The Real Deep State

“The Real Deep State.”

Among political conservatives, there is a phrase used to designate continuing government influence from the days of the Obama administration. They call it “deep state.” This deep suspicion has led to the unprecedented attacks on FBI staffers by sitting government officials, especially at the White house.

Interestingly, when FBI agents spy on, attack, set up, and even kill black leaders, we are not of this derision of J. Edgar Hoover’s agents. That said, there’s more truth than they know in this critique, but not in the way they perceive it. There is a structure that [inaudible] the elected officials or even those approved by Congress. They are the permanent state, those who serve a lifetime and government agencies and see presidents come and presidents go.

In the imperial days of Rome, those assigned to serve and protect the emperor were known as the Praetorian Guard. You know what else they were known for? If an emperor went too far off the beam of reason or pose a threat to the empire, the Praetorian Guard would gut him like a fish, and Roman imperial history is sick with then electing one of their own, perhaps one of their officers, to the Roman throne. They saw themselves not so much as guardians of the emperor as guardians of the empire.

What we maybe see is an imperial moment. Remember the unnamed whistleblower at the heart of the Ukraine scandal? Well guess who he worked for: the CIA. There are forces at work that outrank, outlast, and outfight even the might of presidents. They have blown off eliminated political leaders, toppled governments, and placed puppets on the thrones of former nations. They see presidents and Congressmen come and go, and like Timex, they just keep right on ticking. What do you think they think of Trump, who has insulted them from day one?

From imprisoned nation, this is Mumia Abu-Jamal.

These commentaries are recorded by Noelle Hanrahan of Prison Radio.