Department of Homeland Security: ever-vigilant against vegan menace

[BlueEyedSon]

A vegan who picketed a ham store was surveilled by a Homeland Security spook, who arrested her for taking down his license-plate number. Tax-dollars well-spent. Nation well-defended. Once every person with a nonstandard dietary preference has been imprisoned, I'm sure we'll be able to leave our shoes on in the airport again.

An undercover DeKalb County Homeland Security detective was assigned to conduct surveillance of the protest and the protestors, and take the photographs. The detective arrested Childs and another protester after he saw Childs approach him and write down, on a piece of paper, the license plate number of his unmarked government car.

"They told me if I didn't give over the piece of paper I would go to jail and I refused and I went to jail, and the piece of paper was taken away from me at the jail and the officer who transferred me said that was why I was arrested," Childs said on Wednesday...

"We believe that spying on American citizens for no good reason is fundamentally un-American, that it's not the place of the goverment or the best use of resources to spy on its own citizens and we want it to stop. We want the spies in our government to pack their bags, close up their notebooks, take their cameras home and not engage in the spying anymore," Gerald Weber of the ACLU of Georgia said during a news conference.

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=75151

(via boingboing.net)

[tecelote]

1. They have to do this!

America, the Land of the Freeper.

You see, prisons are big business and they need to be filled. It's hard work.

The United States holds more prisoners than any other country in the world including China. Per capita and in total number.

We're doing a heck of a job already but we need more prisoners since Halliburton has been contracted to build more prisons.

Sorry, but we have no other choice if profits, uh, er, I mean people, American citizens, are to be protected.

[wildeyed]

2. Very scary.

I just read a post in the NC forum about local government taking down license plate numbers of peaceful anti-war protesters. I am scared. Apparently we have no right to an opinion that isn't sanctioned by the government anymore.

[Armstead]

3. Democrats and "press" should focus on this stuff more

The idea of wiretapping potential calls to Al Quadeh pales in comparison to this kind of crap.

Spying on Quakers, vegans and anyone else who steps "out of line" is a far bigger threat to the freedom of the average American.

[Angry Girl]

4. Silencing dissent is the Amerikan way! (2 articles)

Silencing dissent a growing trend
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/13791418.htm

U.S. accused of spying on those who disagree with Bush policies
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/politics/13675006.htm