Shaun Waterman UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL | Friday, July 18, 2008

Undercover Maryland state troopers infiltrated three groups advocating peace and protesting the death penalty — attending meetings and sending reports on their activities to U.S. intelligence and military agencies, according to documents released Thursday.The documents show the activities occurred from at least March 2005 to May 2006 and that officers used false names, which the documents referred to as “covert identities” – to open e-mail accounts to receive messages from the groups.

Also included in the 46 pages of documents, obtained by the Maryland chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, is an account of an activist’s name being entered into a federally funded database designed to share information among state, local and federal law-enforcement agencies on terrorist and drug trafficking suspects.

ACLU attorney David Rocah said state police violated federal laws prohibiting departments that receive federal funds from maintaining databases with information about political activities and affiliations.

The activist was identified as Max Obuszewski. His “primary crime” was entered into the database as “terrorism – anti govern(ment).” His “secondary crime” was listed as “terrorism – anti-war protestors.” The database is known as the Washington-Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, or HIDTA.

“This is not supposed to happen in America,” said Mr. Rocah. “In a free society, which relies on the engagement of citizens in debate and protest and political activity to maintain that freedom … you should be able to attend a meeting about an issue you care about without having to worry that government spies are entering your name into a database used to track alleged terrorists and drug traffickers.”

Mr. Rocah called the surveillance “Kafka-esque insanity.”

State police Chief Col. Terrence B. Sheridan said the agency “does not inappropriately curtail the expression or demonstration of the civil liberties of protesters or organizations acting lawfully.”

The surveillance of Mr. Obuszewski, of Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore, and another person came to light during his trial for trespassing and disorderly conduct in a 2004 protest outside the National Security Agency’s headquarters in Fort Meade, Md.

Documents released by the prosecution revealed that the protesters had been under surveillance by an entity called the Baltimore Intelligence Unit.

The Maryland ACLU sued last month, claiming the state police refused to release public documents about the surveillance of peace activists.

The documents, which include intelligence reports and printouts from the database, show that several undercover officers from the state police’s Homeland Security and Intelligence Division attended meetings of three groups: Mr. Obuszewski’s group; the Coalition to End the Death Penalty; and the Committee to Save Vernon Evans, a convicted murderer who was slated for execution.

The documents show at least 288 hours of surveillance over the 14-month period. The undercover officers attended at least 20 organizing meetings at community halls and churches and a dozen rallies against the death penalty, including several at the state’s SuperMax jail in Baltimore.

Included in the documents are references to a proposed sit-in at the offices of Baltimore County State’s Attorney SandraA. O’Connor. However, they show no trooper reports of violence or threats of violence. Organizers repeatedly stressed the importance of peaceful and orderly demonstrations, the documents show.

“There were about 75-80 protestors at the rally and none participated in any type of civil disobedience or illegal acts,” said one report of a demonstration against the death penalty at the SuperMax jail. “Protesters were even careful to move out of the way for Division of Correction employees who were going into the parking lot for work.”

Still, information about the protesters and their activities was sent to seven agencies, including the National Security Agency and an unnamed military intelligence official.

“Americans have the right to peaceably assemble with others of a like mind and speak out about what they believe in,” Mr. Rocah said. “For state agencies to spend hundreds of hours entering information about lawful and peaceful political activities into a criminal database is beyond unconscionable. It is a waste of taxpayer dollars, which does nothing to make us safer from actual terrorists or drug dealers.”

Thomas Nephew of Takoma Park, MD

Celebrate the US Constitution this 4th of July! Tell the US Senate and Barack Obama to get FISA right before voting Tuesday July 8th. Don’t let illegal wire-tappers off the hook!

The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

Without your help right now, a flawed FISA bill will give George Bush and the phone companies a pass next Tuesday for years of illegal spying on millions of US citizens.

What can you do to defend the Fourth Amendment? How about something easy, patriotic and fun?

(1) Call your Senators and especially Barack Obama and ask that they vote against the current FISA bill on Tuesday. Don’t let illegal wire-tappers off the hook!

Senator Cardin 202-224-4524
Senator Mikulski 202 224-4654
Barack Obama HQ 866-675-2008

(2) Visit “newsrackblog.com”

Learn more and get active about this online – including how to join “Senator Obama – Please Vote NO on Telecom Immunity – Get FISA Right” groups at “facebook” and “mybarackobama.com.”

