[conspire] Federales in Portland?

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Paul Zander (paulz at ieee.org):

> A phone call from Portland alerted me to some heavy handed activity by
> people who are most likely federal officers in unmarked cars and
> uniforms with no insignia detaining people.  The people were never
> told who the agents were or why they were being detained.  One man was
> not told what was happening until he was released outside of the
> federal courthouse.

And worse things.  Another such detainees friends were told by the
unidentified men in cammo uniforms stuffing the detainee into an
unmarked car that, if they followed the car, they would be shot.

It's a little unclear (at least to me) which laws are being violated by 
having alleged peace officers conducting detentions without any evident
probable cause, refusing to identify themselves, having no badges or
insignia, and driving unmarked cars -- but, if your police officers
_literally_ cannot in any way be distinguished from kidnappers, and
cannot be held accountable for anythng because there's deliberately no
record of who they were and what they did, then your country has a
problem.

Back fifty years ago, we didn't need to have specific fundamental laws
to the effect of 'Never be observed to be relying on Gestapo tactics for
your police forces', because the memory was still fresh.  But now, DHS
and their boss the short-fingered vulgarian seem to be actively _trying_
to get the citizenry to decide that the Feds are an alien, enemy
faction.  This goes beyond merely reckless and dangerous.  It's
(oonstructively) enemy action against state and local governments and
the American people.

There's been a great deal of coverage beyond the NPR article you
mentioned.  Too much to list.