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TechnoratiIt looks like the term "thought police" just might take on a whole new and real meaning.
This depends on what happens in the U.S. Senate after receiving House bill H.R. 1955: Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007. This act (now S-1959 - Senate version) is now being considered by Senate committees and, if passed by the Senate and signed by the president, will become law.
Common sense would indicate that something this vague and dangerous would not make it out of committee, but considering that the House passed it on Oct. 23 with 404 ayes, six nays, and 22 present/not voting, I'm not holding my breath.
The most disturbing aspects of this bill, and there are many, are the definitions noted in Section 899a. The three offenses defined in this document that will warrant prosecution are:
• "Violent Radicalization: The term 'violent radicalization' means the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious, or social change."
• "Homegrown Terrorism: The term 'homegrown terrorism' means the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives."
• "Ideologically based violence: The term 'ideologically based violence' means the use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual to promote the group or individual's political, religious, or social beliefs."
Besides the fact that this Act would greatly expand an already monstrous bureaucracy (Homeland Security Act of 2002), it is on its very face a threat to all ideological thinking not approved by the state. Any citizen at any given time could be considered a terrorism suspect and accused or prosecuted for "bad" thoughts. Since the very act of thinking could now be considered a crime, how would the populace react to this new paradigm? Would political debate among the citizenry become more subdued? Would watch groups, whether police or private, arise to monitor individual and group conversations? Would speaking out and writing against the government become a dangerous activity?
The language contained in this proposed legislation is not only vague, it is also broad, sweeping, and unclear.
The tenebrous and obscure nature of the above definitions is obviously not an accident. The broader the net, the more who are caught; the more who are caught, the more who live in fear of being caught. Ambiguity and fear are mighty deterrents, and ambiguity and fear foster obedience. In this case, unconditional obedience to the mighty state and its many dictates.
In the definition of "violent radicalization," it is a crime to adopt or promote an extremist belief system to facilitate ideologically based violence. Neither "extremist" nor type of political, religious, or social change is defined. And what about "ideologically" based violence? Is it violence to simply advocate radical change that might lead someone else to initiate violence? Who decides what beliefs are OK and what beliefs are not? The state, of course, is the final decider. The door is left open for interpretation, but for interpretation by government only.
"Homegrown terrorism," although similarly defined, is notable in that it concentrates strictly on U.S.-born, U.S.-raised, or U.S.-based individuals and groups operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States.
The Bush administration has had its problems in the courts at times concerning American citizens and their rights, sometimes setting it and its agenda back. This bill could help alleviate those problems. In addition, to intimidate or coerce the U.S. government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives, is forbidden and considered criminal. Let me repeat; to intimidate the government to further political or social objectives is forbidden. If this is allowed to stand, what does it do to demonstration, protest, petition, and the right to assemble?
Remember, this proposed act is attached to the Homeland Security Act of 2002. This is what gives it the teeth so that the enforcers can pursue and detain those considered guilty of holding or promoting an "extremist" belief system or wishing to advance political, religious, or social change. I use the word "enforcers" because this bill allows for the federal authorities, including intelligence and law enforcement, to use any state or local law-enforcement agencies. In addition, the commission may contract to enable enforcement. Also, "The Commission may request directly from any executive department, bureau, agency, board, commission, office, independent establishment, or instrumentality of the Government, information, suggestions, estimates, and statistics for the purposes of this Section." (Section 899C.) What little privacy still exists will not exist for long with the passage of this bill.
One of the tenets of any totalitarian society is that the citizenry must acquiesce to government control. The state itself is supreme and sovereign, not the people.
This has been true throughout history whether it was during Hitler's, Stalin's, Mao's or any other of a number of brutal dictatorial rulers' reigns. Dissent was stifled, whether it was ideological or physical, and accused parties faced humiliation, incarceration, or death for their unwillingness to conform. Is that where we're headed?
The newest weapon we have at our disposal in our fight against tyranny is our advanced communication systems, especially the Internet. Reaching untold numbers of persons, something not possible only a few years ago, is now possible because of the Internet. With the mainstream media kowtowing to politicians and government, the Internet has become the major tool for those promoting liberty and truth. It has allowed many brilliant freedom lovers to reach and change minds. Even this has not escaped the watchful eye of Big Brother in this bill. In Section 899B Congress finds the following:
"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."
This bill, if passed into law, will do nothing less than muffle, if not destroy, our ability to speak out against government. Considering the combination of the USA PATRIOT Act, The Homeland Security Act, the Military Commissions Act, and the now-enhanced executive power, adding this single piece of legislation fills the only loophole left. With the passage of this abominable act, all U.S. citizens are at risk, not just those few radical persons and foreigners spoken about by government, but all of us. This very article could be considered as ideologically based violence, subjecting me to punishment by government. This could be the final piece of the puzzle.
This new proposed legislation will help an already tyrannical government in its effort to become supreme.
Gary D. Barnett is president of Barnett Financial Services, Inc., in Lewistown, Montana.
