[Discuss] Mr Robot

[blu at nedharvey.com (Edward Ned Harvey (blu))]

> From: Discuss [mailto:discuss-bounces+blu=nedharvey.com at blu.org] On
> Behalf Of Edward Ned Harvey (blu)
> 
> Yes, I am
> definitely afraid of the backlash for being an activist and trying to fix big
> problems. 

This is painfully relevant:

They want to target (for killing) bloggers and journalists that they don't like. This is the USA.
https://twitter.com/Conceptblossom/status/641624941201334272
https://twitter.com/trevortimm/status/641443270686605313
http://abcnews.go.com/International/annoying-deadly-debate-killing-isiss-twitter-tough-guys/story?id=33603248

Commenting on the strategy of targeting propagandists and "Twitter tough-guys," someone referred to as "Senior counter-terrorism official" says:

"We are the angel of death. This war is a propaganda war too. Why only limit it to military leaders? Should we be ignoring the propagandists that speak English and are tech savvy who know how to reach westerners?" a senior counter-terrorism official knowledgeable about the counter-ISIS strategy told ABC News. "I don't see why you would want to curtail either targeting strategy. This is also a war of ideas."

Personally I'm going to comment, that "war of ideas" is dangerously similar to "war of ideals" or "religious war." It's not targeting individuals who engage in military communications - it's targeting people whose ideas disagree with your own.

This is how they justify it:

"While the White House declined to comment for this report on the targeting of propagandists in general, a senior administration official defended the targeting of Hussain specifically.

'We've been clear that Junaid Hussain was more than a mere propagandist. He was a key recruiter of Westerners and sought to direct attacks in the United States, specifically targeting U.S. military personnel and other government officials,' the official said."

Somehow there's a disconnect between the White House spokesperson talking about the individual who coordinated targeted attacks using Twitter as a communication medium, and the officials who go with "We are the angel of death" and "war of ideas."