Police Arrest 131 Antiwar Protesters In Front Of White House
December 22, 2010
Dan Froomkin
12/16/2010
Hoping to spark the country’s silent majority into action, 131 antiwar protesters got themselves arrested Thursday, in one of the larger acts of civil disobedience in front of the White House in some time.
Carrying signs that frequently included question marks — “Peace on earth?” and “How is the war economy working for you?” — protesters organized by a Missouri-based veterans group marched up to the White House gates and refused to disperse, holding their ground for several hours on a snowy and blustery day.
Among those arrested was Daniel Ellsberg, the Vietnam-era whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers as an act of protest in 1971. Thursday’s arrest was his 80th.
And now… the rest of the story. …..
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Harold
Re: 131 Veterans For Peace Demonstrators Arrested In Front of White House.
Veterans For Peace Demonstrations and Civil Disobedience have brought needed attention to America’s ongoing costly wars. Should we be concerned that Americans may subsequently be afraid to participate in such civil actions after Homeland Security issues millions of TWIC “right to work Cards” in private sector jobs; that Homeland Security may (disqualify) Veterans For Peace and other Civil Demonstrators—being issued TWIC Work Cards on the basis they are a Security Risk? Such concerns by working people could intimidate Americans from speaking out against the government.
Homeland Security: Are You a TWIC—Work Card Security Risk?
The TWIC government website for issuing Work Cards states, that job applicants deemed a “Security Risk” (convicted of specified crimes listed by HLS), will not be issued a TWIC Card to work at certain private sector jobs/and current employees denied TWIC Cards can be fired. The TWIC site further states, HLS will inform rejected job applicants and fired employees the reason Homeland Security would not issue them a TWIC work Card; rejected job applicants and fired employees may appeal.
But realistically does HLS have to respond or fully provide a job applicant or fired employee the reason they were denied a TWIC Work Card? HLS can refuse to respond or not fully on the basis that doing so could threaten National Security or compromise an ongoing investigation.
Other countries to protect national security, to safeguard ports, trains and airways, have created agencies similar to TWIC, but moved forward to crush civil liberties. In the beginning e.g. the German Reich Government without public oversight, barred Germans holding certain private sector jobs that were threats to national Security, but soon prevented lawful Germans getting work because they spoke out or protested against the Nazi government. Could TWIC be similarly abused? Consider that TSA has put a large number of lawful Americans on “No Fly Lists.” Many that made requests to government to learn why they are on the “No Fly List”, were not provided an explanation by HLS/TSA. TSA is now in the process of labeling lawful Americans as “Extremists” that publicly oppose TSA mandated X-ray scans and invasive body-pat-downs at airports. So is it problematic Americans denied TWIC work cards might be treated similarly when requesting to know why they were denied a work card?
Who is a security risk? Currently HLS utilizes over 90 national FUSION CENTERS that obtain and store information on ordinary Americans. Fusion Centers nationally share information with law enforcement agencies that among other sources receive information from informants. Could erroneous information provided by snitches to local police/HLS be used by HLS not to issue a TWIC work card to Citizens never charged or convicted of a crime? Under such circumstances how would Americans denied the right to work rebuke the allegations of an informant?
Visit TWIC Website: http://www.tsa.gov/what_we_do/layers/twic/twic_faqs.shtm#denied_twic