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help me understand s. 1959

I've been reading S. 1959 and it is my understanding that the bill will be tacked onto the Homeland Security Act of 2002, and do the following things:

1. form a commision to study and prevent "homegrown terrorism" and "violent radicalization" and send the president their reccomendations
2. form a unviersity-based center to do the same things after the commision sends the president their reccomendations.

The real issue everyone has with this bill is how they define "violent radicalization" and "homegrown terrorism" etc

`(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.

`(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.

`(4) IDEOLOGICALLY BASED VIOLENCE- The term `ideologically based violence' means the use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual to promote the group or individual's political, religious, or social beliefs.

I don't like the looks of this, just as the rest of you. because if they wanted to, they COULD make a case against someone who might post an essay online saying we need to use force to take the government back into our hands (could fall under homegrown terrorism, or ideologically based violence)

but at the beginning of the bill, there is a point made that

"Any measure taken to prevent violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence and homegrown terrorism in the United States should not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights, or civil liberties of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents."

And nothing in the bill itself really seems unconstitutional, it's just the definitions that people seem to have a problem with.
I agree that the government right now cannot be trusted, and they probably will use this bill to their advantage if it is passed, but if the committee and center formed followed the rules outlined in this bill, it would exclude groups simply exercising their "constitutional rights" (like the essay -writer I mentioned earlier) from their research.

I find that the best way to win an argument is to understand the opponents completely. I think this is how John Sununu (neo - R - NH) will reply to my letter if I write him with the argument that the bill is unconstitutional and they will just take our rights away.

I just need an argument to make to John Sununu that even John Sununu would agree with.

So please help me out if you'd like. Thanks

Rich in NH

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The part that worried me...

Saw it explained on YouTube somewhere then did my own research on this...

The bill includes the planned use of force or violence as homegrown terrorism which could be interpreted as thinking about using force or violence.

Now why seperate force and violence? Are they not the same thing? Actually, no....

As pointed out in the YouTube vid and researched into exhaustion by myself, it is because force can be interpreted as...

Use of a logical arguement, or...
capacity to persuade or convince

Thus, using a logical arguement against the current government would fall under the definition of homegrown terrorism.

Nice way to get rid of those pesky protesters, is it not?

Lacking Specificity

The bill's language is so vague and broad that one wonders whether Mormon missionaries or 7th Day Adventists or Methodists or Catholics or Muslims knocking on your front door could be included as a topic of academic study and training, paid for by our government. Do these groups have a legally-guaranteed right to "force" their way onto your property to advance their "social objectives"? If I'm correct, the language of the bill empowers the Commission to study and report on individuals and groups demonstrating thought and behavior not guaranteed by law. If you feel intimidated or coerced by evangelical's presence on your front porch, maybe you're also intimated by girl scouts attempting to sell you cookies to advance their social cause. So, where would the Commission draw the line?

The Commission would decide the scope of its own charge should this bill be enacted into law.

By lacking specificity, the bill leaves a great deal to interpretation by the Commission and speculation by U.S. citizens as to what it means.

yep and thats scary! as for

yep and thats scary!

as for me and my home, we shall worship the LORD

Madison vs. S1959

The Federalist No. 10
The Utility of the Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection (continued)
Daily Advertiser
Thursday, November 22, 1787
[James Madison]

http://www.constitution.o...

"The latent causes of faction are thus sown in the nature of man; and we see them everywhere brought into different degrees of activity, according to the different circumstances of civil society. A zeal for different opinions concerning religion, concerning government, and many other points, as well of speculation as of practice; an attachment to different leaders ambitiously contending for pre-eminence and power; or to persons of other descriptions whose fortunes have been interesting to the human passions, have, in turn, divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and oppress each other than to co-operate for their common good. So strong is this propensity of mankind to fall into mutual animosities, that where no substantial occasion presents itself, the most frivolous and fanciful distinctions have been sufficient to kindle their unfriendly passions and excite their most violent conflicts. But the most common and durable source of factions has been the various and unequal distribution of property...The regulation of these various and interfering interests forms the principal task of modern legislation".

He continues, "It is in vain to say that enlightened statesmen will be able to adjust these clashing interests, and render them all subservient to the public good. Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. Nor, in many cases, can such an adjustment be made at all without taking into view indirect and remote considerations, which will rarely prevail over the immediate interest which one party may find in disregarding the rights of another or the good of the whole. The inference to which we are brought is, that the causes of faction cannot be removed, and that relief is only to be sought in the means of controlling its effects".

