I wonder if this included firearms groups

J

jimpeel

New member
Pro or con, firearms groups are "single interest group". I guess we'll never know because they "will no longer identify specific types of groups."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,275835,00.html

Alabama Department of Homeland Security Closes Web Site That Named Political Activist Groups on Terror List
Monday, May 28, 2007

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Department of Homeland Security has taken down a Web site it operated that included gay rights and anti-war organizations in a list of groups that could include terrorists.

The Web site identified different types of terrorists, and included a list of groups it believed could spawn terrorists. The list also included environmentalists, animal rights advocates and abortion opponents.

The director of the department, Jim Walker, said his agency received a number of calls and e-mails from people who said they felt the site unfairly targeted certain people just because of their beliefs. He said he plans to put the Web site back on the Internet, but will no longer identify specific types of groups.

Howard Bayliss, chairman of the gay and lesbian advocacy group Equality Alabama, said he doesn't understand why gay rights advocates would be on the list.

"Our group has only had peaceful demonstrations. I'm deeply concerned we've been profiled in this discriminatory matter," Bayliss said.

The site included the groups under a description of what it called "single-issue" terrorists. That group includes people who feel they are trying to create a better world, the Web site said. It said that in some communities, law enforcement officers consider certain single issue groups to be a threat.

"Single-issue extremists often focus on issues that are important to all of us. However, they have no problem crossing the line between legal protest and ... illegal acts, to include even murder, to succeed in their goals," it read.

Walker said the site had been up since spring 2004, and had gotten a relatively small number of hits until it recently became the subject of blogs, he said.

Birmingham attorney Eric Johnston, president of the Alabama Pro Life Coalition, said he was concerned about any list that described people doing social justice work as terrorists.

"Our group's main mission is educational. The thought that we would somehow be harboring terrorists escapes me," he said.
Click to expand...
 
This is one of the biggest dangers of the war on terror. They could easily start to name various groups of people inside the US terrorists. Imagine how hard it would be to get a real revolution (if it ever got to that point) going when your government is extremely good at counterterrorism.... It would be pretty much impossible.

I'll give an example. Hillary could easily say that in order to fight the war on terror, she has to confiscate all guns. Or they could say that all people who belong to pro-life activist groups need to be rounded up and placed in camps because some of them bomb abortion clinics.
 
Probably could.

All 'groups' have those folks who are - in some measure and by some standard - uh - goofy. I've gone to church all my life (I'm a Southern Baptist) and I like 'church people', but some small percentage are 'odd'. I've been a federal lawman for about 25 years now and some of my colleages have been 'curious'.

Take a look at some of the postings here; there are folks here who seem to feel our government - not to mention various leaders - is evil.

All the police officers, deputies, federal types and such will corroborate the need to do a lot of looking. Speed cops for instance, look at every car going by. They don't pull over every car, they don't ticket every driver, but every car gets watched as it goes by. That same principle applies to all crime or actions against the nation. When watching for shoplifters or robbers, security watches every person entering the premises to some degree.

So what group should be completely excluded from suspicion in terms of terrorism or anti-American activities? Who gets a blanket pass?
 
So what group should be completely excluded from suspicion in terms of terrorism or anti-American activities? Who gets a blanket pass?
Click to expand...
A lot of people around here seem to think the government does...
 
I've been fussing about this since USAPATRIOT first became law.

Now having said that, I think those specific groups got singled out because certain elements within them have resorted to terrorism in the past. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been a terrorist attack staged by a gun rights group.
 
The "Anti-Terrosism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996" gave the president the authority to determine what groups or persons should have their property, etc confiscated due to acts committed against the U.S.

(3) at the end of paragraph (a)(1), by adding a new subparagraph as follows:

“(C) when the United States is engaged in armed hostilities or has been attacked by a foreign country or foreign nationals, confiscate any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, of any foreign person, foreign organization, or foreign country that he determines has planned, authorized, aided, or engaged in such hostilities or attacks against the United States; and all right, title, and interest in any property so confiscated shall vest, when, as, and upon the terms directed by the President, in such agency or person as the President may designate from time, and upon such terms and conditions as the President may prescribe, such interest or property shall be held, used, administered, liquidated, sold, or otherwise dealt with in the interest of and for the benefit of the United States, and such designated agency or person may perform any and all acts incident to the accomplishment or furtherance of these purposes.”
Click to expand...

It is not a far leap to change "foreign nationals" to "any person" and "foreign organization" to "any organization".

Changing "When the United States ... has been attacked" to "When the United States, or any United States national has been attacked within these shores ... " would also be -- as Terry McCauliff so aptly put it "stroke of the pen, law of the land ... cool" -- a very easy change.
 
It just hit me that this was Montgmery, AL home of Morris Dees and the Southern Poverty Law Center. I wonder how instrumental they were in getting this list instituted so they could have more people to track and sue?
Click to expand...
Ding, ding, ding, ding. We have a winnuh! You can bet your sweet keyboard Morris is lurking in the background in one form or fashion. The good news is that in years past an initiative such as this one would have been implemented without protest. Now days it is immediately challenged.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top