Our Rights at Risk

[Soul Rebel]

Yesterday (March 23) I went to a anti-war rally in Hartford, Ct. 1400 people showed up. It was great: so much passion, enthusiasm, and love. At the capital building we rallied and listened to some speakers and then took it to the streets. It was wonderful: people stopped their cars to honk to show their support. Finally we got back to the capital building and listened to more speakers. Out of three, one struck a cord in me. She discussed how currently our rights are being threatened due to Bushs crazy Patriot Act 2. She went on to explain how our phones can be tapped, library books monitored, websites that we go to can be monitored, etc. This is all supposedly in the name of the war against terrorism. Honestly though i find this to be a tactic of fascism. I believe this will be used to keep people from learning and gathering to conspire against the government. To keep political activity on the down low. I dont know how you all feel about this. But like i said i find it a fascist tactic and it scares me. So far my friends and i have already felt this effect. Last yr. for example my friend got arrested and they questioned him on his political activities. They knew way too much information about him. Ever since he hasnt been active because of fear. I have also been told by friends and family and especially my boyfriend to be careful, they are convinced i have already sent up a red flag due to my activities. I have been especially careful of what i do now. For example last yr. on my way home from spain i left all my communist/socialist literature there because i did not want to be questioned (if i got my stuff searched). How do you all feel? Have you been extra careful lately?

[YerbaMateJ]

SenoraChe---I have thought a lot about "who can be watching/listening/hearing me---especially on this website!!! But then, of course I think of The Comandante and what he thought. I can't recall the exact quote, but he said something to the effect that "a Revolution cannot be disguised."

It's been fascism in disguise here from the very beginning. From the time the land was taken from the Native Americans until now. It's just been covered up by bullshit.

Keep up the fight...Che vive hoy, manana, y siempre!!!

[Soul Rebel]

very true YerbaMate. Its just sad to see that there are people out there that don't see what we see: the truth. They truly believe they are free (which is just a notion in the U.S., not a reality). They have no clue that they are being watched.

Today i actually woke up listening to news of the FBI or whatever telling people not to worry about calling in to report suspicious behavior. This is sickening. It seems that now everything is suspicious behavior.

[YerbaMateJ]

Yeah Senora--- Today I heard Donald Rumsfeld (spelling?)on the radio telling the Iraqi civilians something to the effect of "we are not attacking you but your government."

I'm sure that made them feel a whole lot better.

Lies, lies, lies. They have it down to a fine art.

[ChiTown Lady]

SenoraChe – What you have heard is absolutely true. The government of the United States has passed into law, in the name of this fake War On Terrorism, the ability and right of the FBI to monitor anyone and everyone’s phone lines, internet transmissions, etc etc – and there is no need for a search warrant to do this as was required in the past.

In addition to this:

There is this government agency here called OFAC (The Office of Foreign Assets Control). Let me tell you something about this agency.

The government has mandated that ALL companies here have their payroll departments, etc. connected to the OFAC database. OFAC has a list that they maintain containing names of organizations, and even individual people who are sited as being suspected of money laundering and/or terrorist activity. Any person or group who is thought to be subversive to the US Government or the United States can have their names end up in this database. What is the implication of this? Well, if your name ends up in this database – ALL of your monetary assets in US banks, being paid by US companies, etc. will have a freeze put on them and you will NOT be able to get any of your money ever again – period.

How do I know this? Because I happen to currently be working for one of the Fortune 500 companies here in the US, and I am experiencing this movement to get all monetary systems “computer” applications hooked up to the OFAC databses first hand.

I am a Computer Software Developer.

I started working at this company several years ago at the age of 20, and am currently planning to move the Hell out of this place to a more sane environment for myself and my 10-year old daughter – Costa Rica.

My concern is this – The selection process for deciding who is subversive and who is not is all very arbitrary and there does not have to be any proof at all that a person is a criminal or convicted of any crime for their name to be put in this database.

All of my monetary assets, by US law will have to be controlled by US banks. My IRA (Individual Retirement Account) cannot be moved to a foreign bank when I leave this country – it MUST stay in a US bank, and I cannot get any of that money until I am retirement age (unless I pay an extremely high penalty for taking it early). My daughter has a minor account with my name on it, that I set up for her with some of the money we got from my mom’s house (my mom died in ’98 and my brther and I split the money from the sale of the house – for which I put half of what I got in trhe account for my little girl) – and again that account MUST stay in a US bank and cannot by law be moved to a foreign bank or even be accessed until my daughter is 18-years old. And it is not ALL that much – certainly not even enough to put her through college by US costs, but should be satisfactory in Costa Rica since that country has public education (there is a cost, but it is cheap)– even at the college level. (AND Costa Rica has a 93% literacy rate, which is one of the highest in the world) !!! Many people here in the US have a low opinion of Costa Rica, silly because it resides in Central America. How DARE THEY – But that is another matter completely and will cease to be addressed here and now.

