In the case of framed-up scientist Wen Ho Lee, U.S. prosecutors also claimed they had overwhelming evidence with which to convict Lee of stealing the "crown jewels" of U.S. nuclear weapons secrets and handing them over to the Chinese government. Papers such as the New York Times ran extensive articles purporting to back up the case. Unfortunately for Washington and the Times, the frame-up unraveled and Lee was set free.

At his confirmation hearing, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld spoke with candor when he said the government needs to focus on "considerably improving our intelligence capabilities so that we know more about what people think, and how they behave, and how their behavior can be altered, and what the capabilities are in this world." President George Bush signaled the rulers' intentions with his order to CIA director George Tenet to make a comprehensive review of the nation's intelligence capabilities, and the appointment of David Szady to fill the new post of counterintelligence czar.

The formation of joint FBI and local police unit task forces on "domestic terrorism," the deployment of a new generation of spy satellites that also conduct massive electronic eavesdropping, along with the use of computer databases to spy on millions of people, go hand in hand with the training exercises of special National Guard units in East Brunswick, New Jersey, and Washington's establishment for the first time ever of a military command for domestic operations. These are all steps the rulers are taking in preparation for coming social battles.

This is why we must reject the use of secret evidence against "suspected terrorists," and oppose the powers granted to the INS to arrest and deport suspected "illegal aliens," without even the right to judicial review or appeal. These moves by the U.S. rulers are aimed at the labor movement, Black rights activists, and all fighters for justice.  
 
 
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