When city councils, county supervisors and State Boards get behind stopping any piece of legislation, there is publicity for it. Even if there is a media black-out on S. 1959, to get public officials to pass resolutions against it would be to a) get even just the local papers and college newsletters involved in news coverage of the issue b) let the Senate think twice before voting for S. 195

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PLEASE GET YOUR CITY COUNCILS AND COUNTY SUPERVISORS TO PASS RESOLUTIONS AGAINST S. 1959 The Homegrown Terrorism and Violent Radicalization Act!

Hello friends

Brainflash!

When city councils, county supervisors and State Boards get behind stopping any piece of legislation, there is publicity for it. And the concerns gather public credibility.

Even if there is a media black-out on S. 1959, to get public officials to pass resolutions against it and to issue public statements would be to a) get even just the local papers and college newsletters involved in news coverage of the issue b) let the Senate think twice before voting for S. 1959 especially as the raw truths are exposed, on a public level.

I want to point out that Legislative Aides in the Congresspeoples’ offices are burying the truth about S. 1959 not only from the American people, but from Congresspeople themselves. And that could account for the reason why Congress is passing this bill. My own Representative, Lynn Woolsey, is one of the few who always votes for the best interest of the Constitution and the people’s collective will. She votes against all personal bias even if just to represent the will of the people, is inclined to be the lone voice if only to do the right thing, and is just terribly ethical (one of the golden few still in public office: Thank you Lynn Woolsey!) Even her Legislative Aide sent an email when I was on the phone with an office Aide, inquiring regarding my concerns and stating that S. 1959 “only” studies terrorist thought models. He said nothing about the fact that S. 1959 creates an unconstitutional “Court” comprised of government personnel themselves to hold hearings of American “Terrorist” citizens. Most of these “terrorist” citizens would be innocent vocal people, given the loose definition of “Terrorism” in the Patriot Act which sweeps up religious and peace groups in its net, as paired up with the generally loose wording in the Violent Radicalization Act. Yet this legislative Aide for this wonderful Congressperson said nothing about the clear and present danger of Americans being wrongfully tried as “terrorists” just for speaking up, in a “court” of clearly biased government personnel with no judge to act as “Check” on government power, no citizen jury for impartiality, and basically the government itself acting as judge, prosecutor and juror. He also said nothing about the fact that the bill targets thought and not action: Unconstitutional, right there.

(I wrote to Lynn Woolsey directly through the email account of her office aide, who said that she personally would deliver the email to Lynn Woolsey’s desk. And I cued her in to what her legislative aide is up to).

If the informational blackout from Legislative Aides is why Congress is passing this bill, then it is up to us citizens to get the word of truth out. And in a hurry too: It will only be two more weeks before Congress reconvenes after the Winter break.

Let’s talk to our friendly Supervisors, City Councils and State Assemblymen. Let’s please meet with them personally, face-to-face, to tell them that they MUST stop the passage of this bill. They MUST issue a public statement, in the local news media (because the mainstream will black them out) in order to get word out to the public. And the public MUST be reminded that when Congress waves signatures in front of other Congresspeople, they have the backbone and clout to “Just say No”. Therefore, our voices collectively WILL make a difference. THIS IS PIVOTAL, BECAUSE DEPRESSION GOVERNS OUR MASSES AND WHEN PEOPLE HEAR THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS BILL, THEY WILL BE INCLINED TO LIE DOWN PASSIVELY AND SAY “SIGH”. WE’VE GOT TO REMIND THEM THAT POLITICIANS WANT TO BE RE-ELECTED, AND THEREFORE THE VOICES OF THE MASSES WILL COUNT. NO, NOT THE LONE VOICE BUT THE VOICES OF THE MASSES, ABSOLUTELY YES.

Let me reiterate from other articles before, that I have seen Senators reverse their positions 180 degrees when signatures by the millions have come in from grassroots organizations like Moveon.org and hundreds of thousands of signatures from the ACLU.

ABOUT THESE FACE-TO-FACE MEETINGS WITH PUBLIC OFFICIALS:

a) It’s terribly important to be fact-based and very professional and courteous. If we turn these people off by coming on like a stick of dynamite, that’s the last thing we or even our whole country need for our free speech. Please be very, very careful not to turn them off with our typically heated or pushy manner as activists.

b) Very important: Even while “Being positional” in the sense of bringing in fact-based concerns, remember that thoughts go through peoples’ minds which motivate or demotivate proactivity. To ask your officials what their responses are, and to remain genuinely in a receptive listener’s position (don’t jump down their throat!) would be key to rebutting the thoughts and assumptions going through their heads. They may, for example, really believe (and be fooled that) this bill is targeting terrorism and terrorists. They also may be highly inclined to doubt that the bill really targets vocal people, believing in the Free Speech America which we have all known and loved for more than 200 years.

To bring in the facts, not mere speculation, supporting your assertion that the bill really and actually does target free speech will be the key thing to “selling” them on your point of view and turning them around. SPECULATIONS WILL ONLY TURN THEM OFF AND CONVINCE THEM THAT YOU ARE A CONSPIRACY KOOK OR PARANOID. BE FACT-BASED, NOT SPECULATIVE. Avoid saying things like “people will be stripped of their citizenship and tortured as terrorists” etc. Even if that is a possible scenario, a statement about it will only cement you yourself as a “paranoid” individual who is not to be believed. Bring in the facts and let them draw their own conclusions. That’s always the safest way to go.

And please remember: It is not only facts which are believed, but especially the image of credibility or non-credibility itself which “Sells“ the point being made. When we are believable in our manner, the facts will be “heard“ : When we say things which make us appear paranoid or pushy or otherwise lose our credibility, all the facts in the world will never convince anyone. Remember that!

c) This bill, like the Patriot Act and No Child Left Behind and many more, is disguised in the name of “good cause” like preventing terrorism, which many people will get behind and support. It’s a brainwash and it’s also very deceptive. The links below to articles about this bill will quickly convince the most staunch believer to rethink the “good cause“ targeted by this bill.

d) Please be sure to show the contents of the links which I will provide below, drawn from the ACLU’s and other websites, proving that it is not terrorists who are being targeted in the war on terror, but vocal citizens and groups subjected to racial/religious profiling under post-911 legislation. To bring this fact to light is terribly important for convincing these people that “Something’s fishy here” with this current bill.

e) Please understand how terribly important it is not only to study the links below, but to bring in print-outs for the public officials to see. You might even use a highlighter pen to underscore certain points being made in the various articles linked below, with legal analyses of the bill, etc. which will underscore your concerns. (You can choose your favorite articles below, or just print out a page or two of them to illustrate your point).

f) Please ask these officials to release public statements about the bill, to urge the Senate to vote “no” and (Very important!) to filibuster the bill.

SUGGESTED MATERIAL TO BRING WITH YOU TO THE MEETING OR TO EMAIL TO YOUR LOCAL PUBLIC OFFICIALS:

Center for Constitutional Rights voices just a couple of concerns about the bill. They ask the question “what defines radical ideologies” and other matters indicating that they are worried about the broadly undefined terms in the bill, which will lead to inappropriate oppression of free speech. Michael Ratner said on KPFA Radio that the bill is “so broad” and used words to the effect that it can and will be misconstrued to suit any one particular agenda.

ACLU’s statement about the bill. They voice the concern that the Act targets thought and not action, will “more likely to lead to unconstitutional restrictions on speech and belief”, will increase racial profiling, that “we cannot in good conscience support this or any measure that might lead to censorship and persecution based solely on one’s personal beliefs“.

This is Michael Collins’s excellent rebuttal to the Department of Homeland Security’s own rebuttals to concerns which have been voiced about the bill. Particularly the statement they have made that the bill does not clamp down on civil liberties is hereby unequivocally proven to be false. Superb!

In this open letter to Rep. Jane Harmon and Sen. Susan Collins, I have a) argued the legal claims of the bill and proven that it does, contrary to the claims of the Dept. of Homeland Security, clamp down on civil liberties b) provided ample links from the ACLU’s and other websites, proving that it is activists and not terrorists who are clamped down on in post-911 America c) further, I make a case for the fact that the term “terrorist” and “terrorism” is being used interchangeably with “Vocal citizen” and again I have proven it with facts to back up the claim. Statistics above and beyond the links provided support the assertion.

My argument is based on having served on the board of my local ACLU Chapter, having read the ACLU’s website statistics and post-911 legislation for seven years, and having lived next door to the Iron Curtain where many scenarios I witnessed opened up my eyes as a citizen. Those experiences have made me acutely aware of the outcome which post-911 legislation will bring to reality. And because we Americans are blissfully accustomed to our freedom, most will not believe these realities for what they are until they see the links I have provided here.

It is not intended that each and every link be read: Too much work. Each link’s contents are summarized to illustrate the point that innocent (and vocal) people are the ones being targeted. IF ANY ONE LINK WAS THE ONE AND ONLY ONE TO LOOK AT TO PROVE THAT INNOCENT AMERICANS ARE THE “TERRORIST“ SCAPEGOATS, I SUGGEST THIS ONE:

I ALSO HIGHLY RECOMMEND: