On Fri, 13 Aug 2004 11:40:07 -0400, Brice Yokem <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>I have a very strong dislike in the politics of GWB and Mr. Cheney.
>can you live with that? ;-) I sure can.
>
>------------------
>
>I see a much bigger difference between the politics of JK and RR,
>than I do betwen the politics of RR and GWB.
>
>I am not sure what you see.
>

Mr. Yokem,

I see a man who doesn't see the truth/reality anymore because he is
surrounded by "YES SIR" and/or somebody's puppet.
Does he and his neo-conservatives know what democracy is and what it is
about? Much closer to George Orwell's 1984 and Minority Report.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040816/ap_on_el_pr/bush_preaching_to_the_choir_1
Bush Camp Controlling Admission to Events
or
http://news.yahoo.com/news?
tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040817/ap_on_el_pr/gop_convention_security_3
FBI Tracks Potential GOP Protesters

Bush Camp Controlling Admission to Events Mon Aug 16, 2:07 PM ET

By SCOTT LINDLAW, Associated Press Writer

BEAVERTON, Ore. - President Bush's team exerts close control over admission
to his campaign events. Dissenters and would-be hecklers are turned away,
campaign officials say. On several occasions in recent weeks, Democrats who
have gotten in have been ejected because they wore pro-Kerry T-shirts.

The Bush campaign billed his visit to Beaverton as a chance for ordinary
citizens to pose questions to the president.

But first, his audience at "Ask President Bush" heard a 21-minute speech
from Bush. Then there were 22 minutes of testimonials on his domestic
policies from four supporters. After that, Bush moved into a second speech
lasting 24 minutes on terrorism and Iraq, along with a few comments about
his meetings with world leaders.

His audience did not mind waiting more than an hour for the question-and-
answer session. This was no town hall appearance before a cross-section of
citizens. Bush-Cheney re-election headquarters had instructed Oregon
campaign officials to distribute tickets, so the school gymnasium was
filled last Friday with 2,000 passionate Bush backers.

By contrast, most of Kerry's events are open to the public, though there
have been some town hall events that are invitation-only. For certain
appearances, the Kerry campaign has distributed tickets to the local party,
unions and other supporters.

But Kerry spokesman David Wade said that any member of the public can get a
ticket from a local campaign office or from the affiliated groups on a
first-come, first-served basis. Many people are admitted without any
ticket.

"I think America deserves a president who is willing to talk to anybody, I
don't care if you are Democrat, Republican or independent," Kerry said
Friday.

Kerry's more open approach carries political risks. Sometimes protesters
show up and try to disrupt his appearances. To get across their point that
Kerry is a flip-flopper, they often clap flip-flop sandals over their
heads, and chant, "Four more years!"

Such dissent is never a problem for Bush.

When the time came to "Ask President Bush" Friday, none of his 16
questioners challenged him on his policies. Several did not ask questions
at all, but simply voiced their support.

"If it wasn't for your tax cuts and your stimulus and your steady hand
since 9/11, my job would never happen," one man said.

"Could you take a moment to pray for Oregon, for us, right now?" asked one
questioner. (Bush declined.)

"Mr. President, as a child, how can I help you get votes?" another audience
member inquired.

"Thank you for serving!"

"My husband and my twins and I pray for you daily, as do many home
schoolers. Thank you for recognizing home schoolers."

Bush campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel said the Bush team strives to draw
some undecided voters to each event, though he could not estimate how many
typically attend. There appear to be few fence-sitters at Bush's events,
where audiences frequently interrupt the president to cheer.

The president's events are not designed to convert Kerry backers, but
rather energize Bush's base, aides say.

"The thousands of people at these events are the messengers for the
campaign," Stanzel said. "They go out and spread the message, whether it's
at their place of business or their VFW or sportsman's club or just in
their neighborhood."

Bush's camp has taken other measures to keep non-supporters out of Bush's
events.

Last month, some Democrats who signed up to hear Vice President Dick Cheney
speak near Albuquerque, N.M., were refused tickets unless they signed a
pledge to endorse Bush. The Bush campaign described the measure as a
security step designed to avoid a disruption it contended had been planned.

Campaign spokesman Dan Foley said people calling for tickets from an anti-
Bush group's telephone line underwent screening. Those seeking to attend
the speech but giving false names were denied tickets, he said.

