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TechnoratiAt the beginning of the last century American philosopher George Santayana famously observed: "Those who can't remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
The U.S. House recently confirmed that Santayana's warning about the danger of repeating the history we don't, can't or won't remember applies not only to ordinary mortals in the last century but to members of Congress in this century, too.
Under media radar, the Democrat-sponsored "Prevention of Violent Radicalism and Homegrown Terrorism" bill (H.R. 1955) passed the House at the end of October by a vote of 404 (including the entire Minnesota delegation) to 6. The bill was tagged as noncontroversial by the House leadership and is pending before the Senate. For those senators and citizens who remember history, the bill should be controversial, indeed.
Promoted as a relatively innocuous public safety measure, the bill directs money to the Department of Homeland Security for research on homegrown terrorist-Americans in our midst. While this may seem to make sense, the way the bill describes the "hidden enemy," and the powers inherent in the 10-member investigative commission it establishes, should raise concerns among Americans who remember history, no matter what their political leanings.
According to the bill, "homegrown terrorists" can be anyone who "... intimidate(s) or coerce(s) the United States government, the civilian population ... or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social belief," a definition broad enough to include Americans who organize mass marches on Washington to "coerce" changes in government policy.
The bill defines "violent radicals" as Americans who "...promot(e) extremist belief system(s) for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious or social change..." - in other words, Americans who have not yet done anything illegal but who, commissioners believe, have thoughts that might lead to violence.
The bill does not target all thoughts (belief systems) that might result in violence, but only thoughts leading to "... force or violence ... to promote political, religious or social beliefs," which is exactly the kind of violence that might result whenever people gather to demonstrate for or against important issues, such as the Iraq war or abortion.
For at least 18 months this "Homegrown-Terrorism and Extremist Belief Commission" will be required to hold congressional hearings around the country, to uncover Americans with "political, religious or social" concerns who commissioners think might be "extreme" and/or potentially violent, whether any of these Americans has committed a crime or not. Virtually any politically, socially or religiously active person or group could be targeted by the commission to find out who is, and who is not, one of the "hidden enemy" among us.
Witnesses who refuse to testify can expect to be held in "contempt of Congress," as former members of the Bush administration like Harriet Myers have learned recently, and jailed. Witnesses who do testify but say things that commissioners or their staff think are not true can be charged with perjury, or lying to a federal official, as "Scooter" Libby found out. Either way, noncooperative witnesses can face up to a 10-year sentence.
Members of suspect political, religious and social groups, or Americans who might even know people the commission suspects - which certainly will include nonmainstream political parties, certain public advocacy groups, some churches and many mosques - can expect the "commissioners" will want to know ... "are you now, or have you ever been ... associated with extremists, violent radicals or homegrown terrorists?"
For those who do remember history, this should sound uncomfortably familiar. These are the kinds of questions Americans were compelled to answer when testifying before another "legislative commission" during the anti-communist McCarthy-era witch-hunts.
In 1938, the House set up the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) to find the dangerous Americans among us, which provided the model for Sen. Joe McCarthy's ideological purges based on accusation and innuendo. But HUAC lasted long after McCarthy passed from the scene, and it was busily investigating anti-Vietnam War and civil rights activists when it was disbanded as part of post-Watergate reforms in 1975.
During its 40-year life, HUAC was used by Richard Nixon to catapult himself into national prominence in the Alger Hiss case. Noncooperative HUAC witnesses like the "Hollywood 10" were jailed for contempt of Congress. Others were blacklisted from employment, including Arthur Miller, Paul Robeson, Lillian Hellman, Dashiell Hammett, Clifford Odets, Pete Seeger, Richard Wright and many others.
In Minnesota, the brother of J. Robert Oppenheimer (the "father" of the atomic bomb) lost his faculty job at the U for failing to "come clean" before HUAC.
HUAC-inspired "terror," that one's ideas or political associations would come under HUAC scrutiny, swept the country. And, once targeted, witnesses knew there was no escape except to accuse one's friends and colleagues, and many did. The careers of thousands of Americans were ruined.
Is it possible that the members of Congress have forgotten or don't know their own history?
If this "Son of HUAC" becomes law, any political, religious or social activist is fair game for HUAC-like congressional hearings. And, we can expect that any person or group preparing to do anything other than watch TV during the upcoming Republican Convention in St. Paul will be hearing from the commission ... and will have to be prepared to answer the famous question ... "are you now, or have you ever been...?" And also be prepared to face jail for refusing to answer, or for getting the answer "wrong."
Which brings to mind the trenchant observations of yet another famous American philosopher of the last century, the great and wise Yogi Berra, who once said,
"It seems like déjàvu all over again ...."
And, so it does.
Peter Erlinder, past president of the National Lawyers Guild, is a professor of constitutional criminal law at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul. His e-mail address is peter.erlinder@wmitchell.edu.
© 2007 Pioneer Press
82 Comments so far
Show All"SEC. 899E. PROTECTING CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES WHILE PREVENTING IDEOLOGICALLY BASED VIOLENCE AND HOMEGROWN TERRORISM .
`(a) In General- In carrying out this subtitle, the Secretary shall ensure that the efforts of the Department to prevent ideologically based violence and homegrown terrorism as described in this subtitle do not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights, and civil liberties of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents."
