Terrorist Watch List: Homeland Security Defines Millions of Americans as Domestic Terrorists

Since September 11, 2001 the US government has been putting a lot more effort into identifying and tracking possible terrorists. To most Americans, the fact that the government is working so tirelessly to safeguard its citizens is a comforting notion, but what if the potential "terrorists" are the citizens themselves?

USA Today reported that the government's terrorist watch list has reached 1 million entries, up 32% since 2007. The new figures were provided by the screening center and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in response to requests from USA TODAY.

The Washington Post reported that during a 12-month period ending in March 2009, 1,600 people were recommended daily by the U.S. intelligence community to be put on the list due to 'reasonable suspicion.' It's important to know, each nomination does not necessarily represent a new individual, but may instead involve an alias or name variant for a previously named to the watch list.

The list kept by the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) -- created in 2004 to be the primary U.S. terrorism intelligence agency. The NSA is a key provider of information for the NCTC database, although officials refuse to say how many names on the list are linked to the agency's controversial domestic eavesdropping effort. Under the program, the NSA has conducted wiretaps on an unknown number of U.S. citizens without warrants.

Though the FBI says that 95% of the names on the list are foreign, many Americans have been mistaken by intelligence and law enforcement agencies to be "on the list" due to the fact that their name is the same or similar to that of a foreign terrorists' name. These people have been blocked from flying, stopped at borders and subjected to other harassment.

So the obvious question is if the names on the list are foreign, why are there so many mix-ups with Americans? Are American names really that common overseas?

CNN reported that in the fall of 2004, author James Moore released his latest book, "Bush's War for Re-election", critical of President Bush. Months later, on his first airline flight since the election, James Moore was told by the airline he was flying that his name matched a name on the government's terrorist watch list.

CNN reporter Drew Griffin, who co-wrote the piece about James Moore, also matches a name on the FBI's terror watch list.

James Moore? Drew Griffin? These don't sound like names that could be commonly found in any other country but the U.S. CBS actually found and interviewed 12 average Americans on the "no-fly list", one of them was even a military service member. Among those on the list were names such as Robert Johnson and Gary Smithon. How many possible foreign terrorists could there be with these names? Now imagine how many innocent people in the US there are with that exact name or a close variation of it, a google search returns interesting results.

The Maryland State Police have admitted classifying 53 nonviolent activists as terrorists, including opponents of the war and the death penalty, and tracking them in state and federal "terrorism" databases. Cops infiltrated organizing meetings and rallies, and spied on political email lists, similar to the government infiltration of the RNC.

The groups targeted, including the Maryland Campaign to End the Death Penalty and the Baltimore Pledge of Resistance, aren't suspected of harming anyone, aren't suspected of bombing anyone, and aren't even suspected of vandalizing property.

They're "fringe people," says Thomas E. Hutchins, the former state police superintendent who authorized the operation. "I don't believe the First Amendment is any guarantee to those who wish to disrupt the government," he said.

One activist was described in police databases as having a "primary crime" of "terrorism-anti-government" and a "secondary crime" of "terrorism-anti-war protesters." This wasn't an isolated abuse of power, this is a coordinated campaign of harassment and intimidation.

So what it does it take to get on the infamous terrorist watch-list? The Department of Homeland Security drafted a domestic terrorism reference aid to be distributed among law enforcement agencies. The document outlines so many different classifications of terrorist extremism with such vague wording that it could include almost anyone including authors of "alternative media" themed websites and Christians.

The fact that so many Americans are being confused as terrorist is a scary thought considering the powers of the patriot act and an increasing decline in American liberty. Also consider the classifications of violent terrorists as drafted by the Department of Homeland Security and distributed to law enforcement agencies across the country.

Do you not believe everything the government tells you? You're a terrorist.

Do you advocate second amendment rights or are you an NRA member? You're a terrorist.

Are you a practicing Christian who lives by your faith? You're a terrorist.

Are you a conspiracy theorist? You're a terrorist.

Are you a peaceful protestor? You're a terrorist.

Are you anti-abortion? You're a terrorist.

The list goes on...