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Bush to criminalize protesters under Patriot Act

Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit

Patriot Daily News via LiveJournal - Jan 12, 2006
http://www.livejournal.com/users/mparent7777/5579182.html

Bush to criminalize protesters under Patriot Act as "disruptors"

by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse

Bush wants to create the new criminal of "disruptor" who can be jailed
for the crime of "disruptive behavior." A "little-noticed provision" in
the latest version of the Patriot Act will empower Secret Service to
charge protesters with a new crime of "disrupting major events
including political conventions and the Olympics." Secret Service would
also be empowered to charge persons with "breaching security" and to
charge for "entering a restricted area" which is "where the President
or other person protected by the Secret Service is or will be
temporarily visiting." In short, be sure to stay in those wired, fenced
containments or free speech zones.

Who is the "disruptor"? Bush Team history tells us the disruptor is an
American citizen with the audacity to attend Bush events wearing a
T-shirt that criticizes Bush; or a member of civil rights,
environmental, anti-war or counter-recruiting groups who protest Bush
policies; or a person who invades Bush's bubble by criticizing his
policies. A disruptor is also a person who interferes in someone
else's activity, such as interrupting Bush when he is speaking at a
press conference or during an interview.

What are the parameters of the crime of "disruptive behavior"? The
dictionary defines "disruptive" as "characterized by unrest or disorder
or insubordination." The American Medical Association defines
disruptive behavior as a "style of interaction" with people that
interferes with patient care, and can include behavior such as "foul
language; rude, loud or offensive comments; and intimidation of
patients and family members."

What are the rules of engagement for "disruptors"? Some Bush Team
history of their treatment of disruptors provide some clues on how this
administration will treat disruptors in the future.

(1) People perceived as disruptors may be preemptively ejected from
events before engaging in any disruptive conduct.

In the beginning of this war against disruptors, Americans were ejected
from taxpayer funded events where Bush was speaking. At first the
events were campaign rallies during the election, and then the
disruptor ejectment policy was expanded to include Bush's post election
campaign-style events on public policy issues on his agenda, such as
informing the public on medicare reform and the like. If people drove
to the event in a car with a bumper sticker that criticized Bush's
policies or wore T-shirts with similar criticism, they were disruptors
who could be ejected from the taxpayer event even before they engaged
in any disruptive behavior. White House press secretary McClellan
defended such ejectments as a proper preemptive strike against persons
who may disrupt an event: "If we think people are coming to the event
to disrupt it, obviously, they're going to be asked to leave."

(2) Bush Team may check its vast array of databanks to cull out those
persons who it deems having "disruptor" potential and then blacklist
those persons from events.

The White House even has a list of persons it deems could be
"disruptive" to an eventand then blacklists those persons from
attending taxpayer funded events where Bush speaks. Sounds like Bush
not only has the power to unilaterally designate people as "enemy
combatants" in the global "war on terror," but to unilaterally
designate Americans as "disruptive" in the domestic war against free
speech.

(3) The use of surveillance, monitoring and legal actions against
disruptors.

Bush's war against disruptors was then elevated to surveillance,
monitoring, and legal actions against disruptor organizations. The FBI
conducts political surveillance and obtains intelligence filed in its
database on Bush administration critics , such as civil rights groups
(e.g., ACLU), antiwar protest groups (e.g., United for Peace and
Justice) and environmental groups (e.g., Greenpeace).

This surveillance of American citizens exercising their constitutional
rights has been done under the pretext of counterterrorism activities
surrounding protests of the Iraq war and the Republican National
Convention. The FBI maintains it does not have the intent to monitor
political activities and that its surveillance and intelligence
gathering is "intended to prevent disruptive and criminal activity at
demonstrations, not to quell free speech."

Surveillance of potential disruptors then graduated to legal actions as
a preemptive strike against potential disruptive behavior at public
events. In addition to monitoring and surveillance of legal groups and
legal activities, the FBI issued subpoenas for members to appear before
grand juries based on the FBI's "intent" to prevent "disruptive
convention protests." The Justice Dept. opened a criminal
investigation and subpoenaed records of Internet messages posted by
Bush's critics. And, the Justice Dept. even indicted Greenpeace for a
protest that was so lame the federal judge threw out the case.

So now the Patriot Act, which was argued before enactment as a measure
to fight foreign terrorists, is being amended to make clear that it
also applies to American citizens who have the audacity to disrupt
President Bush wherever his bubble may travel. If this provision is
enacted into law, then Bush will have a law upon which to expand the
type of people who constitute disruptors and the type of activities
that constitute disruptive activities. And, then throw them all in
jail.

So now the Patriot Act, which was argued before enactment as a measure
to fight foreign terrorists, is being amended to make clear that it
also applies to American citizens who have the audacity to disrupt
President Bush wherever his bubble may travel. If this provision is
enacted into law, then Bush will have a law upon which to expand the
type of people who constitute disruptors and the type of activities
that constitute disruptive activities. And, then throw them all in
jail.