NGO "Blacklist" Unfair and Arbitrary, Groups Say

[nosmokes]

I'd be willing to bet it's not that arbitrary. I'm thinking it's as simple as if you're a secular non-profit that's not connected with any church or christian organization you must be involved with terrorists.
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original-ips

RIGHTS-US: NGO "Blacklist" Unfair and Arbitrary, Groups Say

By William Fisher

NEW YORK, Jul 23 (IPS) - In the name of "global war on terror", the U.S. government is waging war on non-governmental organisations by applying "shortsighted, undemocratic policies" that are "constraining the critical activities of the charitable and philanthropic sectors, stifling free speech, and ultimately impeding the fight against terrorism."

This is the conclusion of a new white paper prepared by two prominent non-governmental organisations, OMB Watch and Grantmakers Without Borders. OMB stands for the government's Office of Management and Budget, the White House office responsible for devising and submitting the president's annual budget proposal to Congress.

The report charges that the government views nonprofits as "conduits for terrorist funding and a breeding ground for aggressive dissent." It accuses the courts of being "overly deferential" to the U.S. Treasury Department, which is responsible for conducting programmes designed to stem the flow of money to terrorist organisations.

It contends that federal agencies "ignore nonprofits' calls for change," and says, "Congress has not utilised its oversight powers to review counterterrorism programmes."

The report says that the U.S. nonprofit community today "operates in fear of what may spark (the government) to use its power to shut them down."

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complete article here

[EFerrari]

1. I thought this was an article about USAID.

:)