ACLU: 'FIRST Concrete Evidence' of Domestic Spying For Anti-War Views

[kpete]

ACLU releases 'first concrete evidence' of domestic spying for anti-war views

RAW STORY
Published: Tuesday March 14, 2006



Documents released today by the American Civil Liberties Union reveal that the Federal Bureau of Investigations has indeed monitored political groups solely on the basis that they opposed a U.S.-led war.

According to a memo written in 2002, the FBI launched a classified investigation into the activities of Pittsburgh's Thomas Merton Center after becoming concerned that the group held "daily leaflet distribution activities in downtown Pittsburgh and currently focused on its opposition to the potential war on Iraq." The memo aimed to summarize the investigation's results.

It identifies the group as "a left-wing organization advocating, among many political causes, pacifism."

The ACLU has filed Freedom of Information Act requests on behalf of over 150 organizations and individuals. The documents released as a result have revealed monitoring and infiltration of political, environmental, anti-war and faith-based groups by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies.

"Something is seriously wrong in how our government determines who and what constitutes terrorism when peace activists find themselves targeted," remarked Jim Kleissler, Executive Director of the Thomas Merton Center for Peace & Justice.


http://rawstory.com/news/2006/ACLU_releases_first_concrete_evidence_of_0314.html

[jsamuel]

1. See it IS about the Iraq War

[Higans]

58. It's always about War.

[Hissyspit]

2. early kick

[liveoaktx]

91. VIDEO from Olbermann

Edited-ACLU's Wizner made a great point about terrorism

[EFerrari]

3. Pacifists! Head for the hills! n/t

[mod mom]

9. No, head for your March 18th Peace Rally!

:patriot:

[EFerrari]

41. That's right, mod mom!

:hippie:

[NoSheep]

69. I'm lost. Is there an event 3/18 throughout the country?

[mod mom]

77. It's the anniversary of the beginning of bu$h's war, here is the one

I am attending:

Ohio Statewide Peace Rally
Saturday, March 18th, 2006
March and Rally
at the Ohio Statehouse
End the Iraq War
Rally 2 p.m. ? 3 p.m.

Gather at the Gazebo at Goodale Park in the Short North neighborhood at 12.30 PM
For the March to the Rally
or at the at the Free Press Offices (Del Monte Building-Suite 10, 341 S. 3rd at
Mound St.) for a march to the rally at the Statehouse.
The rally will be held at the Statehouse rain or shine, so bring
an umbrella if the weather looks inclement.


Sponsors
The following groups support the Statehouse Rally:

Antiwar Columbus
http://www.antiwarcolumbus.org/

Athens Antiwar Coalition

Campus Antiwar Network, Kent State Chapter
http://www.campusantiwar.net/

Central Ohioans for Peace
http://www.CentralOhioansForPeace.org

Central Ohio Peace Network

Cleveland Peace Action
http://www.peaceactioncleveland.org/

Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ohio
http://www.cair-ohio.com/

Counter Recruiting / Conscientious Objection Working Group
http://www.AlternativesToMilitarism.org

Dayton Peace Action

Democratic Socialists of Central Ohio
http://www.dsco.org

Green Party of Ohio
http://www.ohiogreens.org/

Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center, Cincinnati
http://www.ijpc-cincinnati.org/

Interfaith Justice and Peace Center, NW Ohio

International Socialist Organization, Columbus
http://www.internationalsocialist.org

Military Families Speak Out, Cleveland
http://www.mfso.org/

Not In Our Name, Cleveland
http://www.nioncleveland.org/

Not In Our Name, Columbus

Portage Community Peace, Kent
http://www.portagepeace.org/

Progressive Peace Coalition, Columbus

September 11th Coalition, Dayton
http://www.september11coalition.org/

Tiffin Area Pax Christi
http://www.tiffinpaxchristi.org

Valley Coalition for Peace and Justice, Youngstown
http://www.justicepeace.org/

Women Speak Out for Peace and Justice (Cleveland chapter of Women's International

League for Peace and Freedom)
http://www.wilpf.org/

The World Can't Wait, Cleveland
http://www.worldcantwait.org/

Youngstown Peace Action

[NoSheep]

82. thanks for the information. I'm afraid I didn't know the exact date of the

deception. There've been so many.:(

[maxrandb]

12. Wasn't Jesus a pacifist?

It's really amazing and sick, isn't it? Just think, if Jesus were around today, the NSA, FBI, CIA and the Bush Administration would have him under surveillance!!

