The NSA Spied On Me. Really.

Shades of 1973... when we college protesters knew in a heartbeat when an FBI agent pretended to be one of us. They didn't exactly blend in, you know?

Fast forward to today...

National Security Agency mounted massive spy op on Baltimore peace group, documents show

Kevin Zeese
January 10, 2006

Click here to see NSA documents

The National Security Agency has been spying on a Baltimore anti-war group, according to documents released during litigation, going so far as to document the inflating of protesters' balloons, and intended to deploy units trained to detect weapons of mass destruction, RAW STORY has learned.

According to the documents, the Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore, a Quaker-linked peace group, has been monitored by the NSA working with the Baltimore Intelligence Unit of the Baltimore City Police Department. --snip--

The NSA, established in 1952 by President Truman, is the largest and most secret of U.S. intelligence agencies. Headquartered between Baltimore and Washington, DC, the agency has two principal functions: to protect U.S. government communications and intercept foreign transmissions. However, the NSA's United States Signals Intelligence Directive 18 strictly prohibits the interception or collection of information about "U.S. persons, entities, corporations or organizations" without explicit written permission from the Attorney General. --snip--

The Baltimore Pledge of Resistance is part of the national Iraq Pledge of Resistance, which works with the Baltimore Emergency Response Network and the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) -- part of a national group committed to nonviolent civil resistance to stop the war in Iraq. The Pledge lobbies Maryland congressmembers via letters, phone calls, faxes, emails and face-to-face meetings; members of the group are periodically arrested for peaceable protests. --snip--

Two of those demonstrators, Max Obuszewiski and Ellen Barfield, are still scheduled for trial in Baltimore federal court Jan. 25. The defendants have filed a motion for discovery and included the letter from the NSA acknowledging spying on the Pledge.

I know Max and Ellen. In fact, Ellen and I attend the same church. And I'm on Max's weekly email list. I've joined them in several peaceful protests against George W.'s Iraq war during the last couple of years. I even held a BUSH LIED banner with Max during an ice storm protest at Baltimore's War memorial Plaza, warmed by the number of drivers' thumbs up and honking horns of solidarity.

The NSA is an independent agency, but it's run by the Pentagon. The US military. The military is not supposed to spy on American citizens inside the USA. Period. And It's definitely not supposed to spy on Quakers and Unitarians.

If the NSA is spying on little old me, you could be next. The NSA's current director is Lt. Gen. Keith B. Alexander of the US Army. You can contact the NSA by emailing
nsapao@nsa.gov... if you don't mind being monitored for whatever sleazy Nixonian/ Bushesque political reason they can pull out of their fascist asses.


File this under: Spying on Quakers and Unitarians will not win a war on terror. And violating the Constitution is unamerican, George W.!