This really sucks. Man I'm pissed. What's next, why not bring back the House Unamerican Activities Committee? Bush-Ashcroft have got to go.

We just need enough people protesting to make it too hard for them to keep records. Kinda like a movement...

Gus

Updated info from the National Lawyers' Guild on this issue:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 6, 2004

Contact: Michael Avery, President, 617-573-8551

Heidi Boghosian, Exec. Dir., 212-679-5100, ext. 11; 917-239-4999

NATIONAL LAWYERS GUILD TARGET OF FBI SUBPOENA

Legal/Activist Group Will Not Divulge Membership Information

The National Lawyers Guild will move to quash an FBI Joint Terrorism
Task
Force subpoena issued on Wednesday, February 4, 2004. The subpoena asks
Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, to produce all records relating
to a
November 15, 2003 antiwar conference at Drake University called "Stop
the
Occupation! Bring the Iowa Guard Home!" The conference was sponsored by
the
Drake Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and was followed the next
day by
a demonstration at the Iowa National Guard Headquarters in Johnston, at
which 12 protestors were arrested on misdemeanor charges.

The subpoena asks Drake University for all records relating to the
November
15 conference, as well as information about leaders of the Drake
University
chapter of the National Lawyers Guild and the location of Guild offices
and
any annual reports since 2002. In addition, it asks for "all records of
Drake University campus security reflecting any observations made of
the
November 15, 2003 meeting, including any records of persons in charge
or
control of the meeting, and any records of attendees of the meeting."

Guild President Michael Avery said, "The law is clear that the use of
the
grand jury to investigate protected political activities or to
intimidate
protestors exceeds its authority. The government has no business
investigating legal conferences held in academic institutions."


On February 5, the federal investigation expanded as prosecutors
subpoenaed
a fourth activist to appear before a grand jury. Earlier subpoenas were
directed to the former director of the Iowa Peace Network and members
of the
Catholic Peace Ministries. That same day, at the request of the U.S.
attorney's office in Des Moines, U.S. District Judge Ronald Longstaff
issued
an order under seal that sources say prohibit Drake University
employees
from commenting on the earlier subpoena demanding university records.

"The subpoena has nothing to do with national security and everything
to do
with intimidating lawful protestors and suppressing First Amendment
freedom
of _expression and association," said Heidi Boghosian, Executive
Director of
the Guild. "In the 1950s our members suffered harm from disclosure of
their
associational relationship with the Guild. The Guild is in the business
of
fighting illegal government activity and we will fight to protect our
membership information. We will also work to support and defend the
rights
of the other activists targeted by these subpoenas."

The National Lawyers Guild, founded in 1937, comprises over 6,000
members
and activists in the service of the people. Its national office is
headquartered in New York and it has chapters in nearly every state, as
well
as over 100 law school chapters. Guild members provide legal support to
progressive demonstrations throughout the country, and well understand
the
nationwide trend toward increasingly repressive measures deployed
against
political protesters.

Did George Orwell write this, or is this real?
Somebody should tell Bush that this action sounds very Saddam-like, and he thought it best to remove Saddam from power for such actions.
Perhaps Saddam in captivity was not able to tell the Bush people were the weapons were, but instead shared some secret police tactics that Bush decided to use?
Not with my country you don't! <img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/mad.gif" width=15 height=22>

Time to print up my bumper sticker:

" Are you tired of <FONT size="4">BU</FONT s>LL<FONT size="4">SH</FONT s>IT too?"

<center><FONT COLOR="#000080">--- Edited 1 times, lastly by Larry on Feb 09, 2004 ---</FONT></center>

.....wow...paranoia hits hard....nothin quite like reading the Act in force....used to belong to that group in MA.....in the old days the feds had to steal alot of that stuff.....the only way to get it...now....whoaa.....

...this calls for some serious response.....
<img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/peace.gif" width=16 height=16>

The only true patriots are those who buy into government line of bs hook, line and sinker?? For Bush or against the USA?? I don't think so.

Guess it's true that just because you're paranoid, doesn't mean someone isn't out to get you.

I'll buy some of those bumper stickers, Larry.

Des Moines Register

Federal prosecutors back off in peace probe
Posted at 14:36 on 02/10/2004

Federal prosecutors today withdrew subpoenas of Drake University and four Des Moines-area peace activists in a grand jury investigation of an anti-war conference and demonstration in November.

The subpoenas, delivered last week by a Polk County sheriff's deputy who is attached to the FBI-Joint Terrorism Task Force, stirred nationwide concern that the government was trying to intimidate activists opposed to the war in Iraq.

The government ordered the four protesters to testify before a grand jury, anddemanded records from Drake about the conference and a lawyers organization that sponsored it. Drake officials were barred from talking about the case by a sealed court order.

All of the subpoenas were withdrawn today and the gag order lifted.

Drake President David Maxwell said in a statement that university officials had resisted the orders.

"The university in America is, by definition, a free speech zone in which dissent, disagreement and multiplicity of views are not only tolerated, but encouraged," Maxwell said. "Rather than stifling the voices of those who disagree, we passionately believe that it is only possible to arrive at the truth through the rigorous examination of all options and all views."

About 150 people showed up at a rally early this afternoon in Des Moines to show their support for the protesters and decry what they call abuse of federal authority to stifle dissent.

The U.S. attorney's office in Des Moines and FBI on Monday broke nearly a week of silence to clarify the reason for the subpoenas, which included a demand for records related to a peace conference at Drake University on Nov. 15, the day before a dozen protesters were arrested for trespassing at the Iowa National Guard base in Johnston.

Federal authorities said Monday that the investigation was not into potential terrorism, but was limited to actions at the protest Nov. 16 and whether plans were laid at the Drake conference to break federal law. An FBI spokesman said the Polk County deputy was not acting in his anti-terror capacity when he delivered the summons, and the agency might look into whether he identified himself properly.

U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin this morning released a letter he sent to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft expressing concern about the investigation.

“Prosecutors should be particularly vigilant about using extraordinary steps in cases when such a treasured American value as free speech is at stake,” Harkin wrote. “I hope that the steps taken in this case are an effort to protect citizens and security, not to silence legitimate voices calling for peace. When law-enforcement measures are disproportionate to the activities they target, or when they appear to target activities that are legitimate expressions of dissent, then those law-enforcement measures have a chilling effect. They stifle liberty instead of protecting it.

“Mr. Attorney General, our country has experienced dark episodes in which the government has wrongly curtailed citizens’ civil liberties in the name of fighting enemies. I call on you to give the Iowa case your personal attention to help ensure that we do not see another such episode in Iowa or anywhere in America.”

It's not over; it's just beginning, apparently. Read this , but in particular the last paragraph. They backed off in Iowa, but are moving in other places, too. Tired of the BUllSHit? Oh, yeah...pass me a bumper sticker, please. And a ballot.