A Poem for Inauguration Day: One Day

by Georgia McDade

One day some of the Republican luminaries who gathered to defeat President Obama on Inauguration Day will apologize.

One day some of the Congresspersons who slowed or stymied progressive agendas will apologize.

One day Mondales’s Comprehensive Child Development Act of 1971 will become law as it could have had not Richard Nixon vetoed it.

One day citizens will marvel that we had a Supreme Court justice who said racial equality is racial entitlement.

I say this because I know of and know many who
cringe at the horror of slavery,
the ignorance of segregation,
the meanness of discrimination.

I say this because I know of and know many
who wonder that the first people in a land could be driven to reservations,
Africans in “The New World” could not be citizens,
a man be 3/5 of a person,
people be slaves,
women not vote,
and all of the inanities and inequities perpetuated because of race, sex, and gender, characteristics not ordained by choice.

One day the latest inanities and inequities will be the
subject of gazes, ahs, and how could theys.

Knowing this one day is approaching prevents me
from exploding and imploding this day.

I have but patiently to continue my journey,
willingly, regularly pointing out the asininity of
the past and how today we have to do better, be
better, or, at the least, I do.

Georgia McDade is an award-winning poet and author. She is a proud resident of South Seattle

6 thoughts on “A Poem for Inauguration Day: One Day”

  1. One day, Georgia McDade will recognize that Barack Obama was no better than Donald Trump. You and your worship of Obama is the exactly the reason Trump won. You have no one to blame but yourself.

    https://www.stpete4peace.org/obama-fact-sheet

    In the final week of his presidency, Obama sends hundreds of U.S. Marines to Norway in a move that puts more U.S. military at Russia’s doorstep (READ)
    Obama sends 3,500 U.S. troops and tanks to Russia’s border in one of his final decisions as president. Russia reponds by saying, “These actions threaten our interests, our security, especially as it concerns a third party building up its military presence near our borders.” (READ)
    Obama sanctions Russia over unproven hacking claims (READ ).
    Obama takes parting shot at Russia in UN finale: “We see Russia attempting to recover lost glory through force”, the US leader said without a hint of irony. “If Russia continues to interfere in the affairs of its neighbors, it may fuel nationalist fervor for a time, but over time it’s also going to diminish its stature.” Obama also appeared to be detached from reality when he said, “The world is by many measures less violent and more prosperous than ever before (READ ).
    Obama takes parting shot at Russia in UN finale: “We see Russia attempting to recover lost glory through force”, the US leader said without a hint of irony. “If Russia continues to interfere in the affairs of its neighbors, it may fuel nationalist fervor for a time, but over time it’s also going to diminish its stature.” Obama also appeared to be detached from reality when he said, “The world is by many measures less violent and more prosperous than ever before (READ ).
    Although President Obama began his administration with a dramatic public commitment to build a nuclear weapons-free world, that commitment has long ago dwindled and died, as Obama plans a 30-year, $1 trillion, taxpayer-funded program to modernize US nuclear arsenal and production facilities. (READ ).
    Obama opens up relations with Vietnam by agreeing to sell them weapons ( READ ).
    Obama plans to increase deployment of heavy weapons and other equipment to NATO countries in Central & Eastern Europe ( READ ).
    Instead of condemning Turkey for shooting down a Russian jet, Obama voiced his approval ( READ ). And instead of offering condolences to Russia, Obama blames Russia ( READ ).
    Obama announces US war in Afghanistan will not end in 2016, as promised ( READ ).
    The White House made clear yesterday that they oppose any independent investigation of the recent US attack on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan, and the next day the US smashed into the wreckage of the hospital with a tank, forcing their way in and destroying potential evidence that would be used in a war crimes investigation ( READ ).
    Obama: Mistakes Made in NATO War on Libya, US Should ve Done Even More. Suggests Even More Intervention the Answer ( READ ).
    In Letters to Congressmen, Obama Pledges More Money for Israel, Talks Up Attacking Iran ( READ ).
    Former Bush Official With Ties To CIA Torture Program Now Advises Obama Interrogators ( READ ).
    After US drones kill hostages in Pakistan, Obama invokes American Exceptionalism ( READ ).
    Obama won’t call it Armenian ‘genocide’ on 100th anniversary of atrocity ( READ ).
    US intelligence used for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen ( READ ).
    Obama halts US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan ( READ ).
    Obama approves US airstrikes in Tikrit ( READ ).
    Sounding a lot like Bush, Obama says the US is going after ISIL wherever it hides, ( READ ).
    Huh? Obama: Defeating ISIS Hinges on Syria Regime Change ( READ ).
    Obama administration to allow sales of armed drones to allies – will sell to allied countries, some of which have troubling records on human rights and political freedoms ( READ ).
    Obama’s Blank Check For War: Obama’s authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) against ISIS permits action anywhere in the world against not just ISIS, but “associated forces” ( READ ).
    13 Years, $1 Trillion Plus Spent, Obama Declares Afghan War a Success – Insists Protracted Occupation Made World ‘Safer’ ( READ ).
    Obama administration refuses to pursue charges against CIA torturers in spite of scathing report ( READ ).
    Obama has signed more executive memoranda than any other president in history ( READ ).
    President Obama is actively seeking options for how to use ground troops in Iraq ( READ ).
    Obama Extends NSA Spying Powers Yet Again ( READ ).
    Obama Plans to Increase Number of Troops in Afghanistan in 2015 ( READ ).
    In Secret, Obama Extended U.S. Military Role in Afghanistan Combat ( READ ) – contradicting his statement in May ” Americas combat mission will be over by the end of this year. Starting next year, Afghans will be fully responsible for securing their country.
    White House, C.I.A. Working Together to Thwart Release of Agency’s Torture Report ( READ ).
    Obama immigration speech: Sounded just like Bush’s 2006 speech ( READ ).
    Obama punts on net neutrality ( READ ).
    Obama doubles the number of troops in Iraq ( READ ).
    Obama again pushing for TPP ( READ ).
    Obama Could Reaffirm a Bush-Era Reading of a Treaty on Torture ( READ ).
    America’s deadly double tap drone attacks are ‘killing 49 people for every known terrorist in Pakistan’ according to Stanford/NYU study ( READ ).
    White House exempts Syria airstrikes from tight standards on civilian deaths ( READ ).
    U.S. Ramping Up Major Renewal in Nuclear Arms ( READ ).
    U.S. to keep 9,800 troops in Afghanistan ( READ ).
    Mass surveillance just earned another 90-day blank check, nine months after President Obama promised to rein in the NSA s spying powers ( READ ).
    Obama and Cameron push for war on ISIS in Syria and Iraq – insists anyone who opposes this conflict is an “isolationalist” ( READ ).
    Obama’s Pentagon Covered Up War Crimes in Afghanistan, Says Amnesty International ( READ ).
    Obama Authorizes Airstrikes in Iraq (yet somehow says, “As commander in chief, I will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq”) ( READ ).
    Thank You, President Obama. Love, Israel ( READ ).
    Six US Presidents Have Destroyed Iraq ( READ ).
    How the Obama Administration is Keeping Big Coal Alive ( READ ).
    Afraid to Stoke Populist Ire, Obama Abandons ‘Inequality’ Rhetoric ( READ ).
    Rubbing our noses in it: Obama’s FAA gives first approval of commercial drones in US to… BP ( READ ). Obama appointee and fellow Democrat Anthony Foxx who is the secretary of Transportation, which oversees the FAA, said that BP’s use of drones is “another important step toward broader commercial use of unmanned aircraft.”
    Obama Seeks to More Heavily Censor Drone Killing Memo ( READ ).
    Speaking at the West Point commencement speech, President Obama put forward his foreign policy vision, which he described as might doing right, declaring that I believe in American exceptionalism with every fiber of my being. ( READ ).

