Why does wanting more power have to be a "massive conspiracy"?
It seems like pretty common sense wisdom that being in power usually leads to wanting more power, and also that power often corrupts. One does not need to be a "conspiracy theorist" to come to this conclusion.
The real conspiracy is the apparently concerted effort to call anyone that believes the government is busy grabbing power a "conspiracy theorists".
> Why does wanting more power have to be a "massive conspiracy"?
It doesn't. You were saying some government officials are saying one thing to the public while knowing another to be true:
>> We love to think these people are much like our clients who don't know the difference between a popup window and a Python program. These people are informed by groups like the DIA, CIA, NSA, and every other TLA, with a wealth of information on these issues.
That implies some sort of secret plot that would harm the integrity of our government and country.
> It seems like pretty common sense wisdom that being in power usually leads to wanting more power, and also that power often corrupts. One does not need to be a "conspiracy theorist" to come to this conclusion.
I agree entirely.
> The real conspiracy is the apparently concerted effort to call anyone that believes the government is busy grabbing power a "conspiracy theorists".
Nobody said this. Claiming that there is a concerted effort by officials to lie, however, is accusing them of conspiracy.
This vibe of distrust hurts the ability of technologists to come together and be as effective as they're capable of being within government. Ultimately, society and its elected government is formed around trust. You have to believe that most of the people who enter into elected positions did so with the aim of improving our society before you can be effective within it yourself.
> saying one thing to the public while knowing another to be true
Yes. This is called lying. It doesn't require a "massive conspiracy".
> implies some sort of secret plot that would harm the integrity of our government and country
It implies nothing of the sort. It implies that Government is losing the leverage that gives it the power to levy taxes beyond what is acceptable by the population, and so Government's present endeavors (partly driven by outside commercial pressure - e.g., military contractors) are overshadowing its primary purpose, which is to protect us and our rights.
It seems like pretty common sense wisdom that being in power usually leads to wanting more power, and also that power often corrupts. One does not need to be a "conspiracy theorist" to come to this conclusion.
The real conspiracy is the apparently concerted effort to call anyone that believes the government is busy grabbing power a "conspiracy theorists".