national guard spy unit disbanded
what's it coming to when ordinary citizens have to worry about being spied on by the national guard? this is clearly an abuse of the national guard. shame on Arnold's "press office" or whoever was really responsible. and shame on any guard officer who complied with the request.
National Guard dismantles unit accused of spying on protesters
Friday, December 2, 2005
(12-02) 11:09 PST SACRAMENTO, (AP) --
The California National Guard has dismantled a unit under legislative investigation for allegations it illegally spied on anti-war activists during a Mother's Day rally last year.
Guard officials said the intelligence unit did nothing improper and merely monitored news media coverage of the Capitol rally [b]at the request of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's press office[/b].
But state Sen. Joe Dunn, D-Garden Grove, said the unit's activities may have violated the law. Guard officials said they were exonerated by a U.S. Army Inspector General's Office investigation, but [b]the full investigative report has never been made public[/b] and Dunn said questions remain.
Maj. Gen. William H. Wade II, who took over Sept. 1 as the state's new adjutant general, ordered the unit disbanded in a three paragraph memo Nov. 16. The unit's leader, Col. Robert J. O'Neill, will end his appointment Dec. 31. The other member have been reassigned.
The unit was created last year by Maj. Gen. Thomas Eres, who retired as adjutant general in June under pressure.
Guard spokesman Col. David Baldwin said the unit never had proper budget approval from lawmakers and violated military procedure.
"It means that at least for now, the Guard leadership won't be tempted to engage in domestic surveillance activities in California, which are barred by federal law," said Dunn, who oversees the Guard's funding as chairman of a Senate budget subcommittee.
He is seeking to create a Guard inspector general's office that would report directly to the governor.
The unit "needed to be nipped in the bud," said Ruth Robertson of Palo Alto, a member of the group Raging Grannies, whose members participated in the rally at the state Capitol. "It needed to be dismantled."
Other groups at the rally included Gold Star Families for Peace and CodePink.
National Guard dismantles unit accused of spying on protesters
Friday, December 2, 2005
(12-02) 11:09 PST SACRAMENTO, (AP) --
The California National Guard has dismantled a unit under legislative investigation for allegations it illegally spied on anti-war activists during a Mother's Day rally last year.
Guard officials said the intelligence unit did nothing improper and merely monitored news media coverage of the Capitol rally [b]at the request of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's press office[/b].
But state Sen. Joe Dunn, D-Garden Grove, said the unit's activities may have violated the law. Guard officials said they were exonerated by a U.S. Army Inspector General's Office investigation, but [b]the full investigative report has never been made public[/b] and Dunn said questions remain.
Maj. Gen. William H. Wade II, who took over Sept. 1 as the state's new adjutant general, ordered the unit disbanded in a three paragraph memo Nov. 16. The unit's leader, Col. Robert J. O'Neill, will end his appointment Dec. 31. The other member have been reassigned.
The unit was created last year by Maj. Gen. Thomas Eres, who retired as adjutant general in June under pressure.
Guard spokesman Col. David Baldwin said the unit never had proper budget approval from lawmakers and violated military procedure.
"It means that at least for now, the Guard leadership won't be tempted to engage in domestic surveillance activities in California, which are barred by federal law," said Dunn, who oversees the Guard's funding as chairman of a Senate budget subcommittee.
He is seeking to create a Guard inspector general's office that would report directly to the governor.
The unit "needed to be nipped in the bud," said Ruth Robertson of Palo Alto, a member of the group Raging Grannies, whose members participated in the rally at the state Capitol. "It needed to be dismantled."
Other groups at the rally included Gold Star Families for Peace and CodePink.
posted by scalene at 11:54 AM
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