The Conservative Cave
Current Events => The DUmpster => Topic started by: franksolich on July 23, 2008, 08:20:25 AM
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http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3655599
Oh my.
behave (97 posts) Mon Jul-21-08 09:04 PM
Original message
Please don't share information on your or your group's political activities with the police
I started thinking about this again after a thread was started by another DUer that told of the OP's and his group's being approached by a friendly young officer asking them to tell them about their candidate, Barak
Obama. The thread didn't really go beyond speculation that the cop was simply a citizen wanting to be informed
about a national candidate. No big deal. Right?
Well, probably wrong. There is a very real history in America that tells how one left oriented activist
or activist group after another have been infiltrated, surveilled, out-witted, and framed by local cops
who started by merely acting concerned and asking what at first seemed innocuous questions. And most of
the times it started with a cop asking questions.
Though subsequent lawsuits have exposed some of the extent of the police misconduct, the cases that couldn't get a hearing remain in the majority. It doesn't take much for the cops to build a conspiracy case against a lawful progressive political assembly. They simply lie and go from there. The less they have, though, the better the chance that their case can be defeated in a court of law. Meeting times, locations, names of members, etc should be guarded info and should never be given freely to a law enforcement official. If you say that all cops
have to do is monitor a left-wing blog to get information then you'd be missing an important point.
Info gathered that way isn't evidence, one-to-one or group discussions with the police, however, is.
Paranoia won't destroy ya if you're smart.
TheDebbieDee (1000+ posts) Mon Jul-21-08 10:08 PM
Response to Reply #1
6. That's the easiest way to find out what any group is up to.......
walk right up and ask some trusting, unsuspecting motor-mouth like you simple and direct questions about the group's activities. You'll talk until the cows come home because it would never occur to you that the person asking the questions is collecting info to be used AGAINST you or your group.
I bet you think it would be nearly impossible to believe that law enforcement personnel or people with access to law enforcement databases would attend a DU gathering and write down the license plate numbers of the cars in the parking lot outside the meeting place, huh?
Leopolds Ghost Donating Member (1000+ posts) Mon Jul-21-08 11:27 PM
Response to Reply #1
10. You do know that the MD State Police just infiltrated a bunch of activist groups, right? Wash. Post
Thanks to a FOIA request, you can review when and where and whom was monitored.
I'm not on the list, but I've run into people who were actually monitored by these undercover agents here in my town.
It affects me indirectly since I run a progressive nonprofit.
The Baltimore Sun and Washington Post have a full breakdown.
This is because all the monitoring is done thru FISA now, legally, thanks to Dems.
So they felt safe disclosing this old program from 2005 which supposedly ceased in 2006.
Terry in Austin Donating Member (352 posts) Mon Jul-21-08 11:29 PM
Response to Reply #1
11. Far-fetched? Nope. Very near-fetched, in fact.
Had a "friendly" plain-clothes cop hanging around us left-wing types back in the day. Vice squad. Good guy, laid back, no big deal, right?
Well, thirty-five years later, got some FOI files released from the feds, the city police and the university police. Our friendly lieutenant, it turns out, had been a very busy boy. Let's just leave it at that. Those things don't change much.
Truth4Justice (158 posts) Tue Jul-22-08 05:12 AM
Response to Reply #11
16. No and they have only become worse, IMO.
mike_c Donating Member (1000+ posts) Mon Jul-21-08 09:19 PM
Response to Original message
2. yup, sounds paranoid, but you know...
...it also sounds completely reasonable. Witness the recent revelations about the Maryland State Police infiltrating and spying on peace activist groups.
SmileyRose (213 posts) Mon Jul-21-08 11:05 PM
Response to Original message
8. Every police officer I know is a politically active Democrat.
and I know a lot of them.
Truth4Justice (158 posts) Tue Jul-22-08 05:12 AM
Response to Reply #14
15. Anyone who thinks "officer friendly" is there to help by asking question is naive, to say the least.
The cops are not your friends and they haven't been for many, many years now.
LanternWaste (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-22-08 04:07 PM
Response to Reply #14
27. What sounds suspect to me is...
My ex B-I-L is a cop and Democrat. So are most of his cop buddies. This is in TX.
It's not a big deal to be a cop and a democrat. Happens more often than most people would like to imagine, I guess...
gaspee Donating Member (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-22-08 02:38 PM
Response to Reply #13
26. Hmmm
That's odd - I live in one of the most liberal states in the country and most of the cops I know (and a lot of them are relatives) are authoritarian, asshole, republican types, which are actually kind of hard to find in the general population around here.
Unless you live in San Francisco (where I lived for ten years) I don't think I can quite believe your assertion.
Even in San Francisco a good proportion of cops were assholes. And even republicans.
Bill McBlueState Donating Member (1000+ posts) Tue Jul-22-08 09:32 AM
Response to Original message
19. I understand the principle
The cops have a history of trying to suppress left-wing activism. But I don't think supporting one of the two major candidates for President, especially the one who appears to be leading, really rises to the level of covert left-wing activism.
behave (97 posts) Tue Jul-22-08 10:34 AM
Response to Reply #19
20. more likely police will infiltrate groups with anti-war leanings or the appearance of such
Tough shit, primitives.
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behave (97 posts) Mon Jul-21-08 09:04 PM
Original message
Please don't share information on your or your group's political activities with the police
Like the police won't know just from looking at them what their political leanings are :whatever:
(http://www.urbanconservative.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/liberalism1.jpg)
(http://www.christmasghost.com/archives/liberal%20trash.jpg)
(http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n233/glasscottage/Politics/ACodePink.jpg)
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behave (97 posts) Tue Jul-22-08 10:34 AM
Response to Reply #19
20. more likely police will infiltrate groups with anti-war leanings or the appearance of such
It says this like it's a bad thing or something.
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behave (97 posts) Tue Jul-22-08 10:34 AM
Response to Reply #19
20. more likely police will infiltrate groups with anti-war leanings or the appearance of such
It says this like it's a bad thing or something.
Well, that's what gets me.
If I thought a particular person, for particular reasons, wished to break into my house, but it hasn't been done yet, I'd keep my eyes open.
That's nothing but ordinary run-of-the-mill common sense, being alert to possibly dangerous people.
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behave (97 posts) Mon Jul-21-08 09:04 PM
Well, probably wrong. There is a very real history in America that tells how one left oriented activist
or activist group after another have been infiltrated, surveilled, out-witted, and framed by local cops
who started by merely acting concerned and asking what at first seemed innocuous questions. And most of
the times it started with a cop asking questions.
As if this is hard to do. :whatever:
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WTH do they expect, it's just a part of being a member of the communist party.
...and after that "PINK" picture, I'm all for total female circumcision of the code pink ladies. .......On second thought, just dump'em naked in the middle of pack-E-stand. The muzzies over there might find them to be a step up from goats and camels.
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WTH do they expect, it's just a part of being a member of the communist party.
...and after that "PINK" picture, I'm all for total female circumcision of the code pink ladies. .......On second thought, just dump'em naked in the middle of pack-E-stand. The muzzies over there might find them to be a step up from goats and camels.
Then again, after about 30 minutes of listening to thses hags rant and nag, they'd probably off 'em and go back to their goats.
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....and then a cop jumped out of the bushes. (or is that Bushes)
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This must be the story that has them all atwitterpated.
http://www.amny.com/news/nationworld/nation/ats-ap-maryland-police-surveillancejul17,0,2761947.story?track=rss
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....and then a cop jumped out of the bushes. (or is that Bushes)
Paging Agent Mike, paging Agent Mike, you are wanted in the DUmp lounge ASAP!
heh...