Interpretation of Federalist No. 10 Author: James Madison

Man is innately passionate in his beliefs. Some folks become so passionate about their political, religious, and other beliefs, that violent conflict results. We view Man's passion as a threat to what is optimally a civil politic, so we're creating what we believe to be a good solution. We realize we can't prevent people from behaving naturally, but we can try to control negative effects from affecting the entire Nation. For example, “a rage for paper money, …or for any other improper or wicked project, will be less apt to pervade the whole body of the Union than a particular member of it; in the same proportion as such a malady is more likely to taint a particular county or district, than an entire State”. The Constitution you're considering for ratification includes methods and processes to address this issue.

Interpretation of S.1959 Author: Unknown

We don’t know why man has passion for his beliefs. Some folks become so passionate about their political, religious, and other beliefs, violent conflict results. We view Man's passion as a threat to what is optimally a civil politic, so we're creating what we believe to be a good solution. We believe we can control Man’s passion and its negative effects from affecting the entire Nation through “measures” and “countermeasures” that “combat”, “eradicate”, and “prevent” U.S. citizens “operating” in the U.S. from both becoming passionate and demonstrating passion about any belief. Neither the Constitution nor the entire body of U. S. law since 1789 offers us the ability to control Man’s passion in his beliefs. We offer no specific examples of what we mean to address by this legislation.

The bill you're considering to become law creates a temporary commission and an academic center, in perpetuity, to study the matter. These bodies will document methods and processes, and train domestic security officers, and no one else, to address this issue. The commission may be composed of twelve atheists, or twelve christians, or twelve muslims, or twelve of any other world religion. Moreover, the commission may be composed of twelve individuals who’ve ever believed strongly in a political or social cause, and/or exhibited passion for their beliefs inasmuch as they’ve caused any citizen in the body politic to feel intimated or coerced by that individual’s belief, whether expressed verbally or in writing, or demonstrated through behavior. Commission and academic center members are exempt from the new government standard of acceptable passion in one’s beliefs to which this legislation charges them to define and prevent.

Explanation of S. 1959

One of the hallmarks of the totalitarian state is that anyone can be considered guilty of some offense at anytime, because the laws are written in such vague wording. There is statment that I have heard, but I can't remember the source that says: any law that is so vague in its interpretation that no person can be sure of its meaning, is NO law.

What that means is, if a law is not clear in exactly what it means, it is invalid, just as an unconstitutional law is invalid. We should be asking ourselves who it is that writes these law. We know it is not our legislators. They are not smart enough. They don't even read the laws they vote on. They have assistants who read these laws and either tell them what the laws say, or tell them how to vote.

I think the people who are writing laws like this, as well as the Patriot Act and the Military Commissons Act fit closer to my definition of terrorists. Remember, force or the threat of force used to coerce people to act, or refrain from acting in a certain way that is in itself not illegal, constitutes terrorism. If these laws are designed to imtimidate American citizens from exercising their Constitutional rights, they are by definition terrorism.

Americans need to understand this fact. And they need to remember it in November. Watch how your legislators vote on these laws.

Allow me to shed some light.

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.

What's more sickening than anything else? This piece of legislation passed the house with 404 votes, on Tuesday, October 23, 2007. Don't believe that your representative voted for this? Remain seated and follow this link. There is little doubt that this bill is specifically targeting the growing patriot community that is demanding the restoration of the Constitution.

First let’s take a look at the definitions of violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism as defined in Section 899A of the bill.

The definition of violent radicalization uses vague language to define this term of promoting any belief system that the government considers to be an extremist agenda. Since the bill doesn’t specifically define what an extremist belief system is, it is entirely up to the interpretation of the government. Considering how much the government has done to destroy the Constitution they could even define Ron Paul supporters as promoting an extremist belief system. Literally, the government according to this definition can define whatever they want as an extremist belief system. Essentially they have defined violent radicalization as thought crime. The definition as defined in the bill is shown below.

`(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.

The definition of homegrown terrorism uses equally vague language to further define thought crime. The bill includes the planned use of force or violence as homegrown terrorism which could be interpreted as thinking about using force or violence. Not only that but the definition is so vaguely defined, that petty crimes could even fall into the category of homegrown terrorism. The definition as defined in the bill is shown below.