  2. Obama breaks campaign promise on net neutrality ( READ ).
    At the same time the US is accusing Russia of being militarily provocative, the US sent 600 troops to Poland to counter “Russia’s aggression in Ukraine;” deployed six American F-15 aircraft inside Lithuania ; pledged a $10 million increase in border security aid to Moldova ; declared its desire to strengthen NATO’s military cooperation with Armenia and Azerbaijan ; stated that it wanted to send more troops to Romania ; decided to send more US troops and military aircraft into Uganda ; announced it would expand its covert support of the Syrian opposition , and fomented unrest in Venezuela .
    US secretly created ‘Cuban Twitter’ to stir unrest ( READ ). White House calls it a “a development-assistance programme.” ( READ ).
    Obama The Least Transparent President in History ( READ ).
    Obama says ‘bigger nations cannot simply bully smaller ones’. Wait… what? ( READ ).
    Obama defends Iraq invasion: “But even in Iraq, America sought to work within the international system. We did not claim or annex Iraq s territory, nor did we grab its resources for our own gain. Instead, we ended our war and left Iraq to its people and a fully sovereign Iraqi state could make decisions about its own future. ( READ ).
    Obama Wants More NATO Troops in Eastern Europe ( READ ).
    US Regime-Change Operation in Ukraine Exposed in Leaked Diplomatic Phone Call ( READ ).
    The Obama administration has killed 4,700 individuals in numerous countries, including Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, bragged Sen. Lindsey Graham ( READ ).
    Obama administration extends $6.5 billion loan guarantee to build nuclear reactors ( READ ).
    One of the most generous offerings for corporate America in the U.S. tax code is about to become even more bountiful under an Obama administration proposal ( READ ).
    Obama’s NSA ‘Reforms’ Are Little More Than a PR Attempt to Mollify the Public ( READ ).
    Obama Unveils Vague NSA Reforms, Denies Wrongdoing ( READ ).
    Groups to Obama: Your Fossil Fuel-Driven Policies Equal ‘Catastrophic Climate Future’ ( READ ).
    Christmas day, 2013 announcement: Obama is sending Hellfire missiles and drones to Iraq ( READ ).
    Obama plans $355 billion upgrade to nuclear weapons ( READ ).
    Obama s photo policy smacks of propaganda ( READ ).
    I am sorry that they, you know, are finding themselves in this situation, based on assurances they got from me, said Obama, apologizing to Americans receiving insurance cancellation notices. In 2009, Obama said: If you like your health-care plan, you ll be able to keep your health-care plan, period. No one will take it away, no matter what. ( READ ).
    “A Corporate Trojan Horse”: Obama Pushes Secretive TPP Trade Pact, Would Rewrite Swath of U.S. Laws ( READ ).
    Amid government shutdown, Obama signals cuts to Social Security, Medicare ( READ ).
    Obama wants war on Syria, the people don’t ( READ ).
    Obama appears to be delusional: I didn’t set a red line (on Syria), the world set a red line ( READ ).
    Obama administration asks Supreme Court to allow warrantless cellphone searches ( READ ).
    White House knew Glenn Greenwald’s partner David Miranda would be detained ( READ ).
    Obama refuses to cut off military aid to Egypt in spite of brutal crackdown on protesters ( READ ).
    Obama Appoints Documented ‘Liar’ to Convene NSA Review Board — Investigation established by James Clapper is part of president’s so-called transparency reforms ( READ ).
    Obama’s ‘Tonight Show’ Domestic Spying Comments Contradicted By New York Times Story ( READ ).
    Obama toasts George HW Bush: ‘We are surely a kinder and gentler nation because of you’ ( READ ).
    The case against Edward Snowden is the seventh under President Barack Obama in which a government official has been criminally charged with leaking classified information to the media. Under all previous presidents, just three such cases have been brought. ( READ )
    Obama administration implementing a crackdown called the Insider Threat Program. Millions of federal employees must watch for “high-risk persons or behaviors” among co-workers and could face penalties, including criminal charges, for failing to report them. Leaks to the media are equated with espionage. (READ) .
    The CIA has been operating a secret drone base in Saudi Arabia for the past two years (READ) .
    Obama is running the biggest terrorist operation that exists, maybe in history” – Noam Chomsky
    Edward Snowden: Obama expanded ‘abusive’ security programs (READ) .
    In justifying his actions in Syria, Obama said, “[T]here are folks who say, you know, ‘We are so scarred from Iraq. We should have learned our lesson. We should not have anything to do with it.’ Well, I reject that view as well.” (READ)

  3. In his 2009 inaugural address, Obama claimed that we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Now, in defending NSA spying, Obama says, “You can’t have 100 percent security and also then have 100 percent privacy We are going to have to make some choices as a society.” (READ)
    Obama decides to arm rebels in Syria, in spite of it being against U.S. law to arm designated terrorist organizations. Obama’s justification: The arms sent by the U.S. won’t get into the hands of the al-Qaeda fighters amongst the rebels (READ)
    Obama defends PRISM sweeping surveillance efforts (READ) .
    Obama’s NSA collecting Verizon customer phone records – under the Obama administration the communication records of millions of US citizens are being collected indiscriminately and in bulk, regardless of whether they are suspected of any wrongdoing (READ) .
    President Obama uses a sledgehammer against dissent – From Jeremy Hammond to Bradley Manning and the AP, Obama’s ‘assault on journalism’ is a threat to our democracy (READ) .
    Obama admits the U.S. kills innocent civilians: “it is a hard fact that U.S. strikes have resulted in civilian casualties” (READ) .
    The United States has formally said for the first time that it killed Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and three other US citizens in anti-terror strikes abroad (READ) .
    Obama administration secretly obtains trove of Associated Press phone records in “unprecedented intrusion” (READ) .
    Cornel West: Obama ‘Is a War Criminal’ (READ) .
    Four Obama policies that help keep Gitmo open (READ) .
    Obama’s calls George W. Bush a “good man” at Bush library dedication (READ) .
    The first of 500 Marines have begun deploying to Spain as part of a new rapid reaction force to respond to threats against U.S. citizens, government personnel or installations in Africa ( READ ).
    It s Official: A Democratic President Proposes to Cut Social Security (READ) .
    While Urging Gun Laws at Home, Obama Joins NRA to Weaken U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (READ) .
    Signed the Monsanto Protection Act into law.
    Obama Admin: GPS Tracking Without Warrants Necessary – Insists Tracking Americans’ Every Movement Has ‘Minimal’ Privacy Impact ( READ ).
    Obama inflames anti-Iran hysteria by speculatively claiming “Right now, we think it would take over a year or so for Iran to actually develop a nuclear weapon, but obviously we dt want to cut it too close” ( READ ).
    Obama administration to let spy agencies scour Americans’ finances ( READ ).
    U.S. Steps Up Aid to Syrian Opposition, Pledging $60 Million ( READ ). Previous related: Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri has called on all Muslims to back the rebels in Syria in the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad ( READ );( READ ).
    Is Obama really the ‘lesser of two evils’? Could John McCain or Mitt Romney have gotten away with what President Barack Obama is doing? Where Democrats once feverishly denounced the actions of George W. Bush, they are now eerily silent when their own candidate behaves in much the same way as his predecessor ( read entire article ).
    Obama sends U.S. troops to Niger to set up drone base ( READ ).
    Obama’s Possible Frack-Friendly Energy Plan a ‘Nail in the Coffin’ for Climate: Choice of MIT professor Ernest Moniz, known for championing gas fracking, as head of Department of Energy receives rebuke ( READ ).
    Obama Maneuvers to Keep Kill List Memos Permanently Secret ( READ ).
    Obama OKs $50 million to assist France in Mali ( READ ).
    In State of the Union, Obama Misleads on Foreign Policy. “Over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan,” the President said. But Obama is overselling this withdrawal: by the end of this year, the number of troops in Afghanistan will be about equal to the number that were there when Obama was elected. This is only a withdrawal because he decided to triple troop levels in an ill-advised military surge ( READ ).
    Barack Obama is Pushing Gun Control at Home, but He’s a Killer Abroad ( READ ).
    White House: Drone Killings Ethical and Wise ( READ ).
    US responds to Israeli attack on Syria by warning Syria ( READ ).
    Obama’s nomination of Mary Jo White for SEC chief reveals the president still isn’t serious about cracking down on big banks ( READ ).
    Obama Inaugural Speech: US to Maintain Global Military Presence ( READ ).
    The Untouchables: How the Obama Administration Protected Wall Street from Prosecutions ( READ ).
    MLK: I have a dream. Obama: I have a drone ( READ ).
    The Pipeline President: Obama s Keystone XL ( READ ).
    Three Ways Obama Carried Bush s Tyrannical Torch, in Just One Week – Warrantless wiretapping of American citizens, Indefinite detention without charge or trial, Targeted killings of suspects by drone, without any pretense of due process (even if they are US citizens) remains none of the American people s business ( READ ).
    Obama signs 2013 NDAA – blocking closure of Gitmo ( READ ).
    Amy Goodman: Obama s New Year s Resolution: Protect the Status Quo – a number of bills were signed into law by President Barack Obama that renew some of the worst excesses of the Bush years ( READ ).
    The Obama Administration deported more than 400,000 undocumented immigrants in the 2012 fiscal year, the most in the nation’s history ( READ ).
    Announced on Christmas eve: The U.S. will be sending Army brigades into as many as 35 African nations in early 2013 ( READ ).
    Obama Administration Snubs Risk, Set to OK ‘Frankenfish’ ( READ ).
    The US is going to substantially increase its military presence in the Philippines, increasing the number of troops, aircraft and ships which routinely rotate through the country, – a reason given: to serve The Philippines when struggling against natural disasters. ( READ ).
    Obama’s Deficit Proposal: Cut Social Security Benefits ( READ ).
    Remember All the Children, Mr. President. Remember the 35 children who died in Gaza this month from Israeli bombardments (with your approval and U.S. weapons). Remember the 168 children who have been killed by US drone attacks in Pakistan since 2006. Remember the 231 children killed in Afghanistan in the first 6 months of this year ( READ ).
    Barack Obama’s tears for the children of Newtown are in stark contrast to his silence over the children murdered by his drones ( READ ).
    Obama sends 400 troops to Syrian border ( READ ).
    Obama grants unprecedented powers for warrantless surveillance. The rules now allow the little-known National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) to examine the government files of U.S. citizens for possible criminal behavior, even if there is no reason to suspect them. Now, NCTC can copy entire government databases flight records, casino-employee lists, the names of Americans hosting foreign-exchange students and many others. The agency has new authority to keep data about innocent U.S. citizens for up to five years, and to analyze it for suspicious patterns of behavior. Previously, both were prohibited ( READ ).
    Obamacare Architect Leaves White House for Pharmaceutical Industry Job ( READ ).
    US to leave 10,000 troops in Afghanistan past 2014 ( READ ).
    Obama ‘drone-warfare rulebook’ condemned by human rights groups ( READ ).
    Obama says he is “fully supportive” of Israel’s attack on Gaza. There is no country on Earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on from outside its borders” (We wonder if Obama applies this logic to Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and Afghanistan where the U.S. is raining down missiles on those countries) ( READ ).
    Obama Administration: Hamas to Blame for Gaza Violence. Says Israel ‘has the right to defend itself’ (but makes no mention of Palestinians having the same right) ( READ ).
    Obama-appointed Afghanistan commander supports troops there past 2014 (READ) .
    U.S. expands counterterrorism assistance in Cambodia in spite of human rights concerns ( READ ).
    Julian Assange: Reelected Obama a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’. All of the activities against WikiLeaks by the United States have occurred under an Obama administration.

