I had a thought a couple of nights ago (re: NSA Wiretapping)

[BlueStorm]

Yes I know it is old news also I didn't know where to post so mods, if you feel this an inappropiate place you can move it or whatever.

I wonder if they tapped on me?

Let me tell you why I think this:

From Jan of 2002 to May of 2003 I went through an Islam phase sparked by 911. I actually converted and practiced it during this phase. I wore the entire wardrobe, niqaab and all in the latter part of it.

I also interacted with Muslims here in Grand Rapids and Detroit who I considered my friends. One of my contacts in Detroit was somewhat fundamental and was the one that convinced me to wear the niqaab.
I was also convinced that I was to get married as it is completing the other half of your "deen" or faith. I went through that whole thing though I didn't get married and it is a rather long story unto itself.

Ok so now enter my mother...

I was living with her in the former part of 2002 just when my phase was starting to get into full phase. She and I were living with her mother.

When I started to get into the Qur'an and Islam she pretty much went berserk ( my mother not my grandma) She had screamed at me once that I was going to hell, said that I was being brainwashed by people that I was interacting on the Internet and even threaten to take all of my Islamic literature including the Qur'an and destroy them. She even called my father and pleaded with him to cut me off from the Internet (He had given me his old computer when he got his new one so I brought it over to my grandma's house and was using the same MSN service) THen there was time one of my Grand Rapids contacts invited me to a house party with Muslims where I could ask questions. My mom was afraid I would get kidnapped, nevertheless she was convinced by this man (who owns a halal store) that I could go. She talked to him about Islam and he seemed to alleviate her fears and misunderstandings. But she always reneged on her views and went back to viewing Islam as dangerous.
She was also afraid that any mail that I got from my Internet contacts (one from the Arab Emirates sent me some head scarves) as she was afraid that they would send anthrax, (that's when that BS was going around)

So I moved back with my dad in spring of 2002 and tried to find a job and couldn't. My mom said it was because of what I was wearing, could be but also it probably wasn't I don't know and frankly now I don't care.

Anyways she continued to be apprehensive and dare I say abusive with me regarding my Islamic practices. As I wore the entire outfit it apparently made her uncomfortable, embarrassed? She didn't want me coming over to her dialysis center as it "made people uncomfortable" quite frankly I didn't get no reactions from the patients themselves. She didn't want me to come over to her house "dressed like that" and also she was afraid that I would get shot or beaten up. She even said that I shouldn't go into a store with the face thing on because I could get mistaken for a robber. Also she accused me of "stressing her out" I was accused by her by being brainwashed by them to become "anti-American" (Yes I did discuss politics with some of my Muslim friends but there was nothing violent in our dialogue and most wished to remain apolitical.)

Quite indeed my time with Islam was traumatic

Why am I telling you this?

Well after I have stopped practicing Islam in 2003, a year later she tells me that she had called the FBI and had asked them to monitor my phone line because she was "concerned about the people I was interacting with and that she felt they were recruiting me into terrorism" I can't remember the exact words but it was something to that effect.

I was pissed. Yes I was and even now I am mad at her for reproting me to the FBI ("Well I wasn't calling on you just the people that you were talking to.")

She tells me that they probably have dropped their surveillance since they see I am no longer in Islam.

So a couple of nights ago I was thinking about it and I thought "Shit what if I am on a list or something? What if I am on the No-Fly List? What if I am on the CIA list? Some governmental database?" So yeah I am pissed. It may be unfounded but still when I heard that she did that to me, it was heartbreaking.

My dad is another story, him and his freeper friends at the job. I was working for the Christian publishing company for the summer of 2003. Big mistake and another traumatic time for me.

Why am I telling you at DU about this, perhaps the events in the ME are the catalyst. I didn't become "anti-American" if that is the term being used, I did so because of BUSH. Since he once walked into the door of the White House with his little hoof feet, since he decided to bully himself into Iraq, since he and his minions tore up our economy. Since he started all of this shit, I became "anti-American" or better "anti-BUSH" Hell I love this country and I love the Constitution. I love what we represent or at least what we are supposed to represent.

I don't know what got me talking about this, I guess I just needed to air it out and DU seems to be the best place for this.

I am not wanting to start a big 'ole argument I just wanted to talk.

Again Mods, if you feel that this is inappropriate place you can move it. If you feel it is inappropriate then delete it.

Blue

[Generic Other]

1. Sounds like you have a file somewhere, son

Probably keep you out of the Army. Lucky you.

[BlueStorm]

2. Actually I am girl

but yeah if it will keep me out of the military.


I'm just pissed about the fact that my own mother would do this to me.

Blue

[IsIt1984Yet]

3. Did she ask that they moniter YOUR phone line or HERS while you lived with

her?

Cuz like... can I call and ask that they moniter... I dunno, my ex husband's phone line?

Did she say what their response was? Were they all like "ok, we'll get right on that!", or did they ask a barrage of questions? Did she ever get or persue follow-up or just make some arbitrary, "my kid is hanging out with no-good terrorists" bullshit?

I'd be pissed, too.

[BlueStorm]

5. You know.. I really don't know...

She never did tell me which line it was but I suspect it was my dad's line since I do remember hearing clicks when I was talking to them, even after I had severed my links to my Muslims contacts and up until my dad disconnected his line due to financial problems. I would assume it would be his since I was living with him and talking to my Muslim contacts mostly through his line using phone cards and such.

About a year later after I had left the practice of Islam I was talking to my best friend and the phone kept clicking. It was really annoying. I don't remember if my friend heard it or not.

I think my mom did tell me that they would "get right on it" but I don't remember as far as following up, she never did. Mind you I was 22, 23 at the time.

Blue

[Nay]

4. You can probably count on being a "person of interest," not

necessarily because you delved into Islam for a while, but because your mom turned you in. That's how the FBI, CIA, etc., get a lot of their leads -- family, friends, neighbors of the bad guys. The unabomber was recognized and turned in by his own brother. Now, they may not have taken your mom seriously, of course, esp if she sounded like she was raving and they could tell she was just pissed that you were doing the Muslim thing for a while.

Having said that, I wouldn't worry too much. People go on with their lives, change religions, give up old habits and acquire new ones, make new friends and leave some old ones, have a couple of brushes with the law and then wise up and are law-abiding thereafter, etc., etc., and most law enforcement agencies know this. You aren't going to be forever on some shit list somewhere.

But if one of your former buddies blows up a subway, you can count on an unfriendly visit. Make sure to get a lawyer BEFORE you say ANYTHING, if that ever happens.

And let me add -- if the FBI started coming after everybody who hates Bush's guts, well, that's a SHITLOAD of people. So hate the little devil all you want. The rest of us do!

[BlueStorm]

6. Well my mom wasn't raving

when she talked to them, I hope, lol.

Like I said the Muslims I did talk to were generally peace loving and hospitable. Actually they told me they were against terrorism and murder of any kind so I wouldn't think that they would do anything, but you never know.

I do think that the FBI probably did check it out but then found nothing worth pursuing so they might have just given up. Who knows?

Blue

[Nay]

7. I think you are probably right to think they gave it up when they could

see there was nothing to it. Although there are egregious exceptions, most law enforcement agencies don't have the money or the manpower to hassle people who, after a short inspection, are pretty obviously innocent of anything.

[Swamp Rat]

8. THOUGHT CRIME!!!

[BlueStorm]

9. SwampRat...

Did I ever tell you how much I love your graphics?

They are really eye-catching.

Blue

[Swamp Rat]

10. Thanks!