prop11

 From :    

prop1@prop1.org  

    

To :    

"victor gruber" <rightprotect@hotmail.com>  

   

Subject :    

Re: P.S. Re: With the Internet, I'm going to eliminate money and bring world peace. Really.  

   

Date :    

Thu, 01 May 2003 02:09:21 -0400  

   

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At 08:55 PM 4/30/2003 -0500, you wrote: 

        yeah, i've considered that.  i didn't include their last names or their addreses.  do you really think the feds are going to spend their time and money looking up these innocent people?  and to what purpose? 

 

Of course, I think those jerks would spend time and money on something like that.  These maniacal nazis have absolutely nothing better to do than investigate, hassle, imprison, bomb or otherwise screw people up. 

Thomas 

From :    

prop1@prop1.org  

    

To :    

"victor gruber" <rightprotect@hotmail.com>  

   

Subject :    

Do they have the time and money?  

   

Date :    

Thu, 01 May 2003 02:14:48 -0400  

   

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http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=15770 

Patriot Raid 

By Jason Halperin, AlterNet 

April 29, 2003 

Two weeks ago I experienced a very small taste of what hundreds of South 

Asian immigrants and U.S. citizens of South Asian descent have gone through 

since 9/11, and what thousands of others have come to fear. I was held, 

against my will and without warrant or cause, under the USA PATRIOT Act. 

While I understand the need for some measure of security and precaution in 

times such as these, the manner in which this detention and interrogation 

took place raises serious questions about police tactics and the 

safeguarding of civil liberties in times of war. 

That night, March 20th, my roommate Asher and I were on our way to see the 

Broadway show "Rent." We had an hour to spare before curtain time so we 

stopped into an Indian restaurant just off of Times Square in the heart of 

midtown. I have omitted the name of the restaurant so as not to subject the 

owners to any further harassment or humiliation. 

We helped ourselves to the buffet and then sat down to begin eating our 

dinner. I was just about to tell Asher how I'd eaten there before and how 

delicious the vegetable curry was, but I never got a chance. All of a 

sudden, there was a terrible commotion and five NYPD in bulletproof vests 

stormed down the stairs. They had their guns drawn and were pointing them 

indiscriminately at the restaurant staff and at us. 

"Go to the back, go to the back of the restaurant," they yelled. 

I hesitated, lost in my own panic. 

"Did you not hear me, go to the back and sit down," they demanded. 

I complied and looked around at the other patrons. There were eight men 

including the waiter, all of South Asian descent and ranging in age from 

late-teens to senior citizen. One of the policemen pointed his gun 

point-blank in the face of the waiter and shouted: "Is there anyone else in 

the restaurant?" The waiter, terrified, gestured to the kitchen. 

The police placed their fingers on the triggers of their guns and kicked 

open the kitchen doors. Shouts emanated from the kitchen and a few seconds 

later five Hispanic men were made to crawl out on their hands and knees, 

guns pointed at them. 

After patting us all down, the five officers seated us at two tables. As 

they continued to kick open doors to closets and bathrooms with their 

fingers glued to their triggers, no less than ten officers in suits emerged 

from the stairwell. Most of them sat in the back of the restaurant typing on 

their laptop computers. Two of them walked over to our table and identified 

themselves as officers of the INS and Homeland Security Department. 

I explained that we were just eating dinner and asked why we were being 

held. We were told by the INS agent that we would be released once they had 

confirmation that we had no outstanding warrants and our immigration status 

was OK'd. 

In pre-9/11 America, the legality of this would have been questionable. 

After all, the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution states: "The right of 

the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, 

against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated; and no 

warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or 

affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the 

persons or things to be seized." 

"You have no right to hold us," Asher insisted. 

"Yes, we have every right," responded one of the agents. "You are being held 

under the Patriot Act following suspicion under an internal Homeland 

Security investigation." 

The USA PATRIOT Act was passed into law on October 26, 2001 in order to 

facilitate the post 9/11 crackdown on terrorism (the name is actually an 

acronym: "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools 

Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act.") Like most Americans, I 

did not recognize the extent to which this bill foregoes our civil 

liberties. Among the unprecedented rights it grants to the federal 

government are the right to wiretap without warrant, and the right to detain 

without warrant. As I quickly discovered, the right to an attorney has been 

seemingly fudged as well. 

When I asked to speak to a lawyer, the INS official informed me that I do 

have the right to a lawyer but I would have to be brought down to the 

station and await security clearance before being granted one. When I asked 

how long that would take, he replied with a coy smile: "Maybe a day, maybe a 

week, maybe a month." 

We insisted that we had every right to leave and were going to do so. One of 

the policemen walked over with his hand on his gun and taunted: "Go ahead 

and leave, just go ahead." 

We remained seated. Our IDs were taken, and brought to the officers with 

laptops. I was questioned over the fact that my license was out of state, 

and asked if I had "something to hide." The police continued to hassle the 

kitchen workers, demanding licenses and dates of birth. One of the kitchen 

workers was shaking hysterically and kept providing the day's date - March 

20, 2003, over and over. 

As I continued to press for legal counsel, a female officer who had been 

busy typing on her laptop in the front of the restaurant, walked over and 

put her finger in my face. "We are at war, we are at war and this is for 

your safety," she exclaimed. As she walked away from the table, she 

continued to repeat it to herself? "We are at war, we are at war. How can 

they not understand this." 

