Deck 13: Political Crime

Question 1

The definition of political crimes involves all of the following, EXCEPT

A) domestic and international violent crimes by the state.
B) the assassination attempt against President Reagan.
C) nonviolent political crimes against the state.
D) violent political crimes against the state as a protest of social conditions.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Political crimes against the state represent

A) neither the will of the people, nor the will of the government.
B) the political views of radicals only.
C) a long historical tradition of rebellion and protest in the United States.
D) evil.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Political crimes against the state differ from most other types of crime because they are done for political purposes rather than for

A) personal gain.
B) profit.
C) power and control.
D) revenge.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The American Revolution (1775-1783) was essentially a political crime against the state because it violated the law against

A) spying and coercion in the pursuit of political goals.
B) sheltering fugitives from justice.
C) taxation without representation.
D) treason, or waging war against the king.

Question 5

In the battle of Little Big Horn, General Custer and his troops were intent on securing the Black Hills for the U.S. government because

A) the natives were defacing the land.
B) gold was discovered there.
C) native peoples were under assault from white settlers.
D) iron deposits were plentiful.

Question 6

Native Americans killed General Custer and his troops as a protest against what they saw as

A) fierce and unregulated competition between tribes.
B) another example of U.S. government violation of a legally binding treaty.
C) a violation of the sanctity of the Black Hills.
D) both b and c.

Question 7

During Shays' Rebellion in 1787, poor farmers had been forced to take out loans at very high interest rates against their future agricultural production, and farmers rebelled against the state by freeing debtors and blocking foreclosures by force. Eventually, however, their rebellion was

A) a success in that the farmers needs were met.
B) forcibly put down by the state militia, leaving 11 men dead and many wounded.
C) a mixed success that led to compromise and fairer lending practices.
D) squashed by the U.S. military, but without the use of force.

Question 8

Women's rights groups have engaged in violent political crimes against the state by

A) breaking windows, setting fires, and vandalizing buildings to protest for the right to vote.
B) bombing pornography shops to protest the objectification of women.
C) protesting abortion rights.
D) both a and b.

Question 9

Which of the following events is NOT considered a political crime against the state?

A) The assassinations of Presidents Lincoln, McKinley, and Kennedy.
B) The attempted assassination of President Reagan in 1981.
C) The assassination of presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy.
D) The attempted assassination of President Truman in 1950.

Question 10

The bombing of the Alfred P. Murray Federal building by McVeigh and Nichols in 1995 has been linked to

A) Middle Eastern terrorist groups.
B) religious fanatics protesting against the separation of church and state.
C) radical anti-abortion activism.
D) antigovernment paramilitary right-wing militia movements.

Question 11

Political crimes against the state are most often

A) violent.
B) nonviolent.
C) successful.
D) unsuccessful.

Question 12

During the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s in the United States, activists were engaged in a specific form of nonviolent political crime against the state, known as

A) civil disobedience.
B) standard political protest.
C) freedom of expression.
D) trial and error.

Question 13

According to Martin Luther King, Jr., there are two types of laws: just and unjust. The unjust laws, such as segregation,

A) give the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority.
B) are morally wrong and sinful.
C) must be deliberately violated-openly, lovingly, and with responsibility.
D) all of the above.

Question 14

State corruption is defined by the text as the

A) illegal or unethical use of state authority for personal or political gain.
B) illegal use of state authority for personal or political gain.
C) illegal or unethical conduct by state officials or agencies for purposes of repressing domestic political dissent.
D) illegal conduct by state officials or agencies for purposes of repressing domestic political dissent.

Question 15

State political repression is defined by the text as the

A) illegal or unethical use of state authority for personal or political gain.
B) illegal use of state authority for personal or political gain.
C) illegal or unethical conduct by state officials or agencies for purposes of repressing domestic political dissent.
D) illegal conduct by state officials or agencies for purposes of repressing domestic political dissent.

Question 16

Political bribery refers to accepting of money or property by state officials

A) in return for favors.
B) for personal gain.
C) for political power.
D) in return for silence.

Question 17

The ABSCAM case, which was an FBI "sting" operation in the early 1980s, is an example of

A) election fraud.
B) political kickbacks.
C) political bribery.
D) corrupt campaign practices.

