"This type of investigation is really a form of intimidation and a message to activists that they will pay a price for speaking out," said Ann Beeson, the ACLU's associate legal counsel. "The posting of publicly available information about people who are in the news should not trigger an investigation."
Who is doing the threatening and intimidation here? And since when is a person's hotel address or e-mail address "publicly available information"? Even home addresses are not always publicly available. Why is this posting of information considered 'speaking out'? Speaking out about what exactly?
Why do the protesters want the delegates' information? Answer that question and you know why the Secret Service is investigating.
If any laws had been broken, I could see how it might be up to the FBI to investigate. But where does the Secret Service get the authority? Their job is to protect the President, not to find out who posted info about thousands of people who they’re not protecting.
< a_boy_can_dream >
A cynical little piece of me is hoping that they do track down who posted this not-all-that-secret data and that it turns out to have been posted anonymously by some Republican.
Yes, and the anti-abortion website that posted the names and addresses of abortion doctors was just trying to tell them that "they are not welcome". Riiiight.
Heh! I really do learn something new every day. I looked into it and they did interview the Nuremburg Files guy. Of course, they were investigating his threatening words regarding the Supreme Court (which falls under the secret service).
Maybe the deligates have secret service proteciton as well. That's a lot of secret service.
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