Copyright 2008 The Hillsboro Times-Gazette
62 Comments so far
Show All1messengerofmany,
When I call on the needs of any professional, tradesperson, etc. they advertise themselves by name. Dr. So-and-So, Bob Johnson's Plumbing, etc. If I ever dealt with an outfit or company in which everyone hid behind masks, I'd be inclined to wonder what was up.
I should add, for the record, that I've never solicited nor received a dime for any of my political writings. Writing is cheap anyway, and I don't have much regard to so-called professional activists. They need to make money by always striking an anger/frustration chord. My hope goes to the concerned ordinary person -- the tradesperson, professional, service worker, etc. who cares deeply about the state of things, writes/organizes/volunteers/etc. out of his/her own spare time, not out of financial interest.
For Mr. Paul Bramscher
They are some strong words you use sir!
As a CommonDreams participant I didn't publish my blog address in this thread as I am not one to promote myself. I don't publish my name on my blog because my work is about the poor, the homeless, social injustice, and most of all the welfare of others.
This is my work:
postkatrina2007.blogspot.com
postkatrina2008.blogspot.com
myspace.com/belovedmessenger
myspace.com/HelpNewOrleansRebuild
TheReturnoftheChrist.org
If you google and do some research there are ways to find out my name. Except for the few who might read this posting, I shall return to my anonymity which I prefer to celebrity and self promotion...
I don't know why, but the tone of your post and your choices in phrasing just really seemed to create a reaction within me you really didn't leave any space that there really are people who care, who are progressives, who do not need to promote themselves.
a planetary sister.
rhizome,
I've posted political commentary strictly under my own name for over a decade on the usenet newsgroups, blogs, etc.
I've never been hassled by the government.
Never had trouble at the US/Canada border.
Never been bothered by my employer.
Headhunters keep calling me for job opportunities, etc.
Everyone has his/her own reason to be anonymous. But in my own case, I find it to be cowardice. If there were more people here who posted under their real names, I'd interfact more with them, and less with the anonymous people. Being anonymous hides one only from his/her fellow citizen. How many anonymous people here are not progressive in the least? The government/broadband providers, etc. can still track IP's. Basically anything someone does online is inherrently traceable.
Anyone who advocates that progressives shut up, go hiding with a tail behind their legs, be afraid of the bogeyman, etc. isn't exactly the sort of leadership I'd try to emulate myself.
As for reducing one's job possibilities, my philosophy is this: I wouldn't want to work for a military contractor, "right-wing" or fundamentalist nut anyway. If my employer can't put politics aside, and focus on professionalism, then I wouldn't want to be there anyway. They'll never get ME by the kahones.
Everybody knocks the Bush Administration and rightly so. They are a bunch of criminals and thugs. But the Democrats are enablers.
Idiots who keep voting for Democrats and calling themselves 'liberals' are the ones to blame. These laws would not have been possible without Democrats' support.
Now these brilliant voters are yet again ready to throw their money and votes to Obama and Hillary, two of the most corrupt, dishonest, deceiving supporters of mass murder and corporate profit who ever walked the face of the earth.
ladybroadoak, 1messengerofmany, MiMiCcS and everyone else here, thank you very much for your contributions!
Some small corrections to my post: that would be doj.gov, osd.gov, navy.mil, army.mil and the following domains: 96.54.83, 96.54.68, 96.54.71, 96.54.70, 96.54.8, 96.54.95, 96.54.75, and 96.54.86.
My stats program could tell me who bookmarked what depending on how many pages they went on to read at the site. Pages related to fascism, Hillary Clinton, and Bush's 100,000 acre and Reverend Moon's million acre land purchases in Paraguay were all bookmarked by these folks and less than a week later they no longer come up in searches at google for those keywords, although they are still listed at Google under a general site search. What triggered this was some spook housecleaning at Google where every site that came up for "Hillary, Republican" was reviewed. I know this because my site would likely not come up in the first 200 for such a search, and the scouring and subsequent suppressing of pages occurred shortly thereafter.
Regarding living with fear... That is a tough one. I decided six years ago to blog in my own name. It's been a disaster. I've been let go basically from two employers due to controversial content. They couldn't say it was my website that was the problem, because that would be a violation of my freedom to express myself. But if you don't have rights of due process, and are an at-will hire, it can be bye-bye with no stated rationale at all. I've since retracted about 500 pages, blocked searches via archive.org, and now limit my blog's commentary to religious fundamentalism and fascism, which I thought would be less problematic than my frequent posting on social and sexual topics of the past. I may have been wrong! There are so many taboo subjects in the US!!
Anyway, what is the alternative? To have everyone hide behind pseudonyms or anonymous blogs owned by Google, only to be ratted out later by Google or whoever our government is leaning on for information? I think it is better to be in your face with the authorities NOW. It's only intellectual dissent, right? Or is the fact that I am a better writer than some make it more likely that my writing will be branded as violently "radicalizing?"
I don't really know what to do. I am a sensitive person, and I don't like living in fear of losing my job (I have big credit card debts, a car loan to pay, etc.), and I cannot easily afford the $5K or so it costs to pack up all my stuff and move to a new location. I am hopeful that when the government really cracks down it will just shut down sites it doesn't like rather than arresting 1000s of people.
