1 year anniversary! And security clearance question

Happy Anniversary, Ms. C!

Hey, this is interesting (the letter, I mean, although I also wish Ms C a happy anniversary too).

I hope that no one related to me ever needs a top security clearance. :D 

God, the guy asking the question is nice to his spook of a brother. What is wrong with harming the career of someone who's job is spying on and often entrapping peaceful activists? (Unless the brother is simply playing a police role against criminals, in which case I don't see how peaceful protest activities are relevant).

Wonder if spook brother knows the CSIS agent who messed up the lives of all those Muslim teenagers with his phony "terrorist plot"?

By the way, I find this very cynical:

"As an aside, I can't imagine why attending a rally or protest in your city would be enough to get you on anyone's radar since in Canada such actions rarely lead to social change".

From the huge protests at the start of the war on Iraq (which played a part of keeping Canada out of the war, at least directly), to the solidarity rallies every day with Mohawk protestors during the Oka crisis, and down to the rallies we held in my neighbourhood spotlighting infamous slum housing, I can think of many protests that have led to social change.

His brother attending rallies and such would not affect the guy's career prospects.  This is not James Bond stuff and routine security checks like those conducted prior to the issuance of new security clearance levels don't care about blood relations participating in protest actions.  If anything, they're probably more concerned with the guy's credit rating.