September 7, 2008
Spying by police imperils liberty
The recent revelations of Maryland State Police surveillance against Maryland peace activists are outrageous, terrifying and an affront to all real Americans on so many levels that it's hard to know where to begin ("Spying uncovered," July 18).
Aside from this program being a huge waste of taxpayer money as real crimes go unsolved, the idea of treating nonviolent protest as if it were a form of terrorism defies belief. Sadly, I suspect that this case, as chilling as its implications are, is only the tip of the iceberg.
The Bush administration has encouraged a culture of surveillance to take root in our country, and we're sure to see even more cases like this one across the country as we learn more about the ways our constitutional rights have been eroded or erased over the past seven years.
I hope it's not too late for us to demand our rights be restored.
Michael Johnson
Baltimore
The writer is a member of Baltimore Pledge of Resistance.
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