From the following page:
http://rinf.com/alt-news/breaking-news/halliburton-concentration-camps-a...
On February 17, 2006, in a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld spoke of the harm being done to the country's security, not just by the enemy, but also by what he called "news informers" who needed to be combated in "a contest of wills."
In 2002 Attorney General John Ashcroft announced his desire to see camps for U.S. citizens deemed to be "enemy combatants."
A Defense Department document, entitled the "Strategy for Homeland Defense and Civil Support," has set out a military strategy against terrorism that envisions an "active, layered defense" both inside and outside U.S. territory. In the document, the Pentagon pledges to "transform U.S. military forces to execute homeland defense missions in the . . . U.S. homeland." The strategy calls for increased military reconnaissance and surveillance
The Washington Post reported on February 15, 2006 that the National Counterterrorism Center's (NCTC) central repository holds the names of 325,000 terrorist suspects, a fourfold increase since fall of 2003. A Pentagon official said the Counterintelligence Field Activity's TALON program has amassed files on antiwar protesters.
Shortly after Bush orchestrated 9/11, he issued "Military Order Number One", which empowered him to detain any noncitizen as an international terrorist or enemy combatant. Today that order extends to U.S. citizens as well.
Halliburton subsidiary "KBR has been awarded a contract announced by the Department of Homeland Security's United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) component. The Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contingency contract is to support ICE facilities and has a maximum total value of $385 million over a five year term. The contract provides for establishing temporary detention and processing capabilities in the event of an emergency influx of immigrants into the United States, or to support the rapid development of new programs". See Source Document on Halliburton Site or page 1, & 5 below...
The contract of the Halliburton subsidiary KBR to build immigrant detention facilities is part of a longer-term Homeland Security plan titled ENDGAME, which sets as its goal the removal of "all removable aliens" and "potential terrorists." In the 1980s Richard Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld discussed similar emergency detention powers as part of a super-secret program of planning for what was euphemistically called "Continuity of Government" (COG). These men planned for suspension of the Constitution, not just after nuclear attack, but for any "national security emergency," which they vaguely defined in Executive Order 12656 of 1988.
Over 800 concentration camps are reported throughout the United States, all fully operational and ready to receive U.S. Prisoners who disagree with the government.... These camps are to be operated by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) when Martial Law is implemented in the United States (at the stroke of a Presidential pen and the Attorney General's signature on a warrant).
The camps have railroad facilities as well as roads leading to and from the detention facilities, many have airports. Like Auschwitz, some of the camps have airtight buildings and furnaces. The majority of the camps can each house a population of 20,000 prisoners. Currently, the largest of these facilities is just outside of Fairbanks, Alaska. The Alaskan facility is a massive "mental health" facility and can hold approximately 2 million people... What is interesting in the Homeland Security plan is that each concrete prison bed costs $60,000 per bed!
Cont.. www.libertyforlife.com/jail-police/us_concentration_camps.htm
Okay so I am compiling a list of who might be monitoring my innocuous activities as an awakened citizen... but here's the thing, how can one tell when it is just another American who works for the government, who is surfing the net, who might actually care about what is happening and when your being monitored for possible terrorist like activities? (I think someone needs to create a website - make this whole thing transparent, have a lot of info for when mom and pop start getting monitored and want to do a search...)
Over time, I have noticed that there is a pattern as to when I get the visits, i.e. certain phrases or words, or hot political activities, or as I said in my previous posting, how the name Bill Quigley, a civil rights lawyer in New Orleans really brings em on...
So this is what I know to look for so far:
doj, .osd (office of the secretary of defense), army.mil,never-seen-before purely numerical domains
Twister22 - that is some scary proganda. Can you imagne a pamphlet like that in the hands of an administration that is openly religious right?
tj - I did e-mail Matthew Rothschild as you suggested.
locust February 12th, 2008 7:41 pm: can you say more or provide links about the cables and who is being affected?
workreno - I cried as I watched that video.
Thanks everyone who responded for the sense of solidarity.
peace.
a planetary sister
p.s. I am here til it my time to leave the planet, I will be there in the trenches, helping the wretched, the oppressed and the betrayed, there will be no Rapture strategy for me.
Now if I could just get better at the courage thing, I get frightened by authority figures way too easily...
As Naomi Wolf said, "They did this in Germany! They did this in Germany!"
Sie haben keine Freiheiten!
the overwhelming support in the congress for this thing is yet another piece of evidence that our 'representatives' are, well, buckets of pus.
LindaS,
It does matter. The issue is the asymmetrical nature of laws in our society. We have an out-of-control exectuve who's issued more presidential signing statements than all past presidents combined -- and a Congress that apparently couldn't screw in a lightbulb.
Of course, the definition and interpretation of violent radicalization is essential. In ordinary societies (ostensibly since the Magna Carta), under rule of law, a crime is a crime is a crime -- it's based on actions, not on who performs them.
So the question of the day remains: Who'll be exempted from this interpretation, and how formal will they feel the need to make those exceptions? Furthermore, can they even do so? This may ultimately be matter for the Judicial Branch. (Or what's left of it.)
