Tracking Issue: The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act
The Corporate Media appear oddly absent in reporting on this legislation that is sailing quickly through congress, largely unnoticed… So, Positive Universe will track this issue in coming days. But it is important to read the actual bill because it is proposing to study ‘thought’ not implement actions against persons, yet. The controversial aspects are 1) whether the government should study its citizens’ ‘thoughts’ and ‘beliefs’ as potential threats against itself; 2) the public and even the legislators themselves are not yet engaged in that debate; 3) a lack of clarity as to who wrote and wants the bill; and 4) what sets of actions might subsequently be implemented by such a study. The bill does use provocative terms, and it does make some dangerous assumptions, such as the ‘finding’ that American citizens are susceptible and gullible to internet-based, terrorist propaganda.
Senate of the United States: This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 2007-12-01
READ THE SENATE BILL HERE
GovTrack.US: H.R. 1955: Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 2007-12-01
READ THE HOUSE BILL HERE
Atlantic Free Press, Netherlands: National Lawyers Guild And Society Of American Law Teachers Nov 28, 2007
The National Lawyers Guild and the Society of American Law Teachers strongly oppose this legislation because it will likely lead to the criminalization of beliefs, dissent and protest, and invite more draconian surveillance of Internet communications.
ACLU (press release), NY: ACLU Statement on the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Nov 28, 2007
The ACLU continues to have serious concerns regarding the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 1955). Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the Washington Legislative Office of the ACLU said, “Law enforcement should focus on action, not thought. We need to worry about the people who are committing crimes rather than those who harbor beliefs that the government may consider to be extreme.”
Scoop.co.nz, New Zealand: US Terrorism Prevention Act Could Target Activism Nov 29, 2007
Despite being written by a Democrat, the current version of the act would probably set up a Commission dominated by Republicans. By allowing Bush and Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff to each appoint one member of the Commission, and splitting the appointment of the other eight positions equally between Congressional Democrats and Republicans, the Commission would consist of six Republican appointees and four Democratic ones.
The Capital Times, WI: John Nichols: Feingold must block bill assaulting liberties Nov 29, 2007
H.R. 1955, which has passed the U.S. House and is now being considered by the Senate, represents an aggressive assault on the protections contained in the Bill of Rights. It is every bit as dangerously antithetical to basic liberties as the Patriot Act of 2001.
OpEdNews, PA: Telling the Truth Is About To Be Criminalized 2007-12-01
If you are trying to change this messed-up world with your radical educational actions (even if they are pacifist in nature) you will be guilty of “facilitating ideologically-based violence,” for which you can be prosecuted. If you share your unapproved thoughts with other people and make them think like you do, then all of you are liable to be hauled-off for thought-crimes. Passage of this legislation to control the thoughts and communications of dissident Americans makes clear why our government needed to build all those “FEMA camps.”
CQPolitics.com, DC: Harman, ACLU Exchange Barbs Over Terrorism Commission Nov 29, 2007
The ACLU says the legislation includes potentially unconstitutional limitations on free speech and beliefs.
GovExec.com, DC: Rights advocates target domestic terrorism bill in Senate Nov 29, 2007
The National Lawyer’s Guild and the Society of American Law Teachers also issued a joint statement Tuesday, saying they “strongly oppose this legislation because it will likely lead to the criminalization of beliefs, dissent and protest, and invite more draconian surveillance of Internet communications.”
Knoxville Voice: Help stop passage of vaguely worded thought-crime bill Nov 27, 2007
Earlier today an email from a writer I trust popped into my Inbox. In it she reminded me of a call-to-action she’d sent around Oct. 25. In that email, she bemoaned “the near-unanimous passage of HR 1955 by the House of Representatives, achieved by suspending the rules of Congress, and allowing no debate.”
Bay Area Indymedia, CA: The House of Reps Vote 404 to 6 to Pass the Bill that Legalizes COINTELPRO? 2007-12-01
One month ago a bill passed almost unanimously in the House. This bill has received no mainstream news coverage. So it must not be that big of a deal, right? It’s just a bill that will soon to go to Capitol Hill and since the Democrats are in control we are all safe from further infringements up on our civil rights, right? Well, maybe that is not totally correct since this bill is a lot more than meets the eye. But indicator number one should be the title, and indicator number two should be how fast it is moving through Congress.
