Patrick Eddington: How to ‘Tyranny-Proof’ America
Do you ever feel like you’re being watched? Just asking questions.
We’re told modern surveillance tech will track criminals, illegal aliens, and terrorists while protecting the privacy of innocent Americans. You’ve got nothing to worry about if you’ve got nothing bad to hide.
Today’s guest says that’s not true. His latest book, The Triumph of Fear, documents the history of the modern surveillance state and the ways in which it’s been leveraged since its inception to target not just terrorists and criminals, but political dissidents.
Patrick Eddington was a CIA analyst from 1988 to 1996, but resigned and wrote Gassed in the Gulf, a book alleging that the agency helped cover up the existence of Gulf War syndrome, caused by exposure to chemical weapons.
He joins Just Asking Questions today to talk about the power and reach of the modern surveillance state, the growing influence of the AI-powered data firm Palantir—cofounded by Peter Thiel—in the Trump administration, and what can be done to “tyranny-proof” America.
Mentioned in this episode:
“Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos,” The White House
Palantir contract modification with ICE
“The Scouring of the Shire,” an open letter by a
Article from Reason.com
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