Lots of people are talking about U.S. FBI Director Christopher Wray discussing the agencies “partnership with the private sector” as it relates to modern FBI activity. However, I’m just that random oddball in the crowd who just wants to point out something, well, kind of a big picture issue.
I notice in all of the discussions surrounding the FBI activity, and there are a lot of discussions – including admissions and outlines from the FBI itself, there appears to be an element of the subject matter being overlooked. Here’s a segment from the World Economic Forum {Direct Rumble Link} as a precursor to what few are noticing. WATCH:
The FBI is a criminal investigative agency. Meaning, a crime is committed, and the FBI mission is to investigate it, solve it, and bring the information to the justice department for pursuit. At least that was the customary role of the FBI as it was/is commonly discussed.
However, please note that in Director Wray’s remarks, every element of the FBI mission is framed around “prevention” of criminal activity, or what we would call pre-crimes.
Stop for a moment and rewatch it if needed, you’ll see what I am talking about.
Um, please excuse my interruption.
While it might seem like an unusual thing to notice, this is not a small issue.
In the era following the 9-11 attacks, there was public outcry around the issue of “how” and “why” did law enforcement, specifically the FBI, not PREVENT the attack. In just about every conversation following the attack every framework was about how to prevent an attack.
The 9-11 commission itself was focused on learning lessons from the attack; thereby the direct and implicit message was to construct systems to prevent another attack from happening. Essentially to move the FBI from a reactive footing in the aftermath of a crime, to a proactive footing to prevent crime.
Now, what I am asking readers to do is to realize when the fundamental mission of an investigative agency changes from investigating the aftermath of criminal activity, to the prevention of criminal activity, we as a society open ourselves up to having severe restrictions on our liberty. After all, just about everything that we now see as an infringement on freedom, is some form of a proactive action by government.
Change the mission from the investigation of crime to the prevention of crime, and the entire apparatus of the mission fundamentally changes.
Criminals are no longer the target when you are preventing crimes. Criminals are only targets in the aftermath of crime. When you are preventing crime, everyone that could commit a crime is the new mission target. Everyone, regardless of their connection to – or association with – criminal activity, is now a potential criminal. Potential criminals must be monitored.
Potential criminals are now the target. You are a potential criminal. As a result of your potential ability, you are a target for pre-crime investigation. Within the process of pre-crime investigation, your archaic views of freedom and liberty are dispatched.
The office of the Director of National Intelligence was created to turn the terrorist radar internally. Every American is now a potential “domestic terrorist.” Thus, you see FBI Director Christopher Wray sitting on a stage and openly admitting the FBI partnerships with the private sector are key to the mission; a mission of pre-crime targeting.
Can you see how this rolls along?…
As soon as the FBI changes from investigating the aftermath of a crime committed to intercepting the potential criminal conduct, things get very opaque, sketchy and weird. When the FBI is investigating crimes, you have rights. When the FBI is preventing crimes, those rights are impediments.
Our entire legal system is structured around criminal accountability. An event takes place, and we hold the criminal accountable. Judges, lawyers, courts, systems, processes, protections, rights of the accused, fourth amendment, fifth amendment, etc. etc. Hundreds of years of rules and regulations within a criminal justice system.
We do not have a “pre-crime” justice system.
The current FBI mission is pre-crime enforcement.
Think about the ramifications; it shouldn’t be hard, because we are living them.
I will sit down now….
