If the Patriot Act's "sneak and peek" warrants have found few terrorists since 9/11/2001, why are they being used to investigate musicians and politicians?
Super interesting. I had thought the same thing about the NYC Mayor. Not saying anything about his guilt or not, but if he was white, would he be indicted during his time as mayor?
That’s a really good point. I feel like this investigation into Eric Adam’s is done very intentionally, not only to “fight crime” but to ruin his life and legacy.
Diddy offered to post $50 million + give up cell phone + monitored + armed guards. He also flew to NYC two weeks in advance of his indictment. I don't think he was a flight risk. As for Eric Adams, it's a sad day in politics when the charges against him seem small compared to what's going on with Trump. In any case, my point was that Giuliani has been left alone for years when he's been in dubious relationships with criminals. It feels like there is a vendetta against Adams, regardless of guilt (which hasn't been proven yet) or innocence.
With the history of false flag operations in our history, the history of the CIA being involved in the weaponization of drugs and drug trafficking, the possible involvement of national agencies in the assassinations of musicians and activists, especially those of color, it seems more more likely that the patriot act was orchestrated for exactly this purpose. Chilling.
Thank you Aaron! I agree with you that the Patriot Act was always meant to target RICO and ICE investigations rather than terrorism. It's also led the way for other intrusive legislation targeted at stopping sex trafficking but the effect has driven more criminals underground and de-platformed many spicy content creators and sex educators on social media. For those who monetize, many have had their Stripe/Paypal/CashApp accounts closed. You cannot even type the word "sex" or "porn" on Facebook or Instagram. Our civil liberties are being stripped in the name of catching criminals, but these new laws target already marginalized groups. Our criminal justice system and legislative branch are being used to push forward the Right's moral agenda and it's very dangerous.
This is great! I'm so glad you did a deeper dive into all of this, Amy, and brought us along for the ride. I love that you are not focusing here on innocence or guilt (something that is really hard to untangle from the conversation) but about how the justice system treats these investigations and whether they should even be allocating their time and money in the way that they are. Well done, my friend, and thank you for making me think this morning!
The FY 2024 budget request proposes a total of $11.4 billion in direct budget authority to carry out the FBI’s national security, intelligence, criminal law enforcement, and criminal justice services missions. The request includes a total of $11.3 billion for Salaries and Expenses, which will support 37,312 positions (13,662 Special Agents, 3,215 Intelligence Analysts, and 20,435 professional staff), and $61.9 million for Construction. The request includes nine program enhancements under Salaries and Expenses totaling $196.0 million. These enhancements are proposed to meet critical requirements and close gaps in operational capabilities, including $63.4 million to enhance cyber investigative capabilities, $13.0 million to address escalating counterterrorism threats, $4.5 million to mitigate threats from foreign intelligence services, $27.2 million to enhance the FBI’s cybersecurity posture and protect internal networks, $14.9 million to combat violent crime, $53.1 million to address the increase in DNA collection and processing, $3.1 million to sustain secure communications platforms, $2.8 million to support infrastructure needs related to the use of Body Worn Cameras, and $14.1 million to begin to address executive order requirements for zero emission vehicles.
Regardless of how many cases the FBI investigates, their budget stays relatively the same because most of it is allocated to personnel (salaries + benefits). I'm sure they choose cases based on having enough evidence to secure an indictment and then a conviction. Seems like they got a lot of video evidence from the Diddy raids, which they probably wouldn't have known about except for the civil case, which Diddy settled (no admission of guilt). While I think Diddy is guilty, it still matters how the evidence was obtained, which is shady IMO. Thank you for your comment Kendall! I appreciate you 🥰❤️
Love how you dig deep …your passion for Justice/equality! Agree the Patriots Act is abused and misused…you’ve clarified and spotlighted it perfectly! Thanks for this think piece…there’s so much more to right and wrong, guilty or innocent…it’s equal treatment within the law… nor your race or celebrity or bank account! Well done, my friend! 🙌👏
Thank you so much Joan! I just can’t get over that a law meant to catch terrorists is mostly being used for RICO and ICE cases, and eroding our 4th Amendment rights in the process. It’s as if the Patriot Act was sold to Americans as one thing when in reality the government just wanted access to everyone’s phone and internet messages. Hmmm.
I love when you bring in and comment on current events, Amy. As Jeff Tiedrich says here on Substack, Donny is a special boy who deserves special treatment. That's what's happens when you're a privileged WHITE guy from old money. It isn't just that they're holding Diddy while Donny walks free. Donny caused violence on Jan.6, as he has with the Haitian community in Ohio. His rhetoric continues to be destructive and toxic. November can't come soon enough. Vote blue.
Thank you so much for your comment! I know I write about several different topics, sometimes even using satire, but I never know if I’m hitting the mark with subscribers. I know I can’t be all things to all people, so I’m grateful for your feedback 😊. You also make such a good point about the nature of “violent crimes”. Trump is given large platforms to incite violence, does it matter that he doesn’t lift a hand himself? I would like to see him held without bail and his access to a smart phone taken away.
Yes, take the phone away! If only we never have to hear from him again. Once the election's over, I hope they will take off the kid gloves and treat him like the criminal he is.
I’ve heard the argument that Diddy was denied bail because his crimes were violent, and that before he was arrested he reached out to potential witnesses. However, Trump incited a vicious attack on the Capital, people were killed, and he colluded with Rudy Giuliani and others to overturn the 2020 election. To this day he won’t admit he lost, and he still got bail.
Super interesting. I had thought the same thing about the NYC Mayor. Not saying anything about his guilt or not, but if he was white, would he be indicted during his time as mayor?
That’s a really good point. I feel like this investigation into Eric Adam’s is done very intentionally, not only to “fight crime” but to ruin his life and legacy.