Center for Research on Globalization, Canada: The Violent Radicalization Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 2007-12-01
A month ago, the House of Representatives passed legislation that targets Americans with radical ideologies for research. The bill has received little media attention and has almost unanimous support in the House. However, civil liberties groups see the bill as a threat to the constitutionally protected freedoms of expression, privacy and protest.
Columbus Free Press, OH: S 1959 “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007″ must be stopped 2007-12-01
If this bill is passed, and becomes law, your words and actions could be considered terrorism. Bill S 1959 EVISCERATES FREE SPEECH, and empowers the govt. to declare ANYTHING they deem an “extremist belief system”, instantly makes you a terrorist, resulting in stripping of US citizenship, torture, and/or execution, with no habeas corpus rights, no ability to challenge, even in the US Supreme Court.
Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog, WA: McCarthy would have loved SB 1959 2007-12-01
The bill would establish a commission similar to Joseph McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee and could potentially make any sort of political dissent or controversial religious display illegal. Even thinking about such things could get you in trouble.
CounterCurrents.org, India: Mentes Peligrosas: Confession Of An American Thought Criminal Nov 16, 2007
Under the soon-to-be law Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, state and local police will join forces with the FBI, DHS, ICE, and like fascist entities to eradicate ideologies, plans, Internet “terrorist-related propaganda,” and any other “noxious weeds” which might spring forth to “threaten” the “aesthetics” of the immaculate grounds of our glorious corporatocracy
Huffington Post, NY: The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act Nov 26, 2007
There has been a long tradition of fear-mongering legislation in the United States directed against groups and individuals believed to threaten the established order.
Bay Area Indymedia, CA: A Gandhi Peace Brigade Thanksgiving Nov 22, 2007
The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007. This act claims to set up a Commission for a study that will “examine and report upon the facts and causes” of so called violent radicalism and extremist ideology and then make legislative recommendations for combating it. It will focus on passing additional federal criminal penalties that are sweeping and inclusive in criminalizing dissent and protest work.
Bay Area Indymedia, CA: How the “Homegrown Terrorism Act” threatens you; it just passed in HR by 404 Cowards Nov 28, 2007
Under the guise of a bill that calls for the study of “homegrown terrorism,” Congress is apparently trying to broaden the definition of terrorism to encompass both First Amendment political activity and traditional forms of protest such as nonviolent civil disobedience, according to civil liberties advocates, scholars and historians.
Bay Area Indymedia, CA: Did RAND Corporation Pen the Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act? Nov 24, 2007
According to Jessica Lee of Indypendent and Kamau Karl Franklin of the Center for Constitutional Rights, the Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act was penned with plenty of help from the RAND Corporation.
Bay Area Indymedia, CA: Stop S. 1959 or lose Internet free speech Nov 21, 2007
A little-noticed anti-terrorism bill quietly making its through Congress is raising fears of a new affront on activism and constitutional rights. The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act was passed in an overwhelming 400 to six House vote last month. Critics say it could herald a new government crackdown on dissident activity under the guise of fighting terrorism.
Bay Area Indymedia, CA: Big Brother: House passes the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act Nov 21, 2007
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed HR 1955 titled the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007. This bill is one of the most blatant attacks against the Constitution yet and actually defines thought crimes as homegrown terrorism. If passed into law, it will also establish a commission and a Center of Excellence to study and defeat so called thought criminals. Unlike previous anti-terror legislation, this bill specifically targets the civilian population of the United States and uses vague language to define homegrown terrorism.
Center for Research on Globalization, Canada: Bringing the War on Terrorism Home: Congress Considers How to ‘Disrupt’ Radical Movements in the United States Nov 25, 2007
The proposed law, The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 1955), was passed by the House of Representative in a 404-6 vote Oct. 23. (The Senate is currently considering a companion bill, S. 1959.) The act would establish a “National Commission on the prevention of violent radicalization and ideologically based violence” and a university-based “Center for Excellence” to examine and report upon the facts and causes of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism and ideologically based violence in the United States” in order to develop policy for “prevention, disruption and mitigation.”
