Left and Right grassroots activate to try to stop “Homegrown Terrorism” Bill in Senate and a look at how the legislation would target the Internet

By Jessica Lee, The Indypendent

CALLS FOR ACTION AGAINST SENATE BILL

Momentum is building to stop S. 1959 across the political spectrum, the U.S. Senate’s version of H.R. 1955, the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007.” Various groups are utilizing the Internet to organize opposition to the bill by gaining support through the use of blogs, YouTube videos, mass emails and action alerts.

Supporters of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul deserve credit for being among the first to be aware of and vocal about H.R. 1955. Now, it seems there is a burgeoning movement to pressure the 17-member Senate Committee for Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (a complete member list is below) to kill the bill.

For example, a Nov. 19 Dailypaul.com blog post by Calyn stated, “This bill [HR 1955] is essentially a thought crime bill with wording so vague that it could easily be used against any group or person espousing dissenting views from that of the government. … Let’s contact our committee members and our state Senators via letters, email, and phone calls and let them know that this is unacceptable.”

Similarly, Tina Richards with the peace and social justice non-profit organization Grassroots America, sent out an action alert to supporters. “If this bill is passed, and becomes law, your words and actions could be considered terrorism. S 1959 EVISCERATES FREE SPEECH, and empowers the govt. to declare ANYTHING they deem an ‘extremist belief system,’ instantly make you a terrorist, resulting in stripping of US citizenship, torture, and/or execution, with no habeas corpus rights, no ability to challenge even in the US Supreme Court. Contact your Senator and let them know they will be looking for another job if they vote yes on this bill.”

Richards noted that her family had recently participated in civil disobedience in October in Washington, DC, at the “No War No Warming” protest. “This bill looks to make myself, my daughter and all others who participate in non-violent, civil disobedience a potential terrorist.”

Someone going by the name “Truther” posted an entry to indybay.org titled, “Stop S. 1959 or lose Internet free speech.” Director of VoteRescuse Karen Renick posted an action alert Nov. 27 on Opednews.com encouraging people to call their senators. And on YouTube, “justbernard” with Earth Knowledge Broadcasting TeleVizion (EKBTV) posted a 2-minute video, “Terrorism Alert! URGENT!” on Nov. 26. The video consists of a male voice describing the bill while a series of photographs flash on the screen including people participating in protest and civil disobedience, police violence against demonstrators, scenes of U.S. sponsored torture and patriotic images. “The bill must be stopped at all costs,” says the voice. Within one day of going up on the web, more than 400 people had viewed the video.

Several national organizations have expressed concern about H.R. 1955/S. 1959, including the National Lawyers Guild, the Society of American Law Teachers, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Bill of Rights Defense Committee.

A NOTE ON WHO VOTED AGAINST H.R. 1955

On Sunday, Nov. 25, I was interviewed by INN World Weekend Report on “We the People” Radio Network about H.R. 1955/S. 1959. One listener called in to say that Rep. Ron Paul (R-Tex.) had voted against H.R. 1955 on Oct. 23, which passed 404-6. To clarify, Paul was one of the 22 members of the House not present for the vote, thus he did not actually vote against H.R. 1955.

The vote was cast under the “suspension of the rules,” a House procedure that is generally used to quickly pass non-controversial bills. Once a motion to “suspend the rules” is enacted, debate is limited to 40 minutes and a 2/3 majority is required to agree to the motion. Usually a suspension motion is phrased “to suspend the rules and pass the bill,” and if the motion is agreed to, then the bill is considered passed by the House.

The six representatives who vote against H.R. 1955 include:
-Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
-Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)
-Jerry Costello (D-IL)
-Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)
-Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
-John Duncan (R-TN)

To listen to the Interview:
INN Weekend Report on www.WTPRN.Com 11/25/07 Hour 1 Interview with Jessica Lee.

HOMEGROWN TERRORISM AND THE INTERNET

The Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act brings up important questions, so many in fact that it was difficult to address all the points in my initial article, “Bringing the War on Terrorism Home.” One important topic that I didn’t have time to research and report on was how the bill and supporting witnesses called for investigating the role of the Internet in “radicalizing” people living in the United States. H.R. 1955 states in SEC. 899A Findings that, “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.”

On Nov. 6, four individuals testified to the U.S. House Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment hearing “Using the Web as a Weapon: the Internet as a Tool for Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism.”

Mark Weitzman, the director of the Task Force Against Hate at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, discussed the role the Center has played on tracking the use of the Internet by “extremists” around the world.

“The Internet is, as an early observer wrote ‘subversive, because [it] offer[s] potential enfranchisement to the disenfranchised and voice to the voiceless,’” he said. “It allows individuals who are isolated or alienated, both physically and psychologically, to feel that they are linked, empowered and members of an international movement.”

“Radicalization can be a result of this relationship,” Weitzman continued. “The Internet, and its idealized and radicalized virtual community, overtakes the perceived dismal reality of the real world, and provides an authoritative narrative that creates its own reality. This reality is constructed to fill a void, and its prime target is youth, especially those alienated in some way from their surroundings. The use of professional, slick and appealing sites, videos, chat rooms, newsgroups, etc., are all forms of communication that are commonly used by younger users who are prepared to take the information they receive at face value.”

