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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: T L Comiskey who wrote (53808)	8/22/2004 12:46:37 PM
From: T L Comiskey	Respond to of 89467

The Denver Post.com FBI tactics erode public's trust It's disconcerting to hear that federal agents are making unannounced visits to people's homes for little chats with citizens who might consider expressing some sort of dissent at the upcoming Republican National Convention. The Justice Department says its goal is to preempt disruptive protests "of a criminal nature" at the New York convention, which starts Aug. 30. They have gone about their mission aggressively, with little regard for basic rights and without evidence that the people they are trying to dissuade are actually intending any criminal activity. Thousands of protesters plan to march in opposition to the war in Iraq before or during the convention. Others plan to demonstrate for or against other causes. Recent FBI bulletins about anti-war protests have urged local police to be alert and report "potentially illegal acts" to federal terrorism task forces. Justice Department officials know the potentially insidious impact of their spying: "Given the limited nature of such public monitoring, any possible 'chilling' effect caused by the bulletins would be quite minimal and substantially outweighed by the public interest in maintaining safety and order during large-scale demonstrations," according to a department memo. In the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, concerns spread that the government might use counterterrorism efforts as an excuse to ignore Americans' civil rights. Those concerns became front and center as agents made surprise visits to people's homes and sent "scruffy-looking" agents to infiltrate protest-organizing meetings. Three members of Congress have called for the Justice Department to investigate the FBI tactics, saying they appeared to represent "systematic political harassment and intimidation of legitimate antiwar protesters." People associated with three activist groups in Colorado have been questioned by FBI agents. FBI spokesman Joe Parris in Washington says the bureau is interviewing people "that we have reason to think are in a position to have knowledge of plans to commit disruptive acts of a criminal nature." But the inquiries don't really seem designed to root out criminals. Would-be protesters in Denver, Fort Collins and elsewhere who have been questioned say they feel the FBI is trying to cow them into not demonstrating. A 21-year-old intern with the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker public service group that once won the Nobel Peace Prize, says she and her friends were questioned even though they have no plans to go to New York. ACLU attorney Mark Silverstein said federal agents are operating in plain sight, typically marching up to someone's door with a clipboard of information and photographs of their targets in hand. Ironically, Denver recently settled a lawsuit accusing the police of unlawfully keeping intelligence files on people and organizations involved in legal protests. Denver agreed to keep such files only where there was a reasonable suspicion of criminal activity. Silverstein said two Denver police officers are involved in the federal Joint Terrorism Task Force questioning. Despite the FBI effort, protests will surely go on, and some demonstrators will be arrested. But the damage will come in the longer run as trust in the government erodes and as people silence themselves just so they won't become part of an FBI spy file. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Editorials alone express The Denver Post's opinion.

To: T L Comiskey who wrote (53808)	8/22/2004 5:37:41 PM
From: jlallen	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Dole calls it like it is..... Dole Blasts Kerry on Purple Hearts, Urges Apology for War Protests Severely wounded World War II combat hero Sen. Bob Dole questioned whether John Kerry deserved his three Purple Hearts on Sunday, and suggested that the top Democrat should apologize to his fellow Vietnam veterans for engaging in anti-war protests while they were still fighting the war. "I respect his record - but three Purple Hearts, he never bled that I know of," Dole told CNN's "Late Edition." "They were all superficial wounds." "As far as I know he never spent one day in the hospital, I don't think he draws any disability pay. He doesn't have any disability. And he's boasting about three Purple Hearts, when you think of some of the people who really got shot up in Vietnam." Dole, who nearly died as a member of the US 10th Mountain Division from wounds he sustained during the 1944 invasion of Italy, is the nation's foremost champion of veterans causes, recently completing a successful mission to create a World War II memorial on the Capitol Mall this summer. Drawing on those credentials, Dole called on Kerry to issue a public apology for calling his fellow Vietnam soldiers war criminals during his 1971 Senate testimony, telling CNN, "Maybe he should apologize to all the other two-and-a-half million veterans who served. He wasn't the only one who was in Vietnam." "I think Sen. Kerry needs to talk about his Senate record, which is pretty thin." Dole added. "That's probably why he's talking about his war record, which is pretty confused."