1. You have said that the political middle supports democracy, and that the political extremes are aligned with autocracy.
Answer: I have. It's important to state that President Biden represents moderate, sustainable, judicious political leadership for the United States. That's why far right elements are so reflexively opposed to his administration.
Historically, the power of the far right tends to be consolidated when the political middle can be hollowed out within a given country. Propaganda is used toward this end. Supply chain disruptions are frequently used as tools to cast blame on moderate leaders. Inflationary pressures, which can be artificially manipulated over the short term, are also often catalyzed as a means to suggest the falsehood that moderate political leaders cannot sustain thriving economies. Over time, the electorate can be deceived about who is advocating for their best interests.
When totalitarian institutions gain increasing power, there is a tendency to see militarization of local police departments, and, of concern, the development of "lists" purporting to capture the names of those deemed to be "enemies" of the extreme right.
Falsified law enforcement reporting often targets the individuals included on such "lists" by accusing them of crimes they never committed. Suddenly, according to concealed reporting within certain agencies, being a Democrat is equivalent to being a "communist," or being a journalist is conflated with being a "radical." Loyal spouses are suddenly "human traffickers." Straight arrows are suddenly "drug manufacturers." Whistleblowers are accused of "espionage" or "terrorism." These are the sorts of lies in which the FBI is currently engaging through its unconstitutional "target of interest" program.
Following the establishment of targeted predation by law enforcement, one would expect to see a series of "coup" attempts, such as that we all witnessed on January 6th -- closely echoed by events in Brazil just a few days ago, unfortunately.
2. And what would have followed January 6th if the far right had had its way?
Answer: If we look at historical examples, we would likely have seen arrests, massive propaganda campaigns, and a loss of civil liberties and human rights across the whole society.
3. Yet, coup attempts such as that perpetrated on January 6th, which appear from the outside to be spontaneous populist movements, are actually meticulously planned by a comparatively small group of people favoring autocracy.
Answer: That's true.
4. Your concern is that, in the case of the United States, this "small group of people" may include far right infiltrators within the national security apparatus.
Answer: It is. There are missing texts pertaining to January 6th from FBI personnel, DHS personnel, Secret Service personnel and DOD personnel. Those omissions are highly problematic, in my opinion.
5. Why is that the case?
Answer: The texts of these employees belong to the American public who purchased the phones and computers and software of those public employees with funds derived from their own tax dollars. The American public has the right to expect access to those communications in the event that the peaceful transfer of power to our duly elected President is assailed, as happened on January 6, 2021.
The January 6th Committee should not be placed in the position of begging the NSA for access to those communications, all of which the NSA possesses.
Again, these communications should be fully accessible to the American people for open, transparent review.
6. Is it possible for the planning of the far right to be undone?
Answer: I believe it is, but only through exposure of the truth at as early a point as possible.
I would add that it is critically important not to suggest that security agencies should be closed down altogether.
7. Why is that?
Answer: Because it is safer to redirect them. Far right personnel within the FBI possess a great deal of knowledge about how to violate the privacy and safety of law-abiding American citizens. We ought to be asking how that knowledge can best be utilized to protect our society from further losses of civil liberties and human rights. How can such expertise be redirected toward the defense of our freedoms, as was intended?
8. But what about accountability on the part of law enforcement entities?
Answer: First, we need to focus on appropriately characterizing the truth of the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative and the FBI's affiliated "target of interest" program. We need to understand how initiatives that were intended to protect our freedoms as American citizens have been utilized to deconstruct them instead.
We have all wanted our law enforcement agencies to make us feel "safe and secure," without imagining that the public trust could be abused in these agencies' attempts to wrest power away from our duly elected government.
9. I return to my question on accountability.
Answer: The truth must precede considerations of accountability. At this point, we want to be encouraging the employees of the national security agencies to speak that truth without fear of reprisal.
10. Is America strong enough for the kind of self-examination that would be required by such an inquiry into our national security apparatus?
Answer: One of America's great strengths has always been its capacity for self-reflection. Look at the thoughtfulness and wisdom of the founding fathers when they formed the Constitution. We are strong enough to engage with this inquiry.
The future of our democracy demands that fortitude. By grace, good fortune, and the prevailing will of the American electorate, we have a Commander-in-Chief who exemplifies it.
With President Biden leading us, I am confident that the American people will demonstrate the courage and integrity that this moment in our history requires of us.
Lane MacWilliams
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