PA Homeland Security office engaged in domestic surveillance, compared political groups to Al Qaeda

[The Straight Story]

Pennsylvania made national news in September for all the wrong reasons.

The Patriot-News reported that Pennsylvania’s Office of Homeland Security had been tracking groups engaged in lawful, peaceful protests, including groups opposed to natural gas drilling, peace activists and gay rights groups. An embarrassed Gov. Ed Rendell, who said that he had been unaware of the program until he read the newspaper, issued an immediate order to halt it.

It turns out the homeland security office or its private consultant were doing more than just monitoring law-abiding citizens.

They were comparing environmental activists to Al-Qaeda.

They were tracking down protesters and grilling their parents.

They were seeking a network of citizen spies to combat the security threats they saw in virtually any legal political activity.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2010/11/pennsylvania_homeland_security_1.html

[movonne]

1. but not the tea partiers...with their threats to the president and anyone

like you know those commie libs..

[FiveGoodMen]

2. Didn't anyone hear the echoes of Fatherland in Homeland Security?

This is what that whole department was set up to do.

[Dyler Turden]

3. McCarthy?

Wow. Deja Vu all over again.

[ixion]

4. TSA and DHS both need to go

They are distinctly un-American.

[gratuitous]

6. The Tea Baggers are looking to cut government spending

There's a couple of boondoggles that spend a lot of money without providing anywhere near a benefit commensurate with their cost. But they make the pants-wetters among the Tea Baggers feel safer, so we've got kind of a dilemma there. Hmmmm.

[Scurrilous]

5. K & R

:thumbsup:

[randr]

7. I have friends who have organized against gas drilling and fracting

A month or so ago many in their group received emails from a fictitious Islamic organization thanking them for their donations. An obvious set up designed to discredit these Americans. They investigated and found the fake emails were directed to them through a security firm working through an agency in Pennsylvania connected to resource development. Does the name "Tom Ridge" ring a bell?

[dgibby]

8. And if anyone thinks this is only happening in Pa,

I got a nice bridge in Brooklyn I need to sell.

[Dawson Leery]

9. The TSA and DHS need to be eliminated.

These agencies (among others) are there to protect the established business interests.