Common Cause, League of Women Voters Decry FBI "Intimidation"

[LiviaOlivia]

http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=194883&ct=2085407
For Immediate Release
Contacts:

March 22, 2006
www.lwv.org
www.commoncause.org

FBI ACTION PERCEIVED AS INTIMIDATION
Statement by Kay J. Maxwell, President of the League of Women Voters of the United States and Chellie Pingree, President of Common Cause

Washington, D.C. - The League of Women Voters of the United States (LWVUS) and Common Cause expressed concern today over a recent incident involving the League of Women Voters of Berrien and Cass Counties (LWVBCC) in Michigan, Common Cause and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

"At a time when Americans are relying on the FBI to protect against terrorism, it seems strange that precious resources would be spent contacting citizen advocacy groups to question their work educating the public about open government. Such behavior smacks of intimidation," said Kay J. Maxwell, LWVUS President.

"The FBI's actions in this instance seemed intended to have a chilling effect on the right of Americans to freely express themselves," said Chellie Pingree, president of Common Cause.

The LWVBCC on March 14 sponsored a public meeting on Openness in Government. Common Cause President Chellie Pingree was among four members of a panel that included representatives of the media, academic and legal communities. The forum was part of the League's activities during national Sunshine Week, March 12-18, 2006. Leagues across the country sponsored similar community forums to stimulate public discussion about why open government is important to everyone and why it is under challenge today.

After the panel, an FBI agent contacted the local League president, Susan Gilbert, to challenge comments that Pingree made at the LWV panel that were reported in a local newspaper on March 17.

According to Gilbert, FBI agent Al DiBrito said that "this Pingree woman" was "way off base" in her comments about the USA PATRIOT Act, and that the League should have invited someone from the federal government to be on the panel and to respond. DiBrito told Gilbert that she would be contacted by someone from the assistant U.S. attorney's office in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to give her the real story on the USA PATRIOT Act.

The local League of Women Voters and Common Cause raised their concerns in a letter sent Tuesday (read the letter) to FBI Director Robert Mueller.

"Citizens can be intimidated when an FBI agent calls and questions their activities," said Maxwell. "Why should a citizen meeting on open government merit the attention of the FBI?" said Pingree.


The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Read also:
http://www.commoncause.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=395891&content_id={4F64D787-4CCE-43CD-8994-E38FDE71EE7D}¬oc=1
edit above link

[babylonsister]

1. Rec'd! Why isn't the FBI fightin' terra instead of

chastizing citizen advocacy groups working to educate the public, and who's giving them their marching orders?
Another example of dumbing down anyone and everyone who wants to be better informed? Another example of infringing on our civil liberties?

[flyarm]

2. k&r and have sent out to many internet groups! thanks for positng!!

:hi: thanks!!!

:kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick: :kick:

[blogslut]

3. kick

The League of Women Voters got a raw deal with the First Bush. LWV used to be the host for Presidential debates:

...The League of Women Voters Education Fund sponsored the 1976, 1980, and 1984 presidential debates. In 1988, the LWV withdrew from debate sponsorship, in protest of the major party candidates attempting to dictate nearly every aspect of how the debates were to be conducted, which ultimately resulted in the Democratic and Republican parties forming the Commission on Presidential Debates which gave the parties greater control over the debate environment. On October 2, 1988, the LWV's 14 trustees voted unanimously to pull out of the debates, and on October 3 they issued a dramatic press release:

The League of Women Voters is withdrawing sponsorship of the presidential debates ... because the demands of the two campaign organizations would perpetrate a fraud on the American voter. It has become clear to us that the candidates' organizations aim to add debates to their list of campaign-trail charades devoid of substance, spontaneity and answers to tough questions. The League has no intention of becoming an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/League_of_Women_Voters

[loyalsister]

14. Correction- WE got a raw deal

The debates would be much more informative if they were run by the LWV.

[etherealtruth]

4. Kicked and Rec'd

This is too important for anyone to miss.

