Let's try pulling the clowns back from the precipice

[nancylebov]

The third Patriot Act?

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. Amazingly, 404 of our elected representatives from both the Democrat and Republican parties voted in favor of this bill. There is little doubt that this bill is specifically targeting the growing patriot community that is demanding the restoration of the Constitution.

http://www.nationalexpositor.com/index.php?news=568

The above was snagged from rinku.

A site for contacting Congress--this was the first one that came up in google. I don't know if there's a better one.

And, "Center of Excellence"? In addition to the frightening power grab, these people are completely tone-deaf.

Mood: weird, but vaguely socially responsible

Comments

[shack-a-nerd.livejournal.com]

I'm with you.

`(2) 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.

By all means -- if this section concerns you, write your Senator. (I am.) But unless the "growing patriot community that is demanding the restoration of the Constitution" is advocating the use of violence, I don't think they're being "targeted". And if they're advocating the use of violence, then I'm not 100% opposed to targeting them.

The National Expositor's article is hardly an inspiring example of journalism. Fortunately the bill itself is pretty readable:

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h110-1955

Ethan