Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Greens go to jail
It would seem that Ms. Allwine is not the only Green who's been a recent guest of the state! The Green Party nominee for Governor of Maryland was arrested right along with her. The Baltimore Sun has an Associated Press article about Ed Boyd and others being arrested, and the official's "reasons" for arresting them. Details at the links, or behind the "Read more!"link...
Green Party candidate for governor among those at NSA protest
Associated Press
Originally published July 9, 2006
Thirteen anti-war activists, including the Green Party candidate for governor, were given citations yesterday for protesting outside the National Security Agency headquarters at Fort Meade.
An NSA security officer cited the activists for "entering into military facility for purposes prohibited by law" and ordered them to leave the area, protest organizers and an NSA spokesman said. They were ordered to appear in U.S. District Court in Baltimore to be arraigned at a date to be announced.
Twenty-five people participated in the protest, but only the 13 who refused to stop carrying signs were cited, said Max Obuszewski of the Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore. They carried a banner describing the NSA as a "Crime Scene" and other signs protesting the agency's involvement in the war in Iraq.
Ed Boyd, the Green Party candidate for governor, was among those cited after participating in the protest yesterday morning, said his campaign manager, Myles Hoenig.
"He's in solidarity with all protesters against war and against spying on American citizens," Hoenig said.
The activists were stopped on a public road near the entrance to the NSA that provides access to two museums that are open to the public, Obuszewski said.
"We were on, I would argue, public property," he said. "Anybody could go there and get gasoline; anybody could go there and visit the two museums."
They were handed a document dated May 12, 2005, indicating that "protests, public speeches, marches, sit-ins, political displays, or demonstrations" were banned at Fort Meade. But Obuszewski said he had protested at the same spot a few times since that date without being cited.
"They never showed us this document before," Obuszewski said. "Why were they allowing us out there before?"
Don Weber, an NSA spokesman, declined to comment on that claim. Fort Meade policy specifies that protesters must submit a written request for a permit, he noted.
"The requirement on Fort Meade is that they have a permit to protest. They did not," Weber said. "Although they were given a couple of opportunities not to be, they chose to be cited."
The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore sent a letter last month to Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, the NSA director, seeking a meeting to discuss issues including "the illegal wiretapping and wholesale collection of Americans' phone records" and "the NSA's surveillance of our group." The organization has received no response, Obuszewski said.
Sun reporter Anica Butler contributed to this article
Activists cited at Fort Meade
Green Party candidate for governor among those at NSA protest
Associated Press
Originally published July 9, 2006
Thirteen anti-war activists, including the Green Party candidate for governor, were given citations yesterday for protesting outside the National Security Agency headquarters at Fort Meade.
An NSA security officer cited the activists for "entering into military facility for purposes prohibited by law" and ordered them to leave the area, protest organizers and an NSA spokesman said. They were ordered to appear in U.S. District Court in Baltimore to be arraigned at a date to be announced.
Twenty-five people participated in the protest, but only the 13 who refused to stop carrying signs were cited, said Max Obuszewski of the Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore. They carried a banner describing the NSA as a "Crime Scene" and other signs protesting the agency's involvement in the war in Iraq.
Ed Boyd, the Green Party candidate for governor, was among those cited after participating in the protest yesterday morning, said his campaign manager, Myles Hoenig.
"He's in solidarity with all protesters against war and against spying on American citizens," Hoenig said.
The activists were stopped on a public road near the entrance to the NSA that provides access to two museums that are open to the public, Obuszewski said.
"We were on, I would argue, public property," he said. "Anybody could go there and get gasoline; anybody could go there and visit the two museums."
They were handed a document dated May 12, 2005, indicating that "protests, public speeches, marches, sit-ins, political displays, or demonstrations" were banned at Fort Meade. But Obuszewski said he had protested at the same spot a few times since that date without being cited.
"They never showed us this document before," Obuszewski said. "Why were they allowing us out there before?"
Don Weber, an NSA spokesman, declined to comment on that claim. Fort Meade policy specifies that protesters must submit a written request for a permit, he noted.
"The requirement on Fort Meade is that they have a permit to protest. They did not," Weber said. "Although they were given a couple of opportunities not to be, they chose to be cited."
The Pledge of Resistance-Baltimore sent a letter last month to Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, the NSA director, seeking a meeting to discuss issues including "the illegal wiretapping and wholesale collection of Americans' phone records" and "the NSA's surveillance of our group." The organization has received no response, Obuszewski said.
Sun reporter Anica Butler contributed to this article
// posted by Gregg Jocoy @ 6:30 PM 
