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FBI Ordered to Turn Over Lennon Files
CatDogLordOfTheRoot writes "CNN is reporting
that a U.S. District Judge rejected the governments arguements to keep the secret records of John Lennon sealed. The FBI argued that releasing the last ten pages would pose a risk to national security as a foreign government (not identified) secretly gave information to the US Government. Looks like another big step in the Freedom of Information Act."
There should be a law making all records public after a certain period of time (like copyright expiration). (fp?)
Laboratree - Scientific collaboration based on OpenSocial.
because my bet is on the British government who were so obliging. I imagine Special Branch were leaping at the chance.
insecurity asks the wrong question irritation gives the wrong answer
And you will have to fight for the information that US security and intelligence agencies have accumulated on you.
The problem with the USA Patriot Act is that it has an unintended consequence: While working under the guise of gathering information on terrorists (a good thing) a great deal more information is gathered on innocent individuals (a bad thing).
Now before people start waving their arms around with "You've got nothing to worry about unless you've got something to hide", keep in mind that information can always be used for purposes other than stopping terrorism. Information can be used for political reasons as well.
That is the problem with the USA Patriot Act. You will never know what information has been gathered on you, and you will never know if some *legal* activity, such as belonging to a political organization, will become a problem for you or your family in the future.
Lennon may not have been right, he may have created political problems for the Nixon Administration, but he did everything in the open and legally.
Look where it got him.
"Rocky Rococo, at your cervix!"
Wow, I can't believe people are so selfish that they'd risk the U.S.'s relations with another country just so they, and _possibly_ others, can see what happened. If the FBI wants documents classified, the FBI has a good reason. I don't want another 9/11 in the U.S. or a foreign country just because people want to see some documents.
Why oh WHY are records sealed regarding, in essense, a celebrity civilian who's been dead for almost 24 years now?
I mean I had my own conspiracy theory that it was due to the Reagan administration taking office, or a Manchurian Candidate situation, but hasn't the FBI figured out that hiding documents on cold cases long out of date only adds to the suspicion?
Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
It is certainly true that the FBI were *very* interested in Lennon, especially during his "Marxist" phase, circa "Some Time in New York City". According to John Wiener ("Lennon vs the FBI" in Thomson and Gutman's "Lennon Companion") there is a 288 page file on Lennon in the FBIs "domestic security" section, of which 199 pages are still classfied "in the interests of defence of foregin policy", and thousands of pages in the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
This had nothing to do with his death. The FBI followed John Lennon because he had his own opinion of the war in Vietnam. So President Nixon had the FBI treat him like a national security risk.
Sounds just like the current Administration.
The US government may be nervous about these documents due to the early Beatles stint in Germany. Could it be possible that the East German secret police, who almost certainly had informers throughout West Germany, may have passed on information at the request of the United States? Just imagine how embarrassing it would be for people to know that the US government were in cahoots at one time with possibly the most notorious policing force ever created.
Or possibly Canada. John Lennon spent a good deal of time in Canada doing things he wouldn't so in the US, like his and Yoko's North American bed-in (in Montreal), John and Yoko's "Live Peace in Toronto" concert, and the fact that he stayed with Ronnie Hawkins (IIRC) at a farm here in Ontario for some time.
During those days the RCMP and Canadian police forces were keeping their eyes on rock stars (or at least so it seems to me). In 1977 Keith Richards (Rolling Stones) was arrested for Heroin possession.
I wouldn't be too suprised if the RCMP collected some data on Lennon during his time here. What would suprise me is if the FBI would think that anyone here would care if such information were to be made public 24 years later.
(To be honest though, England does seem to be the more probable source).
Yaz.
As the Americans learned so painfully in Earth's final century, free flow of information is the only safeguard against tyranny. The once-chained people whose leaders at last lose their grip on information flow will soon burst with freedom and vitality, but the free nation gradually constricting its grip on public discourse has begun its rapid slide into despotism. Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master.
Commissioner Pravin Lal
"U.N. Declaration of Rights"
"I only speak the truth"
Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
I was investigated along with many other pro-life groups. It had little to do with the fact that I was and still am an anarchist. They do not investigate anarchist groups like the IWW. The operation is called VAAPCON and I am one of many people that have been investigated by it. Even PLAGAL (pro-life alliance of gays and lesbians) was investigated.
An Education is the Font of All Liberty
I wonder why? Maybe partially because Bush's grandfather was also Nixon's political mentor? People tend to forget that the Bush political and defense industry connections date back to WWI.
To get my current job, I had to sign a loyalty oath. One part of it was that I could not be a member of the Communist Party. I couldn't be a subversive or revolutionary.
The job? 19 hours a week walking through the computer lab at a local community college helping people with Word, Excel, burning CDs on the Mac, etc. for minimum wage.
Yes, I am one of the 400,000+ who's been out of work for 3.5 years.
When you sympathize with stupidity, you start thinking like an idiot.
OK, I'm being trolled, but...
People get arrested ONLY for speaking their mind more often than you think. Police will make up a crime - I've seen it done many times, and had it happen to me once - you can read about it here if you feel like it.
Of course, you're breaking a law at almost any time. It's more common to arrest someone for breaking a law that many other people are breaking, the only difference being that the arrested person spoke their mind against the current Administration.
I step off the sidewalk to walk around people every time I walk down Canal Street in Manhattan, as do the cops. However, people who have more of a history of speaking their mind get arrested for the same act - I read an article here about this just today.
So I don't find your criticism credible. I wouldn't bother posting, except you seem like someone logical who's drawn a conclusion based on incomplete information, and I wouldn't want others to do the same.
So, what happened to him? Death, concentration camp or court martial and dishonourable discharge?
What is the penalty for stopping mutually assured destruction?