Collins’ (R-Maine) Anti-Terrorism Bill Sparks Protest

[babylonsister]

Collins’ Anti-Terrorism Bill Sparks Protest
by Kevin Wack


A bill that would set up a government commission to study U.S.-based terrorism was the target of a protest by civil libertarians Tuesday in downtown Portland.


The measure, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, would establish a 12-member commission to examine and report on what the bill calls “violent radicalization,” “homegrown terrorism” and “ideologically based violence.”

The bill, which contains language about protecting civil rights and civil liberties, drew broad bipartisan support in a House vote last year.

But to the speakers at Tuesday’s rally, the proposed government panel is reminiscent of the House Un-American Activities Commission, which investigated suspected Communists during the 1950s and is now seen widely as part of a shameful chapter in U.S. history.

The protesters expressed concern that what they described as vague language could put many people in the government’s crosshairs.

more...

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/02/20/7166/

[lazyriver]

1. Go Tom Allen. Time for Collins to go.

[warren pease]

2. For the record...

It's called S 1959 and is the Senate version of that hideous "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007," known as HR 1955 and which squeaked through the House by a 404 - 6 vote -- with the approval of 219 alleged democrats, who outnumbered the GOP's 185 aye votes.

Without wishing to sound like an alarmist chicken little, this time the sky really is falling and it's going to smack millions of Internet users right on the head if it clears the Senate and is signed into law (and when has Bush hesitated a second when he has the chance to sign a new piece of obvious domestic repression?). Note these provisions:

(2) The promotion of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence exists in the United States and poses a threat to homeland security.

(3) 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.

I somehow doubt that the intended targets here are Stormfront, Tom Metzger's White Aryan Resistance, William Pierce's National Alliance, the Army of God, the KKK or any of the more horrifically violent and insane right-wing web sites that promote misogyny, racism, bigotry, hatred, intolerance and mass slaughter of brown and black people, all sanctified by some twisted version of religion called Christian Identity and/or Dominionism. Nope, not with this administration and this DoJ deciding who the evil doers are.

The targets would be you and me, and everybody else on this and any other forum, blog or news and information site that isn't exclusively devoted to singing the praises of BushCo and lifting hosannas to the heavens in thanks for their wise and benign leadership.

Point of all this being: this bill is toxic and must be resisted as strenuously as possible. Please take a few minutes and call, fax, email or, if it's close by, visit their local offices and demand a no vote on S 1959. Contacting Reid, useless piece of enabling shit though he is, might also be a good idea.

I have a nagging suspicion that, if this thing passes, the internet is going to look very different in a year or so than it does now and that free and open access to any and all information will be a thing of the past -- either because people won't want to risk alerting the NSA's snitches or because certain "dissident" sites will simple be put out of business.


wp

[Hydra]

3. As you say

And it will pass, and people protesting high oil and food prices will be labeled "home grown terrorists" and sent to Gitmo.

The silence is already bad- soon it will be deafening.