Recently a US Army presentation put together by the Army’s 304th Military Intelligence Battalion and found on the Federation of the American Scientists website expressed their concern about how social networking technologies could be used by terrorists (Source: Wired) .

I’m glad the Army is paying attention to social networks, perhaps they could use some of the underlining technologies to better communicate with other branches of government!  “Hey Mr. Homeland Security guy, would you be my friend on Facebook?!”  … “Sorry General, I’m just anti-social.”

All kidding aside, the thing that struck me the most was this passage:

Twitter has also become a social activism tool for socialists, human rights groups, communists vegetarians, anarchists, religious communities, atheists, political enthusiasts, hacktivists and others to communicate with each other and to send messages to broader audiences.

Wait a second? Did i read that right…. VEGETARIANS!?!

Unfortunately the report forgot this little reminder:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Twitter isn’t a subversive tool that Vegetarians use to disseminate our no-meat 3 bean chili recipe. It’s an online extension of people’s right to speak their mind (no matter how inane they might say) and freely and peaceably assemble.

I know military intellgence is an oxymoron, but I take very seriously when our country uses the word terrorsit.  It’s a weighty word and it shouldn’t ever be used lightly. Over the past few years that term has been thrown around way to casually, the way in which “communist” was thrown around during the dark time in our country which was called “The Red Scare”.

I really hope when Barak Obama becomes president he addresses the departments of government who seem hell bent on spending their budgets on anything and everything they decided are terrorists.  Because the last time I checked, not eating meat didn’t make you a fucking terrorist!