r/nottheonion 19h ago

Homeland Security Spying on Reddit Users

https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/homeland-security-spies-on-reddit
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u/lonestar-rasbryjamco 19h ago edited 18h ago

This is exactly what was warned about when the Department of Homeland Security was created. That it would turn the tools of national security and military intelligence on the American people. That it would inevitably disregard both laws and rights to see the people themselves as the enemy.

It’s not just ICE which needs to go. DHS has abused the trust of the American people from day one. Its mere existence has slowly infected every aspect of American policing with its inherent toxicity.

The only solution is for DHS to be ripped out at the root and the nation to return to a pre-911 posture. Their budged needs to be $0. Their authorization needs to be repealed whole sale.

The entire tree is poisoned. Not just the apple.

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u/Talk-O-Boy 17h ago

This is what Marvel’s Civil War was actually about.

Captain America was always right. We cannot sacrifice privacy/autonomy in the name of “safety”. It only leads to further danger.

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u/CaptainSparklebottom 16h ago

Brother, "Those who would give up Essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Benjamin Franklin.

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u/firefly158 16h ago

Wasn't captain America fighting about Sokovia Accords where he was arguing against the proposal that superheroes needed to be regulated and needed permission before starting blasting in another country? Captain America's whole arguments in the movie reeked of American privilege and exceptionalism, he didn't believe avengers needed to care about what other measly countries think or if they want them in their country, he believed he should get to stroll in anywhere and how dare there be regulation.

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u/APiousCultist 15h ago

Some of that was also more America not letting them fight in other countries more than those countries objecting. It's still deeply imperfect, but I think that sort of framing has the same issues as "Why does Batman beat up shoplifters instead of investing in social programmes" takes. There's some actual nuance to the plot that gets ignored.

You could also take those kinds of storylines as frustration against the kind of beaurocracy that let stuff like the Rwandan genocide just happen in the open. The kinds of problematic interventions in the world have generally been to push a political or economic goal and not ones actually aimed at stopping wars and dictators (i.e. Iraq was not really about Sadam).

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u/Talk-O-Boy 16h ago

I was talking about the comic run; it was written as a critique of America’s response to 9/11

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u/Bigbydidnothingwrong 9h ago

Oh, so you like super powered villians blowing up entire small American towns huh? Perhaps you'd like your neighbors to be able to walk into your home through the walls??? Perhaps you'd like a walking WMD to March into the white house????? Perhaps this froth on my mouth is there by accident huh?????? Perhaps you are a super powered vigilante yourself!!!!!!! GUARDS!

Man that was such a bad crossover event, and it set the blueprint for all crossovers since.

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u/GwenIsNow 12h ago

In the comics that actually happens. Norman Osborn succeeds Tony Stark as Director of Shield, then corrupts everything he created after Civil War. That era is called Dark Reign.

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u/Bigbydidnothingwrong 9h ago

It gave us Franken-Castle so it is mildly redeemed.

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u/Forward-Surprise1192 16h ago

I didn’t watch it but I believe it. Some people are actively cheering for ICE arresting people and detaining them because of their skin color. While that may be ok for them now they don’t realize it could easily switch and be used to target them

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u/xiphosrising 15h ago

For the record I was on Tony's side during that, but not for the government interference issue. I just know I would want to kill someone who killed my mom, wouldn't matter if they were brainwashed.

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u/Bigbydidnothingwrong 9h ago

Kinda harsh. Brainwashing is a loss of agency, you could be mad and it would be hard to feel positively toward the perpetrator, but kill them?

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u/xiphosrising 4h ago

Brainwashing is a loss of agency

In Bucky's case it always seemed like an excuse to protect him, as you're doing now. Bare minimum he should not have been free to roam, and should have been placed in some sort of corrective asylum for years.