Don't worry, noted activist and civil libertarian Michael Cherthoff will make sure your rights are protected !
"SEC. 899B. FINDINGS.
`The Congress finds the following:
(3) The Internet has aided in facilitating violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and the homegrown terrorism process in the United States by providing access to broad and constant streams of terrorist-related propaganda to United States citizens."
So all they have to do is find some radical comments on a blog related to a topic they want to suppress [say the 911 truth movement], and they will be able to shut it down and go after all the bloggers. They could even covertly post the radical comments themselves in order to justify the mischaracterization.
MLMrev My school’s internet ‘filtering’ software blocked the AK Press site (anarchist bookseller), and listed it as a “TERRORIST/MILITANT/EXTREMIST†site…scary.
Do they block cbc.ca,ctv.ca,rabble.ca or straightgoods.com?
My son says right click on internet explorer, go to properties, there's a place on websites and you click allow.
totaljoke We can no longer trust our “elected representatives†to pursue our common interests. It will take masses of individuals to throw a monkey wrench into the system.
Are you talking about the American electronic voting machines here?
Golddogs Hitler would be proud of the German-American GW Bushe.
Forget Hitler for a moment because though Prescott Bush is dead, Thyssen still exists - or did so during Reagan's reign. The far right in German has always put their support towards those most likely to further their interests and most of these people are not as notorious as Hitler.
Note that during Mulroney's eulogy for Ronald Reagan (the transcript still exists on line) that Mulroney credited Ronnie with the reunification of Germany. Helmut Kohl, who was chancellor at the same time was also credited with the reunification of Germany. Kohl was also involved in a money laundering/corporate kick-back scandal the likes of which make Cheney (from everything we know of him so far) seem like a choir boy.
During the Reagan/Bush era Strauss (another prominent German politician) was giving Karlheinz Schreiber money to go around to world helping get Conservatives elected. Karlheinz Scheiber was also in charge of trying to secure government contracts for Thyssen.
This bill sounds like a death warrant for the internet and blogs such as this in common dreams. NO more free speech, no more free thoughts? Maybe we will have to suffer even more before the little guy takes revenge and turns things around. Or maybe we won't have time if our Earth is planning to rebel with such destructiveness that all our worries have been for nothing. Or worse, we will all end up like slaves for centuries. That's the history of the world except for a couple hundred years of American Freedom. Maybe it's not too late for the resurrection of our Democratic Freedom because you can push people just so far.
What people seem to miss about this "innocuous" act, is that it adds to the definition of a "terrorist" as the US gov. see it.
It does NOT have to be violence or thoughts leading to violence but "force" alone. Look up the definition of "force"
The doors are now wide open now to detain and render any person who so much as whispers any words of dissent.
Back to work mute zombies.
Hitler would be proud of the German-American GW Bushe.
I think, therefore I am a threat to the Rapture-ites. They don't think, therefore they should rule the world; and, murder, rob, and pollute all they can. Makes lots of sense, no?
They should just get rid of the edit function here at CD, as it is totally useless!
DJ, you said, "Several years ago the CIA admitted ON IT’S WEBSITE".
If you are looking for truth, the CIA WEBSITE is one of the last stones you want to turn over. Did they, at that time, admit complicity in JFK, RFK, MLK, 911, and all the rest? I didn't think so.
The fact is, we're living Orwell's "1984", complete with NewSpeak, rewriting of history, big brother, a state of endless war, and the thought police. It's amazing how close he was to the year of its actual realization. This is when the corporate-right took over the media, and started repeating the big lie, loud enough and long enough for it to become the sheeple's truth.
Good article, marred only by the references to Joe McCarthy.
Joe McCarthy had nothing to do with "purges" or anything like that. The Hollywood 10 trials were held by Democrats, the loyalty oaths and immigration blocks were done by Democrat McCarran from Nevada.
Several years ago the CIA admitted ON IT'S WEBSITE, that McCarthy was a whistleblower who they destroyed as one of their first actions. You can read my speech on the CIA revelations here:
http://joemcarthytruth.blogdrive.com/archive/cm-09_cy-2007_m-09_d-25_y-2...
It is interesting to me that people who have many reasons for hating CIA, have missed this incredible confession.
The CIA was banned from inception to getting involved in our domestic political affairs. They broke that almost immediately when they set McCarthy up.
Since 1942 Grombach a OSS operative who had as one of his spies one of the heads of KGB was given lists of names of spies within the State Department,the White House, etc. Those lists were ignored by Roosevelt and Truman for almost 10 years. Only out of desperation, as KGB spies continued to rise in the ranks here did Grombach take the names to McCarthy. No one on the left or right ever asked where he got the names from.
McCarthy was the first whistleblower. He was destroyed for it. The CIA admits it!
We need to re-evaluate the entire era, and the role of the Communist Party USA.
Funny how people can believe CIA was behind 911, the JFK assassination, etc, but when the CIA admits they destroyed a Senator to cover up spies being allowed in our government- that isn't considered an issue!
The CIA by the way tried to reclassify the documents but was stopped after historians sued. It would have been the first time documents released to the public had been reclassified.
Yet still we go on, smearing a guy that was set up by CIA- and destroyed for telling the truth.
JohnR
All they have to do is SAY that you have the thoughts and then waterboard you until you confess. Like I've been saying, it's not Mcarthyism, it's the Inquisition, American style. It's torturing the confessions out of the accused witches and then hanging or burning or both.
