S. 1959: Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007
I would not be surprised if most of you LJrs on my F-list already know about bill S. 1959, but for those of you who do not I highly recommend you become familiar with it. The full text of the bill can be found here.
I've been reading this bill, re-reading it, and re-reading it again to be sure I have not been misunderstanding it. I'm pretty sure that I'm not. In essence this is a thought crime bill and it is extremely vague in its language (specifically the definitions of "force", "home grown terrorism" and "violent radicalization" [section 899A]), and unlike previous anti-terror legislation, this bill specifically targets the civilian population of the US.
Most of you know me well enough to know that I don't fall heavily on any one political side, Conservative or Liberal. I'm all about the right to our personal freedoms and holding on to them with dear life. So it should come as no surprise that I strongly feel that this bill has great potential to strip away our freedom of speech or worse if passed.
A staggering 404 to 6 vote passed the bill in the House of Representatives this past October, it has yet to be debated within the Senate which is now back in session. I encourage you to contact your Senator and tell them not to vote for this bill. A list of Senators and their contact information can be found here:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
I've been reading this bill, re-reading it, and re-reading it again to be sure I have not been misunderstanding it. I'm pretty sure that I'm not. In essence this is a thought crime bill and it is extremely vague in its language (specifically the definitions of "force", "home grown terrorism" and "violent radicalization" [section 899A]), and unlike previous anti-terror legislation, this bill specifically targets the civilian population of the US.
Most of you know me well enough to know that I don't fall heavily on any one political side, Conservative or Liberal. I'm all about the right to our personal freedoms and holding on to them with dear life. So it should come as no surprise that I strongly feel that this bill has great potential to strip away our freedom of speech or worse if passed.
A staggering 404 to 6 vote passed the bill in the House of Representatives this past October, it has yet to be debated within the Senate which is now back in session. I encourage you to contact your Senator and tell them not to vote for this bill. A list of Senators and their contact information can be found here:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm