Chris Hedges: The Revolutionaries in Our Midst

[marmar]

from truthdig:


The Revolutionaries in Our Midst

Posted on Nov 10, 2013
By Chris Hedges


NEW YORK—Jeremy Hammond sat in New York’s Metropolitan Correctional Center last week in a small room reserved for visits from attorneys. He was wearing an oversized prison jumpsuit. The brown hair of the lanky 6-footer fell over his ears, and he had a wispy beard. He spoke with the intensity and clarity one would expect from one of the nation’s most important political prisoners.

On Friday the 28-year-old activist will appear for sentencing in the Southern District Court of New York in Manhattan. After having made a plea agreement, he faces the possibility of a 10-year sentence for hacking into the Texas-based private security firm Strategic Forecasting Inc., or Stratfor, which does work for the Homeland Security Department, the Marine Corps, the Defense Intelligence Agency and numerous corporations including Dow Chemical and Raytheon.

Four others involved in the hacking have been convicted in Britain, and they were sentenced to less time combined—the longest sentence was 32 months—than the potential 120-month sentence that lies before Hammond.

Hammond turned the pilfered information over to the website WikiLeaks and Rolling Stone and other publications. The 3 million email exchanges, once made public, exposed the private security firm’s infiltration, monitoring and surveillance of protesters and dissidents, especially in the Occupy movement, on behalf of corporations and the national security state. And, perhaps most important, the information provided chilling evidence that anti-terrorism laws are being routinely used by the federal government to criminalize nonviolent, democratic dissent and falsely link dissidents to international terrorist organizations. Hammond sought no financial gain. He got none. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/the_revolutionaries_in_our_midst_20131110

[xchrom]

1. du rec.

[woo me with science]

2. "to criminalize nonviolent, democratic dissent and falsely link dissidents to international terroris

Thank you for this post:

"And, perhaps most important, the information provided chilling evidence that anti-terrorism laws are being routinely used by the federal government to criminalize nonviolent, democratic dissent and falsely link dissidents to international terrorist organizations."

We live in a corporate surveillance/police state now, no matter what "democratic" scenery the corporate thieves choose to keep up on the walls.

K&R

[mother earth]

6. Wm. Binney (formerly of NSA) says as much & adds all presidents starting with GW/cheney to today

should have been impeached for what they have done...it IS criminal and has only grown in scope, absolutely unconstitutional.

[truebluegreen]

9. Not only the presidents,

but the congressional intelligence oversight committee members as well...

Looking at you, DiFi.

[fishwax]

3. Kick

[L0oniX]

4. Anyone with half a brain would know that they would abuse the power.

We have a right to dissent and protest and not to be criminalized for it. It's the 60's all over again.

[westerebus]

5. Has the President's staff informed him of this?

[raouldukelives]

7. K&R One wonders where the real sacrifices for freedom & justice are made on days like today. nt

[heaven05]

8. what a shame

and exposes this country for the sham it is. By the way, Occupy was infiltrated by 'patriots' from the very beginning. God bless amerikkka.

[Eleanors38]

10. Stratfor's hires didn't have to walk far: 5 blks from Occupy Austin/City Hall.

Probably had coffee with APD infiltrators.

[JEB]

11. Why isn't this story front page and 24/7 on the TV?

Because the perps own the media.

[JEB]

12. More whistle blowers facing harsh punishment.

Still a few brave individuals risk much to reveal bits of truth. All the while media and political parties worship Fascist collaborators.