I remember when I worked at the engineering library at a university, I chatted with a professor who had come in to make photocopies. He was talking about developing technology that could map neural activity in the brain and read the person's thoughts, at least in a gross way, e.g. the person is angry and planning some action. That was in 1989. Imagine what may be possible now. Our best defense may be that it will turn out not to be that useful since everyone will have a complex spectrum of thoughts that are more or less the same as everyone else's. For instance, a history of Dubya's brainscans may not be distinguishable from Dennis Kucininch's. although their behavior patterns indicate they have radically different beliefs and attitudes. Still, interrogators and corrupt prosecutors could use it to trump up charges against their political targets, which, of course, is nothing new.
Next is the age of Aquarius,
Where knowledge and truth will take care of us.
So in this age of spiritual dignity,
You'll see a rise in femininity,
Matched with masculinity.
You gotta get with me,
This is your real history.
KRS ONE
I know the song... lol.
2012 = the transition to the age of Aquarius. Coincidentally, it's the same time where the north pole will release billions of tons of methane gas, hastening global warming. Furthermore, it's the year in which the Mayan calendar ends and the world supposedly undergoes a great transformation. I think it'll be the whole of the world realizing that we've been fucked by our own consumption and consequential destruction of the planet. This will lead to massive social instability where power will shift and those that once held awesome power will be reduced to shambles, leveling the playing field and bringing about real fair and just social and economic change.
'Fellow keyboard-warriors -- Disunite!'
Seriously, the time is neigh to choose: red-pill, or blue? Don't be so quick to damn/blame most-others for choosing to 'stay happy' rather than seeking-out your 'unhappy Truths' with you (especially if/when you've not really completed your journey regards 'mastering all-pertinent Truths', yourself -- complete your re-education and 'test-all' firstly).
The Truth hurts...and it is a very tough-sell, indeed, to any uncooperative audience (of any persuasion or nature). Why that so-surprises many in here just puzzles-me...?
Yes -- 'go towards the Light' [if not Luciferian, that-is [small-joke!]), but don't 'stand under the hammer' in the meantime, nor alienate any potential fellow-travelers during your own Enlightenment. They of course have as big a Stake in everything as you-do (and you will understand/accept all-others once you really understand-yourself).
We are all 'one'...ultimately.
Well then, why not just say it all out loud.
George Bush, his cronies, and his enablers are proto-Fascist unAmerican betrayers of the Constitution and Bill Of Rights.
Dare they come for me? And millions others like me?
Our Congress is safe from policing -- no thoughts there. Whew!
Not to worry. Remember, they aren't called reactionary for no reason. They are afraid of something that will not hurt them. Ironically, all our blogging and demonstrating is to keep things from falling apart--LaoTzu's "pursue an offender only to show him the way"...
It's good that everyone is concerned enough to beat the drums for change, but realize that measures like the above bill define the final stages of a status quo. They are trying to get out in front of something that has already passed them by.
I invite you to find and read PaulHawken's "BlessedUnrest". Just go ahead and be part of it, in Peace, be patient, and make good choices. Show them the way.
Mastershake--
Yes, I know exactly where you are coming from. I've lost practically everything I've ever cared about, including my jazz gigging, because I've cared enough about this country to fight for it over the past 15 years, at least. And in return, even though many years ago I was in the military, these ignorant local nationalists consider me a traitor because instead of sitting drinking beer at the VFW I'm walking around town in a Veterans for Peace shirt and writing letters to the editor and doing everything else I can think of to wake people up. But they refuse to be woken up. They concern themselves with their high school football games and their pro-war street parades and their Harley-Davidson motorcycles and their classic car rallies and their Masonic Lodge meetings and their honor roll students and their real estate development plans and their corrupt city council meetings where they're always trying to confiscate properties to tear down and bring in big developers to gentrify the area.
The local newspaper is just day-after-day of relentless pro-business propaganda and the editorial page runs a right wing syndicated columnist EVERY SINGLE DAY except for once a week when they run a moderate named Richard Reeves. Otherwise it's day after day of Bill O'Reilly, Cal Thomas, and other rightwing thinktank liars and nobody around here even bats an eye. And if you attempt a conversation with anyone of them, within 30 seconds they are either walking away from you because you don't agree with them, or smiling smugly while informing you that it's all in the Book of Revelations.
Most of the Democrats in Congress (besides Dennis Kucinich), have proved that they are fascists just like the Republicans. Is anyone really surprised that they passed this McCarthyist legislation? I'm definitely not. Although I would have expected that more than THREE Democrats in the House would have voted against it (three Republicans also voted against it)!
Anyway, I'm definitely voting Green in 2008. I know that simply posting this message (and the link at the end of it) will probably get my name posted on "the list".
http://www.gp.org/
Kali=chaos
Straussian king's philosphy taught at Columbia to Rumsfeld and his ilk....
Out of Chaos comes order is what they were presented with, and the neo-cons have used this to cash in.
The master's symbols shall be used against him...call on this energy, and let her do what needs to be done.
I say it again, they actually think they are in control, but they have no power here.
No, I think the Hindus are correct. This is the age of Kali.
The next age is the age of Aquarious - remember the song, and the words? If not, google it.