Jack 37; Do the people in this country really want what is called, 'freedom and democracy' and the 'right to privacy' and a guarantee that the government will abide by the "Bill of Rights?"
It's long overdue for a general strike, to shut this country down until these D. C. racketeers are run out of town.
1messangerofmany: re: communications being reivewed.
For those of you who think that it's only electronic communications being reviewed, think again. There was an article on CD a long while ago about snail mail letters being opened and reviewed. Here's my story:
I volunteered in a muslim country for two years (working with adult literacy). As I lived in a village without power or running water, I sent hundreds of snail mail letters. One of the main indented recipients of these letters (who is now 45 yrs old) is on file with the CIA for a stupid stunt pulled when she was 17 yrs old. All of the other recipients were 'squeaky clean.'
100% of the letters to the 'squeaky cleans' arrived to them (sometimes very delayed, but that's expected.) Nearly 80% of the letters to my CIA-file-friend NEVER got there (snail mail from a muslim country to a CIA 'problem child' from 25 years ago!)
It got to the point where I would include tongue-in-cheek verbiage in my letters addressed to then-AJ Ashcroft asking how he was liking the letter so far. I even promised Mr. Ashcroft to notify him immediately of any suspicious activity in my remote village. It's been four years and the letters are still 'lost' (i.e. still sitting on the desk of some flunky in the DoJ).
The electonic stuff is easier to get at, but please do not think that your snail mail isn't being reviewed, too.
Paul Bramscher, with all respect to you, you are off on the wrong track here. We are discussing how this bill DEFINES AND INTERPRETS "violent radicalization."
And it won't matter if it applies to elected officials, civil servants and private mercenaries, if it is a tool that will be used by an ideologically driven executive branch to squelch citizen dissent and objections to its policies.
Again, I think we're off on the wrong track here. This bill applies to violent radicalization, not thinking.
So I ask again -- does it apply to elected officials, civil servants and private mercenaries? Better not ask too loudly, though, or there will be a retroactive immunity bill for Blackwater coming so fast it'll make your head spin.
I realized long, long ago that most Americans are clueless about our loss of civil rights, the rule of law, etc. ad nauseaum. And even when they know, the majority still do not give it a moment's thought. But what hurts. What really, really hurts is that people I know, people I thought I "knew," people who have good intentions and want "to do the right thing," look at me with glazed eyes when I talk about things like this probably soon-to-be law. I know the look: They think I'm crazy, and some of them may actually be concerned. I am so completely sick at heart at this point . . . I don't know what to think, where to turn . . . I guess my lifeline now is reading the comments on Common Dreams. What do you do when the closest people in your life "don't get it" and think you are nuts?
I realized long, long ago that most Americans are clueless about our loss of civil rights, the rule of law, etc. ad nauseam. And even when they know, the majority still do not give it a moment's thought. But what hurts. What really, really hurts is that people I know, people I thought I "knew," people who have good intentions and want "to do the right thing," look at me with glazed eyes when I talk about things like this probably soon-to-be law. I know the look: They think I'm crazy, and some of them may actually be concerned. I am so completely sick at heart at this point . . . I don't know what to think, where to turn . . . I guess my lifeline now is reading the comments on Common Dreams. What do you do when the closest people in your life "don't get it" and think you are nuts?
Please spread this article everywhere or its your fault> especially big daily newspapers of the "mainstream" I mean Corporate Media
gde,
Re "According to this proposed law, anyone actively supporting the wars against Iraq or Afghanistan, or any other nation, would be committing a crime."
Yes. That's how the legislation reads for me as well. Imagine how its definition of "ideologically based violence" would have been used by segregationists during the civil rights fight against black Americans.
The neoconservatives within the Bush administration can be labeled as having an extremist belief system that is facilitating ideologically based violence. According to H.R. 1955, we should study the neoconservative movement's causes to recommend ways to prevent it from coming into power again. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield, Rice, Wolfowitz, Perle, et al ARE homegrown terrorists.
And the following passage confuses fear of a terrorist attack in the U.S. with fear of U.S. citizens searching for information, ideas, and the truth: "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."
"Extremist rhetoric" is not illegal in America. Nor should it be in any democracy. Criminal activity that comes out of "extremist rhetoric" IS illegal, and our spy and law enforcement agencies are addressing this activity already.
You can BET that the military industrial complex and the security industrial complex stand to benefit ENORMOUSLY from this bill, and that they're drawing up business plans and models right now to take full advantage of this open-ended invitation to join in with these new opportunities through this bill made available to them.
It is VERBOTEN to read this inflammatory garbage, since it dare question the Supreme Power of the Fatherland.
All of you running dog traitors who have read this now banned piece of treasonous poison, are directed to turn yourself into your closest law enforcement facility, where you will be taken care of and have any traitorous thoughts wiped clean from your mind.
This mind wipe will be accomplished in the Halliburton constructed detention facilities, now spread thruought the Fatherland.
You will be re-programmed to think like our "Dear Leader" and to help continue on with his struggle to liberate the world for Empire and Israel.
Failure to obey this directive merits a visit from several of our customer service reps from Blackwater.
