Dispatches from the heart of a supposedly free country, yet another round

[catherineldf]

Yesterday, the FBI raided the homes of antiwar activists in Minneapolis and Chicago under the auspices of a court ruling that now makes just about anything "material support for terrorism" if the State Department deems it so. This material support can apparently run the gamut from sponsoring a film to actually assembling rocket launchers from the wording of it.
Like many lefties of my vintage, I participated in a huge amount of Central America solidarity work during the Reagan presidency as well as antiapartheid activism and any number of related activities, including fundraisers and educational programs. I even traveled to Nicaragua and El Salvador and Guatemala and met with a wide range of activists. Under today's conditions, I would be looking at probable jail time for excercising freedoms we took for granted back then.
"Are you now or have you ever been...?" seems to be the question of the moment once more. I hope I will always have the courage of my earlier convictions and find it in myself to support others who do the same.

http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/news/2010/09/24/fbi-raids-activist-homes-minneapolis-chicago

Comments

risky, but not out of control

[devifemme.livejournal.com]

Well said, Cath -- it will be interesting to see how the courts will treat this stuff. I cannot be sure, but I really doubt whether Eric Holder is retrograde in the way you suspect.

A good part of what the FBI is doing is genuinely aimed at terror ops -- but you are right to wonder who else gets swept up in that zeal-driven net. (The apocalyptic Jack Bauer was a hell of an expression of what panic can induce...)

Hugz, Justine

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

i went to college with two of the women whose houses were searched. i'm just appalled by this.