SIOUXROSE__You state we are at the end of the Piscean age. So, what comes next and is it better or worse? How about the Peacean age for a change? Just wondering what to be expecting. In this Alice in Wonderland country we have now, your astrology makes as much sense as anything, unless it is the Rapture, Armageddon, and the Apocalypse, which are all very clear.
This is not deja vu of the Mcarthy era,
It's the "Freakin' Inquisition" all over again.
and by the way, the inability of this country to understand basic logic (including logical fallacies) as well as mathmatics is truly pathetic and monumental.
I guess the big question isn't whether they'll go after peace/activist groups who advocate for non-violence.
The bigger set of questions:
(1) Whether being a politician or religious fundamentalist (pick the religion in question) lets one off the hook. Is Pat Robertson going to jail for advocating assassination of Chavez?
(2) Or whether random acts of violence let one off the hook (i.e. gang/drug/etc. violence is not "ideological").
(3) Whether capitalism qualifies as an ideology.
miftin:
Maybe it is me. You're right.
I am literally worn out, and exhausted. and I'm quite young to boot. I'm sick and tired of fighting for and defending the same people around me who are either apathetic or gleefully content to be ripped off, scammed, fleeced, and oppressed - or both. Most are unaware and completely oblivious, but all will insist that they're not- that they're informed. Most assume, and i think this is the largest presumption and misconception in this country, think that if there was some injustice, oppression, tyranny occuring in America, surely people or the government would correct it, and/or never let it happen in the first place- it's the myth we've been brought up to believe. And most of all, people seem to have this illusion of invulnerability, where bad things only happen to other people, not to them. For instance, I work in Advertising/Market Research... nearly everyone, like 80% of people, say that Advertising is influential, just not on them- and they're so sure that it has no influence on them. That's just one example... but the problem is much larger than that- Where if there was brainwashing occuring, surely they wouldn't be influenced by it, it would be other people- but it plays off my previous point, whereas if brainwashing was occuring, they think not only would it not happen to them, they think someone else would do something about it; or that in general, such large brainwashing is not possible in the first place, because they insist that they are informed.
We live in a country, and world really, where we watch, read, and listen to fable, adventure, fantasy etc, where good always trumps evil, where heros emerge and always save the day, and where in the end things always turn out ok. We've been programmed to believe that something, or someone somewhere will correct an injustice- but more importantly that if there were an injustice, surely it would be so blatent. But they're not aware. They're not aware that the repression, and fleecing has become so refined that it is designed specifically to program each and every American to presume and falsly believe that they are 1-invulnerable, 2-informed, and 3-in control.
And so i'm tired of defending the same people who are standing in the way and obstructing my efforts when I put myself out there to fight for them, to fight against the repression. Do they want to continue being ripped off? Good, let them continue to be ripped off and exploited. They deserve exactly what they get, and the fact that they insist they're invulnerable to it, informed, in control, etc shows they deserve for it to hit them 10 fold when it occurs. If they want to continue living in a delusional bubble of reality, so convinced and deluded into believing that their pathetic lives are meaningful, let them. They're apathetic, content, and even happy getting shitted on, let them get shit on. I'm not going to fight for and defend people who are completely oblivious, unaware, and ignorant to what's occuring around them, especially when reality is so clearly shown to them, it's easy to see, hear and feel.
The entire Congress needs to be thrown out of office and replace with real patriotic citizens who value the Constitution and their oath of office.
YOU ARE qualified to run for congress!
Just watch this video of Katherine Harris
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98_b5JW2CII#GU5U2spHI_4
and see how easy it is to run in your state
www.peacecandidates.com
Maybe they'll go after Fred Phelphs and his westboro baptist gaggle of homophobes for promoting violence against gays.
auspiciousbunny raises a great point about ditching all the corporated telcom and mass media crap. Celphones, sat t.v., palmpilots and PDA's
Do it.
Credit ratings are so bad in the U.S. now that it won't prohibit you from borrowing money. But don't just cancel these services. Default on them. Hit these corps where they're most sensitive: keep an internet account open for free speech.
And stay LOUD. They can't put everybody in a cage.
ideologically based violence - like the Neo-Cons and their Evilgelical Base?
Speak for yourself, mastershake. I've been educating myself and fighting these bastards for twenty years. And they've been torturing me for just as long. You want to talk about economic blacklisting, organized whispering campaigns, police brutality, mental cruelty, blatant financial targeting, illegal surveillance, government psychiatrists and manipulative psychological operations? I can tell you all about them from personal experience. Keep your chin up. all they can do is keep giving you one round-house after another. And if you keep standing on your feet you're winning. And if you keep looking them in the eyes and telling the truth, you've won regardless of what they do to you.
I was trying to add on to my previous post, but couldn't, so ill just post again.
Remember, most dogs (sport, working dogs) can easily overpower their masters. Why is it then that when the dog is blatently struck, neglected, mistreated, ripped off etc is it that he remains so obedient and loyal? All out of fear, timidity, a FEELING OF DEPENDENCE, not to mention a complete obliviousness to the situation at hand, and the dogs own power.
"Circus dogs jump when the trainer crack a whip, but the well trained dog turns sumersaults when this is no whip."
