Bush to Criminalize Protestors.............

[Guest guest]

A

Fri, 13 Jan 2006 02:05:32 -0500

Bush to Criminalize Protestors.................

 

 

 

 

Bush to criminalize protesters under Patriot Act as " disruptors "

by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse

http://patriot-daily-news-clearinghouse.dailykos.com/

 

Wed Jan 11, 2006 at 07:27:26 PM PDT

 

Bush wants to create the new criminal of " disruptor " who can be jailed

for the crime of " disruptive behavior. " A " little-noticed provision "

in the latest version of the Patriot Act will empower Secret Service

to charge protesters with a new crime of " disrupting major events

including political conventions and the Olympics. " Secret Service

would also be empowered to charge persons with " breaching security "

and to charge for " entering a restricted area " which is " where the

President or other person protected by the Secret Service is or will

be temporarily visiting. " In short, be sure to stay in those wired,

fenced containments or free speech zones.

 

* Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse's diary :: ::

* http://patriot-daily-news-clearinghouse.dailykos.com/

 

Who is the " disruptor " ? Bush Team history tells us the disruptor is an

American citizen with the audacity to attend Bush events wearing a

T-shirt that criticizes Bush; or a member of civil rights,

environmental, anti-war or counter-recruiting groups who protest Bush

policies; or a person who invades Bush's bubble by criticizing his

policies. A disruptor is also a person who interferes in someone

else's activity, such as interrupting Bush when he is speaking at a

press conference or during an interview.

 

What are the parameters of the crime of " disruptive behavior " ? The

dictionary defines " disruptive " as " characterized by unrest or

disorder or insubordination. " The American Medical Association

defines disruptive behavior as a " style of interaction " with people

that interferes with patient care, and can include behavior such as

" foul language; rude, loud or offensive comments; and intimidation of

patients and family members. "

 

What are the rules of engagement for " disruptors " ? Some Bush Team

history of their treatment of disruptors provide some clues on how

this administration will treat disruptors in the future.

 

(1) People perceived as disruptors may be preemptively ejected from

events before engaging in any disruptive conduct.

 

In the beginning of this war against disruptors, Americans were

ejected from taxpayer funded events where Bush was speaking. At first

the events were campaign rallies during the election, and then the

disruptor ejectment policy was expanded to include Bush's post

election campaign-style events on public policy issues on his agenda,

such as informing the public on medicare reform and the like. If

people drove to the event in a car with a bumper sticker that

criticized Bush's policies or wore T-shirts with similar criticism,

they were disruptors who could be ejected from the taxpayer event even

before they engaged in any disruptive behavior. White House press

secretary McClellan defended such ejectments as a proper preemptive

strike against persons who may disrupt an event: " If we think people

are coming to the event to disrupt it, obviously, they're going to be

asked to leave. "

 

(2) Bush Team may check its vast array of databanks to cull out those

persons who it deems having " disruptor " potential and then blacklist

those persons from events.

 

The White House even has a list of persons it deems could be

" disruptive " to an eventand then blacklists those persons from

attending taxpayer funded events where Bush speaks. Sounds like Bush

not only has the power to unilaterally designate people as " enemy

combatants " in the global " war on terror, " but to unilaterally

designate Americans as " disruptive " in the domestic war against free

speech.

 

(3) The use of surveillance, monitoring and legal actions against

disruptors.

 

Bush's war against disruptors was then elevated to surveillance,

monitoring, and legal actions against disruptor organizations. The FBI

conducts political surveillance and obtains intelligence filed in its

database on Bush administration critics , such as civil rights groups

(e.g., ACLU), antiwar protest groups (e.g., United for Peace and

Justice) and environmental groups (e.g., Greenpeace).

 

This surveillance of American citizens exercising their constitutional

rights has been done under the pretext of counterterrorism activities

surrounding protests of the Iraq war and the Republican National

Convention. The FBI maintains it does not have the intent to monitor

political activities and that its surveillance and intelligence

gathering is " intended to prevent disruptive and criminal activity at

demonstrations, not to quell free speech. "

 

Surveillance of potential disruptors then graduated to legal actions

as a preemptive strike against potential disruptive behavior at public

events. In addition to monitoring and surveillance of legal groups and

legal activities, the FBI issued subpoenas for members to appear

before grand juries based on the FBI's " intent " to prevent " disruptive

convention protests. " The Justice Dept. opened a criminal

investigation and subpoenaed records of Internet messages posted by

Bush`s critics. And, the Justice Dept. even indicted Greenpeace for a

protest that was so lame the federal judge threw out the case.

 

So now the Patriot Act, which was argued before enactment as a measure

to fight foreign terrorists, is being amended to make clear that it

also applies to American citizens who have the audacity to disrupt

President Bush wherever his bubble may travel. If this provision is

enacted into law, then Bush will have a law upon which to expand the

type of people who constitute disruptors and the type of activities

that constitute disruptive activities. And, then throw them all in jail.

 

http://www.patriotdaily.com/

Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse

Tags: Patriot Act, domestic spying, civil liberties, George W. Bush,

Recommended, propaganda (all tags)