And this is the party of Christians????

:crazy:

[DBoon]

13. If Jesus were alive today

Bush would have him crucified without blinking an eye.

[IsItJustMe]

16. You might enjoy this song about JC

Kristofferson Kris Lyrics - Jesus Was a Capricorn



Jesus was a Capricorn
He ate organic food
He believed in love and peace
And never wore no shoes
Long hair, beard and sandles
And a funky bunch of friends
Reckon we'd just nail him up
If he came down again
Chorus:
'Cause everybody's gotta have somebody to look down on
Who they can feel better than at any time they please
Someone doin' somethin' dirty decent folks can frown on
If you can't find nobody else, then help yourself to me
Eggheads cussing rednecks cussing
Hippies for their hair
Others laugh at straights who laugh at
Freaks who laugh at squares
Some folks hate the Whites
Who hate the Blacks who hate the Klan
Most of us hate anything that
We don't understand
Chorus

[NoSheep]

83. I heard it Right Here!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005O6HR/sr=8-1/qid=1142403867/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-9128103-5772830?%5Fencoding=UTF8

[B3Nut]

26. And Falwell et al would be leading the push to do so. n/t

[Neil Lisst]

36. If Jesus were alive today, he'd be held as an enemy combatant

in Gitmo or some hell-hole off the books

[mom cat]

46. NSA thinks: Prince of Peace = Terrorist!

Something is wrong with this equation.

[Higans]

51. What makes you think they wouldn't kill Jesus just like they did the first

time??

[Julius Civitatus]

17. Yeah, all them pacifists are so "dangerous"

This is so revealing of the Nixonian mindset of the f*cking bunch that's behind the wheel of the nation. After 9/11, their priority is to spy on a bunch of elderly pacifists because they "may oppose a potential war with Iraq."

Yeah, little old ladies with peace signs, that's the danger to this country. Osama? Still NOT caught.

Says a lot of what they really care about.

:mad:

[leesfirstalso]

43. IN THESE TIMES ONLY DEAD FISH SWIM WITH THE STREAM!

IN THESE TIMES ONLY DEAD FISH SWIM WITH THE STREAM!




Compromise and Moderation will not work in 2006 and 2008! Sure the Republicans and weak-kneed moderate Democrats suggest it. The evidence of our own eyes and ears should have shown by now they are the only ones that benefit from it. An abuse of power has been the predominant factor in the opposition.



We have witnessed cover-ups, blocked investigations, and the wrapping of a cocoon of protection around George Bush, denying accountability for the many, many blunders of the Iraq War, Domestic Spying, Katrina, and a soaring deficit, and a host of failed policies!



Appeasement will not work or benefit our nation. We have been shown when the Bush/Rove/ Republican Machine can’t answer our reasons; they concentrate on knocking down those that ask for accountability. They did it with Murtha, and now opposition to Russ Feingold’s censure of Bush for blatantly breaking the law, met with monkey wrenches being thrown at him by Frist, and Specter, even before his opening statement. When Bush’s Political Machine, and the Republicans find themselves up against the wall of truth, they either block it from coming out or change the terms of the debate! They easily dismiss the fact that rational decisions can not be made without checks and tests.


Let the call go out for the Murthas, the Feingolds, the Conyers, the Boxers, the Hacketts and those who ARE NOT afraid to confront the issues vital to our nation’s well-being. That’s who we should be supporting and ultimately voting for to lead the way in the much needed transformation of our government!

[mzmolly]

4. Seems the censure idear just got less wacky?

Quakers are NOT communicating with Al Qaida.

[helderheid]

5. I received my very first ACLU membership card today. Support them

and join today! www.aclu.org

[Yuugal]

76. You just got them another member

I am now proud to be a card-carrying member of the ACLU. :)

[harpo]

6. they probably have something on me then...

cause I marched in a few anti-war protests...the FOIA I filed came back with it saying due to executive order 12958, they can't tell me if they have anything or not...bastards!

