Cheesed off in Maryland
As most probably know, cops in Maryland have been targeting people opposed to the ultimate use of state power. I’m too cheesed off to even pretend I can talk rationally about this as everyone I know who supports ending the dp in Maryland is, well, ridiculously normal/mainstream. I’ll leave it to Dr. Michael Blankenship from the Justice Gambit:
Maryland State Police officers conducted surveillance on local peace activists and groups opposed to the death penalty, including some in Takoma Park, for more than a year during the administration of former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R), documents released this morning show.
No evidence of criminal behavior was reported during almost 300 hours of undercover surveillance. It was doubtful that the investigation originated because of any illegal activity. So? Being opposed to capital punishment has rarely been viewed in a positive light by the government. I speak from experience when local prosecutors and sheriff’s joined together to complain to the university about my research and testimony as an expert witness.
However, this is a new low. The use of public funds and resources that were supposed to be expended on crime control activities to conduct covert surveillance on a legal and peaceful group of people should make rational individuals afraid – very afraid. Will there be any accountability for this outrageous abuse of power and public resources?
The Maryland docs are here. The only positive thing I can say about all of this (and friends are listed in the docs) is that the officer(s) assigned determined that this was (B)ravo (S)ierra and asked the investigation be terminated.
Saturday, 19. July 2008 11:42
[...] Karl Keys ist mächtig sauer – und nicht nur er. Wie die ACLU berichtet wurden in den Jahren 2005 und 2006 in Maryland systematisch Initiativen gegen den Golfkrieg und gegen die Todesstrafe von Undercover Beamten der Maryland State Police observiert und infiltriert. [...]
Sunday, 20. July 2008 19:30
You can’t leave comments but you can do link backs? Unfair!
Sunday, 20. July 2008 19:30
Hey, you fixed it. Thanks!
Sunday, 20. July 2008 21:23
Nothing so much as fixed as the software running the blog collapsed wiping out all the prior defaults and preferences. Spambots are hitting the blog (mostly older posts) with dozens of messages daily.