Question 18

Election fraud has been part of the "democratic" process in which of the following high-profile elections?

A) John F. Kennedy for president in 1960
B) Lyndon Johnson for Senate in 1948
C) Jimmy Carter's California primary campaign in 1976
D) All of the above

Question 19

The 1972 Watergate scandal is an example of

A) election fraud.
B) political kickbacks.
C) political bribery.
D) corrupt campaign practices.

Question 20

During the 1980 presidential campaign, the "Reagan people" urged Iranian leaders to keep the American hostages in custody until after the November election, at which time they would receive more arms shipments from the United States through Israel. This scandal became known as the

A) Iran Contra scandal.
B) October Surprise.
C) Arms for Hostages deal.
D) French Connection.

Question 21

Officially, the CIA has no domestic law enforcement responsibility, yet the agency has

A) opened and photographed the mail of more than one million private citizens.
B) broken into homes and offices, stealing documents and installing illegal surveillance devices.
C) equipped, trained, and supported local police forces.
D) all of the above.

Question 22

The FBI is responsible for crimes of political repression against all of the following EXCEPT

A) youth groups.
B) organized labor.
C) Christian fundamentalist groups.
D) black groups.

Question 23

The FBI's counterintelligence program (COINTELPRO) is officially restricted to

A) hostile foreign governments, foreign organizations, and individuals connected to them.
B) all foreign governments and organizations.
C) all immigrants who seek political asylum in the United States.
D) hostile domestic fringe groups and their allies.

Question 24

When COINTELPRO "investigated" the civil rights movement, and Martin Luther King, Jr. in particular, they decided to do what was needed to __________ King.

A) assist
B) advocate for
C) neutralize
D) kill

Question 25

Before Martin Luther King, Jr.'s death, the FBI had already chosen Samuel R. Pierce, a conservative, as his successor because Pierce

A) would carry on the work of King.
B) would be the "right kind" of leader.
C) would also advocate nonviolence.
D) was more radical than King.

Question 26

COINTELPRO's activities were largely targeted at disrupting political organizations that

A) held close secrets about their leaders' identities.
B) were Islamic fundamentalist in their theology.
C) were right-wing militia radicals.
D) were leftist in their orientation.

Question 27

The case of Leonard Peltier illustrates that state political repression can sometimes lead to

A) people being framed for criminal acts as a means of controlling or disbanding their groups.
B) vindication of the innocent from incarceration.
C) catching the "bad guys" through these terrorist tactics.
D) innocent people being left alone.

Question 28

In the case of Leonard Peltier, three people were killed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Two were FBI agents and one was a Native American member of the American Indian Movement (AIM). What was the result of the investigation into the death of the AIM member?

A) The two dead FBI agents had shot and killed the AIM member.
B) Nothing-there was no investigation into his death.
C) Two other Native Americans were convicted of that killing.
D) Another FBI agent legally shot and killed the AIM member in self-defense.

Question 29

In the Leonard Peltier case, the federal appeals court found that evidence of "improper conduct" by the FBI

A) was sufficient to indicate that Peltier was innocent and should be released from prison.
B) was not necessarily "illegal" conduct.
C) was not sufficient to overturn the conviction or sentence imposed on Peltier.
D) should be enough to argue for abolishing the FBI.

Question 30

The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) was heavily investigated by the FBI by

A) record checks-for example, police, school, and medical records.
B) physical surveillance of people, places, and demonstrations.
C) monitoring radio programs and gathering license plate numbers from vehicles near demonstrations.
D) all of the above.

Question 31

International law can be found in

A) United Nations agreements, treaties, and customary practices.
B) the International Criminal Code.
C) the United Nations criminal code.
D) none of the above.

Question 32

What agencies were created when President Harry Truman signed the National Security Act in 1947?

A) The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency.
B) The National Security Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
C) The Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.
D) The Central Intelligence Agency and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.

Question 33

To establish more favorable oil trade with Iran in 1953, the CIA participated in the overthrow of a democratically elected leader and

A) participated in the democratic elections that followed.
B) installed the Shah as Iran's new leader.
C) killed thousands of civilians in the process.
D) developed diplomatic ties with Jordan.

Question 34

When the Shah of Iran was in power and supported by the U.S. government, he permitted U.S. oil companies to take over nearly __________ percent of Iran's oil production.