[Torn_Scorned_Ignored]

28. Signed By Clinton.....

http://www.fas.org/sgp/clinton/eo12958.html

[harpo]

88. Executive order 12958 was modified by chimp

http://www.fas.org/sgp/bush/eoamend.html

[Norquist Nemesis]

7. Ah, I see. Pacifism is now a terrorist tactic.

Got it. :eyes:

[reichstag911]

18. And a very clever one, at that! n/t

[ThomCat]

8. Spying is ALWAYS used domestically,

and ALWAYS against groups that oppose goverment policy. Why do people get away with pretending otherwise?

How many times does this need to be proven before it becomes accepted fact?

[RazzleDazzle]

57. Yeah, I'm kinda like going, "What's all the excitement about?"

This is only PROOF (and don't get me wrong, that's valuable) of what we've known all along. These people have been way beyond Nixon all along -- WAY beyond. These people are tried and true fascists, not some flimsy, pale imitation.

[redqueen]

63. Over and over again, for as long as we exist.

Experience keeps a dear school, but it's the only place fools will learn.

[boobooday]

10. The imminent threat of pacifism

The subversive activities of QUAKERS.

We must protect our culture of violence from these non-violents! Don't they know they are un-American???

It reminds me of something I overhead between two right wingers. One of them says to the other one, "Can you imagine what would happen if these peaceniks got their way?"

And so I closed my eyes and did just that. It was lovely. It looked something like this:

[renate]

19. what an absolutely beautiful picture!

Everything about it is lovely--the sign, the green in the background, and the love and gentleness in that kiss.

I'm so glad to be on our side. What nice people we have.

[boobooday]

23. I know. I have no idea who these people are

I just came across this picture, and it seems like a gift to us all. :-)

I want them to be our future.

[Higans]

53. Imagine all the people living life in peace Yahoo!!!!!

[RazzleDazzle]

59. Great post

Offering: a laugh, and a smile, and a peaceful moment to boot.

AND a memory back to the Make Love Not War days. Ahhhhh....... (more peaceful moments)......

[boobooday]

65. Thanks -- and may we always threaten the warmongers with peace

:grouphug:

[RazzleDazzle]

72. OMG, another fabulous post

May we always threaten the warmongers with peace.

ROTFL. I LOVE it.

[Supersedeas]

79. subverting the neo-fascist indoctrination is a thought crime

[Just Me]

11. So, if you oppose illegal activities by your leadership, you're a,...

,..."terrorist"? If you engage in political dissent, you're a "terrorist"? If you avail yourself of your constitutional RIGHT to gather and protest the policies of an administration that has acted in violation of its oath to uphold the constitution, you're a "terrorist"?

:wtf:

[reichstag911]

20. "avail," not "advantage" n/t

[Just Me]

29. Thanks.

:blush:

:hi: :7

[reichstag911]

37. No problem,...

...just doing my anal-retentive part for democracy!

[RazzleDazzle]

62. Yes, yes, yes, and that's why the Patriot Act is especially dangerous

because it leaves "terrorist" almost completely undefined.

Doesn't take too much imagination to make the leap from FBI targets of investigation to "terroris," who needs to be considered an enemy combatant without ANY -- count 'em, ZERO -- Constitutional protections for due process and so forth. This isn't something they (the bad guys) haven't known and planned for purposely.

But it IS something the supposedly good (but totally asleep) guys just aren't paying enough attention to.

And of course, the way this works, people can be "disappeared" and no one will know the difference, except maybe a few loved ones and friends, but they won't have any proof or knowledge of whereabouts or anything. So, at best they appear on some Missing Persons sheet somewhere.

It's all just ducky. The bad old Soviet Union would've been jealous of how this (and so much more) has all been set up.

[TechBear_Seattle]

14. Whatever would the Junta do if peace were to break out?

This is definitely a threat to national security. :sarcasm:

[MostlyLurks]

15. Pardon Me For The Following Ignorant Question:

If Bush had made proper FISA requests for spying and wiretaps, would it have been the FBI that ultimately carried out those orders? I'm not sure I've asked that clearly. Lemme try again.

In other words, say Bush decided to spy on an activist group and went through proper channels with FISA. Further assume that FISA granted the request (which clearly they would not have for an activist group not related to terrorism) to perform wiretaps and surveillance. Had that all come to pass, what agency would have been responsible for actually performing the work and gathering the data?

My point is this: if a valid FISA trail leads to the FBI, then this is the "smoking gun" that proves beyond a doubt Bush wanted to circumvent FISA for political reasons having nothing to do with national security. On the other hand, if FISA would NOT have lead to the FBI - maybe the CIA would have had the job, or NSA or whatever - then this can be dismissed as an activity that was authorized lower down and does not directly connect to the WH.

Please bear in mind, I'm not saying it matters to ME personally, but that it matters as a component of the argument against the illegal taps.

Mostly

On Edit: Corrected confusing typo.

[Norquist Nemesis]

21. FISA deals with foreign intelligence

so I'm not sure they would have been involved. :shrug:

[Imagevision]

22. And CBS-NBC-ABC etc. don't feel this is worthy news for the people

how american -- but then again the Pentagon is paying to fabricate "favorable" news to broadcast around Iraq! -- that's probably why they're blowing the pllace up -- Americans are winning the war?? -- they should just STFU...!

[rodeodance]

50. Didn't the DOD apologize for spying on the Quakers already? I think so.

[Quakerfriend]

68. Yes, for spying on Quaker grp in Chicago. However, the DOD

has been spying on me for no apparent reason, other than I am 'Quakerfriend' @DU.

Several months ago my hubbie installed iCOP hardward as our firewall. And, sure enough every morning the DoD visits my computer.

I have never been to a peace rally and have not attended Quaker meeting in years.:crazy:

[gordontron]

24. I'm going to join the ACLU

nicely done

[wordpix2]

25. just like Watergate but worse: pResident spies on peaceniks & Quakers

[RazzleDazzle]

64. Nixon spied on peaceniks and probably Quakers too

Most certainly! FBI folks were everywhere as inflitrators at peace groups, among black civil rights groups, etc., etc. FISA and FOIA and probably other pro-rights legislation came out of those bad old days.

[kpete]

27. UPDATE FROM ACLU - New Info & Docs

The Government Is Spying on Americans

Documents obtained by the ACLU under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that the FBI is using its Joint Terrorism Task Forces to gather extensive information about peaceful organizations. Recently, President Bush acknowledged giving explicit and secret authorization for warrantless electronic eavesdropping and physical searches by the National Security Agency. Now, there is reason to believe that the Pentagon, too, is illegally gathering and sharing private and protected information.



more info here:
http://www.aclu.org/safefree/spyfiles/index.html

Documents (PDF) here:
http://www.aclu.org/pdfs/tmcterrorismmemo.pdf

[winter999]

32. why the Thomas Merton Center and

not others? What makes TMC so special?

[gkhouston]

39. I'd be surprised if there weren't others

that even one has been identified is Very Bad News for the administration. They'd better crank up the bullshi... er, truth-weaving to warp factor 12.

[donkeyotay]

34. The whole state apparatus turned against its citizens

"the Pentagon, too, is illegally gathering and sharing..."

FBI, military... sweep it all up, things related and not. Citizens who want peace are the real enemy. Citizens who want liberty and justice are not like us: the proud, the clueless, the GOP.

[A Simple Game]

86. I don't think gossip or stealing industrial secrets applies here,

so the only reason I can think of that applies to spying on a pacifist group is fear.

Now what does that say about you when you are afraid of a pacifist?

Do you want people who are afraid of pacifists to defend your country?

[Talismom]

30. Well surprise, surprise! n/t

:sarcasm:

[annabanana]

31. Has everyone faxed, phoned & emailed their Senators?

and encouraged them to
Honor their oaths by defending the Constitution
and to protect the Bill of Rights
and to support the courageous Russ Feingold,
who shouldn't have to do it all by himself..?
?
???

