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** Mods - this is an email newsletter - there is no place to link to, thus I am putting it here in its entirety **
Privacy World - The WORLD'S SHREWDEST PRIVACY NEWSLETTER
Bush To Criminalize Protesters Under Patriot Act
Patriot Daily
George Bush wants to create the new criminal of "disruptor" who can be
jailed for the crime of "disruptive behavior." A "little-noticed provision"
in the latest version of the Patriot Act will empower Secret Service to
charge protesters with a new crime of "disrupting major events including
political conventions and the Olympics."
The Secret Service would also be empowered to charge persons with "breaching
security" and to charge for "entering a restricted area"
which is "where the President or other person protected by the Secret
Service is or will be temporarily visiting." In short, be sure to stay in
those wired, fenced containments or free speech zones.
Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse's diary:
Who is the "disruptor"? Bush Team history tells us the disruptor is an
American citizen with the audacity to attend Bush events wearing a T-shirt
that criticizes Bush; or a member of civil rights, environmental, anti-war
or counter-recruiting groups who protest Bush policies; or a person who
invades Bush's bubble by criticizing his policies. A disruptor is also a
person who interferes in someone else's activity, such as interrupting Bush
when he is speaking at a press conference or during an interview.
What are the parameters of the crime of "disruptive behavior"? The
dictionary defines "disruptive" as "characterized by unrest or disorder or
insubordination." The American Medical Association defines disruptive
behavior as a "style of interaction" with people that interferes with
patient care, and can include behavior such as "foul language; rude, loud or
offensive comments; and intimidation of patients and family members."
What are the rules of engagement for "disruptors"? Some Bush Team history of
their treatment of disruptors provide some clues on how this administration
will treat disruptors in the future.
(1) People perceived as disruptors may be preemptively ejected from events
before engaging in any disruptive conduct.
In the beginning of this war against disruptors, Americans were ejected from
taxpayer funded events where Bush was speaking. At first the events were
campaign rallies during the election, and then the disruptor ejectment
policy was expanded to include Bush's post election campaign-style events on
public policy issues on his agenda, such as informing the public on medicare
reform and the like. If people drove to the event in a car with a bumper
sticker that criticized Bush's policies or wore T-shirts with similar
criticism, they were disruptors who could be ejected from the taxpayer event
even before they engaged in any disruptive behavior.
White House press secretary McClellan defended such ejectments as a proper
preemptive strike against persons who may disrupt an event:
"If we think people are coming to the event to disrupt it, obviously,
they're going to be asked to leave."
(2) Bush Team may check its vast array of databanks to cull out those
persons who it deems having "disruptor" potential and then blacklist those
persons from events.
The White House even has a list of persons it deems could be "disruptive" to
an event and then blacklists those persons from attending taxpayer funded
events where Bush speaks. Sounds like Bush not only has the power to
unilaterally designate people as "enemy combatants" in the global "war on
terror," but to unilaterally designate Americans as "disruptive" in the
domestic war against free speech.
(3) The use of surveillance, monitoring and legal actions against
disruptors.
Bush's war against disruptors was then elevated to surveillance, monitoring,
and legal actions against disruptor organizations. The FBI conducts
political surveillance and obtains intelligence filed in its database on
Bush administration critics , such as civil rights groups (e.g., ACLU),
antiwar protest groups (e.g., United for Peace and Justice) and
environmental groups (e.g., Greenpeace).
This surveillance of American citizens exercising their constitutional
rights has been done under the pretext of counterterrorism activities
surrounding protests of the Iraq war and the Republican National Convention.
The FBI maintains it does not have the intent to monitor political
activities and that its surveillance and intelligence gathering is "intended
to prevent disruptive and criminal activity at demonstrations, not to quell
free speech."
Surveillance of potential disruptors then graduated to legal actions as a
preemptive strike against potential disruptive behavior at public events. In
addition to monitoring and surveillance of legal groups and legal
activities, the FBI issued subpoenas for members to appear before grand
juries based on the FBI's "intent" to prevent "disruptive convention
protests." The Justice Dept. opened a criminal investigation and subpoenaed
records of Internet messages posted by Bush`s critics. And, the Justice
Dept. even indicted Greenpeace for a protest that was so lame the federal
judge threw out the case.
So now the Patriot Act, which was argued before enactment as a measure to
fight foreign terrorists, is being amended to make clear that it also
applies to American citizens who have the audacity to disrupt President Bush
wherever his bubble may travel. If this provision is enacted into law, then
Bush will have a law upon which to expand the type of people who constitute
disruptors and the type of activities that constitute disruptive activities.
And, then throw them all in jail.
A word in your ear from Privacy World
So much for free speech in the land of the free!
Until next issue stay cool and remain low profile!
Privacy World
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