Politics: Cointelpro All Over Your Ass

The Nashville Tennessean is reporting that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) decided to play KGB with some peace protesters. TBI Agent Greg Elliot, a 17-year veteran of the force, decided to infiltrate and monitor the March 5 "Books not Bombs" rally at Middle Tennessee State University, in Murfeesboro. It was the only rally they've investigated in the last year. Elliot snooped around, told people he was a TBI agent, and then asked the speakers to identify themselves, and took down their names.

Fortunately, there was an outcry. Once it became obvious that the TBI had no good reason to investigate the rally (the reason Elliot was there is unclear), the TBI realized it had a little problem on its hands.

The Tennessean reported today that any future investigations of "lawful assemblies" will require several layers of supervisory approval.

''Agents will not be assigned to lawful assemblies where no criminal activity is suspected, unless their presence is requested by a federal law enforcement agency for purposes such as dignitary protection,'' the new policy said.

The new policy requires that a supervising agent ''communicate in writing'' to superiors the specific reason the agent is needed at the event and where the request for them to be there originated.

After the event has been approved, the supervising agent must prepare a ''special operations plan'' stating what the agent is specifically supposed to do.

The plan also must state whether the operation is overt or covert and give ''specific instructions to the agents(s) as to what actions should be taken if an operation goes from covert to overt.''

And the plan must be approved by the TBI's legal office.

And Elliot has been re-assigned out of the TBI's Criminal Intelligence Unit. Damn straight.