at least we know that they are really, really bad at watching the public. seriously, parking in the lot across the street and moving from spot to spot!!! were they in a furniture truck or a pizza delivery van? a raincoat, dark glasses and up-side-down paper with a telephoto lens would have been less obvious.

i'ld keep schtum in future all the same, if they want to investigate you, let them do the leg work. they want you to mouth off and give them some ammo, best to not give them a damn thing.

That is freaky, we need to hear other posts like this. If anybody else has been investigated then let me know!
It's either a survey they're doing or an investigation to get information.
I would of answered the questions too, but first I would ask why. I would want to know where that information was going.
Was he writing it down?
I agree with others, they shouldn't of been watching you for three days if it was just a simple survey to see what changes are needed.
Thanks for reading. Have a nice day.

Originally posted by LeaderOfProgress
I don't think it was anything I said on here but I can say without a doubt it is the truth. I had 5 clients here when they came in. They were all college girls 3 of whom were getting a tattoo. I guess because my views can be viewed as a threat to the current system is why they found me interesting. I have no idea what was said by the person who turned me in but I asked. They didn't give me any info execept it was some one who came into my shop in October that turned me in.

So you still answered their question after being denied the right to face your accuser or even hear the accusations against you?

One step leads to another. When this attitude leads to mandates to speak to the authorities, to be denied the right to remain silent, based on the idea that "honest" people have nothing to hide, where will compliance have gotten anyone?

Good point on the 2 forms of watching so as to illicit a reaction. I'll have to pay more attention next time.

Originally posted by LeaderOfProgress
I don't think it was anything I said on here but I can say without a doubt it is the truth. I had 5 clients here when they came in. They were all college girls 3 of whom were getting a tattoo. I guess because my views can be viewed as a threat to the current system is why they found me interesting. I have no idea what was said by the person who turned me in but I asked. They didn't give me any info execept it was some one who came into my shop in October that turned me in.

What are your views (summed up), exactly? Unless you are inciting violence, the government doesn't care. Frankly they have better things to do than go around and "monitor" people.

If you are being 100% truthful and aren't citing violence then get a lawyer and collect your millions from the government.

Originally posted by LowLevelMason
What are your views (summed up), exactly? Unless you are inciting violence, the government doesn't care. Frankly they have better things to do than go around and "monitor" people.

So you're saying they're not investigating anyone in this country? (Except those who are "inciteful...") Not like in McCarthy's day, I guess.

Uh huh. Somehow I think your estimate of the numbers being "looked into" falls a bit shy of the reality.

I've been followed for better than three years.
I can't make a move without them knowing about it. Sometimes I'll turn around quickly and, sure enough, there they are.

Even in my sleep I can feel the eyes probing my privacy. I'll come home and notice things aren't where I left them. I've been interrogated more times, since this began, than I can even remember.

Although my views certainly are no secret, I will follow the advice of a previous poster and not answer any of their questions as they can only be used against me.

Early on I was able to get a snapshot, and it's always the same two agents. I honestly fear that they have no intention to ease up on their investigation.

I can't say for certain, but I'm pretty sure they had no idea they were being photographed.

If, by some chance, I suddenly happen to disappear without a trace, please circulate this photo so that others may be warned.



Dangerous times we live in indeed.

Regards

Wow.

Sorry you had to go through that.

Knowing how surveillance works (US Army CI), it seems like they used some real amateurs to run that little op. Idiots.

Last I checked, you are all still free to say and think what you want about the government. That's why soldiers exist.

Free.

I'd have called to check on them and their mission personally - after taking down their names and badge numbers.



[edit on 15-1-2009 by mf_luder]

My only concern is that if this is all it takes to get investigated then man what is this country coming to? I have never threatened anyone or anything. Sure I own guns but not many. How could I be dubbed suspicious for home grown terrorism?

Probably your business. Social renegades seem to be those most likely to get a tatoo. If you run that business then you probably hang with a bunch of people that they consider to be social renegades or the like. They tend to view anything that they wouldn't do with distrust and also most likely fear. I would guess after your answers they will probably leave you alone. Thats why you talk, to make sure that you give them no reason to continue looking into you, if you don't talk they will think you are hiding something. I had FBI come question me about a client of mine once. He was having money sent over from Russia. I just told them that yes the moeny comes into the account and I simply invest it for him (the simple truth), that I had no idea of it's source. never heard from them again.

Their report probably now says you are kinda of weird, with weird tattoos and such, but that you are no threat and actually a pretty good guy.

How can there be any legal recourse? I mean I realise they probably had me tapped among many other things but where does that make a case considering the laws on wiretapping now?


[edit on 15-1-2009 by LeaderOfProgress]

Originally posted by LeaderOfProgress
How can there be any legal recourse? I mean I realise they probably had me tapped among many other things but where does that make a case considering the laws on wiretapping now?

On the civil liberties side, the law provides you with freedom of speech. That isn't unlimited speech, which is why many freedom of speech cases fail, but if you have been truthful then this is a direct violation of the first amendment. Second you have a slander case because as a business owner a reasonable person would agree that you can have material losses to your business due to the impact of a unwarranted government investigation. You can get civil damages for both.

The only time you DONT have legal recourse on the 1st amendment is if you work for for the government (government employees are not allowed freedom of speech in the workplace), your use of speech infringes upon the speech or freedom of someone else, or if you attempt to incite violence or chaos through speech. According to, you have done none of these.

I highly doubt they would wiretap you - they only do that for high value terrorist targets and they must demonstrate a reasonable suspicion that you are up to something to a judge. If it occurred though it would come in the discovery phase of the freedom of speech violation. You win here on the freedom of speech and slander side regardless.

[edit on 15-1-2009 by LowLevelMason]