US Military Spied on Hundreds of Antiwar Demos

[Kare]

At least 186 antiwar protests in the United States have been monitored by the Pentagon's domestic surveillance program, according to documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which also found that the Defense Department collected more than 2,800 reports involving Americans in a single anti-terrorism database.

The documents were obtained by the ACLU through a Freedom of Information Act request filed last February.

"It cannot be an accident or coincidence that nearly 200 antiwar protests ended up in a Pentagon threat database," Ann Beeson, associate legal director of the ACLU, said in a statement. "This unchecked surveillance is part of a broad pattern of the Bush administration using 'national security' as an excuse to run roughshod over the privacy and free speech rights of Americans."

more: http://www.antiwar.com/glantz/?articleid=10402

[Zodiak]

1. Here we have a clear case of abuse

Last I checked, anti-war protesters are not terrorists. The program was set up for terrorists.

But....where is the outrage?

Oh I get it...since these people are liberals, there is no outrage. Just some "hippies" being spied upon. Nothing to see here, just "leftie loony moonbats" getting what is coming to them.

Another brick in the fortress the corporate powers built for themselves to insulate them from the opposition and the American people. Hatred of liberals is a part of "deep politics". A term we should all look up because "deep politics" knows no ideology....it is rampant even here on DU.

[lebkuchen]

2. In Germany protesters are protected by the police force, by law

The protesters need a permit to march, to say what their cause is, and then they march, with police protection.

In the US, peaceful protesters are hit by pellet guns and sprayed with tear gas. Some democracy.