Lieberman's Citizenship Stripping Amendment, "They're Calling It The 'TEA' Act."

[Clio the Leo]

They're Calling It The 'TEA' Act.

Legal experts, including former State Department Legal Adviser John Bellinger, have already slammed Senator Joe Lieberman's proposal to strip citizenship from American citizens accused of being involved with a foreign terrorist organization. After expressing initial support, Senator Chuck Schumer later backed out.

Lieberman hasn't given up on his proposal however. Hoping to harvest the populist anger of the Tea Parties, Lieberman, who has enlisted Massachussetts Senator Scott Brown and Reps Jason Altmire (D-PA) and Charlie Dent (R-PA) in the House, is calling his proposal the TEA Act, or "Terrorist Expatriation Act".

The Terrorist Expatriation Act would bring existing federal law up to date by adding another item to the list of acts for which a U.S. national would lose his/her nationality: providing material support or resources to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, as designated by the Secretary of State, or actively engaging in hostilities against the United States or its allies.

Lieberman's originally called for stripping citizenship from those who were merely suspected of being part of a terrorist organization, but from the press release it sounds like the new proposal might apply only to those people who are actually convicted. We'll find out at noon today, when Lieberman holds a press conference announcing the details.

One thing is clear though, the designation "foreign terrorist organization" wouldn't apply to domestic terrorists like Timothy McVeigh, which means that the law would, in practice, only ever apply to American Muslims.

http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=05&year=2010&base_name=theyre_calling_it_the_tea_act

Lieberman confirms this...

Introducing the Terrorist Expatriation Act today at 12 noon w @ScottBrownMA and Reps Altmire & Dent

http://twitter.com/JoeLieberman/status/13491155890

[slackmaster]

1. Lieberman is a douche nozzle

:nuke:

[chemp]

a bag of assholes is more appropriate!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

23. Can he be a bag of assholes seasoned with douche liquid? nt

[Jennicut]

3. And sadly my Senator.

If only recalling Senators was allowed.

[snake in the grass]

7. You insult all douche nozzles...

...around the world!

[Cha]

2. Teabagger. nt

[WeDidIt]

4. And it should be promptly tabled

and Lierberdouche should lose all committee assignments next January.

[AndyA]

5. Lieberman obviously has no respect whatsoever for the documents that define this country.

If he did, he would understand that they prohibit actions such as the one he's suggesting to protect Americans FROM PEOPLE LIKE HIM.

You want to talk about unpatriotic? Joe Lieberman is the poster idiot.

[Deep13]

6. Jesus! We didn't even strip Jeff Davis or Bobby Lee of citizenship!

Lieberman hates America.

[whistler162]

31. Ouch that is education fail!!!!!

Yes both where stripped of their citzenship until the 1970's.

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29993

[Deep13]

36. Sorry, my mistake. nt

[Blue-Jay]

8. Nobody suggested stripping John Walker Lindh of citizenship.

[Blue Owl]

9. TEA = Traitor Enabler Act

n/t

[Name removed]

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[burning rain]

11. What a rotten precedent this would be.

Countries ultimately abdicating responsibility for dealing with their citizens who commit criminal acts, by disowning them. We don't need the extra international disorder that this measure would lead to.

[Bitwit1234]

12. When --when, when are they going to take this a**hole's

chairmen ship away. We don't need him. And he is going to loose his next election. He knows it. That is why he is trying his best to screw up everything the Democrats want.

[CTyankee]

29. Don't worry. Someone in CT will step up and it will be a natural process.

I don't know who at this point, but it will happen. And, I think the Dem will beat Joe and his stupid Indie party of one.

[Forrest Greene]

13. I'm From Connecticut

Not much longer, I hope, for this, uh, person.

[Canuckistanian]

14. What happens to a person whose citizenship is taken away?

Where are they supposed to go? Even if they're convicted and jailed, what happens to them after their sentence ends?

What does Joe have to say about that?

[mwooldri]

16. Therein lies a big problem.

There would be a possibility that an individual could end up being "stateless".

This is why a lot of countries make it hard to give up (renounce) citizenship of that country (UK is not easy to renounce). Speaking of British Citizenship, if you renounce your British Citizenship you have to prove you have Citizenship of another country. The UK will *not* allow you to be stateless.

Therefore it is possible that an individual could move to the US (legally of course), naturalize, renounce their other countries' citizenship (if possible) and if found guilty of terrorism lose their US citizenship. They would not have a state to go to... their old country would be likely to take them back but there's no guarantee since the individual rejected their citizenship.

