I
knew those sneaky Canadians were up to something!
Seriously, I doubt the problem is limited to the Canadian government. I'm sure the US and possibly other countries have hired stooges out in
full-force trying to shape opinion.
The problem is: sometimes that works.
Some people are gullible and will accept pretty much any information if it appeals to their sensibilities and seems to have come from a source well
versed on the topic being discussed.
As for shills on ATS: it would be hard, if not impossible for the staff to even attempt to eliminate such influences. If I wanted to, I could make it
appear as though I'm connecting from Timbuktu, and do it with relative ease. It's surprisingly hard to get rid of a determined troll permanently,
even
if you can verify with 100% certainty that the person is a troll.
The best thing to do if you suspect someone is a paid disinfo agent (or just your run-of-the-mill lulz seeker, for that matter) is to respond calmly,
logically, and in a straight-forward manner. Trolls always eventually give up or paint themselves into a corner. Just be patient.
TheAssoc.
