I arrived too late in Minneapolis to witness the police (and FBI) raiding the houses of supposed protesters, but a number of people have been doing incredible coverage of it.

Read the links above. It's insane that this hasn't gotten more coverage. Apparently the federal government has directed local authorities to first infiltrate lefty groups (like vegans. seriously) and is now raiding the homes of dozens of protesters before they did anything. In some cases they surrounded homes and told people they'd be arrested if they left the house. Exactly what legal authority does the state have to do that?

More on this later...

Comments (28)

1. You know MN is a blue/purple state and the state can do more things....like allowing publicly-funded Muslim schools where prayers are led by teachers and none of the buses leave school until the `voluntary' after-school Koran studies are over! Posted by 2HAPPY at 09/01/2008 @ 07:41am

   I love that instead of addressing the issue which is a large scale militaristic halt to free speech in leu of the Republican convention, instead you bring up some BS side point to stroke your ego. Looks like we see what Republicans think of free speech eh?

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 09/01/2008 @ 08:00am

2. It's the Quakers.

   Gotta watch them bastards.

   With Friends like that...

   Posted by skeletonman at 09/01/2008 @ 08:04am

3. I believe it might have been 2hap proclaiming on another thread about the many protesters that would be allowed in MN, just the the DNC.

   ha-ha-ha-ha Now we know better, right?

   Posted by leftofcenter at 09/01/2008 @ 08:05am

4. ooops .. just LIKE the DNC (my bad)

   Posted by leftofcenter at 09/01/2008 @ 08:06am

5. Posted by 2HAPPY at 09/01/2008 @ 07:41am

   Also I love that 2 weeks ago you were going on and on about how the Left hated free speech because they wouldn't allow the protesters within 300 yards of the stadium. Now you have a full scale police state style raid on multiple protesters, taking one groups bus and leaving them on the side of the road, and you defend it. It goes back to my essential point about you and most of our local righties, you don't care what's being done, it's only wrong if it's done by the left. If your party are the ones carrying it out against the left all of a sudden it's ok no matter how Unconstitutional it is.

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 09/01/2008 @ 08:06am

6. Also the reason you know what they are doing is not legal is that they are only taking positions. They haven't been detained most of these people. They bust in, search things, take things, then leave. They took a protest groups bus without detaining anyone. If there was legal reason to take the bus then there should have been reason to detain someone but nothing.

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 09/01/2008 @ 08:09am

7. "She asked the officers why they were there. The officers asked why people were running away from them. Erin reportedly told the officers that their drawn automatic weapons probably had something to do with it. She was detained after asking to see a warrant."

   Nice. You ask a perfectly legal question like "Can I see a warrant" and get detained for it. I guess asking for a warrant is considered highly suspect in this country.

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 09/01/2008 @ 08:13am

8. Happy-You are as much of a must read poster as any other poster.

   Posted by i'm nobody at 09/01/2008 @ 08:23am

9. "I know I am a must-read Commenter here..."

   Posted by ttr at 09/01/2008 @ 08:25am

10. Not lately, Hap... kind of lost your 'edge', really...

    Posted by ttr at 09/01/2008 @ 08:26am

11. To put it... bluntly...;^)

    Posted by ttr at 09/01/2008 @ 08:29am

12. Posted by 2HAPPY at 09/01/2008 @ 08:19am

    Let's see if I can find the post.

    "This is like the 3rd or 4th time......can you learn from your mistakes?"

    This is funny considering you've made tons of mistakes repeatedly in addressing me. Hypocrite much?

    Posted by Cccomfo1 at 09/01/2008 @ 08:34am

13. I know I am a must-read Commenter here

    Posted by 2HAPPY at 09/01/2008 @ 08:19am

    more like mussed reed.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/01/2008 @ 08:37am

14. Ahh you are correct. It was LVL who said it. Sorry I get you two confused often.

    Posted by Cccomfo1 at 09/01/2008 @ 08:41am

15. I know I am a must-read Commenter

    Posted by 2HAPPY at 09/01/2008 @ 08:19am

    If I am looking for a laugh and some backwards ass hypocritical BS then sure. If I am looking for a sane discussion then no. Can't discuss anything with you because you are too partisan. You look at everything your party does as right and everything anyone else does as wrong. While this is obviously wrong you ignore it because it is carried out by the Republicans.

    Posted by Cccomfo1 at 09/01/2008 @ 08:43am

16. here's one of my favourites.

    quebec police plant "protesters" (wearing police boots) trying to provoke the real protesters.

    montebello conference (harper, bush, calderon), 2007

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St1-WTc1kow&fmt=18

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/01/2008 @ 08:43am

17. no happy,

    you understand not basic tendencies of english orthography.

    mussed ≠ mused

    muss |məs| informal

    verb [ trans. ]

    make (someone's hair or clothes) untidy or messy : she sat down carefully so she wouldn't muss her clothes.

    noun [usu. in sing. ] a state of disorder.

    DERIVATIVES mussy |ˈməsē| adjective ( dated). ORIGIN mid 19th cent.(also as a noun in the sense [disturbance or row] ): apparently a variant of mess .

    <<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>

    anyhoo,

    happy this shit should scare you.

    it's a very slippery slope that slides both ways.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/01/2008 @ 09:06am

18. it's a very slippery slope that slides both ways. Posted by frosty zoom at 09/01/2008 @ 09:06am

    Nah. As long as it's perpetrated by the right it's all gravy.

    Posted by Cccomfo1 at 09/01/2008 @ 09:24am

19. Posted by frosty zoom at 09/01/2008 @ 09:06am

    I'm sure since it was carried out by the right they had good reason. I'm sure they found bombs or guns (Oh wait you are allowed to own those), knives, plans for death and destruction. I mean why else would they do it? I'll bet you these protesters were working with Osama Bin Laden.

