The documents show that when intelligence sweeps of phone and internet communications were changed a few years back as unrest swept the Arab world, one of the words they keyed on was "spring," as in "Arab Spring." To their amazement, intelligence analysts uncovered a massive "spring" movement in the United States that was centered in garden clubs. Even more disturbing was the number of "plots" they were engaged in, many of them targeted at public buildings and densely populated urban areas.
The analysts thought the extent and fervor of the groups warranted extensive monitoring and satellite assets were moved from monitoring the middle east, Russia, Iran and North Korea. The results, again, were chilling. Geraniums, begonias, poppies and other tools of the clubs were creating vast red swaths recalling the worst days of the cold war. The colors white and blue, analysts wrote, were significantly absent.
In one high level briefing before the Senate intelligence committee Arizona Senator John McCain was visibly shaken by the findings. "We saw the devastating impact that Flower Power had on this country once. We cannot let it happen again," he emotionally told the committee.
Snowden said that he would release the data because General Keith Alexander is arguing his surveillance of US phone and internet traffic had stopped dozens of plots. He said that most of those plots involved flower beds outside sensitive public buildings.
"The public has to know this," he said.
—Ed Barnes, reporting from Brooklyn, NY
