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"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;
And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;
And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;
And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.
It's notable that as of this writing, at midnight, I see nothing on the NY Times front page or on their US page about the RNC harassment, arrests and snatch squads. I see nothing on the Washington Post's front page, or its Politics page. As best I am aware no major Democratic politician has made a statement that warrants should be required before busting down doors, or that protesters have a right to protest, or that people even have a right to see a warrant.
Why is that? Is it that there's a bipartisan consensus that civil liberties are just for talk, but when the handcuffs get slapped on people who have done nothing, when people are punished for crimes they haven't commited, that it's no big deal as long as they aren't anyone important? Is it that Democrats stirring words about civil liberties were as sincere as many of their promises to vote against warrantless wiretapping?
I can only assume it is. But I'd certainly love to be proved wrong. So, perhaps a major newspaper might act interested in mass violations of basic constitutional rights like the right to free speech, the right to assembly and the right to be secure in ones own home and possessions and for the government to not be able to search and seize without a warrant. They covered the exact same sort of harassment by the Chinese government in Beijing against activists and journalists, but they don't cover it when it's the US government. Wonder why?
And perhaps the politicians who talk a good game on civil liberties might want to speak up, so it's not just blogs and Indymedia who are noting these violations.
Perhaps. But perhaps not. Perhaps, in this case, silence in the face of police abuses tells us what both journalists and politicians really think about constitutional rights and civil liberties.
Sometimes silence really does speak louder than words.
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drive by–
mornin’ ian and thanks—cnn was covering it last night…don’t remember what time, after 7pm.
interviewed
a sheriff who repeated ‘anarchists’ over and over.
a reporter who tried to keep a straight face. and asked specific questions, and the sheriff kept getting in ‘anarchists’ as often as possible. no snark. he really did. then, the reporter asked about the group rnc welcoming committee, if they were basically the only group, and the sheriff said oh no, we’ll be tracking down all the anarchist groups….
interviewed the father of the woman arrested, ‘ringleader’…then a college student…..
then they interviewed a girl who explained the ‘human waste’ that the sheriff insinuated was gathered to would thrown at officers was really from a garage tenant who didn’t have a bathroom….they showed 3 buckets…i wouldn’t call that a collection.
cnn said they would be following up on this. and i have to admit, it was detailed and was an ok report.
made it clear it wasn’t what was being portrayed, without saying that.
OT but amazing…Crystal clear HD video interview - walking with Sarah Palin - purportedly seven months pregnant, bragging about jogging every day - drinking coffee, in heels:
http://alaskapodshow.com/index.....au-alaska/
The woman lied.
dmac- thanks for more details on the CNN report.
I’ve been reading Jane’s twitter thread. And, one of her “followers” at twitter is CNN! I had a great feel good moment there!
I’m sure the Rats will stand up for civil liberties. They won’t be afraid that the press and the Pukes will portray them as siding with a bunch of radical college kids. They’ll stand up loud and proud.
OK, it is Labor Day weekend, but I’m sure they’ll get around to speaking out on this….
{{crickets}}
Then They Came for Me by Stephen F. Rohde, Esq.
First they came for the Muslims, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Muslim.
Then they came to detain immigrants indefinitely solely upon the certification of the Attorney General, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t an immigrant.
Then they came to eavesdrop on suspects consulting with their attorneys, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a suspect.
Then they came to prosecute non-citizens before secret military commissions, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a non-citizen.
Then they came to enter homes and offices for unannounced “sneak and peek” searches, and I didn’t speak up because I had nothing to hide.
Then they came to reinstate Cointelpro and resume the infiltration and surveillance of domestic religious and political groups, and I didn’t speak up because I had stopped participating in any groups.
Then they came for anyone who objected to government policy because it aided the terrorists and gave ammunition to America’s enemies, and I didn’t speak up because…… I didn’t speak up.
Then they came for me……. and by that time no one was left to speak up.
Stephen Rohde, a constitutional lawyer and President of the ACLU of Southern California, is indebted to the inspiration of Rev. Martin Niemoller (1937).
Count off……we’re up to #7.