[saigon68]

84. The DINOS are part of the problem

They won't do shit

As far as they are concerned we are a mindless noisy Rabble

They only care about their own $$$$$$ and pleasing their corporate masters

A pox on them especially Joementum (Dino) Conn

[Voltaire99]

89. Saigon is right -- don't waste your breath

We are at this low hour because the Democratic Party has failed spectacularly to oppose, and in devastating ways has abetted, fascism.

Do not look to pro-war cowards to save you. Look to institutions such as the ACLU that are still carrying on the fight; support them.

Meanwhile, the most important message we can send to pro-war Dems is simply not to vote for them! Join Cindy Sheehan in refusing to vote for any politician who supports the war.

[hunter]

33. Cool. I'm a terrorist. Call Homeland Security.

Peace be with you.

[ClassWarrior]

35. Call your Senators and demand an answer to this question..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2512789&mesg_id=2512789

NGU.

[Marr]

38. I assume these groups were wiretapped as well.

And I expect that's why the Bush Administration decided it needed to skirt the FISA laws. No wonder the Republicans are so desperate to bury this story that they'd even propose legislation that makes reporting this crime illegal.

Excuse me- I should've used the present tense in my subject line: "are being wiretapped", since Bush has stated plainly that he will continue breaking this law until he leaves office.

[Higans]

60. what makes you think he is leaving office??

[stepnw1f]

40. The GOP isn't Fighting the Terrorists

They are fighting their own citizens, and thus have become totalitarian. And some get mad when people call them Nazis... that's funny.

[LisaLynne]

42. Exactly.

They are NOT using the wiretapping to even spy on people they think might really be terrists. They are using them to spy on people who don't agree with them. If that doesn't speak of totalitarianism, I don't know what does.

[RazzleDazzle]

71. Is that for real the definition of totalitarian?

Or a key characteristic?

They are fighting their own citizens, and thus have become totalitarian.

Shudder.

[Sabriel]

44. K&R

Now go out and join as many "anti-war" organizations as you can. Might as well get your tax dollars' worth....

[OnyxCollie]

45. I just joined the ACLU.

I'm sending off my FOIA request today. No point in persuading my POS senator, Mike DeWine. I did send him my thoughts, though:

Thank you, Senator, for shredding our Constitution in
support of your party and your King. Why should that
"goddamned piece of paper" stop the pResident of the
United States from illegally spying on Americans?
Best be rid of it. Best be rid of the checks and
balances included in said piece of paper, as well.
Those vestiges of federalism are mere clutter along
the path towards the New Monarchy.

Congress, in its current state, serves no purpose.
Your party has made its existence redundant. Will you
be granted a place in the King's court? 55 jesters
seems excessive, but the Republican party no longer
finds meaning in the word "conservative", does it?

Traitor.

Sincerely,

Probably not the best idea to call someone who is pushing to legalize unconstitutional wiretaps a traitor but, fuck that. This is America, and I shouldn't have to worry that my government is illegally spying on me.

[Just Me]

54. Strong words.

I like it!!! :bounce:

[Kansas Wyatt]

47. Spying on Political Opponents of BushCo

If BushCo is using Government Agencies to spy on and disrupt political groups, who oppose BushCo policies, then why wouldn't they spy on and disrupt elections?

Maybe the Democratic Party is considered, "a left-wing organization advocating, among many political causes, pacifism."

Maybe John Kerry was considered a "terrorist," because he threatened to defeat Bush in the 2004 Election and would change U.S. policy. Maybe all Democrats were labeled "terrorists" for their desire to change the BushCo Fascist Policy.

Yet, our Corporate Republican Government and the Corporate Republican MSM don't want to bother themselves with what laws have been broken, the massive corruption, and this extreme abuse of power against 'We The People.' No, they would rather 'We The People' just follow their instructions, know all is well, and be good citizens.

[rodeodance]

48. and we all need to fax this to all of our Congresscritteres-dems and Repu

gs alike. let them know you know.

[rodeodance]

49. Feingold Censure petition site and toll free number.

Sign Feingold Censure petition at:

http://www.progressivepatriotsfund.com/page/petition/nsa0206

Hold the President Accountable on Illegal Wiretapping!


