Do only lunatics work at the New York Times?

From the NYT...

When [New York City] was designated in February 2003 as the site of the 2004 Republican National Convention, the department had security worries — in particular about the possibility of a truck bomb attack near Madison Square Garden, where events would be held — and logistical concerns about managing huge crowds, [Paul J.] Mr. Browne [chief spokesman for the New York City Police Department] said.

“We also prepared to contend with a relatively small group of self-described anarchists who vowed to prevent delegates from participating in the convention or otherwise disrupt the convention by various means, including vandalism,” Mr. Browne said. “Our goal was to safeguard delegates, demonstrators and the general public alike.”

In its preparations, the department applied the intelligence resources that had just been strengthened for fighting terrorism to an entirely different task: collecting information on people participating in political protests.

In the records reviewed by The Times, some of the police intelligence concerned people and groups bent on causing trouble, but the bulk of the reports covered the plans and views of people with no obvious intention of breaking the law.

Here's what the whiners at the Old Gray Lady are in a froth about: In order to determine who might be wanting to violate the law, NY cops attended, under cover, public meeting held by groups that would most likely protest at the convention. Apparently the NYTs is upset that the police weren't able to determine who would commit acts of violence, without actually investigating the groups themselves.

Now contrast this to how groups on the political right are treated. In Philadelphia members of the group Repent America, were arrested for legally marching in a homosexual rights parade. They were violating no laws, yet were arrested and taken into custody.

In Florida local police harassed and threatened a group, legally collecting signatures in opposition to homosexual marriage--at a Promise Keepers conference!

And the New York Times' coverage of these outrages? Non-existent.

Joining the NYT's whine is the ACLU...

Christopher Dunn, the associate legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, which represents seven of the 1,806 people arrested during the convention, said the Police Department stepped beyond the law in its covert surveillance program.

“The police have no authority to spy on lawful political activity, and this wide-ranging N.Y.P.D. program was wrong and illegal,” Mr. Dunn said. “In the coming weeks, the city will be required to disclose to us many more details about its preconvention surveillance of groups and activists, and many will be shocked by the breadth of the Police Department’s political surveillance operation.”

If it's a public meeting, and they aren't committing any crimes, what's the problem? How are the police supposed to find out who is and isn't going to become violent, unless they investigate those groups that fit the general profile of groups that often resort to violence?

The real complaint is that groups that had spent time organizing efforts designed to disrupt the convention, found that the police were quick to stop such disruptions, having already known about the plans ahead of time.

Now the city of New York is being sued for disrupting the planned disruption of the GOP convention.

Posted by Danny Carlton at March 26, 2007 6:17 AM