So, perhaps a major newspaper might act interested in mass violations of basic constitutional rights like the right to free speech, the right to assembly and the right to be secure in ones own home and possessions and for the government to not be able to search and seize without a warrant.
Well, other than dmac’s update wrt cnn, tradmed hasn’t paid attention to any of the rights abuses described by Ian thus far. We *know* what their lag time is after we’ve read about it on-line. There is only a very narrow window of opportunity when it will have major impact (which is potentially going to be over-shadowed by the hurricane) so we can only hope that it appears at all on the idjit box. Tradmed only seems to be able to focus on one (maximum two) important topics in any given 24-hour period amply padded/covered up by fluff.
Stating the obvious……apologies
our law is now meaningless, they can do whatever they want and they will face no repercussions, our attorney general will not prefer charges and we have become a differant country
under the law, what is a persons rights when an “official” or a group of people “acting” as officials, (blackwater) attempts a search or seizure without a warrant?
don’t these people masquerading as lawkeepers face legal, physical action from these people, aren’t they entitled to protect their property with deadly force?
if one of these homeowners took deadly action against these lawless searches, “under the law”, wouldn’t they be immune?
what will it take to get our constitution back?
I’ll tell you, these “officials” acting without warrants need to be arrested and held in jail, these homeowners need compensation including punative damgage
where THE HELL is the new york times?
MY GOD, even they are accomplices withing this fascist government
From backgound I’ve read on assorted blogs, that sheriff sounds like a real piece of work….typical thug!
if this hurricane hits with the force of katrina and levies fail, mccain is going to deliver his speech from the dissaster site
we;re gonna see just how presidential mccain can be
remember before the dem convention, there were some madment praying for a storm of biblical proportion to disrupt that convention?
seems to me there are religions that believe when you pray harm to others it’s visited on yourself…let’s hope all are out of harms way if or when this storm takes it’s price
I would like a lawyers opinion, aren’t these people entitled to protect their property with deadly force?
Mornin’
The police chief of St. Paul is going to be on Washington Journal this morning at 9:30. That should be interesting.
Call-In Numbers
Support Democrats:(202) 737-0002
Support Republicans:(202) 737-0001
Support Independents:(202) 628-0205
Outside U.S.:(202) 628-0184
Email: journal@c-span.org
Gregory Robb of Marketwatch.com is up now
for instance, how is someone to know that they are not being robbed, that these are not impersonators, that these are not kidnappers
how?
Jus Cogens!
OT
Reply to Plunger, my comment was lost somehow. I went to the site that you had and they have an update that you should link to. The woman is a liar but not necessarily about her pregnancy.
Ian, Do you know if the same activities occurred in Denver?
You just have to trust them. Believe me, if plainclothes police launch a military style raid on your home, and you shoot one of them, you will die or spend the rest of your life in jail.
Those are the only two options.
Just ask this guy.
Or this couple. It happens. The official police response always seems to be tough luck.
Interesting, it will be……..will any caller even raise the question because you know C-Span didn’t invite him on to talk about civil rights abuses. :-(
Thanks for the heads-up; have been staying away from that place recently in anticipation events of the past week would bring out the lunatic fringe.
It’s been mentioned here on this and other progressive blogs that it’s too late. However, gutless Americans with wealth (money equals speech according to the SCOTUS) could probably make the change we are looking for with the support of the gutless not so wealthy hoards helping out. Brave patriots fought the Tories not gutless ones. It probably is too late…the fascist Tories are coming for us.
in both of those cases there were warrants
I do not believe there is a prosecutable crime if there is no warrant, they are in fact tresspassing
Last thing I read via AP (a trusted source) was this:
John McCain voiced concern for Gulf Coast residents fleeing the path of Hurricane Gustav on Saturday and made plans to visit Mississippi.
UH, geographically challenged?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/200.....Qdsses0NUE
I mean a prosecutable crime against the person protecting their property, uneless martial law is declared, I believe the person protecting their property is immune from prosecution if there is no warrant
McCain may deliver convention speech from disaster zone.
perris, check out Lindsay’s post, she says the police arrested Mike Whelan’s roommate when he asked to see the warrant.
Sunday Talking Heads is up, check out the pop up video.
