The Entrapment Dividend: Setting A Few Knuckleheads Up, And Knocking The Rest Of Us Down

The threat of homegrown terrorism is now so grave that we must take extraordinary action to protect ourselves.

This grave threat is personified by the Toledo Terror Cell and the Rockford Mall Bomber, who are presented to the nation by the likes of FOX News and the Counterterrorism blog as the face of the homegrown terror threat. They are portrayed as such for a reason: they are the most visible "successes" of the FBI and its JTTFs. However:

Both of these cases were the work of admitted agents provocateur. In both cases the agents provocateur were entrapment specialists working for the FBI. In neither case -- according to the government -- was the public in any danger.

But the threat posed by these terrorists and others of their ilk is so serious that we must shred some of our remaining civil liberties in order to protect ourselves, even though they are now in prison for having taken part in the plotting of crimes they never could have accomplished, and never would have thought of on their own.

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Comments

admin's picture

Great piece WP - Meanwhile

they'd probably like for us to forget all about right-wing terrorizers like the most recent church shooter-upper, and that it's overpaid bullies, some of whom work for Foxnews, who egg guys like him on. They should be considered the real homegrown domestic terrorists.
-my2c
-NJT

Maine's Homegrown Senators Terrorist 'Fighting' Political Agenda

I hope the ACLU is going to be active against this threat to our freedom. It chills my spine that Susan Collins, my competitor, is working with Lieberman to co-sponsor this creepy legislation. Over and over, she gets a 'pass' from the media which continues to promote the idea that she is mainstream and well-liked by Mainers. What she has figured out how to do is say one thing and then do another in the opposite direction and leave it to everybody else to show that her inconsistency means she's fairminded and not just playing both sides against the other. This type of cynical politicing is how we have this type of ridiculous legislation passing--because it LOOKS tough and appeals to those who wnat to show that they will 'fight terror'. Whether it works or not or is actually dangerous hasn't concerned Susan. This is the dangerous mindthink I am fighting.
thanks for writing this article. much needed and courageous!

Bob in Prague's picture

Nice move, WP!

Hi WP et al. - Great piece as usual. Keep 'em coming! I'm so glad you found a way to include your devotees in the discussion. I really missed the community and all the varied thoughts. Nice work...

Thanks, Bob.

Nice to see you here.

[Of all my online friends, Bob goes back the farthest ... but for a couple of dinosaurs, we still do all right.]

please don't read my blog

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