A) 20
B) 30
C) 40
D) 50

Question 35

The Iranian secret police (SAVAK), trained at U.S. military bases and supported by the U.S. government,

A) conducted sensitive investigations into the activities of the anti-Shah citizens.
B) stalked Iranian dissidents and engaged in sadistic torture of those dissidents.
C) served more as a police service than a police force.
D) participated in arming citizens for the 1979 revolution against the Shah.

Question 36

During the Shah's time in power, Iran was known for having the

A) highest rate of death sentences in the world.
B) most progressive health care system in the world.
C) worst human rights record in the world.
D) both a and c.

Question 37

In the early 1960s, the CIA had a Cuba policy that included a plan to

A) provide educational materials to Cuban children.
B) assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
C) control the government of Cuba's access to international trade.
D) restrict Cuba's access to American culture.

Question 38

When reading about the international political crimes by the state, it appears that a connection exists between these activities and

A) collective embezzlement.
B) standard white-collar crime.
C) conventional violent crime in the street.
D) syndicated crime, especially the drug trade.

Question 39

In 1968, the Vietnam War began government tactics that involved the deliberate torture and murder of more than 40,000 people in Vietnam. This program lasted for more than three years and was called

A) Operation Phoenix.
B) Operation Desert Storm.
C) Operation Success.
D) Operation Desert Shield.

Question 40

The Iran Contra scandal violated the Boland Amendment to the Defense Appropriations Act because

A) it was a covert operation that had not been announced to Congress.
B) it provided a system for funding the anti-Sandinista group.
C) it advocated toppling a foreign government.
D) the United States was not taking a neutral stance regarding the internal problems in another country.

Question 41

In the early 1980s, the CIA funded and participated in the mining of Nicaraguan harbors, which resulted in

A) legal challenges to the U.S. Neutrality Act.
B) freedom for the Nicaraguan people.
C) two small fishing boats detonating the mines, beginning the series of damage.
D) thousands of people killed on shores near the harbors.

Question 42

Which law was violated when the U.S. government participated in the overthrow of democratically elected presidents in Chile and Guatemala?

A) the U.S. Neutrality Act
B) the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
C) the UN Charter
D) the Boland Amendment

Question 43

Because the UN Charter prohibits __________, the Iran Contra scandal was a clear violation of this law.

A) any state from intervening in the internal or external affairs of any other state
B) the use of economic, political, or any coercive means to obtain the subordination of its sovereign rights from a foreign state
C) efforts to organize, assist, foment, finance, incite, or tolerate subversive, terrorist, or armed activities directed toward overthrowing the regime of another state
D) all of the above

Question 44

Which of the following comments best characterizes the U.S. relationship with Iraq?

A) The United States has always opposed the leadership in Iraq.
B) The United States has sometimes supported the leadership in Iraq.
C) The United States was sometimes silent about the tactics of the leadership of Iraq.
D) Both b and c.

Question 45

Why were Yippie leader Abby Hoffman and President Carter's daughter Amy acquitted of trespass even though they admitted occupying several buildings at the University of Massachusetts?

A) President Carter intervened and pressured the judge to issue a directed verdict.
B) The prosecution made a serious procedural error.
C) They argued that although they acted illegally, their actions were justified to prevent more dangerous crimes by the CIA ( the defense of "necessity").
D) To avoid embarrassing the administration, the Secret Service suppressed evidence that most likely would have led to conviction.

Question 46

In 2009 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a report warning against increased right-wing extremism related to

A) fear and anxiety about the economy.
B) fear and anxiety about President Obama.
C) fear and anxiety related to the return of U.S. military veterans.
D) all of the above.

Question 47

What is FISA?

A) A secret order enacted by then President George W. Bush that allows wiretapping and eavesdropping on U.S. citizens.
B) A congressional act that recommended the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan by 2010.
C) A congressional act passed in 1978 that requires warrants for wiretapping and eavesdropping on U.S. citizens.
D) A congressional resolution that censored Lewis "Scooter" Libby for interfering with the investigation into "Intimigate."

Question 48

Which of the following prohibits torture, including techniques such as those applied by the United States to Abu Zubayda and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?

A) The 1949 UN Declaration of Human Rights.
B) The U.S. Constitution.
C) Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions.
D) Both a and c.