George Orwell
Quite frankly we deserve to be shitted on and ripped of by the government since we not only have so many people apathetic about such injustices committed against the, you have the very people who are themselves ripped off/fleeced still graveling to their masters like a mangey mut. Basically, they are not just wholeheartidly content being scammed and ripped off, they'll jump at the chance to the injustice because they're completely unaware and oblivious to the atrocities in the first place.
And remember the general Iceberg Principle. Whatever we know as the public of the wrongdoing of the government/corperations is only 10% of the entire story- that is to say, we're only scratching the surface with the magnitude and the levels that they're fleecing and ripping the public off. The oppression is 10 fold, and we only grasp 1/10th of it.
And I really am starting to think that if half of the population is oblivious graveling muts, while the other half apathetic, we deserve exactly what we get.
dp
good point - gail.
Someone here said "write your senator?"
OK.. thats the funniest thing I've heard today. (Psst to the writer: Guess what? THEY DON'T CARE.)
"According to the bill, “homegrown terrorists†can be anyone who “… intimidate(s) or coerce(s) the United States government, the civilian population … or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social belief,†a definition broad enough to include Americans who organize mass marches on Washington to “coerce†changes in government policy."
NOTE THE TERMINOLOGY:
Homegrown terrorsits "CAN BE" (but not necessarilly will be)
...."anyone who intimidate(s) or coerce(s)the United States government...."
ALSO NOTE ONE OF THE DEFINITIONS IN WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY:
coerce: To dominate or control, esp. by exploiting fear, anxiety, etc.: To hold in, restrain."
Does anyone think for a minute that any major campaign- contributing lobbyist who threatens to withdraw their financial support from a politician for not voting in favor of a particular bill, wouldn't be considered "intimidating" to a government official who wants to make "politics" his/her lifelong career? By threatening to withdraw their financial support, would it not also be considered to be "exploiting their fears and anxiety", and thereby possibly "restraining" them from voting in favor of a bill which would actually represent the people of this country?
Do you think the "committee of ten" will target these corporate-hired criminals as "terrorists"?
DENNIS KUCINICH FOR PRESIDENT 2008!
Back at the height of the industrial revolution in England people who heard voices were convinced their minds were being controlled by the large machines with all the gears.
One word: 'extraordinary.'
Okay...another one: 'seditious.'
No more snoozing. No more reaching for the stars while all the...dirt...is raining down around us.
Figure out which non-Republican would-be presidential nominee has the best prospects of beating any of the thugs, theocrats, racists and war-mongerers currently jonesing for the mantle of the GOP nomination.
And VOTE for him.....or her. And do everything you can to get out the vote.
I wrote my senators about this. You should too.
Before HUAC there was the Rapp-Coudert Committee in New York that applied similar inquisitional techniques on teachers who were deemed dangerous. After ruining the lives of numerous non-conformist teachers and others it was disbanded. But not until the 1990's did the NY legislature, CCNY Board of Regents and other academic institutions apologize to the aged victims of this terrible law. Kurt Tucholsky, a German non-conformist wrote of Weimar Germany as laws were used to repress the left, labor,and civil rights that "the German courts were blind in the right eye." Let us not be blind to the threat whether citizen or judge. Keep fighting for justice and against draconian laws!! Peace.
Does lying a nation into war to promote the "political belief" of Democracy count as a "homegrown terrorist" act? Neocons openly call for the illegal bombing of every country in the Mid East to promote Democracy and "capitalism." Aren't they guilty of homegrown terrorist thoughts? A corporation that lies, cheats, steals and pollutes, ruining the lives of tens of thousands of Americans - now a "homegrown terrorist" committing violence in order to promote their "belief" in the "free market" theory?
Or are "homegrown terrorist" thoughts those that simply do not match those some God jammed the Loonitary Decider's head full with after he stopped getting drunk morning, noon and night?
HUAC, Hastening the Unravelling of the American Constitution.
While attempting to privatize all public services, the corporate -political elite will want to know which individual's are "overusing" public services rather than obediently buying lots of pre-landfill stuff and services.
Questions asked to discover terrorist thoughts.
Do you use the public library too much rather than spending your time and money at a book-selling franchise? What type of books do you read?
Do you take your kids to public parks too much rather than let them spend your money at Chuckee-Cheese, etc.? What type of thoughts are you actually sharing with your youngsters?
Do you take your kids camping in one of our public camping grounds too much in stead of spending your time and money at one of the many theme parks? What type of environmental beliefs do you discuss with your youngsters?
Do you insist on sending your kids to public schools rather than sending them to private schools that "carefully select" those whom can attend and those who can't? In the public school your child attends, are any of the teachers gay, non-conformists, tenured, active union members, anti-war protesters, etc.?
Do you send your kid to the public colleges rather than the military. Do any of these public colleges contain too many Leftist proffs (as defined by Horowitz and others of his ilk)?
And if your kid goes into the military, does he or she join the US military or do they join a private mercenary-for-hire company?
When in the US military, does she or he critically examine any aggressive use of military force when it isn't used todefend our borders from actual, visible, observable attacks
Eventually, under this new "consume, work and obey" law, each "citizen" will be rated on a public use vs. private consumption scale.
Those individuals that demonstrate a pattern of public use rather than private consumption, will be hauled in to face the new thought commissions.
Do you see the possible injustices this new HUAC Jr. law might unfold?
