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ACLU says there's spying in your church

Pah

Uber all member
From my inbox

Oppose FBI Spying on Free Speech Activities

Do you want FBI agents following you or your neighbors into your churches, synagogues or mosques and documenting what goes on there? Recently released documents indicate that FBI agents have been spying on innocent people under guidelines relaxed by Attorney General John Ashcroft. Ashcroft restructured these guidelines -- without consultation with Congress -- to allow FBI agents to spy on religious and political activity even if there was no suspicion of criminal activity.
Ashcroft's new guidelines revoked long-standing protections from government abuse and there is evidence that the FBI and local police are using this opportunity to spy on environmental, political and faith-based groups. This spying is not only unnecessary but also invasive of personal privacy. The police should not spy on individuals because they attended a rally supporting better funding for their child’s school or they expressed discontent with the government’s policy toward Sudan.
In recent days, thanks to your hard work, many of the most grievous parts of the intelligence reform bill were stripped out. While the final bill has several problems, without the outcry against several of its dangerous provisions by concerned people like you, it would have been much worse. We now need to build on this momentum and reign in excessive FBI spying powers.
Take Action! Urge Congress to support proper checks and balances on FBI spying.
Click here for more information and to take action:
http://www.aclu.org/FreeSpeech/FreeSpeech.cfm?ID=17205&c=42
 

painted wolf

Grey Muzzle
but "EVIL"(tm) is everywhere around you! Terrorists and other "EVIL"(tm) groups are out to get you and they could be hiding in your very home! The only way to make yourself safe from "EVIL"(tm) is to give up your rights and trust in the government to protect you and make the right choices for you. Besides if you'r not "EVIL"(tm) you have nothing to worry about friend citizen.
It's not like we could ever have McCarthyism in this country.... :rolleyes:

I wonder if Orwell wasn't just a bit off on his date? Perhaps his book should have been 2084?

wa:do
 

Sunstone

De Diablo Del Fora
Premium Member
Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who have faith that the government will not spy on anyone who doesn't deserve to be spied on. That naive faith should be confined to people below the mental age of six, but it's not.
 

Khale

Active Member
If the information is not made public or used to blackmail people does it matter if professionally trained agents spy on us? After all, the point of spying is to gather information while remaining unseen. It's not like it would be an inconvenience. I mean this with all sincerity.
 

Jaymes

The cake is a lie
I'd rather not the government keep track of us all. Seems a step back to McCarthyism. "Oh, well you were at this party, and there were COMMIES there!" ...
 

Pah

Uber all member
Khale said:
If the information is not made public or used to blackmail people does it matter if professionally trained agents spy on us? After all, the point of spying is to gather information while remaining unseen. It's not like it would be an inconvenience. I mean this with all sincerity.
We have a long tradition that invesigations involve secret "spying" be approved by court order. Wire taps, survialence, interception of internet traffic are permissible when the action is purposed toward a suspect. "Fishing expeditions" are not okay!!!

Bob
 

Fluffy

A fool
I'm so very tempted to go down the route of "well if your not doing anything illegal, then you have nothing to worry about" in one of those self righteous, I-am-holier-than-thou voices. Then I remind myself that Im such a naive dreamer for thinking that giving such powers to an authority would result in zero abuse of them on their part. Oh for a perfect world.
 

Scuba Pete

Le plongeur avec attitude...
I applaud them sending agents into houses of worship across the nation. In fact, I would hope that my church warrants an inordinate amount of these "investigators".

Of course, I will make every effort to convert them during their time with me. I truly believe that Paul's later ministry consisted mostly of evangelizing his jailors. In that spirit, I say bring 'em on! Let them see the face of true revolutionaries as we try to take the world for Christ. Hopefully we will gain a few more soldiers in our fight against the rulers of this age. :D
 

Jaymes

The cake is a lie
Hah hah, I can't help but agree with you there! :D Give up the sinning ways of Bush, convert to not-Bush!
 
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