We have previously discussed how, after Sept. 11th, officials have simply begun to classify acts to be terrorism to use ramped up surveillance and sentencing laws. It was inevitable that with Western countries giving official unprecedented anti-terror powers, they would start to move as many crimes as possible under the expanding category. That is evident after it was disclosed this week that British authorities framed the case against David Miranda, the partner of journalist Glenn Greenwald, as a case of terrorism “terrorism” for carrying documents from Edward Snowden.
We have previously discussed the alleged decision of Greenwald to have his partner serve as a courier of the documents. Putting aside the wisdom of using family or personal friends as couriers or colleagues in such cases, it was clearly not terrorism unless you view all whistleblowers and journalists as engaged in terrorism when exposing abusive surveillance.
Miranda filed a lawsuit over his treatment at Heathrow. At a hearing, a document called a “Ports Circulation Sheet” was read into the record from Scotland Yard. The document was written in consultation with the MI5 counterintelligence agency and states that “Intelligence indicates that Miranda is likely to be involved in espionage activity which has the potential to act against the interests of UK national security.” That is of course an absurd conclusion since they knew of his connection to Greenwald. However, the document then includes the following line: “Additionally the disclosure, or threat of disclosure, is designed to influence a government and is made for the purpose of promoting a political or ideological cause. This therefore falls within the definition of terrorism…”
That is the chilling line. It seems something right out of “V for Vendetta” and all that is missing is Peter Creedy and his agents of Finger.
Police officials say that items seized from Miranda included electronic media containing 58,000 documents from the U.S. National Security Agency and its British counterpart, Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ). Greenwald immediately said that his partner was carrying the Snowden documents.
Recently, Prime Minister Cameron called on measures to be taken against the media for reporting on the documents and their content.
The casual and easy transition from a journalist/whistleblower case to a terrorism case demonstrates the slippery slope that the West is now on. These officials did not appear to have the slightest hesitation in converting the case into a terrorism case. Indeed, they created a type of legal shape shifting charge where they could claim either espionage or terrorism — effectively admitting that such classifications are now entirely arbitrary.
It is distressing to see both England and the United States slipping into such authoritarian constructs. What is most distressing is that the desire for such powers seems to reside like a dormant virus in some law enforcement circles. The ease with which the Miranda case was treated as espionage or terrorism shows an utter lack of concern over the implications of such ill-defined offenses. Under this definition, the Pentagon Papers could be treated as the same act as the 9-11 bombings.
lotta,
I am sure that WP doesn’t hate you. It just hates some of your comments! 🙂
As OS stated everyone has had their comments eaten by the spam filter. Hang in there!
pdm, he was helping me out, I asked for some info and Pete was being a good samaritan as were some other blawg visitors.
OS, the spam attacks must be horrible, thank you and the other GB’s for your effort. I know WP hates me though. 🙂
Prairie Rose, gbk and Pete, THANK YOU for the assistance. I check the publication date of most notable items and check the body of the article to see if there are dates that would indicate that the information has been reprinted or updated. I guess that I failed to do that because I’m familiar with the info you have all so graciously referenced.
I was waiting on some follow-up information on what I thought was new info to be written and got to wondering about it when it wasn’t forthcoming. I must have read a reference to the older info and become horrified by the implications all over again. Which I did and am. The story Pete linked to was and is disturbing, third world countries roll out the Army when there are elections, not America. Thank you again and I am happy that there’s no really new and expanded plan.
Prairie Rose, you’re right, that’s what the Guard is (for). I did watch with interest when Army units were deployed to New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina. It was such a cock-up/horrorshow even with the Guard there that I wasn’t as disturbed about their presence as I would normally have been. That attitude right there is a problem.
One of the interviews with General Honore’ (He made a real impression on me) was being held on the street and as it was going on an open truck transporting troops went by, slowly. Some of the troops had their rifles ‘up’, the butt resting on the seat next to them and the General hollered at the truck and told the troops very forcefully to the effect ‘get those rifles down, get ’em down, this is America’, (not verbatim but real close) and then without missing a beat went back to the interview. That was impressive.