Is it "violence" then to lie down in the street and block a war factory? Is it "violence" and "extremist" to strike for wages, healthcare, worker rights? Is it "violence" to criticize the daily violence of capitalism? After all, war factories, exploitative bosses and lying media commit "ideological violence" every day---will our "peace jails" fill up with fat businessmen? George Carlin said it years and years ago---They want to clear the streets of ordinary criminals to clear the way for the business criminals....
Paul Bramscher February 12th, 2008 4:05 pm
"I'm still wondering if working for the government, an elected official, or private security (mercenary) company, makes one exempt from this bill."
If it doesn't, no worries, they'll exempt 'em retroactively.
According to this proposed law, anyone actively supporting the wars against Iraq or Afghanistan, or any other nation, would be committing a crime.
I have a blog that was scoured by government domains in mid-November -- .doj, .osd (office of the secretary of defense), army.mil, and several never-seen-before purely numerical domains which I think were spooks. Within three days of this week of activity Google began suppressing all my pages that discuss Hillary Clinton and fascism in the same breath, as well as many other pages. I used to get about 12,000 hits and 500+ search referrals from Google each day. That's all been drastically reduced. I've read that Google is in bed with the CIA now. I have no doubt that I have joined Naomi Wolf and the 1 million other Americans on the watch list who will be targeted at some point in the future for their beliefs. It scares me to see the exit doors closing on us like this. I probably ought to move to Canada. But if Alex Jones says he is going to hunker down in Austin, I suppose I can do the same here in California.
funeocons,
I've got her letter to prove it. I had to write her about a half dozen times over a period of about 2 1/2 months to get a response, which is not typical with her. Those are direct quotes from her letter.
Here are two other quotes of her letter that are very puzzling:
(1) "... this legislation would prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from using methods that violate the constitutional and civil rights of Americans ..."
(2) "... it is essential that we provide adequate funds directed towards improving the safety and security of our ports, our airlines, and our nation."
Where in this piece of legislation does it prohibit DHS from using methods that violate our rights?!
And WHAT does this piece of legislation have to do with funding for port and airline security?!
This is why I'm convinced she hasn't read the darn thing.
Lynn Woolsey would have supported this bill if she hadn't been detained? I don't believe it...I thought she was on our side! Surely they detained her to keep her from voting against it and then threatened to kill her puppy if she said anything against it.
LindaS,
Your representative was 'unavoidably detained?' Was she undergoing torture and interregation at Gitmo?
LindaS,
Your representative was 'unavoidably detained?' Was she undergoing torture and interregation at Gitmo.
lino:'what's amazing about this whole thing, is that this crap will have no effect whatsoever on the majority of americans. therein lies the ease with which it will be instituted."
That is the part that scares me too. I see the insular world that the many exist in and the desperation of the ones left to fend for themselves in a hard place. The Two Americas. Edwards had that one right.
Why don't they just call it like it is?:
"It is illegal to do anything that we --- and "we" means the Big Corporations, their lackeys the Politicians, and the Military/Industrial Complex --- don't like."
workreno, thanks for the link and My Lai, Tiananmen, and now. Same thing.
Just take a look at SEC. 899D. CENTER of [H R 1955 RFS]
'SEC. 899D. CENTER of EXCELLENCE FOR THE STUDYOF VIOLENT RADICALIZATION AND HOMEGROWN TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES.
a) Establishment- The Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish or designate a university-based Center of Excellence for the Study of Violent Radicaliztion and Homegrown Terrorism in the United States (hereinafter referred to as 'Center')..........
In effect S1959 is H R 1955, since read by Senate twice referred to The Department of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Where it sits and sits, hopefully, per quorum it will die in Committees.
The 'Center', shivvvverrrr, shuddderrrr.....
Better take a look while it's legal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcS0NzoSJcU
Of course there'll be a signing statement making it all retro active so I'll get to meet you all in the FEMA Camp unless they just blow our brains out in the public square to ensure that the sheeple don't get any funny ideas.
what's amazing about this whole thing, is that this crap will have no effect whatsoever on the majority of americans. therein lies the ease with which it will be instituted.
guess i'll be applying for my concealed handgun license much quicker than i'd planned.
I'd say AMEN - but that puts me into a group that may condone civil disobedience.
It's best to say 'Sieg Heil' - no problem.
Don't expect the internet to be stay unmolested.
What the latest on the damaged underwater cables? Maybe 3,4, 8 or 9 from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean.
I haven't seen any news lately.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Common Dreams for allowing us to have this wonderful cyber-forum.
I don't expect it to last.
"The term 'violent radicalization' means the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious, or social change."
Who defines what is extremist or decides what the purpose of promoting that belief is?
Also, terrorism is simply the use of force for reasons other than greed, profit or passion. It is a criminal act, and our criminal system should be capable of handling crimes committed without any additional legislation that could be abused to restrict freedom of expression.
Any Democrat voting for this piece of sh*t should know that if and when we start charging those in office for treason and war crimes, they will face charges along with their partners in crime (republicans)
Examples of extremist beliefs to be targeted.
