FBI uses new powers to bug anti-war groups

[emad]

From: The Guardian

American civil liberties groups yesterday denounced the FBI for using new counter-terrorist powers to spy on anti-war demonstrations.
FBI officials said the surveillance of the anti-war movement was necessary to prevent protests being used as a cover by "extremist elements" or by terrorist organisations to mount an attack. But the critics have pointed to an FBI memorandum on anti-war demonstrations distributed last month to local police forces which suggests that federal agents have also been monitoring legal organising techniques used by opponents of the war in Iraq. "It is troubling that the FBI is advocating spying on peaceful protesters. Even protesters who engage in civil disobedience or other disruptive acts should not be treated like potential terrorists," Anthony Romero, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said yesterday.

The memorandum, quoted in yesterday's New York Times, explained how protest organisers used "training camps" to "rehearse tactics and counter-strategies for dealing with the police" and used the internet "to recruit, raise funds and coordinate their activities prior to demonstrations." The memorandum says this intelligence was gathered by first-hand observation (a possible reference to FBI agents), informants and monitoring the internet. The FBI's scrutiny of the protest movement is reminiscent for some Americans of the era of J Edgar Hoover, who as FBI director used the bureau to spy on a list of political enemies, including Martin Luther King and other civil rights leaders. After Hoover's excesses came to light, the FBI's powers were radically pruned but have grown back since September 11 2001, particularly as a result of the USA Patriot Act, passed 45 days after the terrorist attacks.

The law allows the FBI to conduct extensive secret surveillance of Americans suspected of links to terrorism. Mr Romero said last month's FBI memorandum "confirms that the federal government is targeting innocent Americans engaged in nothing more than lawful protest and dissent. The American people deserve an explanation for what is clearly a return to the days of J Edgar Hoover's spying tactics."

The FBI insists it is aware of the sensitive balance between civil liberties and the need to defend the country against the terrorist threat.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1091910,00.html

[rfranklin]

1. Training camps and using the internet?

Are they bugging the freepers?

[psychopomp]

2. Having actually seen a workshop on passive resistance

prior to the first Gulf War I do not think these are the types of people that would be a threat to anybody's security.

I don't want to come down on the police, either. They look scary and nasty, but that is essentially a defense mechanism. They are putting their bodies on the line, too.

I believe the blame for any violence needs to be laid on their superiors, especially the politicians who do not support free speech. The percentage of trouble-makers at any rally is practically nil since it is only a fringe who rides along with the larger group. Therefore, I believe that an encouraging sign would be for a public debate on the need for military-style policing of civil demonstrations.

[DBoon]

16. or RW militias?

Gee, we don't hear anything about right wing militias being targeted, do we.

Hmm...


My guess is if the left even considered training with firearms, we'd all be sent to gitmo in the blink of an eye.

[tom_paine]

18. Of course not, the Right-Wing Paramilitaries will be instrumental

in keeping people in line if and when the Imperial family decides to make their move.

The Freepers will get their own armbands and be "Block Captains". It won't be pretty.

Funny, that double-standard there, eh? Kind of like the Nazis disarming the Jews and arming the Brownshirts.

[BiggJawn]

3. Oh, but the FBI says "No, we're NOT doing that!"

Yeah, "Trust us, we're the FBI..." they say that they are just advising local police forces on "monitoring" those protestors they suspect as capable of violence or sabotage...

In other words, in the eyes of the police, EVERYONE.....

[michaud]

4. There is NO EXCUSE for this!!!!!!!

This is another one of Bush's Nazi tactics and we must do everything we can to resist them.

We must have a new government or in Senator Russ Fiengold's words, people have the right to bear arms to protect ourselves from a despotic government.

And people its looking like it more and more everyday!!!

[teryang]

5. The scope of government surveillance is broader

...than this. I believe that anyone who uses the internet or other media to criticize the conduct of this regime is potentially subject to surveillance.

This regime is "fighting the terrorists." According to their absurd logic, anyone who opposes the regime's foriegn policy, is "aiding the terrorists." What brings someone into the net of surveillance, is the paranoid political predilections of the observers, seeking to advance their careers in "homeland security." They have as little insight into what they are doing as the idiots prosecuting the war in Iraq. They confuse preserving their perverted concept of patriotism with preserving the Constitution.

Communicating with national elected representatives about foreign policy issues is an example of something that might bring you under electronic surveillance or have your office or home subjected to a sneak and peak search. They are looking for dirt not national security threats. There are no national security threats among dissenters. This is pure intimidation meant to exert a chilling effect on dissent.

[seasat]

6. Doesn't make sense to me.

FBI officials said the surveillance of the anti-war movement was necessary to prevent protests being used as a cover by "extremist elements" or by terrorist organisations to mount an attack.

If you were a member of a terrorist organization you would probably use a pro war group as cover. You'd attract less scrutiny and be able to get closer to potential targets than the "First Amendment" Gulags.

[screembloodymurder]

8. Peace groups

don't carry guns. A terrorist might stick out in the crowd.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

7. COINTELPRO. Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

[Ernesto]

15. Ah yes

Welcome back to the late 60's & the ghost of J Edgar Hoover.

[salin]

9. boy - those "trainings" sound ominous - guess the legacy of nonviolent

training by groups in the civilrights days in the south - would now be considered terrorist in nature.

