What sort of groups do you belong to? Never mind. Whatever they are, you're probably considered a terrorist threat by the State of Minnesota and you are likely to use weapons of mass destruction (WMD) to get your point across.
Below, Jeanne Weigum, long the director of ANSR - Association for Nonsmokers' Rights - fears for her safety - not from errant smoke, but from the State Police. Her so-called "anti-tobacco" group is in that category of sample organizations listed as terrorist threats, against which the state will fund local units of government to fight. Any environmental organization (Sierra Club? Audubon Society?) is shown as an example of a level 4 terrorist organization, able to employ WMD in their terroristic pursuit of an environmental agenda. All dissent is considered a terrorist threat. All dissent. We're not kidding, people. Go to this site and take note of the kinds of groups the State's public safety operation cites as examples of terroristic organizations on Page 2 of this "Master Application for Domestic Preparedness Equipment and Training Grants". The form is in PDF (Adobe's free Acrobat Reader format) and amazing for what this represents. http://www.dps.state.mn.us/emermgt/domestic_preparedness/grant/2002/pdf/mast Be afraid. Be very afraid. Andy Driscoll Saint Paul -------- What does it matter to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy? � Mahatma Ghandi ---------- From: Jeanne Weigum <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>> Subject: Anti-tobacco organizations as potential terrorists Buried deeply in a lengthy article on ant-terrorism funding in the Strib is a small bit that curled my hair. The Department of Public Safety developed a checklist for local units of government to complete to help them identify possible terrorists in their midst. The forms are part of the application process to get funding for anti-terrorism funds. On page two of the form includes: Threat Factors; Threat level (scale of 1-10); Motivation (Political, Religious, Environmental, Racial, Special interest); and WMD (weapons of mass destruction for you uninitiates) which include biological, nuclear, radiological, incendiary, chemical, explosive or unknown. Then the state helpfully provides 2 illustrations: "anti-tobacco" group is listed with a threat level of 3 with unknown weapons of mass destruction. Environmental group is listed as a threat level 4 with chemical, explosive and incendiary weapons listed as being at their disposal. I am offended at the categories and the illustrations. What kind of mind comes up with a public health group as an appropriate illustration of a terrorist threat in the community? If this represents the thinking of our Department of Public Safety, we should not feel safe. What will they think of next as a threat, nursing mothers? Vikings fans? Jeanne Weigum, I am president of the Association for Nonsmokers, MN and the vice president of the Friends of the Parks and Trails of St. Paul and Ramsey County. Neither of these groups have terrorist motivations. Yes, it's true. Here is the link to the DPS website -- check out p. 2 of the form. Unbelievable. http://www.dps.state.mn.us/emermgt/domestic_preparedness/grant/2002/pdf/mast -- Jeanne Weigum 651-646-3005 fax 651-646-0142 _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
