In case you missed this recent story: Huge File on Antiwar, Rights Groups

[G_j]

in case you missed this recent story.. & seeing as how the PATRIOT Act will probably be made permanent today

FBI Builds Huge File on Antiwar, Rights Groups
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/071805Z.shtml

Large Volume of FBI Files Alarms US Activist Groups
By Eric Lichtblau
The New York Times

Monday 18 July 2005

Washington - The Federal Bureau of Investigation has collected at least 3,500 pages of internal documents in the last several years on a handful of civil rights and antiwar protest groups in what the groups charge is an attempt to stifle political opposition to the Bush administration.

The F.B.I. has in its files 1,173 pages of internal documents on the American Civil Liberties Union, the leading critic of the Bush administration's antiterrorism policies, and 2,383 pages on Greenpeace, an environmental group that has led acts of civil disobedience in protest over the administration's policies, the Justice Department disclosed in a court filing this month in a federal court in Washington.

<snip>
But officials at the two groups said they were troubled by the disclosure.

"I'm still somewhat shocked by the size of the file on us," said Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the A.C.L.U. "Why would the F.B.I. collect almost 1,200 pages on a civil rights organization engaged in lawful activity? What justification could there be, other than political surveillance of lawful First Amendment activities?"

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[H2O Man]

1. There is the scene

in the Michael Moore movie "F 9/11," of the anti-war group being infiltrated. I think it's a good scene, but I think that the reality of it goes beyond having a giggle about the government investing time and energy in investigating these types of citizen groups. On the other hand, it isn't all that new. Likely every old DUer who has been active in civil rights and/or anti war activities has been taken note of.

Years ago, Arlo Guthrie had a wonderful introduction to a song that involved the FBI's tailing "the last guy." It was one of the funniest things I've ever heard. Does anyone else remember it?

[whatelseisnew]

5. Is it The Pause of Mr Clause

http://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/xmas/thepauseofmrclause.shtml

THE PAUSE OF MR. CLAUSE
Arlo Guthrie


by Arlo Guthrie, 60's folk singer, on a very hard to find album simple titled Arlo--
The song includes a humourous monologue which is much longer than the song itself,
and pokes fun at the FBI. I have nothing against the FBI; I just think the monologue
and song are hilarious. They don't have much to do with atheism, however, but it's
too funny not to put somewhere, esp. when it isn't well known. Note: I promised "polite"
language throughout the site, so some words were "cartooned" out. You'll figure
out what I mean. The monologue here is in italics; the song lyrics in bold).

This next story we're going to dedicate to a great American organization. Tonight I'd
like to dedicate this to our boys in the FBI.

Well, wait a minute. It's hard to be an FBI man. I mean, first of all, being an FBI man,
you have to be over 40 years old. And the reason is that it takes at least
25 years with the organization to be that much of a &@?!@#%. It's true. You just can't join,
you know. It needs an atmosphere where your natural
&@?!@#%ness can grow and develop and take a meaningful shape in today's complex society.

But that's not why I want to dedicate the song to the FBI. I mean, the job that they have
to do is a drag. I mean, they have to follow people around, you know.
That's part of their job. Follow ME around.

I'm out on the highway and I'm driving down the road and I run out of gasoline.
I pull over to the side of the road. They gotta pull over, too - make believe
that they ran out, you know.

I go to get some gasoline. They have to figure out whether they should stick
with the car or follow me. Suppose I don't come back and they're stayin' with the car.

Or if I fly on the airplanes, I could fly half fare because I'm 12 to 22.
And they gotta pay the full fare. But the thing is that when you pay the full fare, you
have to get on the airplane first, so that they know how many seats are
left over for the half fare kids. Right? And sometimes there aren't any seats left over,
and sometimes there are, but that doesn't mean that you have to go.

Suppose that he gets on and fills up the last seat, so you can't get on.
Then he gets off, then you can get on. What's he gonna do?

Well, it's a drag for him. But that's not why I want to dedicate the song to the FBI.

During these hard days and hard weeks, everybody always has it bad once in a while.
You know, you have a bad time of it, and you always have a friend
who says, "Hey man, you ain't got it bad. Look at THAT guy." And you look at that guy,
and he's got it worse than you. And it makes you feel better that
there's somebody that's got it worse than you.

But think of the last guy. For one minute, think of the last guy.
Nobody's got it worse than that guy. Nobody in the whole world. That guy...he's so alone in the
world that he doesn't even have a street to lay in for a truck to run him over.
He's out there with nothin'. Nothin's happenin' for that cat.

And all that he has to do to create a little excitement in his own life
is to bum a dime from somewhere, call up the FBI. Say, "FBI," they say "Yes," say "I dig
Uncle Ho and Chairman Mao and their friends are comin' over for dinner" (click). Hang up the phone.

