Call for the immediate closure of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Protection Division.

Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, once observed that "resistance to tyrants is obedience to God". For, "all tyranny needs to gain a foothold", he said, "is for people of good conscience to remain silent." The Irish philosopher and politician Edmund Burke echoed the same sentiment when he wrote "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."

As you sit and read this, tyranny has gained a foothold, and evil is about to triumph as the crimes of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Protection Division go un-redressed. Hundreds of records containing the names, addresses, social security numbers, and photographs of political activists in Washington and Oregon continue to be stored by the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Protection Division and provided to area law enforcement and security agencies by Thomas Rudd and his band of criminal conspirators (http://www.theolympian.com/news/local/article25280662.html).

The names contained in this "Force Protection Database" are not those of criminals or of men and women who pose a danger to the community, rather these names are those of people who expressed political opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This database contains the names of individuals who expressed disagreements with government policy and challenged the government abuse of their rights (http://seattleglobalist.com/2014/07/25/how-to-prove-the-government-is-spying-on-you/27863).

Don’t be lulled in to believing that your name is not also contained in the databases of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Protection Division. Illegally collecting information about those who the government finds "questionable" did not end with the return of the troops from foreign wars. Right now they are collecting information about those who protest in gentrification Seattle, oppose the movement of ships from Portland for oil drilling in the Arctic, and those who protest police brutality and say Black Lives Matter! Anyone who questions government activities or opposes government policies is a potential terrorist in the eyes of Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Through public records requests we have obtained copies of Joint Base Lewis-McChord Protection Division daily bulletins wherein each day Thomas Rudd and Daniel Vessels instruct the military and civilian personnel living and working on the base to report "suspicious activity" directly to them. And just what is this suspicious activity these men want reported to them? Well, in their own words "nothing is too trivial to report". Take a photograph, ask an innocent question, or even express an opinion on social media that the government does not approve of, and you will find your life being scrutinized by Thomas Rudd, Daniel Vessels, and their criminal conspirators in the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Protection Division. Your name and personal details will be entered into military terrorism databases, to be shared with law enforcement and security agencies nationwide (http://www.nwguardian.com/2011/08/04/v-print/10767_theres-no-such-thing-as-too-vigilant.html). And though you have committed no crimes, having your name listed in these terrorism databases can affect your credit, your ability to travel, your ability to earn a living, and cause you to be seen as a violent threat toward law enforcement and your community for doing nothing more than expressing a political opinion or questioning government activity.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who watches the watchers? It must be us! We must watch every action of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Protection Division and make public their on-going criminal activity. We must resist their tyranny and call for their end. As long as the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Protection Division is collecting "suspicious activity reports", as long as they are illegally entering our personal and private information into government databases, and as long as they are sharing that illegally collected information with other agencies we cannot trust anyone associated with Joint Base Lewis-McChord. You never know who from the base might be spying on you! Your most innocent action or innocuous comment can get you labeled as a terrorist. Remember, in their own words, "Nothing Is Too Trivial To Report".