Group fights anti-war inquiry; Lawyers move to block subpoenas

[leQ]

this is scary stuff.
Des Moines Register

Lawyers worked Friday to derail a federal grand jury investigation into an anti-war conference held three months ago at Drake University.

Federal officials have refused to say why they want information about the conference, the legal group that hosted it and four Des Moines-area peace activists involved.

But officials with the National Lawyers Guild, host of the Nov. 15 conference, said they intend to move Monday to block the subpoena, one of five delivered this week by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Bruce Nestor, a Minneapolis lawyer representing the guild, said he will argue that the subpoena has a "chilling effect on the rights of people to associate with the National Lawyers Guild and with the rights of our members."

Four of the subpoenas went to Des Moines peace activists, who were told to appear Tuesday before a federal grand jury. One went to Drake University, asking for information about the anti-war conference and records of the National Lawyers Guild local chapter.

[SaddenedDem]

1. If we wanted a perfect case to challenge the Patriot Act...

this is IT.

National Lawyers Guild, host of the Nov. 15 conference

As usual, these fools don't even look at the consequences of harassing a LAWYERS ASSOCIATION with the Patriot Act.

This may just be the GIFT we wanted to bring this unconsitutional law to the Supreme Court.

[DU9598]

2. Please help

In previous threads there has been discussion of a protest of the FBI's investigation into peace activities in Des Moines.

For those who are interested (and if you want to get YOUR name added to the enemies list), there is a demonstration that is being organized to coincide with the grand jury inquiry. It will occur at the United States Courthouse, 123 E. Walnut, in Des Moines at 12:15 p.m. on Tuesday February 10.

Come to Des Moines and help us. Contact your papers about this injustice. Please help somehow.

[4dsc]

6. Damn, I'm out of town that day

or I would like nothing better then to show up and demonstrate!!

[Whoa_Nelly]

9. Submit this demostration to DU?

Have you submitted the posting of this demonstration to DU so it will appear on the home page? O8)

[reprobate]

12. To the Extreme Court?

That's not a winning strategy. Remember how we were saddled with *?

The way to do it is to elect more dems to congress and have them repeal the act.

[IndianaGreen]

16. Who voted for the PATRIOT Act?

Which Democratic candidates refuse to repeal PATRIOT and delude themselves (or us) into thinking this travesty can be fixed with band-aids?

[Philosophy]

3. Loaded question?

How come the people in the FBI that are responsible for investigating terrorism are the ones investigating anti-war activities? Do they just assume anti-war = pro-terrorism? You're either with us or your against us? The announcement that these are the people doing this type of investigation is designed to discredit the validity an anti-war political stance and inhibit protest by this implicit, though completely unfounded, association.

[enough]

4. Imortant story

Thank you for posting this.

More shades of the Viet Nam era.

[DrBB]

5. "More shades of Viet Nam"--or as P K Dick put it

"The Empire never ended."

All those little Nixon proteges around, too. Just giving it another go. They just know it coulda worked if only we'd tried hard enough.

[thebigidea]

7. such a skincrawlingly creepy phrase, that

http://www.terminalproduct.com/empire.rm

[benfranklin1776]

10. Bingo. Its like the rerun of a very bad movie.

Nothing like persecution of people exercising their first amendment rights to remind us what a danger to the Bill of Rights these Nixonian/Raygun/Bush I rejects truly are. Their extremism and hatred of freedom is self evident. They constantly go to new lengths to betray their oath to protect and defend the constitution.

[Rex]

8. The right to assemble freely will be considered an act of terrorism

I EXPECT this kinda thing in, oh, North Korea or China. Guess our leaders really hate the US Constitution.

May the all burn.

[Snazzy]

11. AP Story

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=533&e=5&u=/ap/20040207/ap_on_re_us/activist_investigation

Feds Win Right to War Protesters' Records
15 minutes ago

BY RYAN J. FOLEY, Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa - In what may be the first subpoena of its kind since the Communist-hunting days of the 1950s, a federal judge has ordered a university to turn over records about a gathering of anti-war activists.

In addition to the subpoena of Drake University, subpoenas were served this past week on four of the activists who attended a Nov. 15 forum at the school, ordering them to appear before a grand jury Tuesday, the protesters said.

Federal prosecutors refuse to comment on the subpoenas, served by a local sheriff's deputy who works on the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force.

In addition to records about who attended the forum, the subpoena orders the university to divulge all records relating to the local chapter of the National Lawyer's Guild, a New York-based legal activist organization that sponsored the forum.

....

[SaddenedDem]

13. Dumb, dumb, dumb

Right up there with pissing off the guys who buy ink by the barrel (newspapers).

[chookie]

15. The threat of non-violent Catholics!!!!

Thank heavens Ashcroft is focusing his laser-like Wrath of God-like powers on the dangers to our national security posed by gangs of non-violent Catholics, like the one being investigated!!!

IMAGINE if they had *thought* about doing something bad. If they had been allowed to think bad thoughts about the war -- maybe they'd hold a prayer vigil in a shopping mall or something!

You stupid lie-brals don't understand how important it is to have pre-emptive judicial action against the theoretical threat of non-violent Catholics!

/sarcasm off.

This is going to backfire, I think -- as well it should.

[Nlighten1]

14. It is the "red scare" all over again...

but instead of "Communist sympathizers" anti-war people will be labeled "terrorist sympathizers".

[IndianaGreen]

17. This was done by Reagan against the Sanctuary Movement

and by the Nixon and Johnson Administrations against the Vietnam peace movement.

[4dsc]

18. bump

this is coming up on tuesday!!