The unofficial governing body of The State, which is the official organized crime syndicate.

Yes

So it’s not about national security risks after all? Who would have thought…🤔

How could it ever have been about national security?

“I see you’re a nice guy trying to run a business here in this neighborhood. But you know, unexpected things can happen in this neighborhood to threaten your business? If I were you, I want to make sure my business is protected in this “dangerous“ neighborhood. I could help, you know? Just make sure that i get a “taste” and I can make sure nothing happens to you or your business in my neighborhood. But if I don’t get my piece of the action, I cant guarantee your safety around here. Give it some thought.” - wink wink 😂😂😂

Your note reminds me of a quote from Goodfellas. "Hundreds of guys depended on Paulie and he got a piece of everything they made. It was tribute, just like the old country, except they were doing it in America. All they got from Paulie was protection from other guys looking to rip them off. That's what it's all about. That's what the FBI can never understand -- that what Paulie and the organization does is offer protection for people who can't go to the cops. They're like the police department for wiseguys."

It is.

That's perfect. And I am 100% sure that our government has been hijacked by old country criminal organizations.

Exactly

Statesmen love to conflate national security with state security, because to a believing statesman, they're the same thing. And bonus, it opens the door to all kinds of rational i actions for abuses. Back when Trump wanted to ban tiktok, it was on the face because of the potential propaganda influence the Chinese had over the american youth via their algorithm, and of course partially framed as protecting our your from the moral panic that is social media. What it was really about was leverage, it's a pretty profitable business in China, and to balance influence, states nowadays have influence on one another's populations to varying degrees, and they seek to trade and ration that as well. The Democrats were against it because, who knows, they've got to be against everything Trump, or they think championing the opiate of the youth will win your votes, or they're CCP agents, pick your preferred explanation. In the 4 years since Trump left and re entered office, tiktok has shown itself to be a major force for the rightward shift of the youth. You can blame the algorithm, say that the Chinese wanted trump to win, who knows why it worked out that way, but it did, and so the Democrats decided to keep the rhetoric Trump built up about it for their own ends. And in that time, Trump has decided that it is very valuable to him politically to have so much support there, but still wants to control it, hence this "America owns half" thing. It's all disingenuous politicking. It's not just organized crime that is the state wanting it's cut, its people and organizationz within that over arching organization looking out for their political interests as well.

I mean, that's what the government is. They just LARP as a human rights organization.

The State is the largest, most powerful, and most effective organized crime syndicate in a given geographical territory