The Pennsylvania homeland security office is in the news this week,and receiving a heavy dose of well deserved scrutiny. It seems the office has been distributing anti-terrorism bulletins to state police and other public officials. The "terrorist activities" targeted by the bulletins have included such dire threats to public safety as anti-BP candlelight vigils, peaceful demonstrations by anti-war groups, or gay and lesbian festivals,a screening of the documentary "Gasland," and an animal rights protest at a Montgomery County rodeo.
Governor Ed Rendell has apologized, and but continues to support James Powers,his homeland security director. Powers, who authorized spending $125000 of the state's money for the information contained in the bulletins, or said his office is charged with preventing damage to critical infrastructure in the state. He did not clarify precisely how protests against a local rodeo amounted to threats against critical infrastructure.
What is Powers' justification? What is he thinking? Could he be more concerned with monitoring political activities which he says "foment dissent" than with finding actual potential terrorists?
Source: johnrobbins.info