President Bush holds press conference
Congress urged to pass law making it easier to eavesdrop on phone calls and e-mails of suspected terrorists.
- MSNBC – February 28, 2008Truth as Terrorism
By John Albanese
Just who are these suspected terrorists that President Bush seeks a blank check to spy on? Recent reports in USA Today indicates that the government’s terrorist watch list has swelled to 755,000 names. In December of 2005 NBC News reported that a secret Defense Department document listed a Quaker Meeting House gathering of anti-war activists as a “threat.”
“This peaceful, educationally oriented group being a threat is incredible,” says Evy Grachow, a member of the Florida group called The Truth Project.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10454316/MSNBC goes on to report:
… the Pentagon now collects domestic intelligence that goes beyond legitimate concerns about terrorism or protecting U.S. military installations, say critics.In December 2005 the ACLU published a press release: New Documents Show FBI Targeting Environmental and Animal Rights Groups Activities as ‘Domestic Terrorism’
The ACLU said that some of the documents suggest infiltration by undercover “sources” at animal rights meetings and conferences.
At times, the documents show aggressive attempts by the FBI to link PETA, Greenpeace and other mainstream organizations to activists associated with the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) or Earth Liberation Front (ELF), said the ACLU. PETA, in particular, is repeatedly and falsely singled out as a “front” for militant organizations although in at least one document released today the FBI appears to acknowledge that it has no evidence to back up such assertions.
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/spying/23124prs20051220.htmlEqually disturbing, on November 8, 2007 CSPAN aired a hearing of the Homeland Security Subcommittee's "Terrorism and the Internet." These hearings purported to identify "home grown terrorist recruiters" on the internet, in connection with House Bill HR 1955, "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007."
As part of those hearings a powerpoint presentation listed Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth alongside websites that feature bomb-making techniques and terrorist training manuals.
In reality, AE911Truth.org is a website dedicated to studying and publishing peer reviewed articles associated with the collapse of all three World Trade Center buildings on 9/11. AE911Truth.org lists 281 architectural and engineering professionals as signatory members, the vast majority of which are American citizens with advanced degrees in architecture, structural engineering and physics.
Architects, engineers and physicists labeled as homegrown terrorist recruiters?
But the story gets worse. In a recent interview with Nancy Murray, director of the Bill of Rights Education Project at the ACLU of Massachusetts, she confirmed that the problem of government surveillance has progressed into documented examples of harassment and intimidation campaigns. In one case cited by Murray, a Boston anti-war activist had his personal information published online, along with train schedules documenting his movements. The online harassment campaign exhorted viewers to stalk, harass and otherwise threaten the anti-war activist on the basis of his political opinions.
In another more disturbing example members of various 9/11 victim’s family groups have experienced similar online harassment campaigns. According to longtime 9/11 victim’s group supporter, Jon Gold:
“They receive emails no one should. They receive threats against them and their families. Just horrible horrible things that they most assuredly DO NOT deserve.
If you are with the attackers, I have a few questions for you. Is this the United States of America or isn't it? Do we have the right to ask questions of our Government or don't we? If you lost a loved one, in a murder, would you want people to send you threatening emails, or to be intimidated just because you want the murder of your loved one investigated? Please try and answer those questions honestly.”And, according to New York Times best selling author, Steve Alten, author of The Shell Game, he and his publicist, Patricia Stevens, have been the target of similar attacks. As he responded publicly to one of his attackers:
“You have invaded my privacy and are hurting a kind soul in Trish Stevens, whose mother died of cancer on Friday. I have contacted the FBI...something you already posted since you have access to my e-mail...which is illegal.”Although one could easily point out that political discourse is an American tradition, and those who voice perceived controversial viewpoints may be in fact inviting vigorous and bellicose opposition. One could easily make the case that this is the price of freedom, and the consequences of freedom of speech.
But, the unusually high incidence of civilian complaints relating to political retaliation, harassment campaigns, breaches in privacy, email accounts broached, surveillance – and in some cases photographs of the subjects of this surveillance inexplicably emerging online as part of organized harassment campaigns – has led many civil libertarians to conclude that the current federal eavesdropping laws are being abused, and are aimed at silencing political opponents with no conceivable ties to terrorist organizations.
One must wonder why an administration that is unwilling to secure our borders, and has encouraged the selling of United States port security to the United Arab Emirate, would be so interested in peering into the emails of pacifists, scientists, environmentalists and Truth movement activists.
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