Is the Pentagon spying on Americans?

[Firetxmi]

By Lisa Myers, Douglas Pasternak, Rich Gardella and the NBC Investigative Unit
Updated: 7:51 p.m. ET Dec. 13, 2005


WASHINGTON - A year ago, at a Quaker Meeting House in Lake Worth, Fla., a small group of activists met to plan a protest of military recruiting at local high schools. What they didn't know was that their meeting had come to the attention of the U.S. military.

A secret 400-page Defense Department document obtained by NBC News lists the Lake Worth meeting as a “threat” and one of more than 1,500 “suspicious incidents” across the country over a recent 10-month period.

“This peaceful, educationally oriented group being a threat is incredible,” says Evy Grachow, a member of the Florida group called The Truth Project.

“This is incredible,” adds group member Rich Hersh. “It's an example of paranoia by our government,” he says. “We're not doing anything illegal.”

The Defense Department document is the first inside look at how the U.S. military has stepped up intelligence collection inside this country since 9/11, which now includes the monitoring of peaceful anti-war and counter-military recruitment groups.

Full Article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10454316/

This is scary. I can't seem to understand why American citizens would be spied upon for exercising their Constitutional rights. What do y'all think? Justified?

[ogukuo72]

Sounds like another half-baked story that the media routinely throws out.

What's the context of the quote? What does the rest of the report say? Does the report explain why they are a threat? If so, what level of threat does the report say they represent?

So far, we've only the members of the group's word for it that they are not a threat!

It's a bit like asking Michael Corleone if his family is a threat to the rest of society. What do you expect him to say?

[Argyll]

Already posted in the General section by Hist2004

[Firetxmi]

Sounds like another half-baked story that the media routinely throws out.

What's the context of the quote? What does the rest of the report say? Does the report explain why they are a threat? If so, what level of threat does the report say they represent?

So far, we've only the members of the group's word for it that they are not a threat!

It's a bit like asking Michael Corleone if his family is a threat to the rest of society. What do you expect him to say?

The "threat" represented in this article is a group of Quakers. They are conscientious objectors and preach non-violence, hardly a Timothy Mcveigh, or Branch Dividian group if you ask me.

[ogukuo72]

Really? I was under the impression that Quakers is a brand of oats ...

[sir-chimp]

Really? I was under the impression that Quakers is a brand of oats ...

the make a mean bowl of instant grits too!

[NewsMan]

Well... now we know this answer is YES!