So home could be some immigration area of some airport in some country. Not allowed in because they don't have the proper papers, not citizen, etc... not allowed out back to where they were because they've been kicked out.

[slackmaster]

20. My homeboy Cliff Robertson was in a movie about that

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070364/

[Sebastian Doyle]

15. So Lieberdouche wants to strip US citizenship from anyone who supports foreign terrorists?

Well, OK then.....



...you first, Joe.

[dflprincess]

18. Does this apply to all citizens or only those who have been naturalized?

Because you have a real good point about Joe.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

19. And others....

[dflprincess]

26. And let's not forget

[Raine1967]

17. This is a little too similar to the Nuremburg laws for my comfort.

They too stripped people from their citizenship based on a paranoid believe.

[Posteritatis]

30. Yep. (nt)

[LiberalFighter]

21. Current Status for Loss of U.S. Citizenship

POTENTIALLY EXPATRIATING ACTS

Section 349 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1481), as amended, states that U.S. citizens are subject to loss of citizenship if they perform certain specified acts voluntarily and with the intention to relinquish U.S. citizenship. Briefly stated, these acts include:

1. obtaining naturalization in a foreign state (Sec. 349 (a) (1) INA);
2. taking an oath, affirmation or other formal declaration to a foreign state or its political subdivisions (Sec. 349 (a) (2) INA);
3. entering or serving in the armed forces of a foreign state engaged in hostilities against the U.S. or serving as a commissioned or non-commissioned officer in the armed forces of a foreign state (Sec. 349 (a) (3) INA);
4. accepting employment with a foreign government if (a) one has the nationality of that foreign state or (b) an oath or declaration of allegiance is required in accepting the position (Sec. 349 (a) (4) INA);
5. formally renouncing U.S. citizenship before a U.S. diplomatic or consular officer outside the United States (sec. 349 (a) (5) INA);
6. formally renouncing U.S. citizenship within the U.S. (but only under strict, narrow statutory conditions) (Sec. 349 (a) (6) INA);
7. conviction for an act of treason (Sec. 349 (a) (7) INA).

I would think that Lieberman is eligible under item 2 and 4.


As for Lieberman's proposal it would appear that item 7 is all that is needed for the Times Square Teabag Flopper.

[CTyankee]

22. So wouldn't the case of the Times Sq. bomber be covered under #7?

Can you define acts of public terrorism in the U.S. as "treason"?

[Cleobulus]

24. Treason is the only crime mentioned in the Constitution, and hard as hell...

to prove, pretty much impossible, even Jefferson Davis couldn't be convicted of it.

[CTyankee]

27. But wasn't that because Lincoln wanted to heal the nation's wounds and not

continue hostility? I think there was a good reason for that. But what reason would we have not to enforce THIS provision?

I am really not arguing one way or the other on this provision. What I AM arguing is that Lieberman's bill is not necessary...it is overkill for political purposes if you already have a constitutional mechanism in place to deal with it...

[LiberalFighter]

35. It is this part of the Constitution regarding treason that makes it difficult

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court. The Congress shall have power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

[Cleobulus]

25. And how many of those are enforced?

Hell, there have been Americans that have joined higher levels of foreign governments before, namely Canada, armed forces and more. The opposite is true as well, not to mention there are a shitload of dual-citizens, who are American and some other nationality, many who are natural born here and naturalized somewhere else.

Pretty much the only ways, I've heard about, of losing U.S. citizenship is through 5 and 6 and even then it may not "take", the State Department may not accept your renouncement.

[Kltpzyxm]

28. what a douche

[inna]

32. Wow, this is some TEAbaggery at its worst.

Strip citizenship from those merely ACCUSED (or even simply suspected)??

How about due process/presumption of innocence/Habeas corpus, you vile pathetic excuse for a Senator??

Didn't that asshole go to Law school/study the Constitution?? :wtf:

[backscatter712]

33. Lieberman just threw away the last faint pretenses of being something resembling Democratic.

Now that he's openly catering to the teabaggers, there's absolutely no plausible way he can claim to be allied with anyone except the right-wingers.

[volvoblue]

34. new here. anyway, let me say

I find this bill so McCarthy. Liebermann is a dangerous man because he is deranged.

[Deep13]

37. First sentence of the 14th Amendment.

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside."

There doesn't seem to be a lot of grey area in there.

Perhaps we should email Lieberman and Scott Brown to remind them of this.

[Name removed]

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