Free-speech advocates and war protesters will turn over to federal agents 175 "mugshots" taken during a March 19th protest in Ann Arbor, at which 1,200 people rallied for an end to the Iraq War. The mug shots can be viewed online at michiganpeaceworks.org. Through this action, participants will ease the workload of federal spies, freeing them up to engage in legitimate law-enforcement activities that will keep our country safer. Participants will also save taxpayer money, thereby demonstrating the patriotism of war opponents.

Through satire and humor, members of Michigan Peaceworks are calling attention to the serious issue of domestic spying by the NSA and FBI. In particular, the group is highlighting the recently revealed FBI surveillance of Pittsburgh's pacifist Thomas Merton Center. Merton Center Director Jim Kleissler will attend and make a statement in support of Ann Arbor's "free speech outlaws." The Department of Homeland Security has been notified of this action and will have a representative on hand to accept the "mugshots." After the Federal Building action, Merton Center Director Kleissler and Ann Arbor activists will continue the discussion at The Circus, 210 S. First St. (2 blocks west of the Federal Building).

The purpose of the "turn yourself in" action is to counter the chilling effect caused by government surveillance and to maintain a safe space for dissent. By embracing the title of "dissenter," protesters will defuse the Bush administration's campaign to discredit its foreign policy critics and will show that opposition to the war will not be silenced. Protesters will also highlight the hypocrisy of the Bush Administration's policy of fighting for freedom abroad while squelching it at home - both through FBI spying on law-abiding peace groups and NSA eavesdropping on American citizens without obtaining warrants.

"The government's message has been 'trust us - we're only spying on terrorists and if you've done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear,'" stated Michigan Peaceworks' program coordinator Joseph Kuilema. "But obviously, since they're also spying on law-abiding peace activists, that message is not true. The Bush Administration has betrayed our trust."

The FBI's investigation of Thomas Merton Center
Two weeks ago, the Thomas Merton Center and the ACLU unveiled documents obtained through a FOIA request indicating that an FBI counterterrorism unit had infiltrated and conducted surveillance on the Merton Center from late 2002 through 2005. The documents show that the FBI targeted the group for its anti-war activities, including distribution of leaflets in downtown Pittsburgh opposing the Iraq War. One FBI document characterized the Merton Center as "a left-wing organization advocating, among many political causes, pacifism." The Pittsburgh case is significant because it represents the first time in recent history that the FBI's stated reason for spying includes beliefs and political activities protected by the First Amendment.

Shades of COINTELPRO?
The Merton Center case is the latest in a series of revelations of government surveillance of peaceful social change organizations, such as the American Friends Service Committee in Denver, Colorado; Patriots for Peace in Melbourne, Florida; and Food Not Bombs in Austin, Texas. It raises fears among free-speech advocates that the Bush Administration may be initiating a modern-day version of COINTELPRO (short for Counterintelligence Program) - the secret FBI operation in the 1960s and 1970s that gathered information on and attempted to destroy the anti-Vietnam War movement, the civil rights movement, and its leaders (most notably Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.).

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