Letter From a Military Mom: Domestic Spying & Incident of Intimidation

Letter From a Military Mom: Domestic Spying & Incident of Intimidation of Military Families
Written by: Robin Vaughan
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I am sending this letter to you in hope of finding a source to hear my concerns. It is something that has bothered me since the occurrence, and I know it is not something that should have happened, and I worry for my family's safety as I step out to speak about this. During my son's deployment to Iraq, February 2004-February 2005: I created a small group website on MSN, for families and friends of our soldiers’ deployed unit. It was a membership only site, and we were a tight group of mostly "Moms", from all over the United States, just trying to make it through each day. The support and help we gave one another is a singular experience of grace, I will never forget.

During the first few months of our site, the Army decided to call every single family on the site, informing them, that the site was not to be used by any of the families. The Department of Defense called families in the middle of the night to notify them to not use the web site. Most of the families were near tears, thinking they were getting "THE" call telling them their child or loved one had been killed or injured. The information received via the phone call was to inform the families that the base did not condone the site, nor the Army, and that it was not to be used; the gist was, families were not allowed to use the site, or they could get into "trouble". Some members reported their soldier calling from Iraq, telling them to be careful about using the site as the Army was monitoring it.

As Web Mistress of the site, I needed to respond and qualify this information, as well as to educate this commanding officer as to the rights and liberties of a private web site; which I did. I was told I would have to let a commanding officer on the site to monitor the messages; I did allow this, but I also informed the officer that this was a courtesy, as there is no such law, or right of the military to monitor, shut down or exclude our web site.

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Originally I contacted my Senators office, with no reply for six months, and have also spoken with the A.C.L.U; (with little hope of action due to the length of time that has passed) but until now was not willing to come forward in a public way. It took until September for my son to be safely stationed at another base, and other family's service members to either be out of the service all together, or be transferred as well.

rest of the article
http://www.altpr.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=559&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

Veterans Against the Iraq War
http://www.vaiw.org/vet/index.php

Intimidation, skulduggery against citizens without balance of powers, I believe it is too late for stopping the madness that infects our government.

This is sick and ugly, an amerikka that I can't understand or support.

The nations war people are treated as slaves, their families railroaded into submission. No wonder actual enlistments are down. Who wants to be cannon fodder for the neocon ideals of lying? What family wants the intrusion of government into their life?

The corporations and the military and the political and baron arm of the cabal called this occupation. These soldiers are not fighting a national war, they are fighting a corporate military cabal occupation and the families are intimidated to maintain the delusion. The truth hurts. The truth is awful. And we are still lying to our childlren when we teach them from kindegarten about this great nation.

People who cannot see, hear, or feel that this is an concocted occupation are going to hurt when it slowly dawns on them.

What are our history books going to say? Will they all be burned and replaced so that the delusion thrives?

I want to know stories like these. I usually try to think what the other parties might say in their defense. Well, we know that it doesn't matter again because their occupation is brought to us through lies. It's all lies. Therefore, I detect nothing here to make me not want to believe this mother.

what a load, bullying the families of GIs. not only is there no respect for the constitution or the law, there is simply no respect, period.

The victim herself contributed to the discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2326245