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[igotthisguitar]

Pentagon may be spying on anti-war activists - NBC

Quis costodiet ipsos custodies?
(Juvenal)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon has a secret database that indicates the U.S. military may be collecting information on Americans who oppose the Iraq war and may be also monitoring peace demonstrations, NBC reported on Tuesday.



The database, obtained by the network, lists 1,500 "suspicious incidents" across the United States over a 10-month period and includes four dozen anti-war meetings or protests, some aimed at military recruiting, NBC's Nightly News said.

The network said the document was the first inside look at how the Pentagon has stepped up intelligence collection in the United States since the September 11, 2001, attacks.

The report quoted what it said was a secret briefing document as concluding: "We have noted increased communication between protest groups using the Internet," but not a "significant connection" between incidents.

Americans have been wary of any monitoring of anti-war activities since the Vietnam era when it was learned that the Pentagon spied on anti-war and civil rights groups and individuals. Congress held hearings in the 1970s and recommended strict limits on military spying inside the United States.

A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment on the NBC report about the database. However, he said: "The Department of Defense uses counterintelligence and law enforcement information properly collected by law enforcement agencies.

"The use of this information is subject to strict limitations, particularly the information must be related to missions relating to protection of DoD installations, interests and personnel," he added.

The Pentagon has already acknowledged the existence of a counterintelligence program known as the "Threat and Local Observation Notice" (TALON) reporting system.

This system, the Pentagon said, is designed to gather "non-validated threat information and security anomalies indicative of possible terrorist pre-attack activity."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/security_pentagon_spying_dc;_ylt=AhvYhQOIffzmpbyW6Sn_NPMDW7oF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

[igotthisguitar]

Think this might have anything to do with the recent revelation of Bush's widespread illegal wire-tapping?

Hmmmmmmm ...

http://www.markfiore.com/animation/smarter.html

[c1204887]

Land of the free?

America keeps more tabs on its citizens than Saddam used to in Iraq.

Uk is just as bad with CCTV monitoring every move made in major cities.

If Bush is not forwarding his political agenda like any other evil leader then he would be honest about it. Everybody wants to stop terrorism (except the terroists) but acting in this manner his government is just taking more and more freedom away from citizens. What is it he is defending again?

[Joo Rip Gwa Rhhee]

many of the "antiwar" activists aren't anti war - just anti US. they have no real problem with Saddam Hussien , Khomeni or North Korea.

Behind the Placards
The odd and troubling origins of today's anti-war movement
by David Corn


http://www.laweekly.com/ink/02/50/news-corn.php

[Hater Depot]

Which still doesn't justify the gov't spying on them.

In NYC the cops have been inflitrating bike clubs for %^(&^* sake. This is not making us safer.

[Wangja]

I see there are some who believe "they wouldn't do that". Now, I have this ripe Sahara farmland for sale ...

No-one should be surprsied in the least. Didn't GWB say clearly "You're either with us or against us?"

There is no inconsistency here, it was writ in flashing neon.

[EFLtrainer]

No, no no, wangja. Don't be foolish. Pay no attention to those agents grabbing that fellow... they're just taking him for a surprise birthday party. In Egypt. Well, unless they'r goin to the prty at the gulag... well, no matter.

Those fellows in that van over there sniffing the air? What's a little harmless sniffng? It's not as if they're going to use any incdetal odors they pick up to invasde your privacy!! Are you kidding?? They'd never!!!

And about those wiretaps: everyone of those people are known to be Bad Men and Women. Gauranteed. Our prez said so! THAT'S how I know!!!

WE DO NOT TORTURE!!! We do not use sound or light or physical discomfort to get you to talk!!! We only "encourage" you to talk. And we are so god at it we should have Osama in custody next week and we only needed to raze and entire country to find Saddam. Impressive, ain't it?

Good Ol' Unle George and his Cherry Tree. He set a fine example, which I cannot defy: I cannot tell a ... hack... cough... li... hack...spit...cough... one of those things where...hack... the...really...real...stuff...cough...spit...hack... is...gurgle...said...

[igotthisguitar]

ACLU sues Pentagon over anti-war group monitoring
By Jon Hurdle
Wed Jun 14, 3:53 PM ET

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union sued the U.S. Defense Department on Wednesday to demand information it says the government has collected on groups opposed to the war in Iraq.

The group says the Pentagon has been monitoring anti-war groups and individuals and has compiled lists on people it sees as potential threats but who the ACLU says are exercising their free-speech rights.

The suit was the ACLU's first attempt to force the Pentagon to disclose domestic surveillance and followed similar suits by the organization against the FBI and the Justice Department.

"It's absolutely improper for the U.S. military to keep databases on lawful First Amendment (free-speech) activities," said ACLU attorney Ben Wizner. "These are peaceful, law-abiding groups and individuals that oppose U.S. war policy but pose no threat to the military."

The ACLU said the Defense Department shared the information with other government agencies through the database, known as the Threat and Local Observation Notice, or Talon.

A Pentagon spokeswoman said the Defense Department never commented on pending lawsuits.

In April, the Pentagon said a review found it had collected data on U.S. peace activists and discovered that about 260 entries in the Talon database should not have been kept there or should have been removed.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court for eastern Pennsylvania, charges the Pentagon is refusing to comply with requests by the ACLU to declare who had been monitored.

The ACLU filed the requests after learning through an NBC News report of Pentagon surveillance of peace groups.

The ACLU has also challenged President George W. Bush's order authorizing the National Security Agency to tap into private phone calls without court permission.

The latest suit is filed on behalf of some 30 groups, including the Americans Friends Service Committee, also known as the Quakers.