One of many of the fundamental differences between the two sides is that the conspiracy side - those that believe there was a large scale government conspiracy behind the murder - think "the government" has nearly unlimited power and ability.
That's not true. There are limits to government power and abilities.
But what the US intelligence agencies have done well since the times of Allan Dulles is manipulate the Press and control the "narrative". The CIA has had many epic screwups over the last few decades but what they do best is control the news media narrative.
Look at the Benghazi incident for a recent example. The news media initially focused on the State Dept consulate and the ambassador being killed and only acknowledged the CIA employees who were killed and wounded that night at a Black Site in Benghazi after House Republicans blew the cover on the CIA's role.
Granted, I don't think the news media should always blow the cover on covert ops but the Press' willingness to help intelligence agencies manage "the narratives" is troubling to me. I prefer a Press that is adversarial towards the government, not one that helps the government keep secrets or lie.
Here's another example:
L.A. Times Disowns Reporter Outed as a CIA Collaboratorhttps://www.huffpost.com/entry/la-times-disowns-reporter_b_5770388The reporter failed-up and now covers national security issues for NBC News.
We recognize the limits of the government, how human beings behave, how government bureaucracies work and don't. The political scientist Hannah Arendt, she of the famous "banality of evil" line, put it best. She said, "Oligarchy is rule by the minority, democracy is rule by the majority; bureaucracy is rule by nobody." That someone thinks these bureaucracies can be controlled for half a century to pull off and cover up the assassination is astonishing. They just can't.
The compartmentalization of government bureaucracies makes them more prone to secrecy, corruption, and cover-ups, not less.
And with the CIA specifically, those who commit crimes and corruption in the name of covert ops are usually rewarded while national security Whistleblowers get prosecuted or sent into exile.
Gina Haspel, who played a role in the CIA's torture programs and helped destroy evidence continued to be promoted until she became CIA director under Trump.
The best way to keep bureaucracies in check is Sunlight or transparency. As of today, the CIA and Pentagon have very little accountability or reason to fear Congressional oversight.
Which is very dangerous for the future of democracy in the USA...