Eric Lichtblau, reporting for The New York Times, writes: “A federal judge in California said Wednesday that the wiretapping law established by Congress was the ‘exclusive’ means for the president to eavesdrop on Americans, and he rejected the government’s claim that the president’s constitutional authority as commander in chief trumped that law.”

“What is going on here? Why is everyone (almost everyone) in Congress protecting Bush and Cheney?”

We need your fresh ideas! I’m going to start a list:

1. Obstruction of Justice Tactic: The “Gang of Eight” was secretly tipped off about warrantless NSA surveillance and torture (Articles #24 and #18 ) years before the New York Times and Washington Post revealed them to the public. Those reports have never been disputed.
   • What to do: Call Conyers & chat with him or his admin: It’s basically this: Under the House Ethics Rules, Nancy Pelosi and other witnesses (who may be accessories) are required to recuse themselves from participation to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. They are interested parties who can not in good faith move to keep impeachment off the table.
   • Details here>>

ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

Washington, Jun 10 – Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio
In the United States House of Representatives
Monday, June 9th, 2008
A Resolution

INDEX

Article I
Creating a Secret Propaganda Campaign to Manufacture a False Case for
War Against Iraq.

Article II
Falsely, Systematically, and with Criminal Intent Conflating the
Attacks of September 11, 2001, With Misrepresentation of Iraq as a
Security Threat as Part of Fraudulent Justification for a War of
Aggression.

Article III
Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq
Possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, to Manufacture a False Case for
War.

Article IV
Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq
Posed an Imminent Threat to the United States.

Article V
Illegally Misspending Funds to Secretly Begin a War of Aggression.

Article VI
Invading Iraq in Violation of the Requirements of H. J. Res114.

Article VII
Invading Iraq Absent a Declaration of War.

Article VIII
Invading Iraq, A Sovereign Nation, in Violation of the UN Charter.

Article IX
Failing to Provide Troops With Body Armor and Vehicle Armor.

Article X
Falsifying Accounts of US Troop Deaths and Injuries for Political
Purposes.

Article XI
Establishment of Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq.

Article XII
Initiating a War Against Iraq for Control of That Nation’s Natural
Resources.

Article XIIII
Creating a Secret Task Force to Develop Energy and Military Policies
With Respect to Iraq and Other Countries.

Article XIV
Misprision of a Felony, Misuse and Exposure of Classified Information
And Obstruction of Justice in the Matter of Valerie Plame Wilson,
Clandestine Agent of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Article XV
Providing Immunity from Prosecution for Criminal Contractors in Iraq.

Article XVI
Reckless Misspending and Waste of U.S. Tax Dollars in Connection With
Iraq and US Contractors.

Article XVII
Illegal Detention: Detaining Indefinitely And Without Charge Persons
Both U.S. Citizens and Foreign Captives.

Article XVIII
Torture: Secretly Authorizing, and Encouraging the Use of Torture
Against Captives in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Other Places, as a Matter
of Official Policy.

Article XIX
Rendition: Kidnapping People and Taking Them Against Their Will to
“Black Sites” Located in Other Nations, Including Nations Known to
Practice Torture.

Article XX
Imprisoning Children.

Article XXI
Misleading Congress and the American People About Threats from Iran,
and Supporting Terrorist Organizations Within Iran, With the Goal of
Overthrowing the Iranian Government.

Article XXII
Creating Secret Laws.

Article XXIII
Violation of the Posse Comitatus Act.

Article XXIV
Spying on American Citizens, Without a Court-Ordered Warrant, in
Violation of the Law and the Fourth Amendment.

Article XXV
Directing Telecommunications Companies to Create an Illegal and
Unconstitutional Database of the Private Telephone Numbers and Emails
of American Citizens.

Article XXVI
Announcing the Intent to Violate Laws with Signing Statements.

Article XXVII
Failing to Comply with Congressional Subpoenas and Instructing Former
Employees Not to Comply.

Article XXVIII
Tampering with Free and Fair Elections, Corruption of the
Administration of Justice.

Article XXIX
Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Article XXX
Misleading Congress and the American People in an Attempt to Destroy
Medicare.

Article XXXI
Katrina: Failure to Plan for the Predicted Disaster of Hurricane
Katrina, Failure to Respond to a Civil Emergency.

Article XXXII
Misleading Congress and the American People, Systematically
Undermining Efforts to Address Global Climate Change.

Article XXXIII
Repeatedly Ignored and Failed to Respond to High Level Intelligence
Warnings of Planned Terrorist Attacks in the US, Prior to 911.

