Pentagon to Close Anti-Quaker Unit

Robert Gates plans to close, or possibly reallocate, the Counterintelligence Field Activity Office, created by Donald Rumsfeld to spy on antiwar protesters. The move has brought criticism from civil liberties groups, who claim the the Pentagon is simply sending operations to other, less-scrutinized agencies.

The clandestine office, whose size and budget are both classified, was used to spy on antiwar protests at churches, schools, and Quaker meeting halls. Quakers have a long history of undermining the government. Believing rather erroneously that all people are equal, they campaigned for women, black, mentally ill, and prisoner rights. I sleep sounder at night knowing our government is keeping tabs on those terrorists.

Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Silvestre Reyes, referred to the office as a “Rumsfeld-era relic that triggered major concern about domestic intelligence gathering by the Pentagon against Americans.” Reyes refers to Rumsfeld as though he were in office decades ago, not up until 2006. I hope that name sticks, though. Rumsfeld-era. It’s like McCarthyism. Rumsfeldyism.

Many accused Rumsfeld and friends of trying to build an intelligence empire of their own, due to their suspicion of the CIA. James R. Clapper, Senior Intelligence Official at the Pentagon, recommended the office be placed under the authority of the Defense Intelligence Agency. The closing of the Pentagon’s Intelligence Unit would severely decrease the number of intelligence agencies in the United States. Now we only have the CIA, DoD, Air Force, Military Intelligence, FBI, NSA, Dept. of Homeland Security, and others - a total of 16 intelligence agencies heading numerous enforcement agencies that protect us from terrorists with box cutters and, most importantly, ourselves.