OpEdNews » The Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act: A Tutorial in Orwellian Newspeak

November 30, 2007 at 21:23:05

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The Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act: A Tutorial in Orwellian Newspeak

by Robert Weitzel

www.opednews.com

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“Political language has to consist largely of euphemisms . . . and sheer cloudy vagueness.”

- George Orwell -

H.R 1955: the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 recently passed by the House—a companion bill is in the Senate—is barely one sentence old before its Orwellian moment:

It begins, “AN ACT - To prevent homegrown terrorism, and for other purposes.”

Those whose pulse did not quicken at “other purposes” have probably not read George Orwell’s essay, “Politics and the English Language,” or they voted for the other George both times.

Orwell’s jeremiad on the corruption of the English language and its corrosive effect on a democracy was written two years before his novel 1984 spelled out in chilling detail the danger of Newspeak, which renders citizens incapable of independent thought by depriving them of the words necessary to form ideas other than those promulgated by the state.

After its opening “tribute” to Orwell, H.R 1955 is strategically peppered with Newspeak regarding the establishment of a National Commission and university-based Centers of Excellence to “examine and report upon the fact and causes of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in the United States” and to make legislative recommendations for combating it.

The “sheer cloudy vagueness” of H.R 1955, as well as its terror factor, may account for its bipartisan 404-6 House vote but how, in an era informed by the Bush-Cheney administration’s egregious assault on the Bill of Rights, can the phrase “other purposes” fail to raise the “National Terror Alert” from its current threat level of “elevated” to “severe.”

Future “other purposes” will undoubtedly be justified by the Act’s use of the term “violent radicalization,” which it defines as “the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence . . .” or by the folksy, Lake Wobegonesque “homegrown terrorism,” 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 . . . [italics added].”

In the service of some self-serving “other purposes,” will “extremist beliefs” become any belief the temporary occupants of the White House consider antithetical and threatening to their political agenda?

Will “ideologically based violence” or the use of “force” become little more than the mayhem resulting after a peaceful protest, daring to move beyond the barbed wire of the free speech zone, is attacked by a truncheon-wielding riot squad armed with tear gas, German Shepard dogs and water cannons?

Will the unarmed, constitutionally protected dissenters who are fending off blows or dog bites, or who are striking back in self-defense become “homegrown terrorists” and suffer draconian sentences for their attempt to “intimidate or coerce” the state with free thought and free speech?

A clue to future “other purposes” may lie in the Act’s parentage. The proud House “mother” of the Patriot Act’s evil twin is Rep. Jane Harmon (D-CA), chair of the Homeland Security Intelligence Subcommittee. Rep. Harmon has admitted to a long and productive relationship with the RAND Corporation, a California based think-tank with close ties to the military-industrial-intelligence complex. RAND’s 2005 study, “Trends in Terrorism,” contains a chapter titled, “Homegrown Terrorist Threats to the United States.”

Keep in mind that the RAND Corporation was set up in 1946 by Army Air Force General Henry “Hap” Arnold as “Project RAND” sponsored by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Keep in mind also that Donald Rumsfeld was its chairman from 1981 to 1986 and Lewis “Scooter” Libby, Dick Cheney’s felonious former chief of staff, and Condoleezza Rice were trustees. Enough said!

RAND maintains that “homegrown terrorism” will not be the result of jihadist sleeper cells. Rather, it will result from anti-globalists and radical environmentalists who “challenge the intrinsic qualities of capitalism, charging that in the insatiable quest for growth and profit, the philosophy is serving to destroy the world’s ecology, indigenous cultures, and individual welfare.”

Further, RAND claims that anti-globalists and radical environmentalists “exist in much the same operational environment as al Qaida” and pose “a clear threat to private-sector corporate interests, especially large multinational business.” Therein lies the real “other purposes.”

Predictably then, H.R. 1955 is not about protecting homegrown Americans. That protection is only incidental to its “other purposes” of protecting homegrown corporate interest and its unconscionable manipulation of the American political process to fill its coffers. Any thought or speech or action— however protected it might be by the Bill of Rights—that threatens corporate hegemony and profit will no doubt suffer the “other purposes” clause of the Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act.

Anyone doubting the Orwellian nature of an Act that equates anti-globalists and environmentalists with al Qaida terrorists will do well to read Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language” and to acquaint themselves with the fate of Winston Smith in 1984.

www.mwcnews.net

Biography: Robert Weitzel is a contributing editor to Media With a Conscience (www.mwcnews.net). His essays regularly appear in The Capital Times in Madison, WI.

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.

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8 comments

martinweiss

Illegal Thoughts

When I was much younger, there was a popular song that included the line: "Buddy you can't go to jail for what you're thinkin'."

This act before Congress puts an end to that.

Now that the private property of the rich is threatened by the increasing poverty of the great majority of three hundred million people, this income gap acts as a disincentive to protect the privileged. Even Blackwater cannot protect the rich from three hundred million people. So they want a law to make it illegal to even think about doing something about it. Right. A law to make thinking of breaking the law illegal. That'll work.

This proposed measure is proof they're already running scared. They know they are taking profits out of our lives, out of our environment, and dumping their production costs on anything but their budget.