`(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.

Section 899B of the bill goes over the findings of Congress as it pertains to homegrown terrorism. Particularly alarming is that the bill mentions the Internet as a main source for terrorist propaganda. The bill even mentions streams in obvious reference to many of the patriot and pro-constitution Internet radio networks that have been formed. It also mentions that homegrown terrorists span all ages and races indicating that the Congress is stating that everyone is a potential terrorist. Even worse is that Congress states in their findings that they should look at draconian police states like Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom as models to defeat homegrown terrorists. Literally, these findings of Congress fall right in line with the growing patriot community.

The biggest joke of all is that this section also says that any measure to prevent violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism should not violate the constitutional rights of citizens. However, the definition of violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism as they are defined in section 899A are themselves unconstitutional. The Constitution does not allow the government to arrest people for thought crimes, so any promises not to violate the constitutional rights of citizens are already broken by their own definitions.

`SEC. 899B. FINDINGS.

`The Congress finds the following:

`(1) The development and implementation of methods and processes that can be utilized to prevent violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in the United States is critical to combating domestic terrorism.

`(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.

`(4) While the United States must continue its vigilant efforts to combat international terrorism, it must also strengthen efforts to combat the threat posed by homegrown terrorists based and operating within the United States.

`(5) Understanding the motivational factors that lead to violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence is a vital step toward eradicating these threats in the United States.

`(6) The potential rise of self radicalized, unaffiliated terrorists domestically cannot be easily prevented through traditional Federal intelligence or law enforcement efforts, and requires the incorporation of State and local solutions.

`(7) Individuals prone to violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence span all races, ethnicities, and religious beliefs, and individuals should not be targeted based solely on race, ethnicity, or religion.

`(8) Any measure taken to prevent violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence and homegrown terrorism in the United States should not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights and civil liberties of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents.

`(9) Certain governments, including the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia have significant experience with homegrown terrorism and the United States can benefit from lessons learned by those nations.

Section 899C calls for a commission on the prevention of violent radicalization and ideologically based violence. The commission will consist of ten members appointed by various individuals that hold different positions in government. Essentially, this is a commission that will examine and report on how they are going to deal with violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism. So basically, the commission is being formed specifically on how to deal with thought criminals in the United States. The bill requires that the commission submit their final report 18 months following the commission’s first meeting as well as submit interim reports every 6 months leading up to the final report. Below is the bill’s defined purpose of the commission. Amazingly they even define one of the purposes of the commission to determine the causes of lone wolf violent radicalization.

(b) Purpose- The purposes of the Commission are the following:

`(1) Examine and report upon the facts and causes of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in the United States, including United States connections to non-United States persons and networks, violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in prison, individual or `lone wolf' violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence, and other faces of the phenomena of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence that the Commission considers important.

`(2) Build upon and bring together the work of other entities and avoid unnecessary duplication, by reviewing the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of--

`(A) the Center of Excellence established or designated under section 899D, and other academic work, as appropriate;

`(B) Federal, State, local, or tribal studies of, reviews of, and experiences with violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence; and

`(C) foreign government studies of, reviews of, and experiences with violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence.

Section 899D of the bill establishes a Center of Excellence for the Study of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in the United States. Essentially, this will be a Department of Homeland Security affiliated institution that will study and determine how to defeat thought criminals.

Section 899E of the bill discusses how the government is going to defeat violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism through international cooperation. As stated in the findings section earlier in the legislation, they will unquestionably seek the advice of countries with draconian police states like the United Kingdom to determine how to deal with this growing threat of thought crime.

Possibly the most ridiculous section of the bill is Section 899F which states how they plan on protecting civil rights and civil liberties while preventing ideologically based violence and homegrown terrorism. Here is what the section says.

`SEC. 899F. PROTECTING CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES WHILE PREVENTING IDEOLOGICALLY-BASED VIOLENCE AND HOMEGROWN TERRORISM.

`(a) In General- The Department of Homeland Security's efforts to prevent ideologically-based violence and homegrown terrorism as described herein shall not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights, and civil liberties of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents.

`(b) Commitment to Racial Neutrality- The Secretary shall ensure that the activities and operations of the entities created by this subtitle are in compliance with the Department of Homeland Security's commitment to racial neutrality.