I understand, and that will be a false arrest if proven
and my understanding is that if they were not allowed into the house and insisted, the homeowners are entitled to use deadly force and will be immune from prosecution
this is clearly a rogue, illegal tresspass without that warrant and each and every one of them should have feared for their lives
Excellent Ian, sometimes it isn’t what is spoken that carries the message, it is what isn’t spoken, the silence is where the message resides.
Since Reagan’s “there you go again …” shutdown of debate (and denigration of a sitting president), all debate has been stifled concerning public policy. The public has been presented with superficial circus while surreptitious agenda has been carried out, nefariously, deceitfully, insidiously against the public good.
At this point, there remains nothing in the public domain that is not lie, half-truth, deception, falsehood, or bogus. The public span of attention can be measured in nanoseconds, memories as ephemeral as faeries. The public’s worshipping the flag is nothing more than deifying a rag. Circus is the unquestioned currency de regime. Analysis, critical thinking, inquiry and logic have become extinct in the public debates, tools no longer sharp and functioning with which to discern and determine public policy in a democracy.
The foundations of government have been undermined and dismantled; the locks have been jimmied and partitions sprung from their hinges. Barriers have become portals, belief has corrupted law. Law is inverted, where once a protection of the citizen, it is now construed for the benefit of the governors. An edifice carefully constructed lies in total ruin, no architect or engineer available to rebuild, the debris not usable, the integrity of the material is vanished.
The wealth of the nation is squandered, its resources raped, its citizens made slave to inconsequential wages, its genius sold to the lowest bidder, the infrastructure of democracy, its language, reduced to meaningless, pointless babble. The future owned by others, a country’s soul not its own. Once there was a call for excellence but those echos have stopped reverberating from an empty room.
OMG, He is not the president and I find this repulsive. If he wants to cancel the convention, fine. If he wants to then help in New Orleans, fine. Please do not politicize this.
Kudos to those including Jane and Glen who are trying to shine the light on these fascists. Once again it seems these rethugs are trying to apply a label to those that they perceive as a threat to them. Now it is anarchists I don’t have any idea what the victims of these assaults ideology might be, I don’t care. What bothers me is the oppression.
What I have heard, and continue to hear is some concept of suing to get some kind of redress for the victims. So several years from now a monetary award is received by the victims and the sheriff slithers back under the rock a came out from and a lot of relatively innocent people are left to pay off the tab. People involved with this need to face serious jail time. The Rethugs will be jumping up and down in unison saying personal responsibility - lets see some.
here’s where the republicans would be if the parties were reversed;
“so you are saying, anyone can put on a cap and badge and go into my house pretending there is some kind of concern, they can force my wife and child on the floor, they can force me on the floor and nobody is going to know if they are robbing me?
and I cannot protect my kids or wife, I wouldn’t even know if they are putting a gun to my daughters head, gagging her and raping her”
and beleive me, if the republicans were saying that, me and you would be agreeing with them
he will, the news casters will, the party will
however mccain is no leader, he is a gimp old man, if he could pull it off he would try, I think his handlers know he cannot pull it off
there was a time when we were safe from this kind of government intrusion ,but that was a long time ago
If we go out on the street we can be stopped and searched ,for the safety of the police officer huh!! Just for walking down the street!
Here in Mass. if you are stopped for a traffic violation and the cop asks if he can search your car a refusal is considered probable cause and your vehicle will be searched. A favorite tactic is the I smell marijauna excuse I know its happened to me!!!
If police want to search your home they can simply make up an excuse like I heard someone scream or other such BS they don’t need a warrant .
There was a time when police were careful not to violate your 4th amendment rights ,now they just consider the 4th an impediment to thier job
Don’t expect any relief from the supremes they don’t seem to know what the bill of rights is!
The window for rolling back the limitations on free speech and privacy is closing fast. Bushco is furiously trying to extend their ability to monitor the Internet through a classified program called the “Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative”, which is being run through Department of Homeland Security and is overseen by — wait for it — Senator Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Committee for Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. I work in Federal IT, and I’ve never seen anything like this programs, both in terms of its scope and its potential effect.
Basically, we’ve had martial law imposed in the country, and had many aspects of civilian life militarized. The RNC actions are just the tip of the iceberg.