Question 49

Which of the following is a false statement about the USA PATRIOT Act?

A) It allows the U.S. government to conduct nationwide roving wiretaps on citizens.
B) It allows the U.S. government to track e-mail and Internet use of citizens.
C) It allows the U.S. government to monitor citizens' financial records, library records, and personnel records.
D) It requires the U.S. government to obtain warrants to exercise any of enhanced surveillance powers.

Question 50

Who are Chelsea Manning and Andrew Snowden?

A) The authors of the four antitorture Geneva Conventions.
B) Two U.S. citizens charged under the Espionage Act for leaking classified documents.
C) The two CIA interrogators convicted for torturing suspected Al Qaeda members.
D) The White House Office of Legal Counsel lawyers who drafted the "torture memo" that claimed waterboarding was not torture.

Question 51

Which of the following is not an example of domestic terrorism?

A) Throwing Molotov cocktails at Planned Parenthood buildings.
B) The "stinkbombing" of Seattle adult bookstores and porn theatres by feminist antipornography activists.
C) Actions by the Weather Underground in the 1960s.
D) None of the above (all of the above are examples of domestic terrorism).

Question 52

Political crimes against the state involve intentional violations of criminal law for political purposes, not personal gain.

Question 53

The American Revolution is an example of domestic terrorism that resulted in the successful prosecution of the colonial organizers.

Question 54

The FBI and the CIA protected Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during his civil rights' activities.

Question 55

The assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan cannot be seen as a violent political crime against the state because the shooter was not motivated by a desire to change the political and social conditions.

Question 56

The FBI's counterintelligence program is responsible for freeing Leonard Peltier from federal prison.

Question 57

U.S. government agencies routinely harass and monitor the activities of U.S. citizens whom they suspect to be involved with protest organizations, such as the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador.

Question 58

During the Iran Contra scandal, President Reagan was unaware of the dealings of his administration and was later deeply shocked and dismayed to discover their activities.

Question 59

While George H. W. Bush was director of the Central Intelligence Agency, from 1976 to 1980, he kept Manuel Noriega on the CIA payroll despite his involvement in the international drug trade.

Question 60

The Boland Amendment prohibited the use of U.S. military and economic resources to overthrow the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua.

Question 61

Oliver North was never convicted of any crimes for his role in the Iran Contra scandal; in fact, he went on to have a very successful political career in the Republican Party.

Question 62

The United States is the only country to engage in political crimes.

Question 63

Political assassination is the most common form of terrorism in the United States.

Question 64

Political bribery is the acceptance of money or property by state officials in return for favors.

Question 65

Corrupt campaign practices appear to occur rarely in the United States.

Question 66

The FBI and the CIA have often been accused of conducting illegal activities.

Question 67

Although they are sometimes verbally intense, thus far anti-abortion protests in the United States have been nonviolent.

Question 68

In 2004 Afghanistan became the leading producer of opium in the world.

Question 69

A 2002 White House legal counsel memo asserted that 10 CIA interrogation "escalating techniques," including waterboarding, were not torture.

Question 70

The Occupy protests that began on Wall Street and eventually spread to other U.S. cities are examples of violence against the state.

Question 71

Because he received political asylum in Russia, Edward Snowden was not charged with violating the Espionage Act.

Question 72

The United States has a history of illegal involvement in international presidential politics. Illustrate your understanding of such involvement as a form of political crime by explaining why such actions are seen as illegal (that is, what international laws did the actions violate?), identifying the type of political crime the actions represent, and briefly discuss one example.

Question 73

The authors provide a tripartite classification of political crime. Briefly explain what political crime is, and then identify and define the three major forms of political crime stated in the text, and name at least one subtype of each major form.

Question 74

Although people often think of political crime as criminal actions taken against the government, the U.S. government also engages in political crime against its own citizens. Write an essay that describes the various types of crimes that may be committed by the U.S. government against its own people.

Question 75

In everyday life "terrorism" has multiple, politicized, and sometimes contradictory meanings. Terrorism has very specific meaning in criminology-yet deciding what is or is not terrorism may still be problematic. Explain what terrorism is from a criminological perspective, identify and illustrate the different forms terrorism can take, and comment on why "terrorism" remains a contested category despite its specific meaning.