For example, what if you went to a public rather than privatized prison, and when released, took courses at a community college rather than a private on-line diploma mill, and while you were studying, you used books and texts available at the public library rather than buying them at a private bookstore's reasonably inflated prices?
Even though, as a criminal, you paid for your past transgressions, you would risk another few years in the slammer if you overused too many free public services.
Just think of what the HLS boys would think of of the books and academic texts lent to you by your library? You might be studying chemistry, microbiology, physics, civil engineering, etc.for God's sakes; these are different areas of knowledge any extremist needs access to in order to pull off a homegrown terrorist attack.
Those individuals who made too many choices that showed a regular pattern of neglecting private spending and consumption would be the first investigated for thinking or potentially thinking about pursuing terrorist activities.
all by my lonesome...nothing behind the scenes
Since Bush's evangelical base fits the definition of "violent radicalism", and his preemptive war-based foreign policy is "home-based terrorism", enforcement of this law just might save America. As a Buddhist I am against the death penalty but I am prepared to make an exception for Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et. al. whose greed and deceit has led directly to the deaths of some one million Iraqis, mostly women and children. As Christains they should appreciate the appropriatness of the Bronze Age concept of blood atonement.
plus why do dreamers need to be summoned...
when i'm dreaming it is nobody but me...
siouxrose,if neptune is the love-rays,or the 'good'...than pluto is the anti-love ray or 'evil'...and chemically you have to melt down alot of neptunian and add a smattering of americum,to produce plutonium....it is the great controversy of the ages...secularly or religiously,chemically or metaphysically it all boils down to the same struggle.i like what samski said...i think i'll go fill-up my pie-hole to soothe the nothingness,i feel inside......
Electric shock.
Siouxrose: Colossal alarm clock? Climate change may well provide the wake-up time.
TRUTH SEEKER: It's also the final phase of the Piscean Age; but as to the struggle between light and dark, Pisces is the zodiac sign where addictions as well as escapist behavior runs rampant. The very question of free will becomes compromised when physiologically speaking, the guardians of the old ways have made use of a dazzling number of chemical numbing agents to make whatever will might be attributable to "free usage" virtually null and void. I would say people in our forum are far more awake than the average, and even so, we are part of a vast chemical guinea pig phase where our foods are adulterated, our water chemically treated, our soil denatured, our air afoul with for all we know the minutest particles of DUI and other airborne residue of decades of chemical use and abuse. Then there are the alcohol products, TV (a numbing agent), sports (an alter-ego quest to identify with raw power apparatus), street drugs, etc. How many are AWAKE at the wheel (in their own lives, and by extension, aware of the larger arena)?
Since I view the fate versus free will debate as more a prescription to note the dance aspect between the two, resulting in a cosmic version of cha cha cha... note the "coincidence" that all of these things are PISCES: oil (gift from Neptune, a/k/a Poseidon's sea kingdoms, the organic breakdown of everything that came before us, stored there, like a biological memory), the state of Florida (incorporated late February), Ralph Nader, Bin Laden, Huckabee, pharmacueticals and hospitals, and all things fanciful or fantasy based (like the plastic theme parks), like Hollywood! The US is so identified with these Piscean elements at the end of this age, with so many drugged one way or another. Here is the not so rhetorical question I pose in my book on this subject, "How are dreamers summoned into an awakened state?"
Ya mean you guys are thinkin of buggin out a here and leavin the revolution for us Common Folk?
If you think it is gonna be better in some haven, just check out if you got any family or loyal friends with cash to keep you from the pirates who love to meet new Americans who come for FREEDOM!
US Citizens: YOU ARE SNOOKERED.
Cannot vote to change govt policy. Cannot march to change govt policy. Cannot organise. Cannot. Cannot...
You can work. Obediently.
Move along. Consume something, fills that nothingness inside.
Read "The Holy Science" by the great saint Swami Sri Yuketswar. We are NOT in a dark age. However, we have exited the dark age over 200 years ago -- which, in the grand scheme of things -- is not very long. We have entered into the next age of evolution -- the electrical age. Whenever a new age arrives, souls of the evolution of the previous age FIGHT to hold on. There is always a battle between good and ignorance (aka evil). This is what is going on now. But the battle by the Neo-cons (the souls in darkness) is futile. They will lose because the dark age has ended. The vibrations are raising, and they will have to either evolve or stay in the astral hells until the dark age comes again. This time period was foreseen many years ago by India's sages, and it was promised that good will win out. But not without a struggle. A big struggle.
"According to the bill, “homegrown terrorists†can be anyone who “… intimidate(s) or coerce(s) the United States government, the civilian population … or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social belief,†a definition broad enough to include Americans who organize mass marches on Washington to “coerce†changes in government policy."
Congress must have forgotten - the Constitution reads -"Congress shall make no law . . . 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."
Honestly we're already completely controlled by corporate interests. We wouldn't even have any of the relationships with others we have today if we had no phones, car, internet.
Imagine you suddenly have no way of paying for your cell, your home phone whether it be cable or whatever, your email.
Imagine yourself in a room somewhere without any of these items which we pay hundreds of dollars to corporations for.
Would people seek you out, would your friends and family physically stop by to find you to talk to you? Would people write you letters to make appointments?
We've already allowed our social lives to be based completely on technology administered to us by corporations.
