January 26, 2006 at 12:12:46

ACLU Georgia Uncovers Pentagon Spying Files

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By Matthew Cardinale (about the author) Page 2 of 2 page(s)

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"It's obviously completely unwarranted," Windsor said.

"The file they sent doesn't give the reason for the interview taking place. They called me five times from three different numbers, and they left a voicemail, a man named Special Agent Dante Jackson stating that I had to come in for an interview. So I immediately called my attorney to find out what it's about. He told my attorney that if I didn't come in, the FBI would come and pick me up," Windsor said.

"I'm affiliated with ACTIONMEDICAL, which provides medical assistance during demonstrations and also helps providing people, especially low-income people, [with information] about their own health issues," Windsor said.

"The part of the FBI investigating me is the domestic terrorism task force and their actions at this point seem akin to the beginnings in COINTELPRO. I've never been arrested, I've never been charged with a crime in my entire life," Windsor said.

"And almost all the questions they were asking me were about my [political] affiliations," Windsor said.

"They kept saying it's ok, this is America, you can believe whatever you want to believe but we need to know what that is. They asked me why I'm an anarchist, why I don't have a car, why I don't have a bank account, things that couldn't have any bearing on a criminal investigation.

"They didn't ask me about any organization I was affiliated with. They seemed really interested in the fact that I was involved in adult entertainment," Windsor said. The FBI file included various instances of private information where it is unclear what legitimate need the government might have for such information.

Windsor believes it was an intimidation tactic, she says. "It was, here's these things that some people would think are bad things about Tabby, and we want you to know we have them here in a file for later just in case," Windsor said.

However, Windsor is still active in protesting, having recently attended a World Bank protest in DC.

The GPJC refuses to be intimidated as well, Ann Mauney said in a press conference. "The Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition will continue to exercise our constitutional rights," Mauney said.

"Why is our government spying? We're not a terrorist threat. Indeed, we're a threat to the administration's policies. The administration knows the American people [oppose Bush's policies] when they're fully informed," Mauney said.

"BUSH LIES, HE ALSO SPIES," read one protest sign.

"We call on our government to cease and desist," Rev. Timothy McDonald of the First Iconium Baptist Church, a civil rights veteran, said.

"Many of us remember the days of J. Edgar Hoover. The Bush administration claims this is legal spying. That is hogwash," said Georgia State House Rep. Nan Orrock, who said she learned first hand of police surveillance of protesters in another incident where she approached a policeman and asked what he was doing.

For APN's previous reporting on the Pentagon's spying on Georgia protesters, see http://www.atlantaprogressivenews.com/pages/18/index.htm

--Matthew Cardinale is Editor of Atlanta Progressive News. He may be reached at matthew@atlantaprogressivenews.com.

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Matthew Cardinale is Editor of Atlanta Progressive News. He has written previously for the Sun-Sentinel Newspaper, Shelterforce Magazine, The Advocate Magazine, The San Francisco Bay View, and the Berkeley Daily Planet Newspaper. He has also (more...)

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