Saturday, January 20, 2007

DoD domestic spying included monitoring Austin peaceniks as "threats"

According to a new report (pdf) published this week by the national ACLU, at least two Texas anti-war organizations - Veterans for Peace, and Students for Peace and Justice - were among those about whom the US Department of Defense maintains secret files in their "TALON" anti-terrorism database of "threats," (see chart, p. 2). As evidence that Veterans for Peace might be a threat, DoD officials cited (p. 5) how at:
one protest in Austin, Texas, the document notes, “The Protesters blocked the entrance to the recruitment office with two coffins, one draped with an American flag and the other covered with an Iraqi flag, taped posters on the window of the office, and chanted, ‘No more war and occupation. You don’t have to die for an education.’”
I know I feel threatened, how about you? DoD doesn't have enough real threats to worry about, apparently, in Iraq and Afghanistan so they monitor these guys.

Via ACLU of Texas' Liberty Blog. See also this national ACLU press release with further information and links.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

DoD doesn't have enough real threats to worry about, apparently, in Iraq and Afghanistan so they monitor these guys.

Agree, priorities?

Hey, aint W from tex...oh thats right , he was born on the east coast.