[Peace-discuss] surveillance, FBI et al.

[C. G. Estabrook]

The SF Chronicle reported Sunday that "In a May terrorist advisory, the
Homeland Security Department warned local law enforcement agencies to keep
an eye on anyone who 'expressed dislike of attitudes and decisions of the
U.S. government.'"

Should we assume that the Champaign and Urbana police departments and the
local FBI office, and perhaps other local "law-enforcement agencies,"  
simply chose to ignore that suggestion?

The Chronicle article continues,

"On May 30, 2002, Ashcroft effectively abolished restrictions on FBI
surveillance of Americans' everyday lives first imposed in 1976. One FBI
internal newsletter encouraged FBI agents to conduct more interviews with
antiwar activists 'for plenty of reasons, chief of which it will enhance
the paranoia endemic in such circles and will further service to get the
point across that there is an FBI agent behind every mailbox.'

"The FBI took a shotgun approach [sic] toward protesters partly because of
the FBI's 'belief that dissident speech and association should be
prevented because they were incipient steps toward the possible ultimate
commission of act which might be criminal,' according to a Senate report.

"On Nov. 23 news broke that the FBI is actively conducting surveillance of
antiwar demonstrators, supposedly to 'blunt potential violence by
extremist elements,' according to a Reuters interview with a federal law
enforcement official..."

--CGE