As a nation, we must be vigilant and careful in balancing the competing needs of national security and the fundamental rights and values of individuals in a free and democratic society. |
Our goal was to better understand what happened, and why the campus demonstration appeared on the domestic surveillance database. We are very pleased that the Pentagon has removed that event from the list. Political dissent is protected speech. I believe that these kinds of lists really smack of McCarthyism and it is reminiscent of 1954. |
We are greatly concerned about the Pentagon's investigation of a UCSC campus protest of military recruiting last spring. MSNBC reports that this protest was classified as a 'credible threat' by the Department of Defense. |