THE GREEN PARTY OF CALIFORNIA
www.cagreens.org
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Contact: Sara Amir, GPCA spokesperson 310.270.7106
saraamir@earthlink.net
Beth Moore Haines, GPCA spokesperson 530.277.0610 beth@ncws.com
Greens second call for immediate probe of
California National Guard after emails disclose spying on anti-war
groups at Capitol
SACRAMENTO (June 30, 2005) - The Green Party of
California today said it had "grave concerns" over the
recent revelation that the California National Guard has admitted
setting up a new unit to spy on California citizens - especially those
engaging in free speech activities in opposition to the war in Iraq.
The Greens called on the Legislature to start an
immediate investigation, praising Sen. Joseph Dunn, D-Garden Grove,
who Wednesday also said he wanted hearings.
In a published report in the San Jose Mercury-News
Sunday, the Guard confessed - confirmed by Guard upper-echelon emails
- that it had tracked at least one anti-war rally held on Mother's Day
in May at the State Capitol that included Gold Star Families for
Peace, Raging Grannies and CodePink.
In those emails, the Guard said its
"folks" continued to "monitor" the rally, which
included parents of American soldiers killed in Iraq. These kind of
activities by the military - tracking civilians'
constitutionally-protected activities - are illegal under the 1878
Posse Comitatus Act, which prevents the U.S. military from
participating in domestic law enforcement.
"We have grave concerns that the First
Amendment rights of Californians have been violated, in spirit and in
practice by overzealous National Guard leaders. It's something our
elected lawmakers in Sacramento should investigate immediately,"
said Tom Bolema, GPCA Coordinating Committee representative from Los
Angeles.
Noting that the Guard exists to protect
Californians in times of natural disasters, the Greens added that the
Guard is already being misused because it is sending large numbers of
its personnel to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"There is no place in a free society for
military spying on its citizenry, especially those who are expressing
their constitutionally-protected rights. The Guard has violated that
trust, and we expect a full investigation," said Bolema.
