Fusion Centers, ever heard of them?

[Hoosier8]

The recent document on "right-wing extremism" sent to state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies is a recent phenomenon that is a direct result of the creation of Fusion Centers across the nation. The Fusion Centers are supposed to be a network of intelligence and data collection for Homeland Security. Not really a bad idea on the surface, but dangerous for citizens if not monitored.

From the Fusion Center Guidelines (You can google it to find it)

"Effective terrorism-related intelligence information and crime prevention, protection, preparedness, and response depend on timely and accurate information about the terrorists, their operations, their support mechanisms and structure, their targets, and their attack methods. This information should serve as a guide for efforts to rapidly identify both immediate and longterm threats; identify persons involved in terrorism-related and criminal activities; and guide the implementation of informationdriven and risk-based prevention, response, and consequencemanagement."

Another example from a Fusion Center:

A recently published "terrorism threat assessment" from a Virginia fusion center says the state's universities and colleges are "nodes for radicalization" and encourages law enforcement to monitor First Amendment-protected activities of educational and religious foundations as terrorism threats. The document also characterizes the "diversity" surrounding a Virginia military base and the state's "historically black" colleges as possible threats. The March 2009 document claims there are currently at least fifty active "terrorist and extremist" groups in Virginia.

Even the ACLU is concerned.

"There is an appalling lack of oversight at these fusion centers and they are becoming - as the ACLU has repeatedly warned - a breeding ground for overzealous police intelligence activities," said Michael German, ACLU Policy Counsel and former FBI Agent. "The Virginia threat assessment isn't just disturbing for encouraging police to treat education and religious practices with suspicion, it's bad law enforcement. Lawmakers from all levels of government need to enact legislation to protect against these spying activities that threaten our democracy while doing nothing to improve security."