Bush supports volunteering to cut pollution. But why would they volunteer to cut profits through acknowledging their social responsibility? In fact, Bush's proposal is ludicrous. It is illegal for any officer of a publicly held corporation to cut profits or propose to do so.

Bush supports volunteering to give to charity, to help the poor, to fight childhood diseases, to house the homeless, etc. This proposal simply abdicates the social responsibility of our government to protect us and hands our money and the government's protection to corporations and the obscenely rich.

So, thinking about impoverishing the people through preferential treatment for wealth which was created by the people in the first place is OK. But it would be illegal to think about preferential treatment for the people who created that wealth and that government. It would be illegal to think about employing our government for the ends for which it was established. Right. That'll work.

Great article, Robert. I always enjoy reading your work in the Capital Times.

by martinweiss (41 articles, 6 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 503 comments [3 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Saturday, Dec 1, 2007 at 2:40:14 PM

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Charlie L

Expecting more from the Democrats

This kind of crap I expect from anti-civil-liberties and pro-corporate Rethuglicans.

I am ashamed of the Democrats who voted this pathetic and un-Constitutional piece of crap.

And if they voted for it KNOWING it was un-Constitutional and would never come to be law, then they are cynical beyond words.

by Charlie L (2 articles, 4 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 747 comments [2 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Saturday, Dec 1, 2007 at 3:51:23 PM

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martinweiss

Evil Ideas

This law would not only make it illegal to be a Methodist Democrat, it would make it illegal to be Jesus.

Fair warning, if it passes, don't register as a Democrat or they will consider you a threat to the present admn. and proceed with your rendition to Albania.

Headline: "200 million Democrats were transported to camps in the desert today, in an effort to control terrorists."

by martinweiss (41 articles, 6 quicklinks, 13 diaries, 503 comments [3 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Saturday, Dec 1, 2007 at 8:24:46 PM

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RICHARD SHADE

GOP AND DNC INC.

THIS IS A TWO PARTY SYSTEM, THE GOP DNC INC. AND WE THE PEOPLE, ONLY ONE PROBLEM THEY ARE THE GOVERNMENT, AND WE THINK WE VOTED THEM INTO OFFICE. LOOKS LIKE THE JOKE IS ON WE. ONE SMALL HITLER STEP AT A TIME. THATS WHAT THE HISTORY BOOKS WILL SAY. AND CONCO PHILLUPS SAYS THEY CAN BRING DOWN 4,000 CUBIC FEET PH OF NAUTRAL GAS FROM THE NORTH POLE, THINK.

by RICHARD SHADE (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 460 comments) on Sunday, Dec 2, 2007 at 4:58:37 AM

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RICHARD SHADE

MONEY POWER GREED AND BOREDISM

WHAT DO THESE HAVE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER, I KNOW THAT SOMETIMES WE ALL GET BORED RIGHT. BUT WHAT IF YOU CONTROLED ALL THE MONEY OF THE WORLD AND WHERE BORED. LET THE GAMES BEGIN. WHEN IN ROME DO AS THE ROME'NS DO.

by RICHARD SHADE (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 460 comments) on Sunday, Dec 2, 2007 at 5:31:51 AM

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Len Hart

Our government is our oppressor

Well, we can NO LONGER refer to the US as a "free country". Our politicians have screwed us over. Americans are now utterly without what we have always called "Due Process of Law". Bush rules by decree and "justice" is whatever "power" says it is. We no longer count. The US government is illegitimate.

by Len Hart (134 articles, 175 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 555 comments) on Sunday, Dec 2, 2007 at 10:36:31 AM

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mrk *

Let Your Congresscritter KNOW

Let Your Congresscritter KNOW -

if they voted for this bill that as soon as it is passed

THEY WILL BE among THE FIRST PERSONS CHARGED

under the provisions outlined in it.

"We the People" should use this bill to bring suit against the traitors who support this abomination.

At the very least they should be made to enroll in a remedial civics course at the local high school and stay there until they memorize what it says in the FIRST AMENDMENT. (I think that's called "forced re-education.")

First to be charged: Nazi-wannabes Harman and Reichert!

by mrk * (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 311 comments [12 recommended, 0 rejected]) on Sunday, Dec 2, 2007 at 1:28:39 PM

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Lorring II

Do we even have a Constitution?

HTPA, yet another infringement on our rights by the gov't. Add it to the ever-growing list of violations:
They violate the 1st Amendment by opening mail, caging demonstrators and banning books like "America Deceived" from Amazon.
They violate the 2nd Amendment by confiscating guns during Katrina.
They violate the 4th Amendment by conducting warrant-less wiretaps.
They violate the 5th and 6th Amendment by suspending habeas corpus.
They violate the 8th Amendment by torturing.
They violate the entire Constitution by starting 2 illegal wars based on lies and on behalf of a foriegn gov't.
Support Dr. Ron Paul and save us all.
Last link (unless Google Books caves to the gov't and drops the title):
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-38523-0

by Lorring II (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 87 comments) on Sunday, Dec 2, 2007 at 1:32:03 PM

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