Denial of bail, definitely a flight risk in the eyes of the court. Eric Adam’s is corrupt. Fire him and appoint a POC that can run a business
Diddy offered to post $50 million + give up cell phone + monitored + armed guards. He also flew to NYC two weeks in advance of his indictment. I don't think he was a flight risk. As for Eric Adams, it's a sad day in politics when the charges against him seem small compared to what's going on with Trump. In any case, my point was that Giuliani has been left alone for years when he's been in dubious relationships with criminals. It feels like there is a vendetta against Adams, regardless of guilt (which hasn't been proven yet) or innocence.
With the history of false flag operations in our history, the history of the CIA being involved in the weaponization of drugs and drug trafficking, the possible involvement of national agencies in the assassinations of musicians and activists, especially those of color, it seems more more likely that the patriot act was orchestrated for exactly this purpose. Chilling.
Nice article!
Thank you Aaron! I agree with you that the Patriot Act was always meant to target RICO and ICE investigations rather than terrorism. It's also led the way for other intrusive legislation targeted at stopping sex trafficking but the effect has driven more criminals underground and de-platformed many spicy content creators and sex educators on social media. For those who monetize, many have had their Stripe/Paypal/CashApp accounts closed. You cannot even type the word "sex" or "porn" on Facebook or Instagram. Our civil liberties are being stripped in the name of catching criminals, but these new laws target already marginalized groups. Our criminal justice system and legislative branch are being used to push forward the Right's moral agenda and it's very dangerous.
This is great! I'm so glad you did a deeper dive into all of this, Amy, and brought us along for the ride. I love that you are not focusing here on innocence or guilt (something that is really hard to untangle from the conversation) but about how the justice system treats these investigations and whether they should even be allocating their time and money in the way that they are. Well done, my friend, and thank you for making me think this morning!
From the FBI website: Cost Breakdown
The FY 2024 budget request proposes a total of $11.4 billion in direct budget authority to carry out the FBI’s national security, intelligence, criminal law enforcement, and criminal justice services missions. The request includes a total of $11.3 billion for Salaries and Expenses, which will support 37,312 positions (13,662 Special Agents, 3,215 Intelligence Analysts, and 20,435 professional staff), and $61.9 million for Construction. The request includes nine program enhancements under Salaries and Expenses totaling $196.0 million. These enhancements are proposed to meet critical requirements and close gaps in operational capabilities, including $63.4 million to enhance cyber investigative capabilities, $13.0 million to address escalating counterterrorism threats, $4.5 million to mitigate threats from foreign intelligence services, $27.2 million to enhance the FBI’s cybersecurity posture and protect internal networks, $14.9 million to combat violent crime, $53.1 million to address the increase in DNA collection and processing, $3.1 million to sustain secure communications platforms, $2.8 million to support infrastructure needs related to the use of Body Worn Cameras, and $14.1 million to begin to address executive order requirements for zero emission vehicles.
Regardless of how many cases the FBI investigates, their budget stays relatively the same because most of it is allocated to personnel (salaries + benefits). I'm sure they choose cases based on having enough evidence to secure an indictment and then a conviction. Seems like they got a lot of video evidence from the Diddy raids, which they probably wouldn't have known about except for the civil case, which Diddy settled (no admission of guilt). While I think Diddy is guilty, it still matters how the evidence was obtained, which is shady IMO. Thank you for your comment Kendall! I appreciate you 🥰❤️
Love how you dig deep …your passion for Justice/equality! Agree the Patriots Act is abused and misused…you’ve clarified and spotlighted it perfectly! Thanks for this think piece…there’s so much more to right and wrong, guilty or innocent…it’s equal treatment within the law… nor your race or celebrity or bank account! Well done, my friend! 🙌👏
Thank you so much Joan! I just can’t get over that a law meant to catch terrorists is mostly being used for RICO and ICE cases, and eroding our 4th Amendment rights in the process. It’s as if the Patriot Act was sold to Americans as one thing when in reality the government just wanted access to everyone’s phone and internet messages. Hmmm.
Agree! It Never felt right to me, but you’ve articulated it so well. Sharing!
I love when you bring in and comment on current events, Amy. As Jeff Tiedrich says here on Substack, Donny is a special boy who deserves special treatment. That's what's happens when you're a privileged WHITE guy from old money. It isn't just that they're holding Diddy while Donny walks free. Donny caused violence on Jan.6, as he has with the Haitian community in Ohio. His rhetoric continues to be destructive and toxic. November can't come soon enough. Vote blue.
Thank you so much for your comment! I know I write about several different topics, sometimes even using satire, but I never know if I’m hitting the mark with subscribers. I know I can’t be all things to all people, so I’m grateful for your feedback 😊. You also make such a good point about the nature of “violent crimes”. Trump is given large platforms to incite violence, does it matter that he doesn’t lift a hand himself? I would like to see him held without bail and his access to a smart phone taken away.
Yes, take the phone away! If only we never have to hear from him again. Once the election's over, I hope they will take off the kid gloves and treat him like the criminal he is.
Love you
Aww, thank you 🙏🥰
I always appreciate your insights and perspective, Amy. Thanks for asking us to take a deeper dive into these issues.
Thank you Bonnie! I don't know why I got fixated on these cases. I suppose it's okay to mix things up once and a while. 🥰❤️
The disparity in bail between white and black people is astonishing. And ongoing. Thank you, @Amy Gabrielle, for shining a light on this.
I’ve heard the argument that Diddy was denied bail because his crimes were violent, and that before he was arrested he reached out to potential witnesses. However, Trump incited a vicious attack on the Capital, people were killed, and he colluded with Rudy Giuliani and others to overturn the 2020 election. To this day he won’t admit he lost, and he still got bail.