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Widespread Spying Preceded '04 GOP Convention

Frosty Piss alerts us to a story in the New York Times reporting on details that are emerging of a far-flung spying operation lasting up to a year leading up to the 2004 Republican National Convention. The New York Police Department mounted a spy campaign reaching well beyond the state of New York. For at least a year before the convention, teams of undercover New York police officers traveled to cities across the US, Canada, and Europe to conduct covert observations of people who planned to protest at the convention. Across the country undercover officers attended meetings of political groups, posing as sympathizers or fellow activists. In at least some cases, intelligence on what appeared to be lawful activity was shared with other police departments. Outlines of the pre-convention operations are emerging from records in federal lawsuits brought over mass arrests during the convention.

4 of 471 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Knowing what to do? by vandan · · Score: 1, Troll

    Vote?
    You're missing some very important points.

    Firstly, people DID vote against Bush, twice, and their votes were not counted for various reasons, ranging from Diebold 'malfunctions', to manual electoral fraud, to people mysteriously winding up on the felons list, etc, etc. Voting clearly isn't working.

    Secondly, vote for WHO, exactly? Big business OWNS the election. They pay MASSIVE, multi-million dollar bribes ... sorry ... donations, to BOTH political parties. Sure if you get enough people to vote Democrat ( shudder ), you can get rid of the Republicans ( yay ), but no matter who you vote for, big business wins.

    The only way ordinary people can affect society is by organising OUTSIDE of the official political process, and calling massive demonstrations, strikes, etc. These events wield far more power than the pathetic jokes that we call 'elections'.

  2. Re:All that intelligence gathering for what? by maxume · · Score: 0, Troll

    Aw, did you tell the nice men that you think their politics are deplorable?

    It would be cool if you could throw out some insight on why you seem to think that people who you think have everything in the world wrong would care about the neat parade that you had.

    --
    Nerd rage is the funniest rage.
  3. Not Surprising by coaxial · · Score: 0, Troll

    None of this is surprising. This was done in the 60s as well. Then it was called COINTELPRO. Sure it targeted some groups that legitameately should have been watched (The KKK for one), but it also disproportionately targeted non-violent liberal organizations. (the civil rights and the anti-war movements for two.) The Church Committee found this was illegal. With the new war, COINTELPRO was dusted off by the Bush adminstration, only this time instead of rooting out "communists" it targeted "terrorists." Unsurprisingly, the threat was once again non-violent liberal groups that opposed the current administration's policies. For example, a non-violent, geriatric (and I mean that in the best possible way) anti-war movement was infiltrated by the police in Fresno, CA [ http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/mar2006/fres-m07 .shtml ]. Also not surprisingly, the police officer was the only one advocating "direct action" (i.e. violence). This pattern has been repeated all across the nation for years.

    Strange how the threat is always perceived to come from the non-violent left, yet the most destructive domestic terrorist activities have come from radical right (e.g. the OKC bombings and the Atlanta bombings). I would suspect this is because there's an element of truth to the "liberal-pussies vs take-action-conservatives" meme, where the action is of a violent nature.

  4. Re:This is the police. by diablomonic · · Score: 0, Troll

    well said (and to the coward who responded with yet more cowardly drivel: shut it, moron.)

    --
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