Save free speech from a Pentagon offensive

[Guest guest]

American Friends Service Committee

Friday, December 16, 2005 11:00 AM

Save free speech from a Pentagon offensive

 

 

 

 

American Friends Service Committee (Quakers) E-Newsletter

 

 

An urgent message from the General Secretary of the American Friends

Service Committee

 

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

What I'm about to tell you is an outrage. This is an important update

for the peace and justice community.

 

Please share this message with all of your friends.

 

You may have been following the breaking scandal that the Department

of Defense has admitted spying on the American Friends Service

Committee, our coalition partners, and thousands of people like you.

 

Take action now to tell your Congressional representatives that you

want the government to stop spying on the people of this country.

http://support.afsc.org/site/R?i=5n1bCDizXWYRO3G0lFNM5A..

 

Two years ago, the Defense Department directed its Counterintelligence

Field Activity (CIFA) to establish a domestic law enforcement database

that included information related to " potential terrorist threats

directed against the Department of Defense. " Earlier this week, NBC

broke the story that the Pentagon was using the system to collect

information on peaceful gatherings and counter-recruiting activities.

 

NBC obtained a 400 page printout from the database of which 8 pages

have been released. In those few pages, we have found four events

sponsored by AFSC. The threatening events in the database included

handing out literature in front of military recruiting stations and

commemorating the second anniversary of the Iraq War.

 

We knew that our staff had already been under surveillance by the FBI

and local police in Colorado, Illinois, and Iowa for their work to end

this war. The courts agreed with us then that spying, not free speech,

is a threat, as they did during the Vietnam War, when we helped win

the guarantees that we are all supposed to enjoy today that our

military will not spy on Americans.

 

Take action now to see that history doesn't repeat itself.

http://support.afsc.org/site/R?i=d66_u_7b9T57j828G-PJaw..

 

Tell Congress that you support our fundamental right to speak our mind

and organize on the issues of the day. This new wave of spying can

only be seen as a threat to our rights to free speech and the freedom

of assembly. For decades, Cold Warriors criticized foreign governments

for exactly these types of activities. With the help of friends like

you, AFSC stood firm against the pressures of the McCarthy era and we

won't stop speaking truth to power today.

 

Tell your representatives in Washington that this isn't our America.

 

Please, take action now.

http://support.afsc.org/site/R?i=w52ZqoTWja_rfPhFnEXV_g..

 

 

In Peace,

 

Mary Ellen McNish,

General Secretary, AFSC

 

 

 

© 2005 AFSC

 

American Friends Service Committee

1501 Cherry Street

Philadelphia, PA 19102

http://www.afsc.org/