9/11 was an inside job
Globalization is part of a plan for one world government
Iraq was all about the Oil
The Fed should be nationalized
Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians
The country has gone fascist
Al Qaeda was created by the CIA
Oops.
The bill does not really have any teeth as is, that will come in the form of another bill which will be supported in the aftermath of the next home grown terrorist event arranged by our friends who gave us the following.
Assasinations of JFK, MLK, RFK, JFK Jr.
Abortion clinic bombings
OKC Bombing
TWA 800
9/11
Anthrax
These were all conducted by right wing groups within government, rogue elements or not, and the next event will be arranged by the same people.
Of course, this might be considered an extremist belief, I better shut up.
Nah.
My representative, Lynn Woolsey, who is one of the co-founders of the Out of Iraq caucus, says that, even though she was "unavoidably detained during the vote on H.R. 1955," she "would have supported this bill because it will help protect Americans without violating any of their constitutionally protected civil liberties."
How do we deal with a Congress like that?
The words of my father, an FBI agent at the time circa late 1940's, to his friends keep popping into my head
He pointed out that the Nuremburg trials would come back to haunt the American people. He talked about how close our country came to entering WWII on the side of the Axis. Many of our corporate leaders were impressed with the society of Germany. The German-American Bund drew many thousands to their rallies to show solidarity with the 3rd Reich. He talked of the companies whose subsidiaries kept doing business with Germany after 1941 - including Das Fuehrer's Walker banking ancestors. He talked about the Nazis enlisted to help us fight the Communist scourge long before it was in the press.
He said it could happen here just as easy as Germany if not easier since our society was so much more violent and had even deeper sense of superiority than did the population of the 3rd Reich.
I keep remembering those words as we complete our sinking into the morass of a fascist totalitarian state run by the rich.
And we laughed at those 'conspiracy nuts' who compared the tragedy of 9/11 to the Reichstag Fire which began Germany's descent from democracy to a fascist totalitarian state. I wonder who's laughing now?
Last year I had a friend who just back from a short holiday in the USA (Washington DC) said that nobody talked politics, or participated in any serious conversation about world events in any restaurant or public place. She thought this was quite noticeable, that's why I heard about it.
Is it so?
1messengerofmany and ladybroadoak:
I humbly thank you for your courage. I find it interesting that it's the sisters who are reporting this particular form of police-state behavior :-]
While I am not surprised at what you report, the broad-based attacks (jeez, the Red Cross for Pete's sake)are sickening.
May I suggest that you send your stories to Matthew Rothschild at The Progressive Magazine. He does regular columns on this kind of thing: mattr@progressive.org. It could broadcast the story to a wider audience.
Sister LadyBroadOak:
Congrats on finding a way to get to a country that is still somewhat free.
The people who the act best describes are the "neo-cons", who have brought violent , ideologically based, radicalized violence upon the world. Sign the act, then lock every one of them up.
Anyone remember these? I got one in the mail about 2 years ago.. threw it out, but probably should have kept it as a souvenir historical document.
http://www.infowars.com/articles/terror/terror_manual_says_property_righ...
I'm still wondering if working for the government, an elected official, or private security (mercenary) company, makes one exempt from this bill.
Oh, my a support group is happening at last!!
My blog "names" names on a variety of corruption isses - PLUS I do alot on indigenous rights on BOTH sides of the border.
I knew both the Navy and the Air Force interferred when I had my old site meter. I let it slide as I am on the Canadian side now, and I felt somewhat safer.
But this fall I got more shrill in my demands for impeachment and put it back precisely to see who comes on there and how far out my information goes.
What I am seeing is UNBELIEVABLE!! The DoJ actively trolling for my information on every native rights campaign to own their resources - Yucca Mountain, acid run of in Gold mining, nuke testing in Hawaii .. this week the DHS hit me on the Texas standoff on the fence and my entire file on the construction of it AND the radar testing equipment they want installed to test it. They hit up my blog for my biochemical weapons info.
MOST TROUBLING OF ALL is the constant "hit" and examination by the International Red Cross and the items they access!! I find that horrifying. They refuse to let out the real information on torture at Bagram and Guantanamo which is ongoing and systematic, we have NO IDEA, just guesses, as to how many prisoners there are or how sick any one might be! They made a pact with a TV company to strictly control what news about them goes out - a fact I find HORRIFYING, so of course they troll my blog to see if people have left comments about it.
Last night I had items looked at by .. NATO in Israel. Now what is NATO doing in Israel!! I did back checks - others on that IP were in TURKEY, SWEDEN and the UK!! They were accessing my biochemical weapons information - of which there is plenty for those that want to know.
I even had a front for the US Dept of trade try to take down one of my posts last week, about US trade deals going into effect and I suspect the RNC told this guy to hassle me. The Bushistas are carefully getting their new trade contracts in place .. peru, ecuador, tawain .. people should know about these things!!
I have chinese and korean and japanese intel all over me - Japanese intel is run through the corporations and I can see what items they are hitting - all about communications equipment and the internet, particularly yesterday.
Here was a new development yesterday . someone came in for a Look see, BUT when you back track the IP it disappears, even on the site meter!! It simply vanishes .. and the site meter says so.