Obviously even non-partisan groups are receiving undo amounts of scrutiny ... I guess only the right wing "nut-job" types are the only ones free ... How much attention do you suppose crazed Pat Robertson receives?

[redphish]

5. Here's your fifth.

Brownshirts in action.

[globalvillage]

6. ACLU Releases First Concrete Evidence of FBI Spying Based Solely ...

And this just a week after they were caught spying on the Thomas Merton Center.

ACLU Releases First Concrete Evidence of FBI Spying Based Solely on Groups' Anti-War Views
(3/14/2006)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: [email protected]

Pennsylvania Group Labeled “Pacifists” Targeted for Handing Out Flyers in Town Square


PITTSBURGH – The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Pennsylvania today released new evidence that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is conducting investigations into a political organizations based solely on its anti-war views.

Two documents released today reveal that the FBI investigated gatherings of the Thomas Merton Center for Peace & Justice just because the organization opposed the war in Iraq. Although previously disclosed documents show that the FBI is retaining files on anti-war groups, these documents are the first to show conclusively that the rationale for FBI targeting is the group's opposition to the war.

“It makes no sense that the FBI would be spying on peace activists handing out flyers,” said Jim Kleissler, Executive Director of the Thomas Merton Center for Peace & Justice. “Our members were simply offering leaflets to passersby, legally and peacefully, and now they’re being investigated by a counter–terrorism unit. Something is seriously wrong in how our government determines who and what constitutes terrorism when peace activists find themselves targeted.”

According to the documents released today, the FBI initiated a classified investigation into the activities of the Thomas Merton Center, noting in a November 2002 memo that the center “holds daily leaflet distribution activities in downtown Pittsburgh and is currently focused on its opposition to the potential war on Iraq.” The synopsis of the document is provided to “report results of investigation on Pittsburgh anti-war activities.” The FBI memo points out that the Merton Center “is a left-wing organization advocating, among many political causes, pacifism.”

more...

http://www.aclu.org/safefree/spying/24528prs20060314.html

edit for K&R

[DeepModem Mom]

7. K, R, and added to my Journal list of recommended DU posts. nt

[LiviaOlivia]

16. Thank you

:hi:

:hug:

[TheWraith]

8. The League of Women Voters? Seriously?

How desperate do you have to be before you're threatening the League of Women Voters? Isn't that kind of like intimidating Citizens for Cute Kittens?

[Tigress DEM]

9. Before I can defend Pingree, I need to know what she said.

Is there a link to the original article the FBI referred to?

What does the FBI consider to be "way off base"? Was it?

Or was it simply the truth about the Patriot Act that the FBI thinks shouldn't be common knowledge?

I can support Pingree either way as a First Ammendment deal, but if her opinions are really severe, then maybe someone with a differing viewpoint should have been there. How the Hell it becomes FBI business is still questionable.

I'm not saying that the LWV should support government propoganda, but if Pingree's opinions about the Patriot Act went beyond the mere facts, then a non-partisan group should have someone with a balancing viewpoint. We DEMS need to lead by example.

[LiviaOlivia]

11. Links to both organizations have been provided.

Why don't you write them with your questions?

They even posted their phone numbers.

on edit: If you find the newspaper, do your homework, find out who owns it and the paper's political stance.

[Catrina]

17. What does the FBI consider to be "way off base"? Pacifism, apparently:

In their report on the anti-war group mentioned in a post above, they described the group in the following way, ominously:

it “is a left-wing organization advocating, among many political causes, pacifism.”

I wonder how threatening pacifism might be, that it takes up so much of their time, when, according to Bush, there are so many 'evil-doers' to catch in the world. Maybe this is why he hasn't caught too many of them after five years of spying on his own people!

As far as being 'fair'! This is NOT a realm the FBI should even be involved in. Let's not go off on the usual 'we have to be fair even they aren't'. That isn't the issue here. The FBI is the issue, Domestic Spying is the issue ~

I presume that those who attended the meeting are adults, and perfectly capable of deciding for themselves whether or not the info they got needed further investigation. Apparently the FBI doesn't trust us to make intelligent decisions and are now about to 'reeducate' those who dare to offer an opinion contrary to the daily propaganda.

