Do we need another Citizens Committee to Investigate the FBI?

[RedCloud]

http://www.monitor.net/monitor/9905a/jbcointelpro.html

In early 1971, the FBI's domestic counterintelligence program (code named "COINTELPRO") was brought to light when a "Citizens Committee to Investigate the FBI" removed secret files from an FBI office in Media, PA and released them to the press. Agents began to resign from the Bureau and blow the whistle on covert operations. That same year, publication of the Pentagon Papers, the Pentagon's top-secret history of the Vietnam War, exposed years of systematic official lies about the war.

Soon after, it was discovered that a clandestine squad of White House "plumbers" broke into Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office in an effort to smear the former Pentagon staffer who leaked the top-secret papers to the press. The same "plumbers" were later caught burglarizing the Watergate offices of the Democratic National Committee. By the mid-1970's Senate and House committees launched formal and lengthy inquiries into government intelligence and covert activities. These investigations revealed extensive covert and illegal counterintelligence programs involving the FBI, CIA, U.S. Army intelligence, the White House, the Attorney General, and even local and state law enforcement, directed against opponents of government domestic and foreign policy. Since then, many more instances of these "dirty tricks" have been revealed.

When congressional investigations, political trials and other traditional legal methods of repression failed to counter the growing movements of the 1950s, '60s and '70s, and even helped fuel them, the FBI and police moved outside the law. They used secret and systematic methods of fraud and force, far beyond mere surveillance, to sabotage constitutionally protected political activity. The purpose of the program was, in FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover's own words, to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit and otherwise neutralize" specific groups and individuals. Its targets in this period included the American Indian Movement, the Communist Party, the Socialist Worker's Party, Black Nationalist groups, and many members of the New Left (SDS, and a broad range of anti-war, anti-racist, feminist, lesbian and gay, environmentalist and other groups). Many other groups and individuals seeking racial, gender and class justice were targets who came under attack, including Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, the NAACP, the National Lawyer's Guild, SANE-Freeze, American Friends Service Committee, and many, many others.

The Reagan Administration reinvigorated covert action
The public exposure of COINTELPRO and other government abuses resulted in a flurry of apparent reform in the 1970s, but domestic covert action did not end. It has persisted, and seems a permanent feature of our government. Much of today's domestic covert action can also be kept concealed because of government secrecy that has been restored. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a source of major disclosures of COINTELPRO and other such activities, was drastically narrowed in the 1980s through administrative and judicial reinterpretation, as well as legislative amendment. While restoring such secrecy, the Reagan Administration also reinvigorated covert action, embracing its use at home and abroad. They endorsed it, sponsored it, and even legalized it to a great extent. ...

[Roland99]

1. What if every citizen filed FOIA requests for every document in the * WH?

[RedCloud]

2. I somehow know what was in the papers...

They were published nationwide but only available at "head shops" and such alternative places.

The gist of it was that the FBI spent more than 97% of its time investigating political parties, especially those of the Left. Under 3% was actual crime investigation.

And of course about 98% of the political investigation was the Left. 2% was basically the KKK. Right wing militia was hardly a trace.

Now, when I somehow knew what was there from the town aptly named Media, Pennsylvania, it enraged me. The FBI had confiscated things such as our US mail to foreign lands. One little boy in the Boy scouts wanted to set up a camp out with the Soviet little boys in their equivalent organization. Our little American wrote that if they camp out together and share common dreams, then perhaps they will grow up as friends and not want war. The little boy's dreams were shattered as our bleeping FBI started investigating his family and teachers to try to find out who put that idea in the little boy's head. Naturally they never mailed the letter. There were many such stories.

This is why I call the FBI fascists. They destroy optimism. The FBI was infiltrated by Nazis after WWII and soon they pressured Hollywood to let the blond, blue eyed people be the stars and heroes and the dark hair and eye people, the villains. Check out your movies. It is a far too prevalent pattern even today.

So we have the right wing fundies screaming about PBS and a few other outlets. Well they steal our tax dollars to fund the right wing agendas of the FBI, CIA et Alia. Our troops fight basically for the fascists. Big Corporations basically spit on liberal values. Most talk shows are conservative. The "media" are too frightened to do their jobs.

Ellsberg and Deep Throat almost had to strong arm the "reporters" with the truth to get it out. So most of the media are historically in the fix. They don't investigate. The people, not our government, had to shut down the Viet Nam undeclared war. It (the protests) wasn't in the national news until years later. So keep marching! Keep voicing your opinions and don't get paranoid. If the FBI is monitoring the Internet, throw thousands of opinions at them. Write zany stuff. Screw with their heads.
The sad thing is that we pay their salaries to conduct the conservative betrayal of our nation's (now sadly, an Empire) revolutionary principles.

[LightningFlash]

3. Yep, it is time to investigate the F.B.I. yet again.

Half the F.B.I. is truly soured, the other half still abides by the law. So it is time to fully investigate them and bring the lies to light as well.

[RedCloud]

4. Their 9/11 activities should merit special consideration.

We need to stop the ape on Pennsylvania Street and his stupid self serving gag order on the whistle blowers. Most likely he protects criminal activity with it.

[LightningFlash]

7. Lets get realistic...

It DOES protect criminal activity with it. Start fishing half the Bureau....

While the law-abiding half investigates Isareli's PAC, what's the non-law abiding half doing?

Obstructing justice.....Fish and receive..

[Just Me]

5. I believe there are other intelligence agencies more deserving,...

,...of such an investigation. Maybe, they all are.

[ooglymoogly]

6. kicked and nominated

[RBHam]

8. It's not the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, the ATF....

It's WHO are in the positions of power to control the entire apparatus.

Remember, the Administration assigns the department heads. They block investigations. They are rewarded and promoted. The Left Wing Media blames "infighting" and "organizational rivalries". An even bigger, more expansive secret police force is proposed. The citizens cheer wildly as their rights are burnt on the pyre of patriotic ignorance. And while Americans rail at the dumb jurors in the Micharl Jackson Distrac-uh-- trial, Patriot Act II is passed by secret vote. Hee hee.

And the beat goes on.

There are those who are above the law, and they want more than we are willing to give.

So they'll take it. And they'll do anything to achieve their ends. They FERVENTLY believe that the end justifies the means.

Whatcha gonna do?

Call the cops?

[LightningFlash]

9. The F.B.I. is independant of totaltarian oversight...

It's been corrupted and half of it has soured, by this organization of criminal activity. It should be about upholding the rule of law, regardless of pretense and under all circumstances.

Instead half of it has ceased to function.....Just like under another administration. And it needs to be thuroughly spotchecked...