U.S. Newswire : Releases : "Quaker Organization Calls for End to Government Spying..."

U.S. Newswire : Releases : "Quaker Organization Calls for End to Government Spying...":

"'Clearly the constitutional right of free speech and peaceful assembly is not a criminal offense,' states Mary Ellen McNish, general secretary of AFSC, an international social justice organization and co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. 'It's an outrage.'

Early last week, NBC reported the existence of a secret Department of Defense (DOD) database related to 'potential terrorist threats.' One example of identified 'threats' is a group in Lake Worth, Florida that included five Quakers and a 79-year old grandmother who met at their local Quaker meeting house to discuss how to protest military recruiting at an area high school. Other examples of 'threatening' events in the database included handing out literature in front of military recruiting stations and commemorating the second anniversary of the Iraq War.

At least four of the events listed were activities coordinated or supported by AFSC."