An Imaginary Interview

It is generally agreed that if a country has a secret political police organization,  its citizens should be careful of it. Many people in this country believe that the FBI recently has become America’s  secret political police. (Some others, remembering things such as Ruby Ridge and COINTELPRO, might disagree with the “recently”, but it does seem to be new for the FBI to be taking a side obviously with one of the major political parties against the other.)   It is interesting to imagine how a hypothetical person holding both this belief  and opinions contrary to those favored by the political establishment might behave  in an interview with the FBI.  The FBI is hampered by not yet being allowed to use the techniques of interrogation or powers of arbitrary imprisonment available to officials in really progressive countries.  It is left instead to rely on things such as perjury traps – tricking a person into making a false statement or what can be called a false statement to FBI agents – to make someone cooperative and/or liable for criminal punishment.  We can call our imaginary interviewee John Doe and make him a conservative or a supporter of Trump or something else that would be unpopular and listen to the start of his interview.

Agent #1:  Your name is John Doe?

Doe: The people who tell me they are my parents call me by that name. Additionally I have seen a copy of what purports to be my birth certificate with that name on it.

Agent #2: And what is your date of birth.

Doe:  Both the people claiming to be my parents and the document said to be a copy of my birth certificate give the date of May 5, 1985. I cannot say from  memory if that is correct since I would have been an infant at the time of my birth and unable to read a newspaper or calendar. 

Things might then go downhill from there. Some would accuse Mr. Doe of being paranoid. Others might see him as being only prudent under present circumstances for those who noticeably have the wrong political opinions  or associates.  There could be something to both opinions. As the saying goes, just because someone is  paranoid, it doesn’t mean  no one is out to get him.  As another saying goes, when a once trusted  person or organization loses someone’s trust, it is hard to get it back.