Records Released Concerning Maryland's Treatment of Protesters as Terrorists
The Chesapeake Climate Action Network doesn't sound much like a terrorist organization, does it? It does to the Maryland State Police. The executive director and three staff members were entered into the agency's terrorism database, apparently because the group held a nonviolent protest at a high school where Gov. Robert Ehrlich Jr. was speaking about the need to reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants. The Network didn't believe Ehrlich's proposals were adequate, so its members let him know. In less troubled times, this was known as petitioning the government to redress a grievance, or was recognized as the exercise of free speech, both protected rights under the First Amendment.
Newly released files reveal previously unreported details about the actions of the Maryland State Police, a topic discussed in earlier TalkLeft posts here and here. The decision to label the Network's Executive Director as a terrorist seems odd since he didn't attend the protest. [more ...]
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