Our relationships would vanish as soon as we stopped paying for the technology we have made necessary to continue them.
greenerthanthou,yes,dubai and mecca are good 'hot spots'of the elite...sometimes i ponder that if osama bin laden were walking around in mecca,i doubt that anyone there would squeal on him,no..they would consider him some kinda holy-wonder of the eastern world...the reason i mention alot of the self-sufficient underground spots,is because there is some small likelyhood that 'above'ground may not be all that inhabitable..for one reason or another...i.ie.(germs,or depleted uraniums or any number of reasons,maybe just to be outtasite or whatever)....most government scientific labs are also underground..
This is a nasty and vicious piece of political filth legislation, which would have been worthy of Stalin. The bill targets beliefs or thoughts which could lead to use of force or violence in the general population, The bill itself represents repressive fascism, and as such will lead to force and violence being enacted against many of the general population, or force and violence will come from the general population in the opposition to its workings. Force and Violence are exactly what has always come out of the deliberations, beliefs and ideas of Congress, resulting in massive State Terrorism against many nations. The list of needless bloody onslaughts is too long to repeat. First arrest all of the neo-cons for promoting by any and all illegal means possible the idea of eternal war with Islam, and eternal war for oil, using the mass use of violence on the largest scale.
As for intimidation of government, nothing beats the love fest of money between the massive funding of congress by the corporations and military, and the approval of massive funding of military corporations by congress. For ideas and beliefs promoting violence and force, nothing in the world beats the fascist government of the United States of Israel, and its holier than thou mighty media acolytes. This bill bests Pol Pot in its desire to purge the country of anybody in the country with sufficient brains or courage to think differently. What are you going to do with the non-approved thinkers, shoot them, or lock them up forever, or just throw them down into the unemployable and non-welfare cesspit of your own untouchable cast?
SiouxRose- I’ve been say’en it too, we are in a very dark age.
There is basically zero respect for truth and knowledge.
Its all facts and statistics, maybe it’ll come in handy some day like when we’re on Jepordy.
Total Joke- nice point I agree, I think the same strategy would apply for stopping the war, like if anti-war people enlisted. What if we flooded Iraq and waged peace by refusing to be terrorists, and reporting or whistle blowing on the abuses taking place.
MeTooAlso- good luck with your 1st amendment nonsense as well when B.W comes a calling. Globalresearch is a great source. Everyone should know about it.
As for all this ominous shit…its funny the more they tighten the noose the less alone I feel. Weird huh?
something is blowing in the wind..
Congress is openly fearful of the people they are supposed to, but have not represented. It's telling when the people's voices are awakened and legally directed at their elected officials, that the leadership's response is the “Prevention of Violent Radicalism and Homegrown Terrorism†bill (H.R. 1955). Hubris !
I got a feelin that all the hoops a bill goes through, and it needs a separate funding bill to pay for it... and then when this group of Inquisitors, (Kissnger and Friends) actually begin this B movie horror plot (with a million opportunities for fun) The smart humorous activists in our media will have a ball covering this.... They will portray it as America Gone Loony... Everybody is a possible Hollywood Ten Terrorist now.....
Oh my God!
This also should help every third Party in the USA!
Viva The Revolution!... They are playing right into our Hands.
Jam the System!
Since virtually anyone could be accused of these things, EVERYONE should turn themselves in. Just as prisoners are released from prison because of overcrowding, they could not deal with hundreds of thousands or millions of people, without outright killing them.
Additionally, if people can stop paying their taxes, this corrupt government would collapse. They've rigged the system so that most people have no choice to pay taxes, it is automatically deducted from their paychecks. I would think that enough people pay their taxes directly to have a big enough impact.
We can no longer trust our "elected representatives" to pursue our common interests. It will take masses of individuals to throw a monkey wrench into the system.
I should be on the list for this new legislation now! LOL
It's incongruous that this article points to Harriet Myers & Scooter Libby, as examples of what can happen to you if you don't play ball with the new Inquisitors. The rest of the article is fine -- but those two are precisely wrong choices for illustrating the point the writer obviously wants to make.
This legislation smells like a prelude. In the 1950's, we had the House un-american activities committee. It's not a stretch for someone with an agenda to drive, to take whatever data is mined by homeland security, and twist it against anyone harboring an unpopular opinion.
Speaking as the "first heretic" (astrologer/mystic, witch to some) let me tell you, I get hot (feel those old flames) just reading about this one! I've been telling my friends for about a decade that we (US) have entered a new dark age, that it won't be long till they'll start trying to burn witches all over again. Of course the technology of using a scapegoat has done very "well" throughout history, usually it's the person of darker hue, but any group who is not in a majority can function as a very convenient target while the elites play behind-the-scenes puppet shows that turn one disenfranchised group against another in their common pursuit of--and rivarly towards--necessary crumbs of existence.
Pursuit of happiness, that will be a fallen ideal in the US as the "struggle" gets underway, but since it's writ in inviolate "ink" it will prevail. After the transition.
Also, seraphicmom, why would the ruling elite need to literally go underground in the US? There are playgrounds for the rich all over the world. I saw a magazine with a list of such, and the only US place on it was Jackson Hole.
Bush has land in Uraguay, and Halliburton moved to Dubai.
