Group Fights Subpoenas For Peace Activists, University

DES MOINES, Iowa -- A legal activist group will ask a federal judge to throw out a grand jury subpoena against Drake University.

The federal government issued the subpoena last week because it wants records of an antiwar forum that took place in November. The subpoena is the first of its kind since Sept. 11, 2001.

The subpoena also asks for a list of names of Drake's Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. The guild is fighting the subpoena.

http://www.theiowachannel.com/education/2833197/detail.html

Federal authorities so far have refused to disclose what the investigation is about or what laws might have been broken. But an officer with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force served a subpoena to Wendy Vasquez of Des Moines on Thursday morning.

Vasquez, an antiwar activist who visited Iraq in 2002, was surprised.

"Just the whole idea that somebody would think I'm a terrorist is ludicrous," she said.

http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4788993/23463005.html

This might seem alarmist on my part, but I thought it best to get this out there.

Four people who were at an anti-war protest in November have been subpoenaed before a grand jury, but no one will say why or what they're charged with. The records of the local chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, an activist organization involved in this protest, have also been subpoenaed.

What is so unsettling about this is that no one seems to know or be willing to say why they've been summoned. The charges are possibly terrorism-related, evidenced by this, the only quote from anybody: "Just the whole idea that somebody would think I'm a terrorist is ludicrous," said the person most recently served.

http://web.morons.org/article.jsp?sectionid=8&id=4554

out there in D.M.? There was a person in here yesterday who said something was scheduled at 12:15 in front of the courthouse. Which courthouse? Federal or county? This is an affront to all people who love freedom and should be protested.

Their website:

http://www.nlg.org/

Has links to Press Release and documents about this case.

Also lots of other interesting stuff including their fight against the Miami ordinance that was used during the FTAA protests.