Yesterday, the ACLU filed a Freedom of Information Act request on behalf of local students groups at Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz to see just why the Penagon was spying on them. Joining them in the law suit was our very own San Francisco Bay Guardian, going after more dragons to slay besides PG&E and Craig, as well as Quaker organizations. Yeah, Quakers. Why do Quakers hate America? Is it all that pacifism, tolerance, and yummy cereal?
The ACLU is trying to find out why the student's groups were targeted and when, as well as what else is out there. Seriously, if Quakers are targeted, who will be next? The Amish? They do have the same type of beards as Osama and that whole no electricity thing is pretty weird. And they're trying to get this info right quick because with congress about to have hearings on the NSA eavesdropping thing and the Patriot Act, they want this to be debated before congress moves onto other things.
In all honesty, we don't understand why the story about the Pentagon spying on anti-war protests isn't a bigger story. Granted the NSA story is a bit sexier and full of enough grey area to fill an entire month of Hannity & Colmes shout-fests, but the TALON story is far more troublesome. Besides the fact it's way more Nixonian, just what the hell is the Pentagon doing spying on tree hugging hippies? Don't they have anything else to worry about, like, say, running a war? Hello?
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''In all honesty, we don't understand why the story about the Pentagon spying on anti-war protests isn't a bigger story.''
Because the huge NSA dragnet against ordinary U.S. citizens is the whole purpose and reason for the agency. This is why the RNC reframes it as merely a "terrorist listening" program, because, to the contrary, it is really a Big-Brother listens to Mom and Pop domestic spying program designed to stop dissent and give the usual government thugs the jump on anyone, all the time. It (NSA's Echelon) predates Bush and Clinton ...
Thus, the controlled media, the Mockingbird Press, the Mighty Wurlitzer are going all-out, are "mounting a surge", great and mighty to hush it up and smooth it all over. No need to panic, O Ye Herd. 'Tis only Thy Divine Protector, listening to "terrorists", over there. Not listening to you over here en masse. Oh no!
At the same time the opposite message is the subtext - Big Brother (via the NSA) is indeed watching you.
i can't imagine this spying/listening thing is going to work very well for them. now that i know they might be listening to me, i'm DEFINITELY going to start peppering my conversation with juicy tidbits to hold their attention and keep them interested. i love an audience!