bigpoppanils Posted February 9 Report Share Posted February 9 Feds Win Right to War Protesters' Records Sat Feb 7, 2:06 PM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo! BY RYAN J. FOLEY, Associated Press Writer DES MOINES, Iowa - In what may be the first subpoena of its kind in decades, a federal judge has ordered a university to turn over records about a gathering of anti-war activists. In addition to the subpoena of Drake University, subpoenas were served this past week on four of the activists who attended a Nov. 15 forum at the school, ordering them to appear before a grand jury Tuesday, the protesters said. Federal prosecutors refuse to comment on the subpoenas. In addition to records about who attended the forum, the subpoena orders the university to divulge all records relating to the local chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, a New York-based legal activist organization that sponsored the forum. The group, once targeted for alleged ties to communism in the 1950s, announced Friday it will ask a federal court to quash the subpoena on Monday. "The law is clear that the use of the grand jury to investigate protected political activities or to intimidate protesters exceeds its authority," guild President Michael Ayers said in a statement. Representatives of the Lawyer's Guild and the American Civil Liberties Union (news - web sites) said they had not heard of such a subpoena being served on any U.S. university in decades. Those served subpoenas include the leader of the Catholic Peace Ministry, the former coordinator of the Iowa Peace Network, a member of the Catholic Worker House, and an anti-war activist who visited Iraq (news - web sites) in 2002. They say the subpoenas are intended to stifle dissent. "This is exactly what people feared would happen," said Brian Terrell of the peace ministry, one of those subpoenaed. "The civil liberties of everyone in this country are in danger. How we handle that here in Iowa is very important on how things are going to happen in this country from now on." The forum, titled "Stop the Occupation! Bring the Iowa Guard Home!" came the day before 12 protesters were arrested at an anti-war rally at Iowa National Guard headquarters in Johnston. Organizers say the forum included nonviolence training for people planning to demonstrate. The targets of the subpoenas believe investigators are trying to link them to an incident that occurred during the rally. A Grinnell College librarian was charged with misdemeanor assault on a peace officer; she has pleaded innocent, saying she simply went limp and resisted arrest. "The best approach is not to speculate and see what we learn on Tuesday" when the four testify, said Ben Stone, executive director of the Iowa Civil Liberties Union, which is representing one of the protesters. Mark Smith, a lobbyist for the Washington-based American Association of University Professors, said he had not heard of any similar case of a U.S. university being subpoenaed for such records. He said the case brings back fears of the "red squads" of the 1950s and campus clampdowns on Vietnam War protesters. According to a copy obtained by The Associated Press, the Drake subpoena asks for records of the request for a meeting room, "all documents indicating the purpose and intended participants in the meeting, and all documents or recordings which would identify persons that actually attended the meeting." It also asks for campus security records "reflecting any observations made of the Nov. 15, 2003, meeting, including any records of persons in charge or control of the meeting, and any records of attendees of the meeting." Several officials of Drake, a private university with about 5,000 students, refused to comment Friday, including school spokeswoman Andrea McDonough. She referred questions to a lawyer representing the school, Steve Serck, who also would not comment. A source with knowledge of the investigation said a judge had issued a gag order forbidding school officials from discussing the subpoena. ___ http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040207/ap_on_re_us/activist_investigation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiroguy1 Posted February 9 Report Share Posted February 9 Appalling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattbateman Posted February 9 Report Share Posted February 9 i really, honestly, think you guys want this to happen more then you dontseriously thats how i feel and im sure that the cops have better shit to do thenm fuck with kids for no reason they obviously did something wrong and are hidding behind their "rights" to protect someone that obviously attacked a 'peace officer' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiroguy1 Posted February 9 Report Share Posted February 9 Originally posted by pattbateman i really, honestly, think you guys want this to happen more then you dontseriously thats how i feel Want what to happen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattbateman Posted February 9 Report Share Posted February 9 Originally posted by jamiroguy1 Want what to happen? want people to get arrested for shit like atht so you guys can bitch and say the government is taking away our rights, so your argument is supported Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiroguy1 Posted February 9 Report Share Posted February 9 Originally posted by pattbateman want people to get arrested for shit like atht so you guys can bitch and say the government is taking away our rights, so your argument is supported I'm sorry you feel that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattbateman Posted February 9 Report Share Posted February 9 you know its the truth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
normalnoises Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 I guess freedom of speech means shit in the USA now. Patbateman, Igloo, Mrmas and others of their ilk don't mind that.Conservatives hate freedom of speech. Conservatives hate America. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr mahs Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 Originally posted by normalnoises I guess freedom of speech means shit in the USA now. Patbateman, Igloo, Mrmas and others of their ilk don't mind that.Conservatives hate freedom of speech. Conservatives hate America. WE HATE AMERICA? That statement from the bottom of the earth scumbag like you is almost amusing. Who is complaining about their so called rights have been violated? YOU...Who is comparing the US to Nazi Germany? YOUYou are a small, tiny, man who has the mental capacity of a slug, don't for a second say I hate this country you walking dumpster because it couldn't be farther from the truth. You are the walking example of a Hippie wanna be, lost cause WIND BAG who's life probably past you by so you are grasping at some cause that would justify you pile of dog shit existence...GO FAWK YOURSELF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattbateman Posted February 10 Report Share Posted February 10 they are just pissed they do not live in the 60's and becasue bus loads of people no longer follow their hippie causes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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