Article XXXIV
Obstruction of the Investigation into the Attacks of September 11,
2001.

Article XXXV
Endangering the Health of 911 First Responders.

“Congressman Dennis Kucinich is on the floor of the House of Representatives right now introducing 35 articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush.

Bob Fertik, President of Democrats.com, said: “We’ve waited seven years to find one Member of Congress brave enough to stand up for our Constitution, for which generations of Americans have fought and died. We are thrilled and honored that Dennis Kucinich has chosen to be that one genuine patriot. We congratulate him on his historic leadership, and pledge to do everything in our power to persuade Congress to adopt all 35 Articles and put George W. Bush on trial before the Senate of the United States, exactly as the Founding Fathers wanted.”

read full article >>

c-span live

“Bush wants 50 military bases, control of Iraqi airspace and legal immunity for all American soldiers and contractors”

read article here… (Yes, you are going to a non-US news source) >>

What will Obama do about this??!!! What will your representatives do about this?!!…Call today and demand an answer and demand an inquiry into the criminal enterprise known as the BUSH administration – Capitol Hill Switchboard: (202) 224-2131 , (800) 828-0498

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan has revealed in his upcoming book that:

• Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, and Vice President Cheney lied about their role in revealing the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson – actions easily amounting to obstruction of Justice.

McClellan also admitted that:

• There was a coordinated effort within the Bush Administration to use propaganda to pump up the case for the Iraq war and hide the projected costs of the war from the public.

Scott McClellan must be called to testify under oath before the House Judiciary Committee to tell Congress and the American people everything he knows about this massive effort by the White House to deceive this nation into war.

Please call your congressional representatives today – Demand impeachment hearings and accountability – Capitol Hill Switchboard: (202) 224-2131 , (800) 828-0498

Last week, a subpoena was issued for Karl Rove to testify before the Judiciary Committee. It appears he will take every legal action to block this subpoena. The truth is that Congress has the right – and obligation – to hold him accountable now – not months or years from now. It is long past time to pass Inherent Contempt and bring Rove, Libby and others before Congress.

We simply cannot ignore these recent developments, nor should we postpone serious inquiry until after the next election.

More information: wexlerwantshearings.com

In 1994, the Republicans came up with a Contract with America that they worked to implement as soon as they were sworn in. This time around, it will be up to us to make sure that whoever is elected to Congress move briskly to enact the Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq and bring our troops home.

The plan, developed by Darcy Burner, Donna Edwards, and other progressive congressional candidates, calls for a timetable to end the war, for the U.S. to renounce the development of permanent bases in Iraq, and for a “diplomatic offensive” to solve regional issues. It also proposes legislation to avoid future Iraq wars and restore the Constitution, calling for legislation against presidential signing statements, against outsourcing torture, and for facilitating lawsuits against warrantless electronic surveillance. It thus addresses many of the issues listed in last year’s Takoma Park City Council impeachment resolution — including, of course, the fraudulent case for the war. For more on the plan, visit the http://www.responsibleplan.com/ web site.

Please join us to deliver a copy of the Responsible Plan to End the War to Chris Van Hollen..

We will gather as a group at Savory Cafe (7071 Carroll Ave., Takoma Park) around 8:30am on Thursday morning, go over the talking points, take a photo and then deliver the plan to the Congressional office at 9:00AM; that address is:

If you prefer to meet us at the New Hampshire Avenue office at 9am, that’s OK, too, but some of us will be at Savory with cars for those who could use a lift to Van Hollen’s office. The meeting has been arranged in advance, but will be brief, ending before 9:30AM.

Hope you can join us!

Nearly 4,000 US dead…and 30,000 wounded
Between 100,000 and 1,000,000 Iraqis dead…and 4,000,000 displaced
Almost $1,000,000,000,000 spent

0 reasons to be there.

MORE COVERAGE:

U.S. Soldiers Bring Home Stories, Videos of Atrocities
blog.wired.com – 2/17/2008

“With consumer-grade cameras wielded both by soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan and by family members and the media in Washington, expect some harrowing images and testimony to emerge. Should these videos reach enough Americans, they will reignite the smoldering debate over American military conduct that began with the Abu Ghraib photos and the controversies over Guantanamo.”

“KENNEBUNKPORT — Calling President George Bush “the worst president in the history of the United States,” Independent U.S. Senate candidate Laurie Dobson stood on the steps of Town Hall Tuesday and called upon the town to indict Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney as war criminals.”

Read full article >>