to ambush my source

#20

Post by dragonwriter »

anonporridge wrote: post #15
GiorgioG wrote: post #4

I hope stories like this open the eyes of folks who are die-hard Democrats or die-hard Republicans. They are not on your side. They are on their own side. I don't doubt that most folks at these agencies are hard-working Americans who believe they're doing what's best for our country. Having said that, this kind of unchecked power is dangerous.

Why else do you think career politicians from across the spectrum, from liberal Gavin Newsom to conservative Ron DeSantis, have worked hard to explicitly block ranked choice voting reforms? Not just voice their opinions against it, but proactively halt and override legislative reforms when they happen. The duopoly doesn't benefit from making a more fair and inclusive system that allows for a greater diversity of poli…

Single-winner ranked ballots methods are reform theater; they aren't particularly “more fair and inclusive” that FPTP in general, and the particular method called “Ranked Choice Voting”, “Alternative Vote”, or “Instant Runoff Voting” in particular is only minimally different in structure and effect from majority-runoff.

Established elites make a show of opposing IRV/AV/RCV because centering the debate on that focusses attention there rather than on real reform, which requires systems that produce proportional results.

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