  4. Presidential powers are cumulative. That means any power Obama takes, he passes along to the next president. That means every single horrible thing Obama did over the last 8 years, Trump now has the power to do. At any point in the last 8 years, did you object when Obama did these things? Then how in the hell can you be mad about Trump doing them now? Learn from your mistakes and stop lying about the Democrats.

  5. White House helps pay for NYPD Muslim surveillance

    http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-02-27/white-house-muslim-NYPD/53267060/1

    Millions of dollars in White House money has helped pay for New York Police Department programs that put entire American Muslim neighborhoods under surveillance.

    The money is part of a little-known grant intended to help law enforcement fight drug crimes. Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Bush and Obama administrations have provided $135 million to the New York and New Jersey region through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, known as HIDTA.
    Some of that money — it’s unclear exactly how much because the program has little oversight — has paid for the cars that plainclothes NYPD officers used to conduct surveillance on Muslim neighborhoods. It also paid for computers that store even innocuous information about Muslim college students, mosque sermons and social events.

    When NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly was filled in on these efforts, his briefings were prepared on HIDTA computers.
    The AP confirmed the use of White House money through secret police documents and interviews with current and former city and federal officials. The AP also obtained electronic documents with digital signatures indicating they were created and saved on HIDTA computers. The HIDTA grant program is overseen by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

    The disclosure that the White House is at least partially paying for the NYPD’s wholesale surveillance of places where Muslims eat, shop, work and pray complicates efforts by the Obama administration to stay out of the fray over New York’s controversial counterterrorism programs. The administration has championed outreach to American Muslims and has said law enforcement should not put entire communities under suspicion.

    The Obama administration, however, has pointedly refused to endorse or repudiate the NYPD programs it helps pay for. The White House last week declined to comment on its grant payments.

