Three NW Indiana peace activists barred from CIA director speech

[kas125]

Three NW Indiana peace activists were barred from attending a speech by the CIA Director in Chicago Tuesday night. ONE OF THEM IS ME! The reason we were not allowed in? Nobody would tell us, but I seriously think it was because earlier that day, I came here, to DU and discussed asking him a question!!!! (http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=2164816)


Press Advisory: October 31, 2007
Three Calumet Region peace activists barred from CIA Director Hayden
speech in Chicago

Three Hoosiers set out from Northwest Indiana yesterday evening to
hear a speech by CIA Director, General Michael V. Hayden sponsored by
the Illinois Council on Foreign Relations. The three, Nina Klooster
of Lake Village, Kathryn Sturm of Merrillville and Nick Egnatz of
Munster had purchased tickets online and were looking forward to
hearing Director Hayden talk about national security. They planned to
pose some questions weighing heavily on their minds during the
question and answer period.

When the three arrived at the event they were stopped at the door and
told that their names were on a security list they would not be
admitted to the speech. According to Brad Blokell, director of
Security and Safety at the Intercontinental Chicago, the speaker, CIA
Director Hayden had placed the three on the list.

“I wanted to ask Director Hayden to explain how Extraordinary
Rendition of foreign nationals and torture of prisoners held in
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and secret CIA prisons around the world is
helping to improve the security of the United States,” said Nina
Klooster, of Northwest Indiana CodePink. “It is my personal
conviction that these kinds of actions are making us less safe, as
they have gained us many new enemies. The fact that we torture has
caused us to lose the moral high ground that we had gained after
9/11.”

The three went to the Intercontinental Hotel at 505 N Michigan in
good faith as citizens and tax payers to ask the CIA Director about
actions that they believe are causing harm to United States security
and eroding the United States Constitution. Kathryn Sturm, also of
Northwest Indiana CodePink, had planned to ask the Director of the
CIA about his statement several months ago that the fourth amendment
to the United States Constitution does not mandate probable cause for
a warrant to be issued to search and seize the personal property of
United States Citizens. “ I wanted to ask Director Hayden if he
still believes that Americans can be spied on simply on the basis of
suspicion rather than on the clearly delineated provision of probable
cause in the fourth amendment,” said Ms. Sturm. “It is clear on
reading of the fourth amendment that probable cause is mandated. I
wondered if the CIA Director had taken the time to read the
Constitution since his unfortunate statement on television.”

“As a veteran who served my country during the Vietnam War,” said
Nick Egnatz, of Veterans for Peace, “I am appalled at the thought of
America resorting to torture. Torture does not produce reliable
intelligence; rather it terrorizes all who witness it, making
citizens afraid to speak out against the government and destroying
democracy. All military family members should in particular be very
concerned about our government using torture, since it sets the
precedent for those we are fighting to use torture against their
loved ones. Placing the names of people on lists is another form of
terror that totalitarian governments use to control citizens. I
can’t believe that our government has sunk to this level.”

[madhoosier]

1. Two words;

Two words; Data mining.