Center for Research on Globalization, Canada: CNN Host calls for Military to Silence any Domestic Dissent in America Nov 18, 2007
Beck opened up his show segment by inferring that the U.S. military should be used to silence domestic dissent against the war, claiming that those he would later identify as Ron Paul supporters, libertarians and the anti-war left and link with terrorists, were a “physical threat.”
Center for Research on Globalization, Canada: House Subcommittee Presentation Equates 9/11 Truth With Terrorism Nov 16, 2007
The hearing was chaired by Democratic Rep. Jane Harman, and ranking Republican, Rep. Dave Reichert. It was supposed to focus on the use of the internet by “home grown terrorist recruiters” yet in a shocking move it blatantly related the 9/11 truth movement with so called radical “jihadists”.
World War 4 Report, NY: House passes thoughtcrime prevention act Nov 15, 2007
But the bill’s purpose goes beyond academic inquiry. In a Nov. 7 press release, Harman stated: “the National Commission [will] propose to both Congress and [Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael] Chertoff initiatives to intercede before radicalized individuals turn violent.
Pacific Free Press, Canada: Thought Crimes: America’s Dangerous Minds Nov 17, 2007
Once this vile piece of legislation sails through the Senate and the sociopath on Pennsylvania Ave gleefully slaps his endorsement on it, the mechanisms will be in place for our lords and masters to initiate programs that will make Cointelpro and the murder of Fred Hampton look like child’s play.
History News Network, WA: The Bill Both Birchers and Leftwingers Oppose: For Good Reason Nov 18, 2007
With overwhelming bipartisan support, Rep. Jane Harman’s “Thought Police” bill, HR 1955, passed the House 404-6 late last month and now rests in Sen. Joe Lieberman’s Homeland Security Committee. Swift Senate passage appears certain. Not since the “Patriot” Act of 2001 has any bill so threatened our constitutionally guaranteed rights.
Antiwar.com, CA: ‘PATRIOT Act Lite’: William Fisher Nov 27, 2007
The Senate version is being drafted by Susan Collins of Maine, the ranking Republican on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which is chaired by hawkish Connecticut independent Sen. Joe Lieberman. Harman is chair of the House Homeland Security Intelligence Subcommittee.
Consortium News: Readers’ Comments Nov 27, 2007
The First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments in the Bill of Rights have all been disregarded in the rush to make it easier to investigate people, put them in jail, and torture them if necessary. Can this also be interpreted as Un-American, or are, we not going to be allowed to think this way.
Online Journal, FL: Dangerous minds: Confession of an American thought criminal Nov 15, 2007
Meanwhile, let’s see if a thought criminal like me, who has committed no felonies, has no history of violence, and has formulated no plans to foment violence or engage in violent acts becomes a target of the Bush Regime’s Orwellian apparatus once they have read my confession.
BostonNOW, MA: Here come the thought police Nov 21, 2007
The proposed commission is a menace through its power to hold hearings, take testimony and administer oaths, an authority granted to even individual members of the commission - little Joe McCarthys - who will tour the country to hold their own private hearings. An aura of authority will automatically accompany this congressionally authorized mandate to expose native terrorism.
BostonNOW, MA: “Thought Crime Bill” Could Ensnare Peaceful Activists Nov 16, 2007
Fears that government could define “Internet radicalization” and criticism as terrorism mount, violent comments left on messageboards by trolls could be exploited to entrap peaceful 9/11 truthers
Brattleboro Reformer, United States: Letter Box Nov 28, 2007
The following is a copy of a letter sent to Rep. Peter Welch regarding his yea vote on HR 1955: The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Act of 2007. This bill is a further extension of Patriot Act-like restrictions on citizen dissent, including a traveling official (like the Inquisitors of old, with special powers to question and detain suspects). As a commission they will hold hearings, take testimony and administer oaths.
Brattleboro Reformer, United States: Activist raps vote by Welch Nov 28, 2007
“He has to start thinking more independently of his party leadership,” said DeWalt. “They are walking hand in hand with Republicans and the Bush administration down this torturous road toward an authoritarian government.”