Bruce Hoffman, counterterrorism and counterinsurgency expert at Georgetown University, also appeared before the subcommittee. “The weapons of terrorism today, accordingly, are no longer simply the guns and bombs that they always have been,” Hoffman said, “but now include the minicam and videotape, editing suite and attendant production facilities; professionally produced and mass-marketed CD-Roms and DVDs; and, most critically, the lap-top and desk-top computers, CD burners and e-mail accounts, and Internet and worldwide web. Hoffman was a former top terrorism analyst for the RAND Corporation, a government and military-related Washington think-tank.

“The Internet, once seen as an engine of education and enlightenment, has instead become an immensely useful vehicle for terrorists with which to peddle their baseless propaganda and manifold conspiracy theories and summon their followers to violence,” Hoffman claimed. “These sites alarmingly present an increasingly compelling and indeed accepted alternative point of view to the terrorists’ variegated audiences.”

Rita Katz, director of the SITE Institute, testified at the Nov. 6 hearing. “For as long as jihadists on the Internet can engage in terrorist activities unfettered and unmonitored, the U.S. will not be able to cause significant, lasting damage to the global jihadist movement. The internet plays a key role in fostering homegrown radicals, providing them with all the information necessary…” she said. “If the global jihadist threat, both domestic and abroad, is to be combated effectively, the U.S. must invest significant resources into studying, monitoring, and understanding how jihadists utilize and exploit the internet.”

And speaking on behalf of the Internet and youth, attorney and founder of wiredsafety.org Parry Aftab testified that “teaching students about hype and misinformation and about hate and radicalization is crucial as well. If young people learn how they are manipulated by these groups, they are less likely to fall prey to them. At risk youth needs to be supervised, as they are often the earliest targets and most likely to join radical groups that promise them excitement and community combined.”

Representative Jane Harman (D-Cali.) who sponsored H.R. 1955, introduced the Nov. 6 hearing, stating, “The centerpiece of H.R. 1955 is the creation of a National Commission to study violent radicalization; to determine the best way forward; and to make concrete proposals for action. At six months intervals over eighteen months, the National Commission would drill down on the issue and propose to both Congress and Secretary Chertoff initiatives to intercede before radicalized individuals turn violent,” she explained. “We are not afraid of where the facts will take us. But no one on the Hill or elsewhere should think we already have a complete understanding of how someone with radical beliefs becomes a violent killer.”

In her prepared statements, Harman highlighted several cases in which people living in the United States were arrested for terrorism-related charges due to items posted on the Internet. For example, in August Ahmed Mohamed was arrested during a routine traffic stop and when questioned by federal agents, confessed that he had posted a 12-minute video on YouTube on how to turn a toy boat into a bomb. Mohamed had told the FBI that he wanted to teach “those persons in Arabic countries to defend themselves against the infidels invading their countries.”

Interestingly, during Weiztman’s PowerPoint presentation where he provided a list of suspect terrorism-affiliated websites, he also highlighted “conspiracy” websites who create a “parallel truth,” which included groups calling for a full investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks.

News quickly spread across the web about the allegations that 9/11 truth-related groups could be equated with “jihadist or violent” groups. For example, Steve Watson and Paul Watson posted on the blog infowar.net Nov. 13, “Under the heading ‘Internet: Incubator of 9/11 Conspiracies and Disinformation’ Weiztman threw in video of WTC building 7 collapsing on 9/11 as posted on various 9/11 truth affiliated websites, along with screen shots of the Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth site and other sites.”

The blog entry continued quoting Weitzman, “‘We need to be aware of the empowering effect of the internet upon extremists, we must have researchers and responders for both the technical and linguistic skills to keep us informed and to be able to respond to what is online. We must make users aware of the misinformation and of the techniques used by extremists.’ Weitzman continued.”

Richard Gage, AIA, founder of Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth (AE911Truth), defended his group Nov. 17 issuing a press release and speaking out on the INN World Weekend Report radio show Nov. 25.

“AE911Truth.org is extremely concerned about the recent portrayal of our peaceful organization and website by the Simon Wiesenthal Center alongside Taliban militant websites,” Gage wrote. “By implication we and other 9/11 Truth organizations are branded as terrorists. We are therefore actively pursuing non-legal and legal remedies.”

To listen to the interview:
INN Weekend Report on www.WTPRN.Com 11/25/07 Hour 2 Interview with Jessica Lee and Richard Gage AIA (founder of AE911Truth)

A PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN ISSUE?

It should be noted that this bill could easily become an issue in the presidential campaign. Democratic hopeful Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) voted against the bill in the House and although Rep. Ron Paul was not present for the Oct. 23 House vote, his supporters seem to be strongly against the legislation. And Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) now has the fate of the bill in his hands as he sits on the Committee for Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. If the bill does make it out of committee, then another Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), will have to decide how to vote on it.

LIST OF SENATE MEMBERS ON THE COMMITTEE FOR HOMELAND SECURITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS:

DEMOCRATS:
Joe Lieberman, Chairman (CT)
Carl Levin (MI)
Daniel Akaka (HI)
Thomas R. Carper (DE)
Mark Pryor (AR)
Mary Landrieu (LA)
Barack Obama (IL)
Claire McCaskill (MO)
Jon Tester (MT)

REPUBLICANS:
Susan M. Collins, Ranking Member (ME)
Ted Stevens (AK)
George Voinovich (OH)
Norm Coleman (MN)
Tom Coburn (OK)
Pete Domenici (NM)
John Warner (VA)
John E. Sununu (NH)

DEMOCRACY NOW! COVERAGE:
Watch/Listen to The Indypendent’s Jessica Lee and Kamau Franklin, an attorney with the Center for Constitutional Rights, discuss H.R. 1955/S. 1959. Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2007.