And within two minutes, and not two minutes from when he hangs up the phone,
but two minutes from when he first put the dime in, they got 30,000 feet of
tape rollin'; files on tape; pictures, movies, dramas, actions on tape.
But then they send out a half a million people all over the entire world, the globe, they
find out all they can about this guy.

'Cause there's a number of questions involved in this guy. I mean, if he was the
last guy in the world, how'd he get a dime to call the FBI? There are plenty of
people that aren't the last guys that can't get dimes. He comes along and he gets a dime.

I mean, if he had to bum a dime to call the FBI, how was he gonna serve dinner
for all of those people? How could the last guy MAKE dinner for all those
people? And if he could make dinner, and was gonna make dinner, then why did he call the FBI?

They find out all of those questions within two minutes. And that's the great
thing about America. I mean, this is the only country in the world...I mean, well,
it's not the only country in the world that could find out stuff in two minutes,
but it's the only country in the world that would take two minutes for that guy.

Other countries would say, "Hey, he's the last guy...$^#*! him!", you know?
But in America, there is no discrimination, and there is no hypocrisy, 'cause
they'll get ANYBODY. And that's a wonderful thing about America.

And that's why tonight, I'd like to dedicate it to every FBI man in the audience.
I know you can't say nothin', you know, you can't get up and say "Hi" 'cause
then everybody knows that you're an FBI man and that's a drag for you and your friends.

They're not really your friends, are they? I mean, so you can't get up and
say nothin' 'cause otherwise, you gotta get sent back to the factory and that's a
drag for you, and its an expense for the government, and THAT'S a drag for you.

We're gonna sing you this Christmas carol.
It's for all you &@?!@#%? out there in the audience tonight.
It's called "The Pause of Mr. Clause."

[H2O Man]

7. Great!

Thanks for posting this.

[Armstead]

2. Shades of 1974

That's one of thre things that got Nixon into trouble. But since we live in the era of Teflon Fascism, I guess the nation will ignore it.

[G_j]

3. yikes! Teflon Fascism

hadn't heard that phrase.. very creepy because it is so accurate!

[Gman]

4. This is also why the CIA and the FBI are not allowed to trade information

because of these types of abuses.

[mmonk]

6. Too bad we can't put that

intelligence gathering ability to protect citizens against enemies of the US instead of political opposition to bush. Proof that those that ask you to give up your rights so they can protect you use that trust for alterior motives. Proof you should never willingly give those rights up.

[mod mom]

8. Dear FBI Agents reading this: We are fighting to preserve our democracy

and the integrity of the United States in face of an immoral war based evidence that the bush administration fabricated in support of their own agenda. They have betrayed the trust not only of the American people but of the brave men and women who risk their lives by serving in the military. Not only did they send our young soldiers in harm's way without just cause, but they sent them there without the needed body armour, at a time when big corporations, like Halliburton were grossly over-charging the government.

Please read these wise words of Republican presidents and join us in questioning the motives of the current administration:

“May we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.”

ATTRIBUTION:Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), U.S. general, Republican politician,...

“The President is merely the most important among a large number of public servants. He should be supported or opposed exactly to the degree which is warranted by his good conduct or bad conduct, his efficiency or inefficiency in rendering loyal, able, and disinterested service to the nation as a whole. Therefore it is absolutely necessary that there should be full liberty to tell the truth about his acts, and this means that it is exactly as necessary to blame him when he does wrong as to praise him when he does right. Any other attitude in an American citizen is both base and servile. To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else.”

Theordore Roosevelt

“Stand with anybody that stands right. Stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.”

ATTRIBUTION: ABRAHAM LINCOLN, speech in reply to Senator Stephen Douglas, Peoria, Illinois, October 16, 1854.—The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, ed. Roy P. Basler, vol. 2, p. 273 (1953).

*********

As a mother and as an American, I feel it is my duty to stand up and fight for just causes. I think of every individual which has been effected by this immoral war as someones son, daughter, father, or mother. I deeply feel their loss as if it was my own child. Come and get me if you like. I am a mother of two young children. I have taught my own children that violence is wrong, to use words to resolve conflicts. If this is criminal, then yes I am a criminal.

[G_j]

9. right on!

nice post :toast:

[jonnyblitz]

10. yup i almost posted this but didn't. I am glad you did...

:thumbsup:

[G_j]

11. House poised to reauthorize USA Patriot Act

thought this was a good reason to post this today:

http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-07-21T165437Z_01_N21540320_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-USA-CONGRESS-PATRIOT-DC.XML

House poised to reauthorize USA Patriot Act

Thu Jul 21, 2005 12:54 PM ET

By Alan Elsner

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives, ignoring protests from civil liberties groups and some conservatives, moved on Thursday to renew the USA Patriot Act giving the government unprecedented powers to investigate suspected terrorists.

Sixteen provisions of the 2001 law, hastily enacted in response to the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington, are due to expire at the end of this year unless renewed by Congress. President Bush has repeatedly called on lawmakers to make the entire law permanent.

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