Bush's admission policy can leave the impression that the president has
strong support wherever he goes.

Labor unions traditionally align with Democrats and have not been
particularly friendly to Bush. So when Bush spoke at a Las Vegas union hall
Thursday, the campaign used its usual ticket distribution policy to pack
the hall with backers.

The crowd roared its approval throughout the speech. Some tickets were also
given to union members. A few of them sat silently in the back rows.

----------------------
NEW YORK (AP) -- The men who showed up at John Young's door were courteous
and professional. Also intimidating. They were, after all, from the FBI.

"Just a visit by the FBI has overtones," said Young, a 68-year-old activist
who says the government has been monitoring a Web site he runs ever since
the agents visited late last year. "Whether you've done anything wrong or
not, you think, 'Oh no."'

With the Republican National Convention less than two weeks away, federal
agents and city police are keeping tabs on activists and others they
believe might try to cause trouble. They are making unannounced visits to
people's homes, conducting interviews and monitoring Web sites and
meetings.

The effort has been overshadowed by far-reaching counterterrorism measures
planned for the Aug. 30-Sept. 2 event. Officials won't discuss it in
detail, other than to say investigators always act within the law.

"Violent acts are not protected by the U.S. Constitution, and the FBI has a
duty to prevent such acts and to identify and bring to justice those who
commit them," FBI Assistant Director Cassandra M. Chandler said Monday in a
statement.

Ann Roman, a Secret Service spokeswoman, said its agents expect to respond
to an increase in possible domestic threats against President Bush and
other dignitaries as the convention at Madison Square Garden nears.

"How we do that specifically, I'm not going to go into," Roman said.

According to three law-enforcement sources, federal agents in New York have
begun interviewing people they believe might know about plots to sow mayhem
at the convention, and have used surveillance against possible suspects.

The intelligence unit of the New York Police Department has been watching
Web sites run by self-described anarchists. It also has sent young, scruffy-
looking officers posing as activists to protest-organizing meetings, said
one high-ranking law enforcement source, who spoke on condition of
anonymity.

Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union,
raised an alarm, arguing that few people know they have a right to turn
away the FBI.

"Political interrogation without suspicion of criminal activity harkens
back to the bad old days of the McCarthy era," she said. "The FBI does not
have a right to intimidate people for criticizing the government."

Officials deny the operation threatens civil rights. They note that the FBI
interviews are voluntary, and that protest meetings and Internet postings
being monitored are public forums.

The Justice Department, through its office of legal counsel, concluded in
an April 2004 memo that two FBI bulletins were proper in alerting law
enforcement officers last year about expected protests in Washington, San
Francisco and Miami.

Recent FBI bulletins about anti-war protests have urged local police to "be
alert" and report "potentially illegal acts" to federal terrorism task
forces. Illegal activity -- such as bombings, vandalism or trespass --
 "falls outside the scope of the First Amendment," the Justice Department
concluded.

In recent weeks, several people linked to anarchist groups in Colorado,
Kansas, Missouri and elsewhere have reported being "harassed" by federal
agents about the convention.

Many activists fear a repeat of the last Republican convention, in
Philadelphia, where authorities were accused of rounding up protesters on
trumped-up charges before they could take to the streets. Police raided a
warehouse and seized puppets that protesters planned to use as props, and
arrested an organizer on misdemeanor charges and held on $1 million bail
before his case was dropped.

Authorities in New York say no pre-emptive strikes are planned.

"We're not looking to get people with open warrants or anything like that,"
the law enforcement source said. "We'll only arrest them if they commit
vandalism or other illegal acts on 'Game Day."'

In Manhattan, Young caught law enforcement's attention by what he described
as an innocent attempt to expose gaps in national security through his Web
site, cryptome.org. Recent postings feature diagrams, maps and photos of
rail tunnels and gas lines leading toward Madison Square Garden.

The goal, he said, was "to point out what's not being protected."

In November, two FBI agents arrived at his apartment and told him they
believed information on his site "could be used to harm the United States,"
he said.

"They were very polite," he said. "They made it clear that nothing I was
doing was illegal."

The agents also suggested he could help them identify threats -- an idea he
rejected as "an invitation to be an informant."

Since then, Young said, his Web site has recorded a "tremendous number" of
hits from the Department of Justice and -- in recent weeks -- the NYPD.

"It certainly is chilling," he said.

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