Please don’t take this personally Pete, but why in the world would you post that disgusting piece of sh*t from the Examiner from 2010 (and 2008)?.
A few thoughts on spam and the spam filter. Everyone here has had at least one comment grabbed by the spam filter.
Those are separate from comments caught in moderation. The latter appear in the comment queue in bright yellow highlighter. The moderation filter puts comments on “hold” until a human can look at them. They are usually there because one of the four words are in them. There was one in moderation last night that had one of the words as part of their email address. Since email addresses are not public, I freed it for publication. Sometimes, one of the magic bad words is part of the spelling of a legitimate word. For example, I had a comment caught in moderation filter because I used the word “ba$tardized” in a sentence. Perfectly good word, but one of the four words is part of the spelling and that got it blocked. Another thing that will get a comment caught in moderation is the use of more than two links. Two in a single comment is the limit. Need more? Put it in a separate comment.
The spam filter is run by something called Askimet. Here is a Great Truth. Askimet is pretty good, and although I have pulled a half dozen comments out today (mostly Lottakatz), I must have deleted over five hundred real spams. It is not just Askimet. Every blog site has to deal with spam. I spend a lot of time hanging out at the Help Desk on Daily Kos. There has been a huge number of spams sneak through the filter lately, but that is only a fraction of the ones that get caught. There are a lot of test spams that try to probe the filters. For example, DKos has been inundated with promotions for rock crushers. All kinds of rock crushers. Go figure. At least they are more interesting than all the people who claim their sister makes $78 dollars an hour surfing the internet. When a spammer is testing formulas that try to get through the filters, they are watching to see how long they stay visible before being deleted. That is one of the two reasons we try to empty the spam filter regularly. The other reason is that it is a lot easier to find one of Lottakatz comments in a list of fifty spams than five hundred.
http://www.examiner.com/article/special-army-unit-ready-to-be-deployed-on-american-soil-just-before-nov-elections-update
gbk–looks like we were on about the same track! 🙂
I found a few links that fit your description, but they’re from between 2008-2012, not a few weeks ago. Was the article published a few weeks ago or did you read it a few weeks ago?
The one article from Army Times (2008) noted that:
“Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks. […]
But this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities.
After 1st BCT finishes its dwell-time mission, expectations are that another, as yet unnamed, active-duty brigade will take over and that the mission will be a permanent one.”
http://www.armytimes.com/article/20080930/NEWS/809300331/Brigade-homeland-tours-start-Oct-1
Was your article an update about the permanency of the mission and/or a newly assigned active-duty brigade to the post?
I’d look more, but I’d best get off to bed. 🙂
LK,
Wasn’t a dream, but it might be déjà vu.
In 2002 USNORTHCOM was created during the Bush Administration whose stated mission, “is homeland defense and civil support, specifically to conduct operations to deter, prevent, and defeat threats and aggression aimed at the United States, its territories, and interests within the command’s assigned area of responsibility; and as directed by the President or Secretary of Defense, provide military assistance to civil authorities including consequence management operations.”
http://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/tabid/3104/Article/1879/usnorthcom-emblem-illustrates-new-commands-mission.aspx
In 2008, active army combat units (1st Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry) were transferred from Iraq to Fort Stewart, Georgia.
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/10/03/army.unit/
Posse Comitatus died in 2002, and was buried, without honors, in 2008.
There might be something more recent than this; I would not be surprised.
Lottakatz,
“They would be used for emergencies of one sort or another.”
Sheesh. I thought that was why each state had a National Guard–ya know, to help that particular state when it had to deal with an emergency! Now the army is getting assigned this job? Didn’t the Founders mistrust standing armies?
