Dear Keith,
I am writing in regard to the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, which has been passed in the House and is now under consideration in the Senate. I find the language of this bill to be highly troubling considering on the vague definitions and broad findings. For example:
(3) HOMEGROWN TERRORISM- The term `homegrown terrorism' means the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.
I find the distinction "force or violence", to be extremely chilling considering that if we look at the dictionary definitions of force that do not include violence we find this:
- mental or moral strength or power
This bill simply cannot be dismissed as creating a benign commission considering the track record of previous Congressional witch-hunts, the vagueness of the definitions and findings in this bill, and the intellectual dishonesty exhibited by the expert testimony solicited by the house committee that crafted this bill. Experts such as Mark Weitzman who made the case to Congress that groups such as Architects and Engineers for 9-11 Truth should be lumped in with Al-Qaida websites and be equally considered the target of this bill for such subversive activities as questioning the official government reports and demanding an independent investigation. Regardless of one's opinion on the 9-11 truth movement and the veracity of their claims, they should not be lumped in with terrorists seeking to bring down the country through violent means.
While I do realize that this act in and of itself does not carry any immediate legislative danger do our civil liberties, it is not a door I wish to be opened as I believe it will do nothing to curtail real terrorist threats and will primarily serve as a mechanism for marginalizing critics and stifling free speech in general.
I would highly appreciate it if you could help illuminate the public to the dangers posed by this bill and end the media blackout on its progress in the Senate.
Sincerely, Me
P.S. I became aware of this bill and the dangers posed by it by this excellent 2-part YouTube video: