FBI Gone Wild: Anarchist Witch Hunt Comes to Portlandia
October 18th, 2012
Growing up, Americans hear stories of Joseph Stalin’s security forces snatching political dissidents in the night. Few realize the extent to which this is happening right here in the United States. Using mild property damage caused at the May Day protests in Seattle as a justification, the FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force are conducting SWAT-style no-knock raids, snatching up people who read books on anarchy, and hauling them before a grand jury. If they refuse to discuss their political views, they are charged with contempt and held in prison for up to 18 months. Three activists have been jailed so far. None of these people have been charged with a crime, nor were present in Seattle when the May Day protests occurred. This is a serious threat to the freedom of all Americans, whether they believe there should be a government or not.
Matthew Kyle Duran, Leah-Lynn Plante, and Katherine Olejnik currently sit in jail with murderers and rapists. A cursory glance at the three would dismiss any belief that they are connected to international terrorism. Check out Leah-Lynn Plante’s testimony in the below video about her harrowing experience at the hands of rogue federal agents who snatched her up in defiance of the Constitution.
What if the May Day Protests Were a Sporting Event?
When large, emotional crowds of people get together, property damage can occur. Many sporting events end in near-riots, especially when locals are upset with the outcome. What would happen if, after a sporting event which resulted in chaos and property damage, the FBI began hauling fans of that sports team, from all over the country, before grand juries, demanding they explain their support of the team as if it were by nature a criminal act? That logic is a mirror image of the one used to justify the witch hunt currently terrorizing anti-government activists in the Pacific Northwest.
The First Amendment recognizes the freedom of speech and the Fifth Amendment recognizes the right to remain silent. To get around this, the FBI is hauling people in to a grand jury, granting them immunity from some type of “conspiracy to spray paint a wall” charge that they weren’t really accused of to begin with, and therefor compelling them to spill the beans on who might or might not be an anarchist. Meanwhile, thousands of people are being added to no-fly lists, and the government has passed indefinite detention language for people accused of terrorism.
The FBI’s Un-American Record
Throughout its fairly short and unconstitutional existence, the FBI has consistently been on the wrong side of history. Back when MLK was engaging in his historic fight to bring equal protection under the law to the African American community, the FBI was investigating him as an enemy of the state and even sent him a letter urging him to commit suicide. In the ’90s, the FBI teamed up with the ATF to bring us the Waco and Ruby Ridge tragedies, where American citizens were massacred because bureaucrats decided to use military rules of engagement in a law enforcement investigation.
Recently, the FBI has been accused of providing assault weapons to drug cartels in Mexico as a part of the Fast and Furious program. In fact, one could argue that the Fast and Furious program was in and of itself an effort to provide munitions to drug cartels, qualifying the FBI itself, and anyone connected to it, for indefinite detention under the NDAA.
Right now, Matthew Kyle Duran, Leah-Lynn Plante, and Katherine Olejnik are locked away in jail for reading books that many friends of mine read. This is not something Americans should just accept. People who are willing to go to jail to enhance freedom for others are not terrorists — history has shown us time and time again that they are heroes. A Free Leah website has been created, and the Committee Against Political Repression is providing lots of updates on their blog on how people can take action to help raise awareness to the plight of these three unjustly-jailed activists.
Visit http://www.SilverCircleMovie.com to check out the latest updates about our forthcoming 3D animated film. Also, the Silver Circle graphic novel is available now at the following hyperlinks in full color and black and white.
