CIONTELPRO used the IRS

[redandguilty]

According to that Wikipedia page, in 1956, MC's COINTELPRO used the IRS to "increase factionalism, cause disruption and win defections" inside the Communist Party.

It all ties together. I'll go get my tinfoil hat.

 

[Michchamp]

Me?

and that's not even the worst of the stuff they did under that program.

the real potential abuse becomes evident when they move beyond monitoring and/crime prevention and start stifling the constitutional rights of citizens & groups, and using the program to settle personal scores, or mete out extra-judicial punishment.

 

[redandguilty]

Me?

and that's not even the worst of the stuff they did under that program.

the real potential abuse becomes evident when they move beyond monitoring and/crime prevention and start stifling the constitutional rights of citizens & groups, and using the program to settle personal scores, or mete out extra-judicial punishment.

We knew lefties were planting racist signs at tea party rallies, but I had no idea it went all the way to the top. The Tea Partiers started out protesting Bush's bailout. Rich people jumped on it quick, twisted it into something else, discredited it, and sent the IRS after them. It all makes sense now. COINTELPRO never died. They don't care whether it's communists or tea partiers, you complain about the cozy relationship between Washington and the 0.1% and you get COINTELPRO-ed.

 

[Michchamp]

I see where you're going with this now.

yes, those on either edge of the political spectrum that stray too far from what's acceptable (though you have to move pretty far to the right-fringe... into outright racist or sovereign citizen territory in order to be TOO conservative for them) will be subjected to the attention of the secret police... er... I mean NSA/FBI/whatever else.

and actually, given these latest revelations, EVERYONE is a suspect and subject to surveillance and collection, not just those that do something to get on the radar.

 

[byco42]

If they knew what I was think about a person's relationship to government (and we're not talking in any violent context here; that's folly) I'd be incarcerated. Ironically, it's in virtual lock-step with those of Washington, Adams, Madison, Jefferson and John Jay. (and we all know they disagreed on many points.)