The U.S. vs John Lennon - a documentary film

This September, Lionsgate is releasing a documentary film about the U.S. government's surveillance of John Lennon - simply for his political beliefs.

Throughout fourteen years of FOIA litigation over the files, which began in 1983, the FBI maintained that its surveillance of Lennon was not an abuse of power but rather a legitimate law enforcement activity. It's true that in 1972 Lennon associated with antiwar activists who had been convicted of conspiring to disrupt the Democratic National Convention four years earlier. It's true that he spoke out against the war at rallies and demonstrations. But the files contain no evidence that Lennon committed any criminal acts: no bombings, no terrorism, no conspiracies. His activities were precisely the kind protected by the First Amendment, which is not limited to U.S. citizens.

he experiences of exaltation and anger that rock music provided in the late sixties were not in themselves political experiences. Lennon knew that. He also knew that rock could become a potent political force when it was linked to real political organizing, when, for example, it brought young people together to protest the Vietnam War. The Lennon FBI files chronicle Lennon's commitment to test the political potential of rock music. They also document the government's commitment to stop him. The investigation of Lennon was an abuse of power, a kind of rock 'n' roll Watergate.

http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/8721/8721.intro.html

I can't think of a more timely release of a film about the power of individual political activism, in an age of increasing government forces opposing traditional democratic values.

The anti-war movement in the USA right now has been targeted by security forces, going as far as to investigate even the Quakers. In a truly democratic society, that is an outrage in a time where we are all under threat from others of far greater importance.

Democracy obliges us not only allowing, but also demanding, that citzens can be able to speak their minds about their governments actions. Any attempt to silence that is an attack on democracy itself.

As such, I hope that people will take the time to watch this film, and to understand it's importance even today.