Have you called your Senator and asked him/her to stand with Senator Feingold?
TOLL FREE NUMBER: 1-888-355-3588

[rodeodance]

52. "Americans are not safe from secret government surveillance,"

http://www.aclu.org/safefree/spying/24528prs20060314.html

....“All over the country we see the FBI monitoring and keeping files on Americans exercising their First Amendment rights to free expression,” said Mary Catherine Roper, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Pennsylvania. “These documents show that Americans are not safe from secret government surveillance, even when they are handing out flyers in the town square – an activity clearly protected by the Constitution.”

The documents come to the ACLU as a result of a national campaign to expose domestic spying by the FBI and other government agencies. The ACLU has filed Freedom of Information Act requests in 20 states on behalf of more than 150 organizations and individuals. In response to these requests, the government has released documents that reveal monitoring and infiltration by the FBI and local law enforcement, targeting political, environmental, anti-war and faith-based groups.

[savemefromdumbya]

55. I STILL WANT TO KNOW HOW MUCH THIS COST THE TAXPAYERS

How much does this nonsense spying cost the people? The taxpayers fund the salaries of the FBI.

[madrchsod]

56. to think that they would`t

infiltrate and spy is foolish. those who are against change have always used agents to spy and to incite. it doesn`t make it right but there is little anyone can do about it..
oh --yes back in my sds days i found out there was a spy in my group of friends..surprise, surprise, the fbi wanted a copy of a anti war paper i printed..the local fbi agent called my friend to have him warn an ambassadors kid that the school he was attending was getting busted..no he wasn`t the informant the was a drug dealer. strange days in 1968,you just never knew who was who...

[xchrom]

61. now we know what we already knew.

i hate this age we live in -- tapeworms living off of the lives ordinary people -- using them for purposes of prapaganda and fear.

[Higans]

66. nothing new here.

[file83]

90. Classic quote.

I like your new Journal too!

[ClintonTyree]

67. Unfortunately, it's going to take a LOT more than this....

to get the American public's attention, in my opinion. It's a start though.

[Joe Chi Minh]

70. Interesting that "left wing" is the new term for "Communist";

a catch-all term for "the ones who are actively against our policies". Still, it's accurate enough, in that it's not possible to avoid being to the left of them, and certainly not possible to be to the right of them.

[spanone]

73. k & r

[Emit]

74. Historic tidbit on spying on antiwar protests

Around this time, in 1968, Dick Cheney arrived in Washington. He was a political-science graduate student who had won a congressional fellowship with Bill Steiger, a Republican from his home state of Wyoming. One of Cheney’s first assignments was to visit college campuses where antiwar protests were disrupting classes, and quietly assess the scene. Steiger was part of a group of congressmen who were considering ways to cut off federal funding to campuses where violent protests had broken out. It was an early lesson in the strategic use of government cutbacks.

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040216fa_fact

[lies and propaganda]

75. pacifism! pacifism you say! Send em to Gitmo.

I love when being peaceful is the crime in their eyes.

[Disturbed]

78. Pres Nixon was a Quaker.

He felt it was appropriate to tape himself. Ah...the irony.

[Patiod]

87. His western brand of Quakerism is more fundamentalist

As you move East-West, Quakerism loses its emphasis on pacifism, and becomes more conservative and fundamentalist.

Nixon was raised in what we would think of as a fundamentalist Christian household, with all that was restrictive about the Quakers (no dancing, no drinking, no gambling, severe simplicity) and little that is liberal (strong pacifism, a progressive view of the world, the equality of men and women and of all races). He attended revival meetings growing up. Oddly enough, he did have one college professor with an Easter Quaker (liberal) view of the world, who seemed to have influenced him to some degree, but he was basically raised fundamentalist Christian.

Interesting examination of the influence of Nixon's religious upbringing here:
http://www.kimopress.com/nixon.html
/The author, Chuck Fager, is a liberal Midwestern Quaker with extensive knowledge of both Nixon's biography, and Quakerism in all its forms.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

80. I hate these fascists. nt

[AuntiBush]

81. Major KICK

:kick:

[bridgit]

85. "concrete evidence", i think it is folly to presume they are not snooping