The google webmasters come on my site for about a half an hour a day trolling around. My technorati authorities keep being reduced to reduce my prestige - I break a HELL Of a lot of stories why do they not show up? Nothing about impeachment that I write EVER EVER hits technorati, not once.
Now, I've posted many many comments on ICH - and suddenly yesterday, some one came on there and said I was an American blog - I am most definitely not that and that is clear on my homepage and accused me of being cointelpro right out in public AND I got planted with a story (the one on Dennis Kucinich being approached by Nancy Pelosi and AIPAC) and then beaten up for not checking my sources!! Hey, I called Kucinich's office and got no reply - it seemed to come from an impeccable source. I believe I was set up, I really do.
I could give you many more examples, too, of troubling, VERY troubling things that I am seeing .. plenty more.
And just for info - I have the original NASA satellite pic of Katrina on there - of ALL items that I have, that is the MOST HIT of anything. It's almost like a "code" to lead people to that item and the rest of my blog. I also have pics of rendition flights in Europe and of the REAL hidden NASA photo of the ozone hole all of which have disappeared. My site had well over 500 photos on a google search four weeks ago, now there are only about 60 left!!
The internet wars have started - I've made it apparent on my blog posts and it is so.
Also, I get a fair number of hits directly from Aghanistan as obviously someone over there has put my name on a fundie Xian radio show - and they email each other back and forth to come and check out what I Post .. as I am firmly against extremism, Xian extremism . that's what has many people in authority pissed off with me - my stand against torture, which these dominionist just LOVE.
The "plants" are everywhere - the entered digg this summer. I see them come on OpEd News and post horseshit. They are doing the same with ICH ..
Getting the truth out is getting to be a real risky proposition.
One reason for the DOJ to listen to 1messengerof many is that there is no difference between the US government lack of accountability for the refugees of New Orleans and the refugees of Iraq and Afghanistan. It's almost as if the ignoring of New Orleans refugees was practice for our total abdication of responsibility for the horrendous human suffering caused by our illegal actions in Iraq.... or was it the other way around?
yes, 1messengerofmany - we are both guilty of thinking less than positive thoughts about the powers-that-be.
Seig Heil!
Wow, this must be the dagger to thrust through the heart of the United States Constitution (I know it is a piece of papaer, but I am speaking metaphorically) to send it to its death.
I have had a taste of the creepy behaviour of this administration and their fears of "radical, home-grown, terrorists".
I write a blog about my experiences as a free-lance volunteer in New Orleans. I feel drawn to write and photograph on issues about the homeless, social and economic injustices as I perceive them. My readership is small, usually about 20 people a day, if it is around the holidays or an important issue that brings New Orleans into the national or world spotlight I can average about 50 hits a day.
Wanting to know if people were actually reading the blog led me to get a statcounter - the stats on the statcounter led me to an interesting and creepy discovery, different people at the Department of Justice are reading my blog.
Listen, I am pretty small time and fairly innocuous. My message is about love and justice. There should be absolutely no reason so many different computer users in the Department of Justice are reading my blog. At first it was just one user at wdscun__.usdoj.gov, then I noticed when I started writing more about the work of Bill Quigley and during the demolition hearings for Public Housing, that my Department of Justice visitors increased - visits and visitors from the DoJ.
It felt creepy, and I wanted to believe that there were and are really good people who still work in the Department of Justice who care about what is going on in New Orleans and that they were visiting my blog as a resource. Then I realized my thinking as fantasy, when I found myself second guessing words and phrases I wanted to use in a blog postings wondering if someone who is not as evolved as me, who was watching me or compiling a dossier on me, might misinterpret what I said and use it against me in the future when the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 goes into effect.
And I hated that I perceived myself to be fearful. And I hated that in the future, my expressing myself creatively and politically, could be judged by a standard which is not my own, and that this sacred freedom which I and millions of others have enjoyed in this country, could be used against me.
Who will decide which of the ideological standards are "okay" and not "okay"?
Isn't that how the origin of the word heresy came about? To be a heretic is to choose isn't it. People used to die horrible deaths for choosing not to think and believe as those in power wanted them to believe. How can we not see that this bill is of the same root?
I have had way too many visits over these last months from the folks at wdscun__.usdoj.gov. My work does not warrant the level of inspection I receive.
I should not, as a citizen be afraid to speak my truth. I should not have to deal with emotions such as fear when I write because a group of, interns(?) or who knows what their political and ideological backgrounds are, at the Department of Justice are watching me and may be misconstruing my remarks. I should not as a citizen be afraid that my remarks, my work or my political beliefs can be used against me and that I may be labeled as a Homegrown Radical Terrorist.
Hey anybody else been finding the Department of Justice or other Government agencies reading their blogs or websites?
It's creepy.
a planetary sister.
Thank you for stating the obvious, Mr. Barnett!!!!
The only minor item you missed was the immunity being granted to the telecoms and since this is now a done deal - case closed!
Seig Heil! Seig Heil!
