Pentagon says it accidentally listed peace activists in terrorist database

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N05173575.htm

WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Wednesday a review launched after revelations that it had collected data on U.S. peace activists found that roughly 260 entries in a classified database of possible terrorist threats should not have been kept there.

But the review reaffirmed the value of the so-called Talon reporting system on potential threats to Pentagon personnel or facilities by international terrorists, said Bryan Whitman, a senior Pentagon spokesman. He said the Pentagon was putting in place new safeguards and oversight intended to prevent improper information from going in the database.

Whitman said "less than 2 percent" of the more than 13,000 database entries provided through the Talon system "should not have been there or should have been removed at a certain point in time."

Whitman disputed critics' assertions that the program amounted to Pentagon domestic spying, although he declined to state the nature of these entries or the people they involved, saying the database's contents are classified. Whitman stressed that to be properly placed in the database, a threat must have a suspected link to international terrorism.

[saltpoint]

1. A mere slip of the keyboard no doubt. Thirteen thousand slips of

the keyboard in this case.

Of COURSE we believe them!

[crikkett]

2. why is the pentagon "accidentally" tracking activists?

the so-called Talon reporting system
was once known as "Carnivore" and I thought it was an FBI program.

[Nikki Stone1]

3. This was no accident.

They DO think of peace activists as terrorists.

[Dora]

4. "Oops." Sez the Pentagon.

"My bad."

[Finder]

5. List sent by Jeff Gannon?

He was the Talon dude.

[MadHound]

6. The only accident about this

Is that the Pentagon got caught. Thus, they will make the polite apologies, perform their pennance, and after that is done, they'll go right back to spying on anti-war activists and others whom they consider to be "enemies".

If you are in any way a visible member of the left, the anti-war movement, etc. it is just best to assume that you are under observation. More than likely you are.

[fooj]

7. Not another "oopsy"...treasonous, rat bastards!

:grr:

[sweetheart]

8. i wonder who's in it then

"to be properly placed in the database, a threat must have a suspected link to international terrorism."

If terrorism is mass murdering 10's of thousands of civilians with an aggressive war,
then would the database contain the US senior command? Methinks not.

I wonder if blair is in it, or mugabe. I wonder if chavez is in it. I'd wager there's a
fine line between a terrorist and a loyal opposition that that database can not distinguish,
no, it is 13,000 presumptions of guilt in a govenrment above the people, for the military,
by the military, of militarism, proud, flag waving and glorious.