Homeland Security: Keeping America Safe From Vegans

[ignatzmouse]

http://www.ajc.com/search/content/auto/epaper/editions/today/metro_34334a03d529d09a0092.html

Atlanta Journal-Constitution
9-23-2005
"Vegans Sue Homeland Security: Protesters decry dekalb division's surveillance"
by Jill Young Miller

They don't eat ham. And they don't like to be spied on, either.

The story begins outside a HoneyBaked Ham store on Buford Highway just before Christmas 2003.

That day, two vegans --- vegetarians who eat only plants and plant products --- were wrapping up an animal cruelty protest with a handful of other vegans when they noticed a man in a CVS pharmacy parking lot taking pictures of them.

Later, they would learn that the man was an undercover homeland security detective, according to a federal lawsuit the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia filed Thursday on the vegans' behalf.

<<<snip>>>

After the ham protest, Childs and Freeman walked over to the mysterious man's car and wrote down his license plate number. When they drove off, they noticed the car following them.

They pulled into a parking lot at a Mexican restaurant. The car and a police car pulled in behind them. The vegans were ordered out of their car and told to hand over the piece of paper with the tag number on it. Childs refused and was handcuffed and searched. She and Freeman were arrested for disorderly conduct and jailed.

They were released, but the piece of paper and Childs' house keys weren't returned, the lawsuit says.

"I couldn't believe that all of it was happening," Freeman, now 36, said Thursday. "We were out there doing educational outreach on a topic that is important to us." At the event, "we were handing out leaflets on alternatives to pork," he said.

Childs, now 22, said they brought suit because "this really could happen to anyone who practices their free speech in the kind of time we're living in. It's really scary."

<<<snip>>>

ACLU affiliates in 15 other states have filed similar requests with the FBI on behalf of more than 100 groups and individuals, according to an ACLU news release, "as part of a nationwide effort to expose unlawful domestic spying."

Said Childs, "They're using security and the idea of terrorism, which is such a hot word and scares people, to silence people who have unpopular beliefs."

**************************

sez ignatz: With real threats to National Security known to be lurking in the White House, why isn't Homeland Security being put to its mandated use by conducting surveillance on Rove, Libby, Cheney, Bush, and pal Norquist? Oh, that's right, they're not vegans!

[Why Syzygy]

1. And a ham might bite them

ya never know. Thank Goddess for the ACLU et al who watch for FREEDOM ON THE MARCH!

Voted.

[lvx35]

2. notice the criminal behaviour

"They were released, but the piece of paper and Childs' house keys weren't returned, the lawsuit says."
The "I can break into your house and you can't identify me" bit. Pure shit. The agent refused to be identified and held accountable, which makes him basically criminal. Its almost impossible at this point to differentiate homeland security from organized crime...to the extent that if I really wanted do some wicked criminal activity, I would identify myself as DHS, because investigations would probably be stonewalled. Its absurd.

Edit: nominated.

[bos1]

3. nominated 4 greatest page nt

[fasttense]

4. With right wing wackos everywhere, homeland security focuses on

Vegans? This is ridiculous. To have homeland security wasting time on grandmothers and vegans when the right wing KKK, Nazis, doctor murdering anti-choice crazies and gay murdering extremist groups are everywhere you turn. Of course we wont mention the obvious terrorists the office of homeland security avoids at all costs. Seems the right wing is using homeland security to spy on anyone who doesn't agree with the president's opinions. Maybe you and I will be next on their surveillance list?

[Why Syzygy]

And pay no mind

to the hurricanes in our midst.

"Homeland Security". My shiny.

Call it "Homeland (hiel) Let it go to Hell".

[acmejack]

5. Tofu terror?

Vicious Vegans harassing Honey Hams halted. Feds foil flora eating freaks. Your tax dollars at work, J edgar would be so proud.

[O.M.B.inOhio]

6. You never know what threat we might face from Planet Vega

Those two were probably Vegan spies investigating ways to kills Americans by making honey baked ham unhealthy.

As they broaden the definition of threats to homeland security, what's next? Union organizers? Satirical cartoonists? People who use "lite" cream cheese?

[smoogatz]

7. D.C. Peace Marchers are next, of course.

With Bush safe in his bunker, the experimental crowd-control rayguns can be deployed.

[O.M.B.inOhio]

8. Ah, of course! nt

[flvegan]

9. I can personally vouch for the validity of the story

I can't tell you how many times I've been protesting and had unmarkeds pull into the next lot over and start taking pictures.

Fur-Free Friday (anti-fur protest, day after Thanksgiving) is the best one to witness this. Our guys/gals serving and protecting are more brazen. We've had one with a tripod come out and set up before shooting pics.

The US certainly needs to worry about the likes of me. Riiiiight...

[ignatzmouse]

15. I wonder what would happen...

...if you started taking pictures of the picture-takers?

[Jim Sagle]

10. I eat more fish and chicken and less meat than I used to.

Does that make me a terrist symp? :rofl:

[shockra]

11. You're getting dangerously close.

:P

[Jim Sagle]

14. If we don't eat Big Macs the terrists win.

[MisterP]

12. meanwhile the Krars stockpile 100,000 rds ammo and Idaho

"minutemen" (upper- and lower-case "M") stroke their shiny new AKs (like the Aryan Union member in that Seinfeld episode)

[MazeRat7]

13. nuf said about the sad state of affairs in this country..kicked/nominated.