Police State BritainStephen Lendman They spy on their own populations. They do it globally. They conduct espionage. They collect enormous amounts of personal information. They do it illegally. Obama wages war on freedom. He targets whistleblowers and investigative journalists exposing government wrongdoing. So does Britain. It equates doing so with terrorism. Londons Guardian is threatened. Its offices were raided. Hard drive stored information was destroyed. Its editor, Alan Rusbridger, was warned. Cease and desist or else. He asked if steps would be taken to close down the Guardians reporting through a legal route by going to court to force the surrender of the material on which we were working. The official confirmed that, in the absence of handover or destruction, this was indeed the governments intentions. It was one of the more bizarre moments in the Guardians long history, he said. It was likely the most chilling. Two GCHQ security experts oversaw the destruction of Guardian hard drives. They checked to be sure nothing but mangled bits of metal remained. Whitehall was satisfied. Freedom in Britain sustained another body blow. Its fast disappearing like in America. Both nations are more police states than democracies. They mock virtually all democratic principles. They govern lawlessly. They do it ruthlessly. Sweeping surveillance is official policy. So is suppressing information about government wrongdoing. It reinforces government claims about compromising national security. When good journalism is equated with doing it, freedom dies. Guardian contributors are targeted for doing their job. Doing so amounts to state censorship. Warnings about prosecutions and imprisonments follow. Free expression is the most important of all rights. Without it, all others at risk. On the bogus pretext of fighting terrorism, America and Britain want none of their lawless activities exposed. On August 18, UK authorities detained Glenn Greenwalds partner, David Miranda, at Heathrow Airport. He was held incommunicado for nine hours. He was denied legal counsel. A counterterrorism law pretext was used to do so. He was in transit from Berlin to Rio de Janeiro. He threatened no one. He violated no laws. It didnt matter. His laptop, cell phone, camera, memory sticks, DVDs and game consoles were confiscated. It was done lawlessly. Police states operate this way. Londons Observer said Miranda was detained for promoting political causes. His detention shone new light on the Metropolitan polices explanation for invoking terrorism powers a decision critics have called draconian. LondonsMirrorheadlined David Miranda detention shows UK is becoming a police state. Targeting him shows just how determined the security services are to get the upper hand. It illustrates the general point that we are now living in a security state. Its more than ever true today. State-of-the-art technology makes it easy. So do rogue politicians wanting unchallenged control. Greenwald called detaining his partner a failed attempt at intimidation. Itll have the opposite effect, he said. Virtually never are in transit passengers detained like Miranda. Schedule 7 of Britains Terrorism Act says fewer than 3 people in every 10,000 are examined as they pass through UK borders. Over 97% of examinations last under an hour. Individuals are questioned regarding possible involvement in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. Miranda didnt enter Britain. He was en route to Rio. Targeting him was unrelated to terrorism. It was intimidation. It was harassment. Downing Street was directly involved. It sent a message. Responsible journalism exposing government wrongdoing is threatened. Authorities want it entirely eliminated. Miranda was released uncharged. Journalists, editors, human rights lawyers and civil libertarians expressed outrage over what happened. Doing so reflects police state harshness. UK Metropolitan police lied saying: Police states justify lawlessness this way. Miranda was threatened. He was treated like a criminal. He was told he faced prosecution if he didnt cooperate. He did nothing wrong. It didnt matter. It got worse. On September 6, Britains high court said government authorities could continue examining materials seized from him. They could do it to determine if he violated Britains Terrorism and Official Secrets Acts. UK courts lack independence like Americas. They support the worst of government practices. They rubber-stamp some of the most outrageous acts. They violate fundamental freedoms doing so. On November 2, Reuters headlined NSA Leaks Journalist Glenn Greenwalds Partner Accused of Terrorism, Espionage. After returning to Rio, Miranda filed suit. He wants lawlessly seized materials returned. It said (i)intelligence indicates that Miranda is likely to be involved in espionage activity which has the potential to act against the interests of UK national security. Miranda wasnt charged. At least not so far. He remains threatened. He may become as much at risk as Edward Snowden. A hearing on Mirandas legal challenge is scheduled this week. During a preparatory session days earlier, new details of how and why British authorities (targeted him) were made public. Materials authorities seized allegedly included 58,000 NSA and GCHQ documents. In an email to Reuters, Greenwald said: On October 31, German lawmaker Hans-Christian Stroebele met with Edward Snowden. He did so in Moscow. He released a letter he wrote. In part, it said: (S)peaking truth is not a crime. He thanked supporters for their efforts in upholding the international laws that protect us all. Not in America or Britain. In a document read into the public record, Britains MI5 said: A UK Washington spokesperson had no comment. Equating good journalism with terrorism shows Britain will stop at nothing to keep government wrongdoing secret. Doing so shows how low Britain has sunk. Its stripped off facade reveals dark side tyranny. Britains Terrorism Law provides wide latitude. Its terrorism definition includes a use or threat designed to influence the government (or international governmental organization). Its made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious, or ideological cause. It does so if it endangers a persons life, other than that of the person committing the action (and) creates a serious risk to the health or safety of the public or a section of the public. Most chilling is that UK security services, on their own, can decide if legitimate journalism is terrorism or its equivalent. They can do so without publicly releasing materials allegedly able to compromise national security. They can pronounce guilt on their say alone. They can get courts to rubber-stamp their accusations. Its much the same in America. Government whistleblowers are threatened. Theyre fraudulently charged under the long ago outdated Espionage Act. Its a WW I relic. It belongs in historys dustbin. Its unrelated to exposing government wrongdoing. Revealing it is equated with aiding the enemy. The so-called enemy apparently is we the people. Our fundamental constitutional rights are threatened. Upholding them is what courts are supposed to do. Not in America. Not in Britain. Terrorism or acts relating to it are what both governments say they are. On July 30, Bradley Manning was wrongfully convicted on 20 of 22 bogus charges. He never had a chance. He was judged guilty by accusation. He got 35 years imprisonment for acting responsibly. Its by far the harshest ever punishment for leaking information everyone has a right to know. Washington wants Edward Snowden prosecuted the same way. Russia granted him political asylum. Whether hell stay free remains to be seen. Hes Americas public enemy number one. Safety is his main concern. Hes got good reason to worry. Hes a wanted man. He knows how NSA operates. Itll try monitoring him every way possible. Whether hell stay free from its tracking remains to be seen. The same is true for everyone. America and Britain are ruthless. Theyre unforgiving. They want unchallenged power. They want no one compromising it. They want government wrongdoing suppressed. UK Prime Minister David Cameron threatened Britains media with injunctions or so-called D (Defense Advisory) notices. Theyre official requests not to publish or broadcast information for reasons of national security. Londons Guardian and Miranda remain in limbo. Criminal charges could follow. Responsible journalism is threatened. It bears repeating. Equating it with terrorism shows how low Britain has sunk. The same holds for America. Police state justice prevails. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.His new book is titled How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War.Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/ 