Also, the money that I have been paying into the government run Social Security System (which was automatically taken out of my paychecks, and I had no choice about all my life because it is mandated) MUST stay in the US Social Security System and I cannot access it until I am retirement age – period. And lastly – my payroll retirement money will also be paid out by the US company that I have been working for and to a US bank account (both the company and the bank have to by law have their systems hooked up to this OFAC database.

I cannot have my “early” retirement checks sent to a Costa Rica bank, because the US Banking laws say that all payroll payouts “retirement or otherwise” by US Corporations MUST be made to US Banks – PERIOD!!!

One of the Computer Applications that are controlled by the area in which I work at CNA is the Producer Information File. This is the file that lists all of the Independent Agents who sell insurance for company for which I work. Men and women who are insurance agents and receive commission for selling policies for this company. As part of the NEW National Security laws that has just been passed here – this file has JUST RECENTLY been hooked up to this OFAC database, for the purpose of freezing all of the money of any of the agents or agencies who sell our business, who may have ties to organizations that are considered subversive or agents who’s names come up as members of suversive organizations.

ALL applications at my company that deal with paying any money out to anyone MUST be hooked to this database – according to this new law. ALL companies in the US must also have ALL of their monetary applications hooked up to this OFAC database as well. This is the way this Homeland Security and Anti Terrorist Act here is working now.

And as I said – there does not need to be any proof against a person, or any real crime committed by a person to get their name put there - only suspicion.

The OFAC database is updated daily since this supposed "War On Terrorism" here has started, and who even knows who and how people can get their names added to this database. Let’s look at a hypothetical situation, if we may. What if, for whatever reason – I were sited as subversive to the US Government – for being seen at a peace demonstration or for writing a simple web site for someone who is thought to be subversive, or for saying something that is contrary to what the US Government wants to hear? What if some shit like this got my name added to this database? The government of the United States could put a freeze on EVERYTHING that I have worked my whole life to attain – and ultimately cut me off completely. This is not something that is to be taken lightly, and this "list" is something of a blacklist – if you will. A blacklist that is being constructed here by use of very arbitrary guidelines, and without any proof against the people who are being added to the list. It is true.
Check out these sites:

Who is OFAC? It's the Office of Foreign Assets Control, a part of the Treasury Department.

http://www.cubanonet.com/ofac.html

Description of what OFAC is, and how the database look-ups work:

http://www.sword-group.com/eng/offerings/c...ompnt_ofac.html (http://www.sword-group.com/eng/offerings/compnt_ofac.html)

The "blacklisted" parties (this list appears to be updated "almost" daily):

http://www.bankersonline.com/ofac/


I will be so happy to be out of this God forsaken place in July (when I finally move to Costa Rica). The sooner we (my daughter and I) get the Hell out of here – the better. This place is truly beginning to resemble the way Nazi Germany was (in the beginning I mean – during the time when the German people thought that everything Hitler was doing was for the good of the people and for their protection). And the MOST upsetting thing about it is this – people here CANNOT see it for what it is. People here are acting like this is all for their protection. This is turning into the WORST dictatorship the world has ever seen, inside and out. Everyone will suffer in the end – the people in the Middle East and everywhere else in the world where this country is staging aggressive activities and also the people HERE and the people who have EVER lived HERE will suffer for it too – they just don’t know it yet. They can’t see what is coming, and they won’t be able to see it until they are up to their eyeballs in shit – and even then I’d like to bet that most here won’t even know why they are up to their eyeballs in shit when the shit goes down for real.

I just pray we get out of here before anything real starts goin’ down here, cuz the shit will go down – it’s just a matter of time now. Ya know?

My best bet is to find an upstanding and also hard working Costa Rican gentleman to fall in love with me, who will support me and take care of me "in the event that I am totally cut of from all of my US monetary funds" – not that those are very much – BUT STILL!!! You never know what may happen – ya know? This is the best thing I could do for myself and my child – I think. There is no guarantee that I will be able to keep all that I have worked my whole life for here, and soon there may not even be a United States – if the government of my current country continues to piss everyone else on the map off so much, as they are doing with all of this shit. This is what I think.


(Edited by ChiTown Lady at 4:09 am on Mar. 27, 2003)


(Edited by ChiTown Lady at 4:20 am on Mar. 27, 2003)

[Angie]

There were threats on the TV tonight about protests in Australia being banned if the crowds don't remain more peaceful. Of course, that just means that all the government has to do is hire a few hoons to go over the top at each protest, right in front of the police, and voila. No more street-marching voice of the people. It's that simple.

[YerbaMateJ]

Okay---now I REALLY want to get out of here. That is some scary shit.

Costa Rica is awesome and beautiful. Their government is very environmentally conscious also. Good luck to you ChitownLady!

YMj:biggrin: