Attytood: From "pre-emptive war" to "proactive arrests": NYC's thought police

There've been a lot of alarming stories this week, but none more so that this explosive article in tomorrow's N.Y. Times by a friend and former co-worker, Jim Dwyer. On a day when we ponder the third anniversary of a U.S. unprovoked invasion of another country and when President Bush reaffirms the need for pre-emptive war, we now learn that the New York (thought) police are busting folks who look like they might riot:

In five internal reports made public yesterday as part of a lawsuit, New York City police commanders candidly discuss how they had successfully used "proactive arrests," covert surveillance and psychological tactics at political demonstrations in 2002, and recommend that those approaches be employed at future gatherings.

Among the most effective strategies, one police captain wrote, was the seizure of demonstrators on Fifth Avenue who were described as "obviously potential rioters."