"organizing on the internet" - guess only prowar rallies should be allowed to announce and share info on the internet.

Seriously - this story, along with a top military person claiming last week that the US COnstitutional system would not survive another terrorist attack on the US, has left me exceptionally bothered this weekend. Maybe these things are all coincidental. Or maybe they are floating concepts that will be repeated again and again and again in order to get the public 'comfortable' with these ideas. This normally non tinfoiler has little uncomfortable tingles down the spine.

[jmcgowanjm]

10. VOXFUX: Is this how DU works?

For example there is an excellent forum called
the Democratic Underground. The problem is
that I, voxfux, cannot post to that forum because
I do not meet some requirement they have for
minimal responses??? (Apparently in order
to post there you have to me(sic-be) a long time commenter,
then they evaluate your comments and determine
whether or not you are a NAZI or a real person then
they grant you article posting privileges. I simply
do not have the time to make my "Bones" with this
widely read forum and so they are not getting my
articles, Maybe one of my readers has posting
privileges there and can pick up this task?)
Anyways that's all for now.

They are FBI from top to bottom. But so far they
have been well behaved. Appearing to be playing
by the rules.
In these past months they have kept their distance
- always there observing but never in my face.
Whenever I suspect that I am being followed I
usually confront the person in a casual way and
observe their reactions to a series of casual
interactions and control questions and random
banter. It's not difficult to assess the semeiotics
of their gestures, voice and responses.
http://www.voxfux.com/archives/00000097.htm

[jmcgowanjm]

11. I DON'T HAVE ACCIDENTS.

I AM PASSIONATELY AND VEHEMENTLY AGAINST SUICIDE FOR ANY REASON.
AND I AM SIMPLY WAY TOO CAREFUL TO LOWER MY DEFENSES SO THAT SO TWO BIT ROBBER COULD GET ME.

or it is impossible for the inner uglieness of this entity or entities to NOT totally manifest on their exterior.
VOXFUX

This is Tolkien's message as well IMHO.

Anatomy is destiny.
You act ugly -you look ugly.
And the spectrum is always ready to shift.
Start doing beautiful things in order to start
looking as good as you think.
The body cannot lie.

[jmcgowanjm]

12. Every move needs energy

save it for the right moment.

A move that is not good, by definition needs more
energy, if for nothing else,
to cover its intentions and tracks.

In other words, a bad move is
inefficient. Reality does not tolerate inefficiency.

[jmcgowanjm]

13. Dick Meyer, the Editorial Director of CBSNews.com,

I believe there is now a professional, well-trained
elite, supported by large institutions, that is
adept and willing to use corrupt practices
to accumulate wealth. Despite assurances
from game-theorists and anthropologists that
the criminal cadre in the species remains a
constant percentage over time, I believe today's
mainstream, sanitized, and institutionally
sanctioned financial crime rackets are being
run by a new breed of crook.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/11/19/opinion/meyer/main584424.shtml

What these war criminals and war profiteers in
Washington don’t know is that global
conquest is more complicated than Brzezinski’s
books outline. These retards read Brzezinski’s
books, get all fuelled up on viagra (their only
connection to virility) and harbour serious
delusions that they are god’s crusaders.
Another thing that Bush and his cabal of
war profiteers and war criminals don’t know
is that they will be brought to justice for their
September 11th attacks on the American people.
VOXFUX

[TolstoyAndy]

14. Not new: Local cops doing this for some time

I will just put out a couple of quotes for those who've forgotten.
- 'Anti-Terrorism' Spy Sent to Infiltrate Peaceful Activist Groups

Google finds 300+ hits under this cop's name "Aaron Kilner". Of course, the real scum has risen to the top - someone ordered him to do this.

====
(via Democrats.com news, 9 Oct 03)

http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2003/10/1650550.php

'Anti-Terrorism' Spy Sent to Infiltrate Peaceful Activist Groups

An anti-war group in Fresno, CA was the target of a spy infiltration. Aaron Kilner, known by Peace Fresno activists as Aaron Stokes, was a regular attendee at Peace Fresno meetings where he was seen taking "voluminous notes." (...)When Kilner died in a motorcycle accident on August 30, 2003, his obituary it was revealed he was a police officer assigned to an anti-terrorist team believed by local activists to be the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) recently formed in this area.

====

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/v-print/story/7537174p-8449347c.html

(Swine Sheriff reacts)
"For the purpose of detecting or preventing terrorist activities, the Fresno County Sheriff's Department may visit any place and attend any event that is open to the public, on the same terms and conditions as members of the public generally."

====

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/oct2003/spy-o23.shtml

This is not the first time that an "anti-terrorist" unit has been used to spy on citizen groups expressing dissenting views. On April 2 of this year, before their assault on peaceful protesters at the Port of Oakland, Oakland police were warned of "potential violence" at the protest by the California Anti-Terrorist Information Center (CATIC). (...)

The CATIC bulletin warned Oakland Police that the protesters intended to "shut down" the port and possibly act violently, without offering any evidence that this was in fact the case.

[rexcat]

17. The real message from Asscroft is...

Anti-war = terrorists.

[Sven77]

19. moles

some people think theres more moles than protestors. the agitators will stifle the meetings as much as possible.