Rome used to be the last refuge for scoundrels and war criminals, and then it was Miami. I'm sure that the ruling class has nice, luxurious palaces waiting for them somewhere, when the US descends into poverty and chaos.
kloro, it's not capitalism, it's whenever totalitarians take over; it could be socialist, communist, capitalist or any mix. When power is allowed to consolidate and become centralized then madmen can take the helm and wield their terror over large populations.
rebelnow, dennis kucinich and ron paul, of course, voted against it.I was amazed that my congressman, Jerry Costello, voted against it. I wouldn't have thought he had it in him. But I did call and congratulated him, and urged him to vote for impeachment, while I was at it.
Actually, a few months ago, I spoke with him in person and waved my Constitution at him. He thought that impeachment was only for "high crimes", not misdemeanors, but it is actually for treason, BRIBERY, and other high crimes and misdemeanors.
The bribery part is always left out. I wonder why? We could have them all impeached for bribery.
capitalism is always violent with its victims, but tries to hide the violence, something which will be less and less possible as the current order of things unravels.
Note that this is a "Democratic-sponsored bill" and that it passed by a vote of 404 to 6. Who were the 6? The noose just keeps tightening on the rights of citizens ever so slowly. One day we will wake up with Blackwater at our door, dressed in swat garb, wanting to have a little discussion about our lack of church attendance.
If this law was passed in Cuba, Russia, China or Iran, Our great Congress would be saying this proves that we are the only defenders of Freedom.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=7606
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=7603
and, 'you don't know the half-of-it'...
[Oh, and good-luck with that '2nd-Amendment nonsense' when Blackwater and a couple Apache-helicopters come to call!]
This is exactly why there are leftists in the NRA and why there is a second amendment.
as they plot their Own get-a-ways,they enact bills,meant to protect themselves......(a MUST-SEE,youtubes"how to create an angry american")because for americans to rid themselves of the criminal (bushmaster)i.e.(meaning only a venomous snake of the new world) element,they would have to hit them,where they live such as i.e.(hypothetical only)bohemian grove,area 51,the self-contained city under epcot-universal-disney,the tunnels of washington....just to name a hypothetical few,and unfortunately there are too many influential nabobs with a powerful vested interest in these top-secret places.not to mention that it is exactly thoughts such as mine,that can get one into a helluva lotta trouble with the thought police and the ipso-facto ones,as well.i liked the way the artists of uzupia handled their rebellion and revolution;not only did they declare independence from russia,but they also decided to declare independence from their own lithuania.renaming themselves 'the republic of angels'they erected a statue of an trumpet-blowing angel and gave tribute to american frank zappa(a fundamental constitutionalist,and an outspoken, staunch defender of our american constitution),by placing a bust of his head,in this republic of angels and a copy of one of the most divinely jnspired documents;OUR UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION !!
I was just kidding around sometimes in the past. I care for and respect all our fine public servants. I had a bad concussion a while back. I'm sure I have a brain tumor or several. I love Big Brother. I really do. You can call me 'Bro.
LOLZ....Will they direct this power toward the neo-cons who have radically changed our military and our government? Will they direct this toward the zealotista Christians ala Jesus Camp fame?
Will they direct this power toward the multinationals that are currently working to destroy country boundaries and sovereignty (albeit arbitrary to begin with) to further their economic takeover of the globe?
Let them have the reins of the cart, and watch them drive the cart straight into the ditch. They have no power over the average person...even when empassioned with the desire to change the world.
They have NO POWER! This law is passing because they know their time is over. It is a law written by those who have no control, unless you choose to give it to them. This is the same group that is allowing the destruction of that piece o' paper The Constitution....fine, so be it. If my paper has no importance as a citizen, neither does yours...neener neener.
There are two games being played. There is the political process as seen through the monopoly media filter and on the other hand there is the grassroots movement of non-violent citizens who will change this country in positive ways. Lets focus on what we can do instead of focusing on how poorly our monopoly media and political leaders are doing. Interact with each other. Talk about issues. Get involved. Democracy is waiting for us.
When the Inquisition machine reads my thoughts, according to their own purpose they will have to keep my thoughts a secret from the public on the chance that my thoughts would incite a mass hanging of the Inquisitors and their war criminal leaders.
Hang down your Heads Bush and Cheney, Poor Boys your bound to die...
If they can't read my mind they can just play my tapes and emails.
Hell, Somebody's got to do it... Might as well be me.
I've basically always considered myself a democrat. It's time to re-evaulate.
"Through counter-intelligence it should be possible to pinpoint potential troublemakers and neutralize them."
Yes it is deja-vu all over again.
Nobody believes me, but please remember me when the info gets out..
The government already has Thought Reading Technology and have been using it illegally (secretly) for at least 14 years on US citizens (yes, that would be little 'ol me). S1959 is their attempt to legislate the legality of Thought Reading Technology before its existence is even known! It not surprising that it comes on the heels of the placement of our new Atty. General Michael Mukasey. Obviously, having argued in front of the Supreme Court, he requires alittle more cover for his crimes than the late, great Alberto Gonzales.
Follow this link http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071218135946.bs66t179&show_artic... for information on how easily available this technology has become.A Japanese company has made a product that 'speaks' from the vibrations of one's ear drums!
This legislation fits perfectly with their ability to read thoughts. They want to be able to arrest people for their thinking.
The noose is tightening...
"Democrat sponsored"?! I wonder if I can get to New Zealand before I get on the No-Fly List?