Tom Potter, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the bogus "War on Terror"

In his Sunday commentary in the Oregonian, Garrett Epps offered these insights into the conflicts inherent in American conservatism:

• American conservatism has not one but two hearts: one is libertarian, the other authoritarian.

• The new GOP agenda seems to be less, not more, freedom.
  

Nothing is more illustrative of the trend toward authoritarianism and the restriction of freedom than the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force program now operating in more than 100 U.S. cities.  In my opinion, Portland Mayor Tom Potter and the City Council were absolutely justified in their decision to withdraw the city from the task force.

I endorsed Tom Potter in the November election mainly because I opposed the negative and money-grubbing campaign of Jim Francesconi.  I admired Potter as the "father" of community policing, and as the actual father of a lesbian Portland police officer for whom he showed unwavering support.  But I didn't know then how effective he would be as mayor.

He's proven his mettle.  Even the far left editor of the Portland Alliance, Dave Mazza (my neighbor), has given his grudging approval:

"Mayor Potter is telling the FBI that unless he gets a top secret clearance — the better to keep tabs on what those wacky g-men are up to — then he’ll pull his police officers off the Joint Terrorism Task Force and go home. Potter is shaking up the city bureaus with his business-not-as-usual approach to bringing them back under the council’s collective thumb."

The Joint Terrorism Task Force is a civil liberties disaster waiting to happen.  In fact, it's already happened too often around the country, including Oregon:

" 'There is now ample evidence that several FBI task forces elsewhere have targeted individuals because of their political or religious affiliations,' Fidanque said. 'Almost a year after Portland lawyer Brandon Mayfield was cleared of any involvement in terrorism, city officials still don’t know what, if any, involvement the police department had in that investigation.' "

Another example, the case of retired Nevada astronomer Chuck Clark, whose home was searched by the FBI, may be more common than people suspect:

"Clark isn’t a terrorist or spy but is angered that hikers, four wheelers, or photographers are being monitored by the military on public land, miles from the boundary of the base, which is clearly marked by signs."

But I believe the larger issue is this: Is there really is a global terrorist threat, one that justifies the imposition of a kind of martial law in this country?  I say there isn't. The Bush "Global War on Terror" is a bogus issue, which probably has more to do with politics-  the reelection of Bush-- than domestic security.  Here's what I wrote in this post Feb 19 post:

"Terror is a tactic, not a monolithic threat.  Terror, however repugnant, is the weapon of the weak against the perceived oppression of the powerful.  In Iraq, we're battling an insurgency largely of our own making.  In Israel--Palestine-- the enemy is Hamas and Hezbollah, groups solely concerned with Palestinian rights. And so on and on and on.   Terrorism arises in specific places in specific circumstances. It's idiotic to talk about a global war on terrorism.  Terrorism is a chimera, used as a pretext to justify huge defense expenditures and, sadly, military adventurism."

This article from the Sept. 16 edition of the Guardian goes even further.  It links the War on Terror to the goals of the neoconservative agenda outlined in the Project for the New American Century:

"The catalogue of evidence does, however, fall into place when set against the PNAC blueprint. From this it seems that the so-called 'war on terrorism' is being used largely as bogus cover for achieving wider US strategic geopolitical objectives."

I say to Bush that freedom begins at home.  It comes in the form of extended and protected civil liberties.  In that sentiment, as Garrett Epps points out, I probably have allies in the libertarian wing of the Republican Party. 

As does Tom Potter.

Comments

[W. Bruce Anderholt II]

The Brandon Mayfield example is an unfortunate case of momentum overcoming perfection. We are accustomed to perfection from the FBI fingerprint analysis folks: but even they make mistakes.

Portland's withdrawal from the JTTF will do NOTHING to prevent the next Brandon Mayfield because Mayfield was targeted based on a smudged fingerprint (and the fact he had represented a member of the Portland Seven), not simply because he is a convert to Islam.

This is pure politics: to the degree two Portland Police Officers no longer have the opportunity to keep an eye on the Feds, the Mayor's oversight decreases. This is fresh (soy) meat the City Council members are tossing to their most liberal constituents. ENJOY YOUR MEAL and pray nothing goes BOOM in Portland.