Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Is Pacifism a Felony?

As though we needed another example why warrantless wiretapping should never be permitted by the government. The Washington Post reports that the FBI Took Photos of Antiwar Activists in 2002. The article reports that "[a]n FBI report from November 2002 indicates that an agent photographed members of the Thomas Merton Center as they handed out leaflets opposing the impending war in Iraq. The report called the group a 'left-wing organization advocating, among many political causes, pacifism.'"

Just another example of the abuse the government is capable of when not monitored. In December of 2005, news of Pentagon spying on those Peacemongering Quakers was reported, among other anti-War groups, as I posted in Secrets and Spies.

I did a quick search of the federal criminal code with Westlaw, but couldn't find the crime of "Pacifism" listed anywhere. Maybe this another area that the President's executive powers permit him to add to the crime code during times of war?

The article also provides another example of irony. The article notes that "one of the leaflet distributors appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent' but that no other participants appeared to be from the Middle East." (Emphasis mine). Looking Middle Eastern was enough to target someone for surveillance by the government. And the Administration wonders why the American people might tend to be biased against those of Arab descent?

~~~

All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance. . .

--Give Peace A Chance - John Lennon & Paul McCartney

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