Ore. Police to Withdraw From FBI-Led Team

[NVMojo]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - The City Council on Thursday approved a recommendation to withdraw police officers from an FBI-led anti-terror task force after federal authorities refused to raise the mayor's security clearance to let him keep closer watch over its activities.

The city is the first in the nation to pull out of the Joint Terrorism Task Force - a network the federal agency has put together across the country.

Mayor Tom Potter joined the council in a 4-1 vote to withdraw two city officers from the anti-terror team.

The mayor had felt political pressure to ensure oversight after the FBI wrongfully arrested Portland attorney Brandon Mayfield as a suspect in the Madrid train bombings last year - a mistake that prompted an FBI apology.

more...

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nat-gen/2005/apr/28/042808542.html

[dArKeR]

1. God bless Portland! Just think of the arrogance of the Feberal Gov.!

The highest elected official who is managing the area closest to where we live. Where are all those rednecks and southern thumpers complaining about the heavy hand of the repuke feds?

[NVMojo]

2. I've been wondering about those same people too, our area was thick

with fed-bashers before Bush got elected. Now they are all hoping for a place at the trough!

[BlueIris]

3. Heh. Every once in a while, Oregon does something really cool.

I still remember when the Portland Police Commissioner told John Ashcroft he would not be using members of his department to arrest local suspected terrorists on the then quasi-legal "charges" they had knowledge of terror activities within the U.S.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Pity individual cities have to make such a stand to push back

the government the Republicans have insisted they want to be very small and unobtrusive, and cheap!

Horrendous budget from _Bush, and government breathing down EVERYONE's, with the exception of those sick, regressed folks who simply pee themselves imagining how wonderful it will be when they can rid the world of everything outside the radical right-wing.

[Roland99]

5. Wonder how many cities have pulled out of support for the Patriot Act?

[0rganism]

6. Mayor Potter's really going out on a limb for us this time

The major commercial papers have villified him. The "business community" is edgy. The citizens are mostly happy about it, but a lot of us are dreading the "payback" bushco will use to make an example out of Portland -- to prevent other cities from doing the same.

Here's the article from our local rag:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/front_page/1114768502282060.xml&coll=7

[HuckleB]

8. The Portland Communique take on the issue:

http://communique.portland.or.us/05/04/its_official_portland_leaving_jttf.html

[Wizard777]

7. End the Federalism of the localities!