I’m the kind of gal who is often compelled to jump up to get a book when I need to check a source or citation in the midst of a conversation, so now I’m off to try to help you find your link! I must know the rest of this story!!! 🙂
Dredd, I read within the last couple of weeks that there was going to be a dedicated Army unit trained for use in the US, that the formal assignment would be forthcoming within a matter of weeks. They were being pulled out of someplace (like Japan or Guam) and would be reassigned domestically. They would be used for emergencies of one sort or another. I’ve done several searches and can’t find the story. It was on a site that seemed legit but I forget which one. Have you run across something like that very recently? I have checked all my folders and can’t find it and I just can’t do a search that turns up anything like that? Was it all a dream? Don’t go to any trouble, I’m just asking.
If we have Word Press gobbling up our comments then why not eliminate Word Press? Turley, will you please chime in?
Thanks Admin.
Word Press just Gobbled up a comment of mine directed to MM.
Michael Murry 1, November 4, 2013 at 4:35 pm
The Silence of the Lamb Chops
Let us bow our heads in silence
Let us close our shuttered eyes
Let us ask no pointed questions
Let us rather swallow lies
…
=======================
Well done.
The Army manual I linked to up-thread (Interment & Relocation Camps) draws comments on other sites in accord with your poem.
They can’t believe that manual applies to CONUS (continential US) and won’t even consider it or peruse it.
Even though the manual itself has the following text in it:
Some of the resettlement camps and facilities described in it are designed for 10 year confinement.
AP: ” The number of journalists jailed worldwide hit 232 in 2012, 132 of whom were held on anti-terror or other national security charges”
*
That’s an amazing number. The UK Snowden controversy is kind of a test for the US isn’t it. It would be nice if we passed.
I don’t recall journalism being such a dangerous profession. (Yeah, I remember the US sending rounds into Al Jezerra hotel rooms in Iraq, but overall, killing journalists was just uncool as I remember.)
http://www.cpj.org/killed/2013/
The Silence of the Lamb Chops
Let us bow our heads in silence
Let us close our shuttered eyes
Let us ask no pointed questions
Let us rather swallow lies
Let our government mislead us
Let them wallow in the waste
Let us eat the crap they feed us
Let us grow to like its taste
Let them praise their stalwart courage
Let us meekly toe the line
Let the rich cut all their taxes
Let the poor ones pay the fine
Let us do no thing unbidden
Let us ask permission first
Let them keep the water hidden
Let us rather die of thirst
Let them keep our business secret
Let us not know what they do
Let them keep us safe from knowing
Let us smile while us they screw
Let the dead come home to quiet
Let them spare us from the sight
Let us never start a riot
Let them send some more to fight
Let us never raise our voices
Let them whisper in our ear
Let them order us to slaughter
Let us live in abject fear
Let authority compel us
Let them prod the panicked herd
Let them with cheap jargon quell us
Let us scatter at their word
Let them mumble mealy mouthfuls
Let them bumble, lean, and tilt
Let them tumble, trip, and falter
Let them crumple all we’ve built
Let them loan us Chinese money
Let them keep us all in pawn
Let them dine on milk and honey
Let us let them lead us on
Michael Murry, “The Misfortune Teller,” Copyright © 2008
Managing the Mushrooms
The mushroom school of management
Has two rules, brief and stark:
You feed them only excrement.
You keep them in the dark.
For if they’ve only dined on shit
And never seen the light,
They’ll take whatever you see fit
And thank you for their plight.
Oh, keep us safe from knowing, please
The things you’ve done and do.
And let no one disturb the ease
With which you lie on cue.
Imagine if we only knew
Of all our rights you’ve taken?
Much better we admit what’s true:
Our rights we have forsaken.
Oh, Corporate Power on your throne
We beg you: Keep us quiet.
Divide us so that each alone
Can never start a riot.
Don’t tell us. We don’t want to know.
From our own minds protect us.
And if we ever should inquire,
Of treason please suspect us.
Michael Murry, “The Misfortune Teller,” Copyright © 2012
The U.S. and U.K. governments have taken the word “secret” and deformed it so as to match F. C. S. Schiller’s definition of “sacred“: namely, “a fear that anything so denominated cannot bear investigation.”