RE: Does Entrapment Really Make Good People Do Bad Things?
Your #GabResist ended up as a link to that topic here on Steemit (which is probably what you wanted). Here's an external link: #GabResist. Of course, most readers here will just get the Gab login page, since Gab isn't public, yet.
Steemit articles also tend to get read more if you put a catchy photo near the top.
But those are nits.
Apparently, entrapment is not legal in civilized countries, like Mexico. But it's Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) here in the U.S. of A. And it's so easy incriminate yourself. Federal agents are trained to lie to you, but lying to them is a felony. Entrapment certainly makes good people do illegal things. Most of those things aren't "bad", though. Where I define "bad" to mean direct harm to an innocent person or their property.
Well, my use of the word "bad" was really referring to mostly mala in se acts. Certainly feds look to make someone break the law. "Oh hey let's take this firearm to my buddy in the next state over..." etc. That's evil, disgusting, and beyond the pale--agreed on all counts.
But I also think that there needs to be some serious self-education done by activists etc on the topic of infiltration and entrapment BECAUSE they can, to some extent, control that situation. And THAT is the part no one wants to talk about. We aren't all just sitting there on the bumper car floor, waiting to get slammed into. We start out standing next to the bumper car place, and we have a choice whether we want to get in a car. Once we do choose to get into it, it's kind of a given that we're going to get slammed into. That's the nature of bumper cars.
YES the feds will cheat and use dirty tricks, even PLANTING the evidence themselves if they really want to get someone that bad. But the bottom line is, when it comes to undercover ops, if we truly believe in liberty, then we can not also believe that we can be 'made' to do something we did not consent to do--or at least, that we didn't have any opportunity, any choice. Can you honestly say that people who get caught doing illegal things with undercover agents never had a choice? I can't.
Does it mean they're not being exploited and used and directed and all the rest of it, in a completely evil way? Absolutely not. They are, and by ALL means let's call out the feds for using such disgusting tactics. But let's also make better choices.
PS: thanks for the hints on the Steem postings. I'm still getting used to it all. ;)