    Posted by Cccomfo1 at 09/01/2008 @ 09:26am

20. HAPP hypocrisy once again...

    he attacked Dems for containing protests with his "I thought you libs liked free speech!"

    then when the Repubs do it, but 1000X worse, he wants to change the subject to "mandatory Muslim schools!!!!"

    Posted by Maskdelta at 09/01/2008 @ 09:41am

21. Posted by Maskdelta at 09/01/2008 @ 09:41am

    That was actually LvLib I think. Unless you have a quote elsewhere. I couldn't find one.

    Posted by Cccomfo1 at 09/01/2008 @ 09:48am

22. Posted by 2HAPPY at 09/01/2008 @ 09:55am |

    Your faux outrage at being misquoted aside, you never addressed the actual point. The point being, when the multiple laws were broken for partisan advantage, you merely changed the subject.

    Must read....indeed. Perhaps you could actually address a point.

    Eric

    Posted by Malcontent at 09/01/2008 @ 10:05am

23. Posted by 2HAPPY at 09/01/2008 @ 10:23am

    "Do you just take automatically Mr. Hayes "Apparently the federal government has directed local authorities to first infiltrate lefty groups" and the rest as the truth?"

    When did I ever implicate any particular govt. agency?

    There were actual police, en mass, raiding innocent Americans homes, seizing their vehicles and detaining them (ostensibly, illegally) with DRAWN AUTOMATIC WEAPONS!

    Do we have to figure out if this was federal, state or local corruption and abuse of power, before it gets your ire?

    Or is this kind of behavior the sort of thing you "small govt" folk approve of?

    " Like Dreyfuss' condemning our military for bombing that killed Afghan civilians (that today's news by the Afghan govt, exonerate its and US forces)."

    And again, a lame attempt to change the subject.

    What is "apparent" to me, is your inability rationally analyse facts, rather than merely absorbing and regurgitating them, out of context.

    Posted by Malcontent at 09/01/2008 @ 10:42am

24. "Guess how many protests were allowed by the Chinese government through its application process during the Olympics? Guess how many protests will be allowed to take place in the Twin Cities during the GOP convention? If you guess "zero" and "countless", you display an intelligence rarely found in someone who links "Republican" and "dictatorship" in a sentence."

    Posted by twillie at 08/31/2008 @ 12:46pm

    Posted by Malcontent at 09/01/2008 @ 10:46am

25. What is "apparent" to many, is not always the fact, or didn't you know, Eric? Posted by 2HAPPY at 09/01/2008 @ 10:23am

    Well the problem here is Happy, of the probably 100-150 people detained only 5 arrests have been made and all in "conspiracy to commits." No actual crime has been pinned down. They have detained people and confiscated tons of property but barely anyone has actually been arrested which is a little suspicious. The fact that they confiscated a group of people's bus and then left the people there is a little suspicious. Why take the welcoming pamphlets but not arrest anyone for what they said?

    I know you guys are always the first to say "Oh, they must have some ultimate legitimate reason" but sometimes things are a little too suspicious. You don't kick down the doors of protesters with drawn automatic weapons, detain people for asking if you have a warrant and then only produce 5 arrests. If you go in with automatic weapons you go in with evidence that these people are armed and dangerous. They obviously weren't because in the pictures I saw of the confiscated materials I didn't see one gun or even knife. Now I will wait for the explanation from the government of why they raided 6 locations and detained over 100 people confiscating materials but only making 5 arrests but it sounds a little suspect to me.

    Posted by Cccomfo1 at 09/01/2008 @ 11:20am

26. Posted by 2HAPPY at 09/01/2008 @ 10:23am

    "Do you just take automatically Mr. Hayes "Apparently the federal government has directed local authorities to first infiltrate lefty groups" and the rest as the truth?"

    Um, actually, Happ, Glenn Greenwald and Jane Hamsher both documented the federal connection pretty thoroughly, including quotes from and links to primary source material.

    Posted by stubearto at 09/01/2008 @ 12:21pm

27. Posted by 2HAPPY at 09/01/2008 @ 11:18am

    And again, you change the subject and don't address the point.

    "Comments and BS based on feelings & ideology rather than factual observations followed by using that stuff hiding in your cranium to process and strategize, just may NOT be enough, you think?"

    Was this aimed at me or were you just mumbling to yourself?

    You are the one posting out of context idealogical BS.

    How about the "factual observation" of automatic weapons in innocent (5 arrests/no charges) Americans faces on their front doorstep?

    (Potential terrorists? Murderers? Rapists? Bank Robbers? No...political protester watchers. I tremble at the consequences of our inaction here. To quote crab, "BOO!" )

    Detention for asking for a warrant, which lacking, would imply am illegal use of government power and criminal trespass?

    I'm fairly certain, the folks on the side of the road "factually observed" their transportation being confiscated without due process or even one arrest.

    Why don't you try to wrap "that stuff hiding in your cranium" around these "factual observations", before you post again.

    You are, "apparently" a de facto anti-constitutionalist/nationalist/fascist.

    Your party affiliation, should suit you well.

    Posted by Malcontent at 09/01/2008 @ 12:53pm

28. Posted by 2HAPPY at 09/01/2008 @ 07:41am

    Don't want to burst your bubble Happy, but they do that for ALL the parochial schools, not just Muslim schools. I think it was part of the school choice thing.

    When my oldest went to Catholic school he had to take catechism, attend mass etc. even though there wasn't a snowballs chance in heck he would ever actually convert. It was a great school, I felt the religious education I gave him was the one that would count and it was a good opportunity to discuss how people can look at the same stories/ideas/facts/fictions and come to completely different conclusions.

    Posted by Pogge at 09/01/2008 @ 7:17pm