`(c) Auditing Mechanism- The Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Officer of the Department of Homeland Security will develop and implement an auditing mechanism to ensure that compliance with this subtitle does not result in a disproportionate impact, without a rational basis, on any particular race, ethnicity, or religion and include the results of its audit in its annual report to Congress required under section 705.'.

(b) Clerical Amendment- The table of contents in section 1(b) of such Act is amended by inserting at the end of the items relating to title VIII the following:

It states in the first subsection that in general the efforts to defeat thought crime shall not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights and civil liberties of the United States citizens and lawful permanent residents. How does this protect constitutional rights if they use vague language such as in general that prefaces the statement? This means that the Department of Homeland Security does not have to abide by the Constitution in their attempts to prevent so called homegrown terrorism.

This bill is completely insane. It literally allows the government to define any and all crimes including thought crime as violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism. Obviously, this legislation is unconstitutional on a number of levels and it is clear that all 404 representatives who voted in favor of this bill are traitors and should be removed from office immediately. The treason spans both political parties and it shows us all that there is no difference between them.

So why are we suddenly so concerned about "homegrown" terrorism?

Why AT THIS TIME, is it such a hot concern?

AS I recollect, the ONLY homegrown terrorist act since the 60's was that moron McVeigh in OK.

So, suddenly, it's such a threat that we need to pretty much S@$%t-can the Constitution to protect us from this "threat"?

I love that this spews from a Democrat!! So much for the loyal opposition.

Yeah, it just happens to coincide with the growing libertarian and "patriot" surge amongst the "people" (y'know, those inconvenient little people in fly-over country)

Have you looked at the blast radius for the Murrah building?

Ammonium nitrate and nitro methane do not a perfect shape charge make. I'd do a bit more looking down the rabbit hole on the McVeigh issue if I were you.

Truck bombs do not make pretty, evenly distributed shapes.

Here's some insight.

here is what I e-mailed to John Sununu.

I've never sent him anything that long. I hope it gets a good point across.

Sen. Sununu, it is my understanding that S. 1959 is under review by the senate right now, and you are one of the key members of the committee that is reviewing it. If this is incorrect, please forgive me, but this bill is still of great importance, and odds are it will get through the commitee and onto the floor to be voted on, since it went through congress by over 400 votes to 6.

The Bill is titled, as you may know, "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 " and simply is calling to form a committee and a center for researching and preventing domestic terrorism and "radicalization" in our country. Overall, it seems like a decent bill, designed to protect us from terrorists wishing to do us harm from inside out. It even says it would protect American citizens' constitutional rights and liberties.

My problem with the bill is the definitions of "violent radicalization" "homegrown terrorism" and "ideologically based violence" are extremely vague, and do not pinpoint any particular movements or threats.

And just the fact that the definitions alone seem unconstitutional kind of scares me. I don't understand how you can protect the rights of American citizens, yet they won't be allowed to believe what they want and act how they wish (at least protected by the constitution), yet the definition for "violent radicalization" is defined:

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.

So does that mean that someome who might call themselves a "9/11 truther" falls under this category, because they choose to believe the government did something bad and they can write about it, and promote their ideas via the internet, or on paper or any other form. That is their first amendment right whether or not the government agrees.

I had trouble finding objectives to this bill at first, thinking "well, posting something on the internet isn't violent-why isn't the internet the first place to go when looking for free speech?" until I saw in the bill that it said

"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."

Well, the person who wrote this bill doesn't realize is that the government, according to the constitution HAS NO RIGHT to touch anything on the internet and cannot jurisdict what "United States citizens" choose to look at on the Internet. That would be violating our rights, which, by the way, the people told the government has to abide, not what the government tells the people they have as a privilege.

There are so many other ways to combat domestic terrorism; you could target particular groups and discipline them, and not waste time writing vague bills that could basically be used to say anyone is a terrorist if they question anything the government does. I am not a conspiracy theory -type of person, but I'm scared that if bills like this start passing through the Congress, we will ultimately start losing the rights we were born with.

I ask you, Sen. Sununu, please consider voting "no" for S. 1959 and please think of more efficient strategies to prevent "domestic terrorism" and encourage your fellow senators to do the same.

Richard M-------
Portsmouth, NH
an undeclared voter

thanks. I got some good

thanks. I got some good information from you. I appreciate it.
Will be working on a letter to Sununu, as hopeless as it may seem.

...only have to be 30 to run for senate