Obama Supports H.R. 1955 / S. 1959 - "Homegrown Terrorism Bill"

[reprehensor]

http://www.indypendent.org/2007/12/10/obama-supports-homegrown-terrorism-bill/

December 10, 2007

By Jessica Lee, The Indypendent

Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama says that he will support the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act (S. 1959). According to the automatic email responses constituents are receiving from his office, Obama appears to be straddling the fence between preserving civil liberties and being tough on terrorism ...

“I wrote Senator Obama (my senator from Illinois) about this act, which is now in a committee of his (the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs). I asked that he read the bill (not to insult his intelligence, but after the Patriot Act it appears this is a necessary request for most senators), and that he recognize the dire consequences that could result from its vague language,” Justin wrote Dec. 6 below the post of Obama’s email. “He’s quite eloquent, you’ve got to give him that. This act ‘includes provisions prohibiting the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts from violating civil rights and civil liberties of U.S. citizens.’ Didn’t we used to have something like that? What was it called? Oh right… The Constitution.” ...

Many scholars, historians and civil liberties experts say they fear that the proposed bill will set the stage for future criminal legislation that be used against U.S.-based groups engaged in legal but unpopular political activism, ranging from political Islamists to animal-rights and environmental campaigners to radical right-wing organizations.

“This bill fits the pattern we are seeing coming out of Congress – both Republican and Democratic – of a continued campaign of fear, which gets into heads of Americans that we now need to start criminalizing ideology,” said Alejandro Queral, executive director of the Northwest Constitutional Rights Center. He said he is very concerned about the bill’s vague definitions of “violent radicalization,” “homegrown terrorism,” and the terms within the definitions including “extremist belief system,” “violence” and “force.” ...

Continued...
http://www.indypendent.org/2007/12/10/obama-supports-homegrown-terrorism-bill/

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I prefer Kucinich on this issue;

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/reprehensor/59

"...it was H.R. 1955? It probably should have been H.R. 1984. Because what they were doing... is they were trying to criminalize thought... Most members don't read this legislation... people don't read these Bills. You get, everday, a dozen Bills floating your way... some are a few pages, some are hundreds of pages, you have staff read 'em... and this came from a Democrat. This is a Democrat's Bill... and so, it comes from "your side", right? You don't read it... the Republicans are ready to pass anything like that... and so, people didn't read the Bill... and you look at the title, "Oh, yeah... we're against 'Homegrown Terrorism'..." people don't look at it, "Yeah, we're Patriots, we're for it..."

This is what we're faced with... so, when they come before you, to have to account for it {your vote} you see sometimes gymnastics, or balletics that are Olympian in their movement! But pathetic in their implications. And dangerous.

You haven't heard the last of this.

I had one of the most conservative Republicans in the House, Dana Rohrbacher, who voted against it, came up to me and he said, "You know, only a few of us voted against this." And I told him, well, I read, it looked pretty crazy, "Yeah!" he said, and he's starting to hear from people all over the country...

Isn't it interesting how the internet becomes a basis for information that comes to us and how often it is at odds with what we're hearing from official Washington.

And so the breakdown of trust is so powerful right now... the climate for impeachment is so rife for impeachment around the country, except in Washington."

[Benhurst]

1. A particularly despicable bit of legislation. Where do our other candidates stand?

At least Kucinich is taking the right stand. What about the others?

[Deja Q]

2. Obama has VERY interesting viewpoints.

What does he see in H.R. 1955 that the other candidates do not?

[laconicsax]

3. Republican support. nt.

[Deja Q]

4. I thought everybody was saying that about Hillary.

:shrug:

[laconicsax]

5. She doesn't have the rumor mill playing her up

as a Muslim (read: terrorist) whose last name sounds like Osama and whose middle name is Hussein.