Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Welcome to Amerika

(Artist Unknown. Image Credit: The Flag Pole)



I wrote to my Senator, Sherrod Brown, regarding my concerns about the HR 1955 / 1959 bill. Here's his typical politico-speak glib response:

Thank you for expressing your concerns about H.R.1955 and S.1959, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act.

H.R.1955 and S.1959 amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to add provisions concerning the prevention of terrorism by those born, raised, or based and operating primarily in the United States.

The bill would direct the Department of Homeland Security to establish a grant program to help prevent homegrown terrorism and the use of extremist belief systems to facilitate ideologically-based violence. It would also establish a university-based Center of Excellence for the Study of Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in the United States and conduct a survey of methodologies implemented by foreign nations to prevent radicalization and homegrown terrorism.

In addition, the bill explicitly states that the Department of Homeland Security's efforts to prevent ideologically based violence and homegrown terrorism may not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights, or civil liberties of any American citizens or lawful permanent residents.

H.R.1955 passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 404 to 6. Should S.1959 reach the Senate floor, I will keep your views in mind. Thank you again for contacting me.

Sincerely,
Sherrod Brown


Are we already under some pseudo martial law? Well if we're not, you coulda fooled me. Firefighters are now being asked to report people who express discontent with the government.

Read more here: Firefighters moonlighting as the thought police

Whoa. Free speech be damned eh? Our Founding Fathers are doing nausea-inducing rollovers in their graves.

Wire-tapping has been ongoing for some time now. The government reads our emails. Cameras are everywhere. Homeland Security wants to enforce a national ID card. And the list goes on.

Yup kiddies, welcome to Amerika. The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence are now just historical documents that mean squat to the government and seemingly, to almost every single politician currently in office.

Truer words were never spoken by
Thomas Paine:

"
That government is best which governs least."

"
We have it in our power to begin the world over again."

And of course,
Patrick Henry:

"
Give me liberty, or give me death."


Dolphin


4 comments:

  1. I watched an old (May 2007) Frontline show on government surveillance last night. I felt like turning off my computers. Scary stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi HM ..

    Yeah, I hear ya.

    I also watched "Cheney's Lies" or some title like that .. I think that was a Frontline episode too ...

    Definitely scary times we are living in right now

    ReplyDelete
  3. this is what my Florida Senator sent me:

    Dear Mr. Bradley:

    Thank you for letting me know your concerns regarding the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 1955). I appreciate hearing from you.

    Our nation is currently at war with a ruthless enemy who exploits the openness of our free society, has no regard for human life, and is prepared to go to any lengths to harm our people and our allies. It is imperative that we engage in a robust effort to gather intelligence information from suspected terrorists, and that we understand and address the root causes of terrorism to avoid future attacks on the American people. These goals can be accomplished without undermining our Constitutional civil liberties.

    As you know, on October 23, 2007, the House of Representatives adopted H.R. 1955 by a 404 to 6 vote. This bill would authorize several measures to analyze and prevent terrorism in our nation, including looking at what other nations have done in this area. Section 899F of this bill explicitly prohibits these efforts from violating the constitutional rights of U.S. Citizens and legal residents to ensure that we remain well within our constitutional framework as we protect our nation.

    H.R. 1955 currently awaits consideration by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. My highest priority is to safeguard our homeland. Please know that I will keep your concerns in mind should the full Senate consider the provisions of this bill.

    Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. Do not hesitate to contact me with any additional questions or comments you may have. For more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.

    Sincerely,

    Mel Martinez
    United States Senator


    We are so screwed...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yup, we are screwed.

    They are not concerned at all about how vague their wording is and how strong the potential is for twisting this bill to the government's advantage and say it's for our protection.

    Thank you for sharing that Brian ...

    Dolphin

    ReplyDelete