Can anyone confirm the facts about the guests in the article? I know it's on fucking medium.com, but the screenshots are fairly damning, and I suppose I'd just like to see if anyone knows if these claims are bad faith or not - I haven't been able to verify much myself.
Former spooks engaging in subtle propaganda within leftist currents? Definitely not a tried and true 3 letter agency tradition.
My issue with these things is ensconced within the "purity test" line of argument. While there might be some positive in engaging with crypto-fascists in order to reach the masses that listen to them - it's also the case that you're still working with people that will undoubtedly have broader support from actual power centers.
How are we to be sure that Becker and the likes aren't building these connections that will influence their decisions going forward? It's easy when the PSL is going nowhere at the moment, but if ever there was a time that the PSL became a very real and active threat to capital, could we rely on someone like a Brian Becker to stand firm with any workers movement?
It's speculative, but I'm generally pessimistic when spooks are even tangentially involved.
I certainly understand that, but honestly in the US for the past 50 years there has been no place safe for communists from spooks. Also, not all spooks are intelligent/disciplined in their evil. As such, many spout information that they may not understand gives away some of the game. Communists should make absolutely no mistake in thinking they are anything but spooks though, they are certainly not to be trusted with anything. But the idea that we should be scared of former spooks that are in retirement trying their hand at the alt-right media circus when there are real spooks out there doing real shit doesn't really connect for me.
Seriously, it seems that lots of former ghouls love to talk shit about the stuff they've done, and with careful/skilled questions and stroking of ego you frequently see them spout semi-secretive BS.