I most certainly understand that we are at war. I also understand that the 

freedoms afforded to all of us in the Constitution were meant specifically 

for times like these. Our freedoms were carved out during times of strife by 

people who were facing brutal injustices, and were intended specifically so 

that this nation would behave differently in such times. If our freedoms 

crumble exactly when they are needed most, then they were really never 

freedoms at all. 

After an hour and a half the INS agent walked back over and handed Asher and 

me our licenses. A policeman took us by the arm and escorted us out of the 

building. Before stepping out to the street, the INS agent apologized. He 

explained, in a low voice, that they did not think the two of us were in the 

restaurant. Several of the other patrons, though of South Asian descent, 

were in fact U.S. citizens. There were four taxi drivers, two students, one 

newspaper salesman - unwitting customers, just like Asher and me. I doubt, 

though, they received any apologies from the INS or the Department of 

Homeland Security. 

Nor have the over 600 people of South Asian descent currently being held 

without charge by the Federal government. Apparently, this type of treatment 

is acceptable. One of the taxi drivers, a U.S. citizen, spoke to me during 

the interrogation. "Please stop talking to them," he urged. "I have been 

through this before. Please do whatever they say. Please for our sake." 

Three days later I phoned the restaurant to discover what happened. The 

owner was nervous and embarrassed and obviously did not want to talk about 

it. But I managed to ascertain that the whole thing had been one giant 

mistake. A mistake. Loaded guns pointed in faces, people made to crawl on 

their hands and knees, police officers clearly exacerbating a tense 

situation by kicking in doors, taunting, keeping their fingers on the 

trigger even after the situation was under control. A mistake. And, 

according to the ACLU a perfectly legal one, thanks to the Patriot Act. 

The Patriot Act is just the first phase of the erosion of the Fourth 

Amendment. From the Justice Department has emerged a draft of the Domestic 

Securities Enhancement Act, also known as Patriot II. Among other things, 

this act would allow the Justice Department to detain anyone, anytime, 

secretly and indefinitely. It would also make it a crime to reveal the 

identity or even existence of such a detainee. 

Every American citizen, whether they support the current war or not, should 

be alarmed by the speed and facility with which these changes to our 

fundamental rights are taking place. And all of those who thought that these 

laws would never affect them, who thought that the Patriot Act only applied 

to the guilty, should heed this story as a wake-up call. Please learn from 

my experience. We are all vulnerable so speak out and organize, our Fourth 

Amendment rights depend upon it. 

Jason Halperin lives in New York City and works at Doctors Without 

Borders/Medicins San Frontieres. If you are moved by this account, he asks 

that you consider donating to your local ACLU chapter. 

_________________________________________________________ 

Peace Through Reason - http://prop1.org - Convert the War Machines! 

Online Petition - http://www.PetitionOnline.com/prop1/petition.html 

NucNews Links - http://prop1.org/nucnews/ 

 

 

 From :  <prop1@prop1.org> 

Sent :  Tuesday, July 8, 2003 1:46 AM 

To :  "victor gruber" <rightprotect@hotmail.com> 

Subject :  Re: P.S. Re: With the Internet, I'm going to eliminate money and bring world peace. Really. 

  

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At 05:34 AM 5/1/2003 -0500, you wrote: 

       shit thomas, did you read my story i sent you about hays county jail? 

 

Yes, I did. 

    my court date is today. 

 

Apparently that was the last message received from you.  Apparently that message slipped under my radar, and never got responded to. 

    i'm a little nervous, now.  i was supposed to have lined up an attorney by now.  at least a court-appointed one. 

 

So, what happened? 

    i had asked if i could represent myself and told no by the pigs. 

 

Fifth Amendment; you have a right to represent yourself.  However, there is an adage to which I subscribe:  "One who is his own lawyer has a fool for a client."  At least, my experience tends to indicate that certainly seems to be the case, especially when the one representing himself is so unfamiliar with judicial procedure that he doesn't know the provisions of the Fifth Amendment. 

      i'm just going to show up this morning and see what happens.  they can't put me back in jail, right?  also, they only busted me with like a gram or two of weed.  while they had me in the backseat, i saw them sitting in the other car, reviewing my mini-cassette recorder.  i told them i was writing a book and that it was nothing but the truth.  the pig asked me, "did you record yourself smoking marijuana on your tape?"  i told him yes, that it was nothing but the truth.  he said that my things would be investigated and used as evidence.  for what though?  i was already guilty with the marijuana.  wasn't it a breach of privacy for the cops to be reviewing my logs? 

 

So what happened? 

        also, i always travel with my computer hard drive, and they said that would be investigated, too.  little do they know that i want them to investigate it.  i'm hoping they will see how much sense it makes. 

 

Godspeed. 

        now, due to two head-injuries i have had, i log everything to compensate for any memory-deficits.  so, in the cops possession they have about 2 years worth of my memory.  the detective already called me and said i could go pick up my stuff, but i haven't been able to get a ride to san marcos. 

 

Ever considered walking, or, even hitch-hiking?  Or what about borrowing a bicycle from someone? 

      also, right before i got thrown in jail, i was kidnapped at gunpoint. 

what?  that's what i get for having a gun pulled on me and forced into the back of a truck?  6 days in jail?  now, i am more than willing to forgive the redneck who kidnapped me, he didn't know any better, if i am assured 100% of my possessions are returned to me.  they have my army rucksack with my whole wardrobe that i have had to do without all this time. 

    well, today is going to be a crazy day, i can feel it.  if i don't update you on what happened, assume i have been assasinated, hehe.  oh well, time will tell. 

 

Apologize again for the tardy reply. 

So what happened? 

Thomas