Thread by @MsEntropy

Quick thread

For organizations with employees targeted or threatened by neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other potpourri baskets filled with related and assorted violent extremists

[speaking from experience]

1) If you hire a person who works on neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other assorted violent extremists, here's the thing:

They WILL be targeted and threatened with violence - unless they're terrible at the job you hired them for.

If you won't support them, don't hire them.

2) If you want the "good PR" that comes with high-profile experts on neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and assorted violent extremists, you need to realize:

Your institution asked them to risk their lives.

That implies you will provide support and security - not penalties.

3) If your in-house experts on neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and assorted violent extremists come under targeted threats, and you're worried about "bad PR," well...

Take a minute and sit down to prepare for the next helpful bits of information I have for you.

3) a) Punishing your in-house experts on political violence when credible threats of political violence arise means:

When, God forbid, the attacks they warned you of actually occur?

YOU are liable.

See: school shootings (etc.).

3) a) Punishing your in-house experts on political violence after credible threats arise also means:

You're a lot more morally culpable than the violent political actor in the equation.

You endanger that expert's life - and in turn, everyone affiliated with you.

Plus...

3) b) Your in-house political violence expert can also explain to you how "terrorism" works:

By leveraging fears - in some cases, violence, and in others... economic impacts, "bad PR," and so forth.

So: you're an accomplice after the fact, and materially support terrorism.

4) When your in-house experts on political violence warn of risks, are then targeted themselves, and you punish them:

You are also going to look extremely stupid when those very events your former experts warned about...

...come [undeniably] true on an international scale.

5) I repeat.

Effective experts on political violence:

Will. Get. Targeted.

If you can't accept that risk - and YOUR moral obligation to protect them - hire Seb Gorka.

6) I recommend never lying to federal law enforcement to prevent investigation into threats made by extremist groups against your in-house experts.

In-house experts on political violence can...

Figure out when that happens.

7) If you plan on telling your in-house expert on political violence that the threats to their life are "bad PR," which will hurt their job prospects (the one you hired them for):

Check to see if you're in a one-party "consent to record" state before making those details clear.

8) If you "care" about confronting political violence, and hire experts to effectively do that work, but do anything I mentioned above:

You're worse than neo-Nazis and other violent extremists.

They believe in what they do. You just help them - out of sheer moral bankruptcy.

[Speaking from "hypothetical" experience as an expert on political violence, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, ISIS, and other non state armed groups, that is.]

In sum:
Protect those risking their lives to do the job you hired them for.

That is your bare minimum responsibility.

PS:

If any of the above apply to you or your organization, institution, etc...

How has the US come to our current situation?

You.
People like you.
You are the reason.
That's how.
And why.

/Rant

PPS:

"Hypothetically" (of course), here's an easy way to tell if you or your organization sucks.

Terrorist group defectors apologize to your former expert for trying to kill them...before you do for punishing them over the attempted murder in question.

/GoodbyeForRealNow