the other mike
Diamond Member
- Jan 5, 2019
- 41,901
- 22,503
Dissent Is Being Criminalized Right Under Our Noses
Many of us are deeply concerned about the recent wave of mass shootings and hate crimes that have taken place across the United States. As the Department of Justice reported, in 2018 alone there were 25 race-based terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, each committed by an alleged white supremacist. Immediate action is needed to address this crisis and tragedies like the Aug. 3 shooting in El Paso, Texas.
So I read with interest a recent press release of Rep. Michael McCaul—the Republican incumbent in the Texas 10th Congressional District and my opponent in the 2018 election—in which he announced a new bill to respond to domestic terrorism.
My hopes for reasonable legislation were quickly dashed, however, and replaced by deep concern.
(snip)
The proposed bill would create a broad definition of “domestic terrorism” to include any attempt to “affect” or “influence” government policy or actions. And it would include property damage—even attempted property damage—as a terrorist act subject to a 25-year prison sentence.
In other words, if you opposed the Dakota Access pipeline at Standing Rock and wanted the government to revoke the pipeline permit, you might be considered a terrorist.
If you painted “Black Lives Matter” on a wall to advocate against police violence, that could be terrorism, too.
Dissent Is Being Criminalized Right Under Our Noses
Wait there's more.
From May, 2019
You could get prison time for protesting a pipeline in Texas—even if it’s on your land
Many of us are deeply concerned about the recent wave of mass shootings and hate crimes that have taken place across the United States. As the Department of Justice reported, in 2018 alone there were 25 race-based terrorist attacks on U.S. soil, each committed by an alleged white supremacist. Immediate action is needed to address this crisis and tragedies like the Aug. 3 shooting in El Paso, Texas.
So I read with interest a recent press release of Rep. Michael McCaul—the Republican incumbent in the Texas 10th Congressional District and my opponent in the 2018 election—in which he announced a new bill to respond to domestic terrorism.
My hopes for reasonable legislation were quickly dashed, however, and replaced by deep concern.
(snip)
The proposed bill would create a broad definition of “domestic terrorism” to include any attempt to “affect” or “influence” government policy or actions. And it would include property damage—even attempted property damage—as a terrorist act subject to a 25-year prison sentence.
In other words, if you opposed the Dakota Access pipeline at Standing Rock and wanted the government to revoke the pipeline permit, you might be considered a terrorist.
If you painted “Black Lives Matter” on a wall to advocate against police violence, that could be terrorism, too.
Dissent Is Being Criminalized Right Under Our Noses
Wait there's more.
From May, 2019
You could get prison time for protesting a pipeline in Texas—even if it’s on your land