Oh - you forgot the Infragard marriage of civilians and Homeland Security and the FBI. If the internet is deemed 'infrastructure', Infragard members have the right to "shoot to kill" to protect it - with no questions asked:
FBI Planning 'InfraGard' Allowing "Shoot to kill" Citizens says Whistleblower
http://www.shortnews.com/start.cfm?id=68383
A recent article in Progressive magazine claims the FBI is organizing a coalition of 23,000 people from the private sector, Homeland Security and the FBI itself to enable some citizens to "shoot to kill" without prosecution.
The Collation called 'InfraGard' will allow selected businessmen to supply information to the FBI in exchange for information concerning 'terrorist threats' and immunity from prosecution in martial-law situations.
According to the author Matthew Rothschild, his whistleblower claims "One business owner in the United States tells me that InfraGard members are being advised on how to prepare for a martial law situation-and what their role might be."
war is peace
freedome is slavery
ignorance is strength
Why do you liberals keep voting for democrats that support these bills?
Ghawar: Death of George Bush = bad thought. Go back to Hindustan or you'll wind up in Guantanamo.
Don't think, some more, and you won't be suspect, I think.
Although I am an atheist, I frequently pray for the death of George Bush. Must I now give up my religious practice, or may I continue?
The corporate elite will jump for joy if this ever passes.
Attacking the rhetoric of violence, the government claims for itself the privilege of directing the act of violence against its most strident critics. This can only escalate the tension of the potential for violence to occur. When it does occur, this measure will therefore have become self-fulfilling prophecy.
Fine article, incorrect title.
Criminalizing thinking itself has a long and honored tradition in the US, whether you go back to Puritanism (or most other religious ethics, Know-Nothingism, criminalizing education among slaves, indigenous peoples and others, the integration of mass media and consumerism and the big one: the terror of the Red Scare.
Actually, it's surprising that the idiots who have passed this horrible law against human thought even bothered, as the vast majority of the US population gave up the act of thinking and the right to think long ago.
BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURP GOTTA HOP IN MY SUV AND GO OUT AND KILL A FEW DEER AND A FEW BEERS AND GRAB A RIDE ON MY FOUR WHEELER BEFORE I HURRY HOME TO WATCH THE BIG GAME WITH BRITANNY SHOOTING UP AT HALF-TIME. KEEP MOVING AND DON"T THINK ABOUT IT AND MAYBE Y'ALL CAN DODGE THEM BULLETS AND CLUSTER BOMBS FLYIN' ROUND. NOW THAT"S A SCARY THOUGHT. OOPS. NOW THEY'LL LOCK ME UP AT GITMO WHERE I"LL HAVE TO TRADE IN MY SURF BOARD FOR A WATERBOARD...WHATTA THOUGHT, EH
Since the very act of thinking could now be considered a crime, how would the populace react to this new paradigm?
There will be no reaction.
Tell me again how many more politicians like the ones who passed this law we have to elect until we are free of the horror of Republicanism?
Don't worry.
It can't happen here.
The Bush administration is nothing if not violent, and usually related to it's been ideologically based from the start. Maybe this is a secret left-wing conspiracy to ban the Bushies!
Hold your horses Servant Harman. The progressive platform is by far the most reality based system known in the US. It makes realpolitik look like the great mocking. And why do you use the term "radicalization"? The reality-based system is not just one of an infinite number of legitimate systems as your delusion calls for, but rather carries the unique feature of being based on reality, that is it gets by with the least number of delusions, so it's rather special we think, while your capitalist system depends on mass delusion or despair or both. And in fact, we never banned capitalism, instead we have sandboxes for the capitalist children to play in and make their silly little widgets. Your gang on the other hand went radical by climbing out of your sandboxes and invading the government, academia, media, our minds (with your psych ops), and oil-rich foreign countries. And now you're trying to wipe us out with your freakin terror exterminator machine. Kaka on you! You are a slave to economic growth, aren't you? So look who's radicalized. And we never do violence, but rather YOU do nothing but violence, don't you? That is in interface with :foreign" ethnic groups - I'm sure you are civilized while serving tea to your colleagues in crime. IN FACT, it is YOUR gangs who are the worlds greatest terrorist having infiltrated our department of DEFENSE and turned it into your department of imperial conquest. Remember shock and awe. We noticed you didn't name it "shock and terror" but you should have. We don't recognize your stupid law. Try again. This time recognize that progressivism is in the center and your current mode of capitalist terror is about as fringe as it gets.
Don't worry America. Your government can only go so far in throttling the internet. If they try to hard to stifle it, the rest of the world will have no choice but to reroute around the US. It will be an expensive waste of money but the world can't afford the US getting in the way of such an important part of the economy.
If your government clamps down too hard on dissent and chokes free expression, we on the outside will keep your memories. When freedom returns to your land, we will tell your descendants the story of what happened to you and they will be proud of how hard you fought, up until the end.
In reverse Reagan-esque, here I go again:
This is the governments sneaky way of legalizing their use of thought reading technology, which they have been using on citizens covertly since at least 1994. Instead of following the law and the 4th Amendment's dictions, our government is trying to subvert the law by using new laws to legalize this technology.
Consider it Homeland Security's version of a signing statement.