No way not to politicize this disaster.
It is inherently disastrous politically to the Republican Party who cannot use “No one could have anticipated” again.
Unless there is a really masterful ‘bait and switch’ I expect this backdrop to make green jello look like a mark of genius.
Post Spotlit repeatedly
I can think of no more appropriate response.
while that’s true, there is now video on every phone, not likely it would fly in court if you could video document the illegal raid
Mississippi is at the outer fringes of the predicted “disaster zone”, and I’m sure it will get hit too. But, I guess it depends on McCain’s call as to what exactly is a “disaster zone”. I’d say, uh not quite like LA.
I was going to say, where is the “president”?
this we know, however I never thought they would become this brazen and there would be silence…SILENCE!!!
this is scary stuff, remember the president can declare anything at all a “catastrophe” and suspend the constitution?
there might not be elections this cycle after all
and now you said it…I believe he is cancelling his appearance and will do it from broadcast
if mccain acted like a president, walked the disaster zone with bull horn in hand, insured all would be safe and the local officials and fema gave him authority, yes, it could be succesfully politicized
however mccain is far from capable, he wasn’t capable of that even when he was young
To pull a political stunt is beyond sick. I know the media will play it up but I personally, will lose the last 5% of respect I had for him.
Yup. I’m genuinely concerned that a “catastrophe” will take place, and yes, they are that brazen.
As I move further into curmudgeonly middle age, I’ve recognized that people don’t change negative behaviors unless they are confronted with them in the most clear and unchallengeable way possible. The Nixon crew — Rumsfeld, Cheney, Kissinger, and their junior associates in the political world Atwater, Rove, and Norquist — felt they “got away with it” when there were no real prosecutions for Watergate, and it was reinforced when they pulled off Iran-Contra.
Now, they not only believe they can get away with anything, they are changing the rules to make sure that there really is no way to oppose or prosecute them if they do something illegal. Glen Greenwald has written eloquently on this.
Grab my phone during a raid ,no way ! The cops would shoot me and say they thought I had a gun!
Are you going to reach for your cellphone when a team of cops is raiding your home? You might get shot.
Here’s a clip from a documentary about the situation.
Strike on 9-11
What are the legal bases for these searches, seizures and arrests? “Conspiracy” to riot doesn’t cut it. Which Patriot Act or secret Executive Order provision did they invoke? What was the alleged probable cause? Who swore under oath that it existed, based on what information? Both were necessary for the required search warrants.
How does a search warrant to enter and seize specifically-named items in House A allow the entry and seizure of unspecified items in House B? Honest mistake doesn’t cut it, neither do exigent circumstances, unless the vegans were getting riotously upset at the late home delivery of their tofu.
The usual suspects, the NLG, the ACLU, etc., responded quickly. Where’s the outrage from Candidate Obama, from other Democratic figures, their party, in Minnesota, nationally? Where’s the outrage from Mr. Bush, Michael Mukasey, the Minnesota Attorney General, and the Republicans who tell us that only they are qualified to give us “law and order”, to stop criminals, whether they are stealing candlesticks, a loaf of bread, or the lawful rights of fellow citizens?
The three-ring circus called Newstainment remains reliably silent. Minnesota NPR was only mildly better. It was quick to quote a famous law professor, telling us black letter law that conspiracy is a crime. But the professor failed to apply his law to the facts of this case, a novice’s error, failed to tell us what alleged “overt acts” in furtherance of an actual crime took place before these searches, seizures and arrests took place.
Most cops know that in a mass action like this, someone is liable to resist, “justifying” an arrest. That seems to have provided the public excuse for these abuses of police powers: few or no arrests were made relating to the claimed underlying crimes related to the search warrants. Pity that several of the arrests were of credentialed journalists doing their jobs. Pity those arrests included licensed lawyers doing theirs.
Before BushCheney yanked us into their down-the-rabbit-hole world, it would have been prudent, as General “Buck” Turgidson reminds us, to wait until all the facts were in before harshly critiquing the questionable conduct of police and their political masters. Now that we’re falling deeper into the BushCheney rabbit hole, where up is down and big is small, waiting to protest these abuses of power would be as senseless as waiting to fall up.