This is NOT a nation of children who need nannies following them around all the time. Let's try to focus on the really serious issues here. Bush has used millions of dollars and the entire MSM to make his case for the abomination known as the Patriot Act. I have no problem with a few citizens getting a different viewpoint for a change.

This is simply another Bush outrage and more proof that his 'spy' program is not being used against dangerous terrorists, but we are seeing more and more, it is targeting people who disagree with him.

[theHandpuppet]

24. You don't have to defend her opinions

But anyone and everyone should defend her right to speak -- and that doesn't mean if she has even "severe opinions" (as you put it) that presenting a differing viewpoint should be required. Should Bill O'Reilly be required to have progressive viewpoints on his show to counter his RW nonsense? Should every fundie preacher on the public airwaves be required to have an atheist at his right hand? I'm sorry, but I'm not following your argument here. The LWVUS has the right to present whatever panel it wants. They could have invited Condie Rice and I would still be free to dissent or question.

[marions ghost]

27. ditto

this is the bottom line here. Opinionated speakers invited by legitimate organizations are no threat to democracy.

[hvn_nbr_2]

10. How dare they question the USA Enabling Act? nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

12. Women voters = dangerous terrorists.

We oughta round 'em all up and ship 'em back where they came from.

[bobbieinok]

15. 'if women's votes were not counted, democrats would never win'

comments like this about women's votes and minority votes were common after selection 2000

[YankeyMCC]

13. K&R

[philly_bob]

18. League of Women Voters and Voting Machines

LWV is an interesting case. I dealt with LWV 30 years ago, and they struck me as honest and incorruptible, American democracy at its finest. But then in the last decade, they have had a bruising internal split over the security of voting machines, with their elderly leadership flummoxed by technology and trusting the voting machine vendors (like Diebold and ES&S) at their word; the computer-hip younger membership, of course, knew that electronic voting machines were not secure.

Since leadership was in control of speakers and appearances, the LWV ended up testifying for the vendors on the HAVA Act, and some blame for the voting mess lies with them.

LWV members, if I'm wrong, correct me. The story of the temporary takeover of LWV by supporters of corrupt voting machine vendors is a story that historians will want to read.

It's grim irony that the LWV now finds itself now under illegal FBI pressure from the administration they were instrumental in installing.

Here's one link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-06-14-league-women-voters-redux_x.htm

[LiviaOlivia]

19. Again, I provided links to said organizations

I suggest writing them with your questions.

[RazzleDazzle]

20. Common Cause was on the wrong side of the voting machines

issue too. I don't know if they got themselves on the right side since or not, but it was quite distressing to have these otherwise "liberal" groups lined up against us. Very distressing.

And yes, what high irony. But it just goes to show that you can't safely align yourself with a fascist regime because they are loyal only to themselves.

[philly_bob]

26. Common Cause eventually got on right side

They sent a spokesperson to the Nashville election reform conference.

[princehal]

21. We ARE the federal gov.

or should be. By the PEOPLE. For the PEOPLE

[nicknameless]

22. Another kick for this outrage.

:kick:

(Recommended earlier)

[Neil Lisst]

23. The FBI wanting a Fairness Doctrine. Nice.

Govt goons intimidating citizens who don't agree with the feds' fascist beliefs.

Do any of these goons have any knowledge of American history? They seem not to appreciate what America is all about. It ain't about heavy-handed Feds sticking their noses into citizens' bitch sessions.

[leveymg]

25. That was something the FBI Public Affairs Office should have done

Special Agent DiBrito is going to get his ass kicked by HQ for making a direct contact of this sort. He's particularly off-base because he also involved the US Attorney's Office. I hope he has warm clothes, because his next posting is going to be inspecting penguins and polar bears in North Alaska.