    John Brennan, Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser, last year called the NYPD’s efforts “heroic” but would not elaborate. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, whose department also gives grant money to the NYPD and is one of the lead federal agencies helping police build relationships with Muslims, has refused in recent months to discuss the police tactics. Tom Perez, the Justice Department’s top civil rights lawyer, has repeatedly refused to answer questions about the NYPD.

    Outside Washington, the NYPD’s efforts drew increased criticism last week. College administrators at Yale, Columbia and elsewhere issued harsh rebukes for NYPD’s infiltration of Muslim student groups and its monitoring of school websites. New Jersey’s governor and the mayor of its largest city have complained about the NYPD’s widespread surveillance there, outside New York’s police jurisdiction.

    The White House HIDTA grant program was established at the height of the drug war to help police fight drug gangs and unravel supply routes. It has provided about $2.3 billion to local authorities in the past decade.

    After the terror attacks, law enforcement was allowed to use some of that money to fight terrorism. It’s unclear how much HIDTA money has been used to pay for the intelligence division, in part because NYPD intelligence operations receive scant oversight in New York.

    Congress, which approves the money for the program, is not provided with a detailed breakdown of activities. None of the NYPD’s clandestine programs is cited in the New York-New Jersey region’s annual reports to Congress between 2006 and 2010.

    NYPD spokesman Paul Browne did not respond to questions the AP sent to him in two emails about the White House money and the department’s intelligence division.

    Most of the money from the White House grants in New York and New Jersey has been spent fighting drugs, said Chauncey Parker, director of the program there. He said less than $1.3 million was spent on vehicles used by the NYPD intelligence unit.

    “Those cars are used to collect and analyze counterterrorism information with the goal of preventing a terrorist attack in New York City or anywhere else,” Parker said. “If it’s been used for specific counterterrorism effort, then it’s been used to pay for those cars.”
    Former police officials told the AP those vehicles have been used to photograph mosques and record the license plates of worshippers.
    In addition to paying for the cars, the White House money pays for part of the office space the intelligence division shares with other agencies in Manhattan.

    When police compiled lists of Muslims who took new, Americanized names, they kept those records on HIDTA computer servers. That was ongoing as recently as October, city officials said.

    Many NYPD intelligence officers, including those that conducted surveillance of Muslim neighborhoods, had HIDTA email addresses. Briefing documents for Kelly, the police commissioner, were compiled on HIDTA computers. Those documents described what police informants were hearing inside mosques and which academic conferences Muslim scholars attended.

    When police wanted to pay a confidential informant, they were told to sign onto the HIDTA website to file the paperwork, according to a 2007 internal document obtained by the AP.

    Parker said the White House grant money was never used to pay any of the NYPD intelligence division’s confidential informants. The HIDTA computer systems, he said, are platforms that allow different law enforcement agencies to share information and work.

    “I am shocked to hear that federal dollars may have helped finance the NYPD’s misguided efforts to spy on Muslims in America,” said Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., one of 34 members of Congress who have asked the Justice Department and House Judiciary Committee to investigate the NYPD.

    The connection between NYPD and the White House anti-drug grant program surfaced years ago, during a long-running civil rights lawsuit against police. Civil rights attorneys asked in court about a “demonstration debriefing form” that police used whenever they arrested people for civil disobedience. The form carried the seal of both the NYPD Intelligence Division and HIDTA.

    A city lawyer downplayed any connection. She said the NYPD and HIDTA not only shared office space, they also shared office supplies like paper. The NYPD form with the seal of a White House anti-drug program was “a recycled piece of paper that got picked up and modified,” attorney Gail Donoghue told a federal judge in 2003.
    The issue died in court and was never pursued further.

    Last week, the controversy over NYPD’s programs drew one former Obama administration official into the discussion.

    After the AP revealed an extensive program to monitor Muslims in Newark, N.J., police there denied knowing anything about it. The Newark police director at the time, Garry McCarthy, has since moved on to lead Chicago’s police department where President Barack Obama’s first chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, is now the mayor.
    “We don’t do that in Chicago and we’re not going to do that,” Emanuel said last week.

    New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said the NYPD surveillance in his state was “disturbing” and has asked the attorney general to investigate. Christie was New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor and sat on the HIDTA executive board during 2006 and 2007 when the NYPD was conducting surveillance in New Jersey cities. Christie said he didn’t know that, in 2007, the NYPD catalogued every mosque and Muslim business in Newark, the state’s largest city.

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