Spying in defense of liberty

Crosscut Seattle (blog) ^ | July 30, 2008 | Knute Berger (nutburger)

[smokingfrog]

Barry Goldwater famously said that "extremism in defense of liberty is no vice." But I suspect even the late Arizona senator and 1964 GOP presidential candidate might be creeped out if he knew about the privatization of Big Brother. Is it OK for private groups to infiltrate domestic citizen's groups? Is spying in defense of liberty a virtue or a vice?

A recent revelation is in a new story from Mother Jones that reveals that a leading gun control advocate, Mary McFate, is apparently the same person as Mary Lou Sapone, "a self-described 'research consultant,' who for decades has covertly infiltrated citizens groups for private security firms hired by corporations that are targeted by activist campaigns. For some time, Sapone also worked for the National Rifle Association." She was active in anti-gun groups.

According to Mother Jones:

During Sapone's ascent through the ranks of the gun control movement, she worked for the NRA, according to a business associate. In a 2003 deposition, Tim Ward, who had been president of the Maryland-based security firm Beckett Brown International, said that the NRA had been "a client" of Sapone's. (As a subcontractor for BBI, Sapone had planted an operative within an environmental group in Lake Charles, Louisiana.) According to Ward, at his request Sapone had introduced BBI to the NRA in early 1999. And that introduction quickly paid off....

[smokingfrog]

A genuine Seattle nutburger. Loonies don't like it when they've been had. Of course, if they managed to plant a spy inside the NRA, I'm sure that would be perfectly fine with them.

[arthurus]

They would rise up in righteous indignation that any one would think it untoward for a lefty spy to be diddling the NRA just as they rise up in indignation at the terrible contravention of their Government-given Rights upon learning of the infiltration of their own org. They might even call for a law mandating Liberal officers from Left orgs be placed in such organizations as NRA as a requirement for their continued existence.

[theDentist]

Just like corporations and madison avenue, every group wants to know what their competition is up to. No real surprise here. Congrats to her, though, for so effectively infiltrating the anti-gun lobbies.

[Freedom2specul8]

A MOLE ping. :)

[Freedom2specul8]

"...a lefty spy to be diddling the NRA ..."

It wouldn't surprise me if there already was one.....

[Billthedrill]

Uh huh. And Michael Moore claims to be an NRA member. It’s all a con spir a ceeeeee!

[weegee]

They want a litmus test. A loyalty oath to subversive organizations that seek to overthrow Constitutional rights.

Damn right they should be investigated by concerned individuals.

“Why I thought they were fellow travellers, they TRICKED me into being open with my hatred of this country...”

[weegee]

Michael Moore has a wet dream that he’s spoken about where enough liberal anti-gun nuts join up with membership dues to elect Mr. Moore as the head of the NRA. Takeover from within.

Much as the Marxists do in all walks of life.

[smokingfrog]

[arthurus]

I am sure there is. They have been outed in conservative groups before. There is not much, if any, damage that they can do, however.Conservative groups aren't much into secrecy and they usually are not plotting to accomplish something illegal or unconstitutional or something legitimate by illicit means. Left organizations tend to have lots of things that need to be kept secret and are therefore very sensitive to compromise.

[arthurus]

To them that is not so far-fetched. Sierra Club was once a respectable organization of conservationists and even hunters. Floods of refugee Communists joined and ousted the founders and replaced them with their own officers. Greenpeace, while never a conservative org was not a violent revolutionary entity until it went through the same process.

[sergeantdave]

“Left organizations tend to have lots of things that need to be kept secret and are therefore very sensitive to compromise. “

Leftists, especially in local and county governments, engage in illegal meetings constantly, violating state open meeting laws.

I always encourage people to watch their local liberals and smack them with open meeting law violations. Plaintiffs can collect fines, legal costs and even throw the leftists in prison.

It’s one of the few laws that gives conservatives the power to legally harass leftists, have fun and make a profit.

[smokingfrog]

Good advice.