Additional Information

Jules Boykoff, Political Science professor at Pacific University, Homegrown Suppression of Dissent. (pdx)

John W. Whitehead, Constitutional attorney and author, founder and president of The Rutherford Institute Are You a Homegrown Terrorist?
Huffington Post

Ralph E. Shaffer, professor emeritus of history at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and William Robinson director of the Upper San Gabriel Valley Water District, A Growing Threat to Civil Liberties

Matt Renner, assistant editor and Washington reporter for Truthout, The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Preventation Act

Lindsay Beyerstein, a National Political Reporter for In These Times.com, and a national correspondent for Raw Story, Examining the Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act

Rep. Jane Harman of California introduced The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Preventation Act of 2007 with one cosponsor. Yet, when it passed the House there were only 6 No votes.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) is reported to have said that the bill would only "study a problem".

But this is not the first legislation to "study a problem'. The House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC), formed in 1931, was supported to investigate the KKK and the Nazi in America. But instead become the thought police of America and formed the bases for the rise of Sen. Joe McCarthy.

This legislation is filled with potential dangerous, undemocratic consequences, mostly stemming from the vague language.

Homegrown terrorism is defined as "the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born [or] raised...within the United States...to intimidate or coerce the United States, the civilian population...or any segment thereof."

What constitutes violence? What constitutes intimidation or coercion? Would anti-war organizers working to change administration policy be open to an accusation of intimidation? What about people opposing free trade agreements? If the policy of the American government is anti-union, would union organizers be accused being "homegrown terrorist?"

Perhaps the alleged terrorists will be environmental organizers - tree sitters or perhaps anti-nuclear protestors or maybe people organizing to end corporate dominance.

Terrorism is defined as "the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence." No force or violence need actually occur, just be planned. What constitutes a plan? What is force?

Violent radicalization is defined as promoting an extremist belief system. The bill does not define what an extremist belief system is. Is it a belief system which advocates single payer health care? If you are an insurance company executive, such a radical idea may indeed seem to be an extremist belief. Opposed to globalization, believe that local is better than global, want your food to be grown locally and organically. For corporate America and their allies in the American government, those can be extremist beliefs.

America has a history of enacting innocent sounding laws which have then been used to suppress dissent. For instance, the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, the Espionage Act and Sedition Act of WW1, the Smith Act during and following WWII, and as mentioned the House UnAmerican Activites Act of 1931.

Now is the time to say No to another act of Congress designed to stiffle dissent, to stiffle democracy itself.

Please call your senators now with the message:

NO to the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism
Preventation Act of 2007.

Click on Opposition Post Card to view text of a post card the Alliance for Democracy has produced. Copy the text, add your own words and send it to your senator Now!