The Daily Scare, OH: Senate Bill 1959 to Criminalize Thoughts, Blogs, Books and Free Nov 30, 2007
The end of Free Speech in America has arrived at our doorstep. It’s a new law called the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, and it is worded in a clever way that could allow the U.S. government to arrest and incarcerate any individual who speaks out against the Bush Administration, the war on Iraq, the Department of Homeland Security or any government agency (including the FDA).
Los Angeles Daily News, CA: A growing threat to civil liberties Nov 18, 2007
IF there was any doubt about the imminent threat to free speech and thought inherent in Rep. Jane Harman’s “Thought Police” bill, one need only read the testimony of LAPD Deputy Chief Michael Downing.
San Francisco Bay View, CA: House of Reps votes 404-6 to pass the bill that legalizes COINTELPRO Nov 29, 2007
Their definition of “radical” and “terrorism” are very vague, and can be manipulated to serve several purposes. In the bill itself, it says homegrown terrorism means “the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence” by a native citizen of the United States. It is this definition that leaves so much of this bill’s purpose open to interpretation. Unfortunately, the interpretation by the same ol’ “powers that be” is the only one that really matters, because it is them who will have the use of this bill at their disposal.
Barre Montpelier Times Argus, VT: Focus should be on impeachment, Nov 30, 2007
How do they get a Vermonter like Rep. Peter Welch to vote for this stuff? Are they allowed to even read these bills before they vote? Is there something in the drinking water down there? If Welch is sincere about terrorism, let him work on impeaching the Bush junta for they are the violent radicals.
OpEdNews, PA: URGENT: Help to topple S.1959, Homegrown Terrorism and Violent Nov 28, 2007
The historian Henry Steele Commager, denouncing President John Adams’ suppression of free speech in the 1790s, argued that the Bill of Rights was not written to protect government from dissenters but to provide a legal means for citizens to oppose a government they didn’t trust.
OpEdNews, PA: Freedom Is Not Free – And Americans Are Poised To Lose Everything, Part II Nov 28, 2007
This is the greatest assault on the Constitution in American history, and it’s important for Americans to understand what this bill means to each and every one of us!
OpEdNews, PA: PATRIOT ACT LITE? Nov 26, 2007
Franklin added, “Crimes such as conspiracy or incitement to violence are already covered by both State and Federal statute. There is no need for additional criminal laws.”
OpEdNews, PA: Jane Harman’s bill provides that we can be investigated for demonstrating in support of the Constitution. Nov 19, 2007
Harman’s proposal includes an attack on the internet, “criticizing it for providing Americans with ‘access to broad and constant streams of terrorist related propaganda and legalizes infiltration of targeted organizations.’”
OpEdNews, PA: Internet Found Guilty of Promoting Terrorism Nov 19, 2007
While reading this bill, it occurred to me that one of the main thrusts of the bill, as indicated in the following excerpt, is to declare the Internet guilty of promoting terrorism, and to lay the foundation for sentencing. Please pay careful attention to numbers 2 and
Baylor University The Lariat Online, TX: Editorial: Terror bill may curb dissenters Nov 29, 2007
It seems Congress just doesn’t get it. Even after the backlash resulting from the passage of the Patriot Act, you would think they would have learned their lesson. But it seems a new bill, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, seeks to redefine who a terrorist is and act on threats that largely don’t exist.
Ars Technica, MA: Congress to examine “the Internet” as a tool for homegrown terrorism Nov 28, 2007
Here’s the section of the bill that has some observers up in arms: | 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.
The Indypendent, NY: “Homegrown Terrorism” Bill Update Nov 27, 2007
Momentum is building to stop S. 1959 across the political spectrum, the U.S. Senate’s version of H.R. 1955, the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007.” Various groups are utilizing the Internet to organize opposition to the bill by gaining support through the use of blogs, YouTube videos, mass emails and action alerts.
The Indypendent, NY: The RAND Corp: Here, There, Everywhere Nov 23, 2007
In her latest article in the Indypendent, Jessica Lee highlighted the role of the RAND Corporation in drafting the the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act.”