Redefining Big Brother Government

When I first read this story about the government spying on protesters for the GOP convention, I wasn't going to post it to the blog. It's not exactly new information, and when you're familiar with Cointelpro and some of the history behind the government's tactics to gather intelligence on leftist protesters, this is something that you've read 50 times over in the past six months. But what struck me about this AP report was the final paragraph that tied everything together.

The intelligence unit of the New York Police Department has been closely monitoring Web sites run by self-described anarchists. It also has sought to infiltrate protest groups with young, scruffy-looking officers posing as activists.

It's so open, it's so matter of fact... The police and the government have come right out and said, "Yup, we're spying on your fellow citizens because they dare to use their democractic right to speak out against us." Like this isn't supposed to be a problem. Hell, the AP apparently doesn't think it's a big enough issue, they didn't even bother to get quotes from a few of the groups being spied on. Nor did they bother to ask the powers that be if and how they are implementing the PATRIOT Act into their surveillance operations. Indeed, when they quoted Jim Margolin, spokesman for the New York office of the FBI, as saying, "We're not engaging in surveillance of groups or individuals without legal predication," did the AP reporter even bother to get a definition of "legal predication?"

No questioning, no quotes from the opposition, nobody even bothers to present the obvious dangers to a democratic society that having the government spy on those against it poses. Nothing. The government talks openly about cracking down on hose who protest against it, and I guess we're all supposed to sit here and take it. Seeing articles presented in this manner scares the shit out of me.

[13:12 - Purposely moved above all other posts.]