These Gestapo-like police tactics have predictable outcomes. If covered, they distract from more potent news or embarrassing disclosures. Targeted activists pay a price for defending their civil rights. Others are deterred from defending or asserting them or even voting. Some activists will be outraged, their behavior may become more extreme. They may step outside protected speech into more assertive acts of civil disobedience, “justifying” the Right’s exercise of Pre-Crime jurisdiction.
All of that is predictable, worth a junior Rovite’s time, but not their bosses’, not that of the Great Karl himself. So what else is being tested? To measure the public’s willingness to pay attention, to respond with disdain and outrage? To verify who’s “the enemy”? An old Stalinist trick is to encourage or incite civil protest in order to identify, isolate and take out its leaders.
Is it to desensitize the public, to train them to passively accept these abuses? Just as the public has learned to take off its shoes, turn on its laptops (or relinquish them at borders so that Big Brother can copy their drives), and remain calm during full body cavity searches and the extraction of “dangerous” nipple rings before boarding aircraft. Whatever its goals, when it comes to holding onto power, today’s neocon Republican Party carefully plans its moves.
The attitude of both the prominent parties on the police overkill has shaken me as has Obama’s insistence on war and suggestion of national service and acceptance of the private for profit armies. If there is to be any real change it isn’t showing yet.
FWIW: The LA Times has several paragraphs about this, buried at the end of their story on the convention, in today’s edition. They’re really skimming the surface, but if you read it carefully, you can get an idea of what’s going on. (I read the story online. It’s the top left of the front webpage, right now.)
I don’t believe that Obama was talking about private for-profit armies. He was more likely talking about things like VISTA and the Peace Corps: doing good things to help the country, instead of making a lot of money for yourslf.
Ah, takes me back to the huge Washington outcry over the results of the 2004 election in Ukraine. Viktor Yushchenko was robbed–John Kerry, no, of course not. How can you say such a thing? Repression in the US? Close your eyes, tap your heals together 3 times and pretend you are in Kansas.
this little item was buried in the saturday paper…
Dozens Detained Ahead of Convention
By COLIN MOYNIHAN
Published: August 30, 2008
ST. PAUL, Minn. — On the weekend before the Republican National Convention, law enforcement agencies detained dozens of people and issued a series of search warrants aimed at groups believed to be organizing demonstrations while delegates and Republican officials are in town.
Excellent post Ian. You’re asking all the right questions.
CNN has this:
ST. PAUL, Minnesota (CNN) — Police raided a rental hall used by a group organizing protests at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Friday.
Police on Friday raid the hall rented by a group planning to protest the Republican National Convention.
The RNC Welcoming Committee, which describes itself as “anarchist/anti-authoritarian,” accused St. Paul police of trying to disrupt their protest planned for Monday, the day the GOP convention is set to begin.
Although no one was arrested, the group said police temporarily detained and photographed at least 50 people who were inside the building.
St. Paul Police spokesman Tom Walsh said they were executing a search warrant.
“The cause for the search warrant is not public at this time,” Walsh said.
As many as 30 police officers entered with guns drawn, according to witnesses in the building.
“The convergence center is simply a gathering place and is not used for illegal actions — it is a place for workshops and trainings,” a statement from the protest group said. “Tonight, we were watching films and sharing food.
“We are now accused of a simple fire code violation,” the statement said.
Oddie Miller, a 19-year-old from Fort Collins, Colorado, said it was “just a space to get food, free Internet, community organization.”
“There were no bombs or anything in there,” Miller said
Thing is, they have a TON of reporters in St. Paul. There’s no real excuse. The reporters are there, and what I’m hearing is that they’re at the events, but their editors/publishers aren’t taking the stories.
And this means what after the Bonnie & Clyde shootout?
“What are the legal beases for these searches…?” As important as these questions are, one can ask what are their political bases? It seems so far that these “anachist” groups have been infiltrated enough to understand that their purpose is to embarrass the Republicans, to make them look bad in the eyes of the nation. To avoid bad publicity seems to be the motive for all this vulgar encroachment on freedom. You can hear the soaring rhetoric: “The only thing we have to fear, is embarrassment.”