FBI: Uniformed

I just wrote a post about how the FBI employees are so uniformed that their biases are resulting in these raids on peace and social justice activist that tear at the fabric of our democracy... but poof! Blogger nixed it.

Bottom Line: We need to insist that one response to the Department of Justice General Inspector reports is that a major awareness training is conducted for FBI employees about the history of labor struggles, Palestinian struggles, US intervention in Central and South America, etc.

Nuf said for now.

For Your Convenience:

• Contact the Broadcast Media
• Contact the Newspapers
• Contact the US Senate
• Contact the House of Representatives

Sources:

Gov't has your E-mails and Web Searches

Has the government admitted that it routed a copy of an ATT internet trunk into a room in San Francisco where all of the information could be accessed? I don't think it has. Perhaps that is part of the "still highly classified" surveillance program that is making the so-called "news" as a result of an inspector general report being released.

... unlike the controversy over targeted wiretaps of individuals' phone calls, this potential spying appears to be applied wholesale to all sorts of internet communications of countless citizens. - Mark Klein, former ATT technician.

The government has powerful computer search tools to filter through the gobs of internet and e-mail data, including our data. We've seen the government conduct mass arrests during protests, sweeping up protesters, journalists and bystanders alike. So if they can gather and filter through people in broad day light, it stands to reason the government would have little compunction to do it with our private information.

My question is, why isn't the news media making reference to the revelations exposed by former ATT employee Mark Klein in their current reporting? The legal challenge brought by the Electronic Frontier Foundation with support from Klein seems to be a logical dot to connect.

Psssst... Do Something

• Contact the Broadcast Media
  
• Contact the Newspapers
  
• Contact the US Senate
  
• Contact the House of Representatives

Sources:

Rush Holt: Safeguarding the US Constitution

What is the Protect America Act reauthorization debate all about? According to Congressman Rush Holt (D NJ) its about changing a bedrock principle of the American form of democracy that would allow the executive branch to spy on American citizens without the check of a warrant from the judicial branch. That is, the Bush White House intends

... to fundamentally change the relationship between the people and their government... and that's scary and it's troubling and it could be long lasting.

In response to a recent essay of mine on warrantless fear mongering, a commenter recently asked "Who is going to protect Americans from the Protect America Act.?" My reply was,

The PEOPLE. AND, apparently Congressman Rush Holt is doing a pretty good job of it.

Below is a video interview with Holt by Robert Kennedy, Jr. It was conducted prior to last weekend's show down between the House Democrats and the White House. Holt was pessimistic in the interview, but still fighting. Holt apparently won a short term victory, because the House leadership decided it would let the Protect America Act expire rather than vote on it.


Interview by Robert Kennedy Jr. of Congressman Rush Holt

Much attention has been focused on whether or not Congress would use the Protect America Act as a vehicle for giving the telecommunications industry immunity from prosecution for being party to Bush's violation of the 4th amendment to the constitution against warrantless searches (surveillance). Holt, as noted above, points out that the implications are much deeper.

The fight is not over. Contact your representative. Tell them you Do NOT want the Protect America Act to be reauthorized. No action is good action in this case.

Also, contact Rush Holt and thank him for his service to the Nation: 202-225-5801.

Sources:

Ring of Fire Radio and GoLeft.TV.

Text Message Privacy

We know the technology exists for the government and corporations to systematically collect information on us, and they are using it more and more.

But short of raising a rukkus to stop that, here's an article from the mainstream media on this topic as it applies to text messaging. It includes some common sense "tips," including the use of anonymous services like AnonTxt.com. And, of course, the security of your messages depends on the people who receive your messages.

Sources:

Military Police State Tightens it's Grip

"We're just interpreting the law," is the effective statement of the 2-1 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, which upholds Bush's authority to detain US citizens indefinitely if he labels them "enemy combatants".[1] Don't look to the Judicial branch if the Bush military machine grabs you off of the street. The judiciary has itself been "captured" by the right-wing authoritarians. Chris Floyd of Empire Burlesque expands on the specific judges in this decision.

Unless Congress reverses the Military Commissions Act, which it passed just last year with Democratic (jellyfish) support, even lackey drivers and cooks who happen to work for suspected terrorists, are now subject to arbitrary and capricious military tribunals, if they are lucky, and detention for life, if they are unlucky.

This police state black hole certainly applies to non-citizens. But if you're a citizen and merely accused if being an enemy combatant, you could also face the black hole. There's nothing legal to prevent you from facing the fate of Jose Padilla, a US-born citizen who has been detained and tortured to the point brink of insanity.[2] The message? Don't, what ever you do, get on the wrong side of the Executive Branch of the United States of America, because the values of justice and fairness are no longer "the American way."

Today, the American way has descended into the murky world, embracing the ethic of might makes right. Don't get on the wrong side of this new American ethic. And, to be sure the right-wing authoritarians know which side you're on, they are busily working with the corporate communications oligopoly to make ours a life of Orwell's Winston Smith. For skin-crawling details, see this interview with Maureen Webb, human rights lawyer and author of “Illusions of Security: Global Surveillance and Democracy in the Post 9/11 World.”[3]

And, lest you think that only enemy combatants can be put behind bars, think again. The federal government is now abusing the murky realm of the Grand Jury system to silence people. It isn't too hard for 'deciders' in the Executive branch to hand-pick a prosecutor and steer a case to a right-wing judge. Then, you face "talking" about what you thought was private or protected political speech, or being locked up indefinitely if the judge finds you in criminal contempt for not talking or turning over "evidence". In other words, the right-wing authoritarians that rule America are using Grand Jury Traps.

History tells us that it's up to the people to steer our democracy, and change domestic right-wing authoritarian regimes. I was once told by a Brazilian, who lived through their US-backed dictatorship, that it's easier to prevent a dictatorship than to unseat one. Now is the time for preventive action.

Congressional and Media Contacts:

Write the US House of Representatives
Write the US Senate
Write the Major Media Outlets

Sources:

1. "Court: Detainees can't challenge cases", HOPE YEN, Associated Press, February 20, 2007.

2. "Experts: Padilla unable to stand trial," CURT ANDERSON, Associated Press, February 21, 2007.

3. "Illusions of Security: Global Surveillance and Democracy in the Post-9/11 World," Interview of Maureen Webb by Amy Goodman, DemocracyNow! Tuesday, February 20th, 2007.
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