Thought Crime Proposal Passed House, On To Senate

H.R. 1955 has passed the House with a vote of 405 to 6 and is headed to the Senate. This bill will have a chilling effect on bloggers, political activists, protestors, grass roots campaigners... anyone who would consider any use of "force" to motivate change.

The definition of "force" in the current political climate could mean anything, from armed uprising to a concerted letter-writing, faxing, and phone campaign directed at newspapers and politicians. This bill would effectively obviate the First Amendment.

It is critical to our freedom to read these bills and make your senators aware of your displeasure with the wording, and to consider an alternative that would preserve our constitutional protection of free speech and expression.

It is this author's belief that this bill offers nothing new to protect American citizens from violent activism, but could only serve to restrict constitutional freedoms. The enforcement of current laws is sufficient (and perhaps, in some cases, more than necessary) to protect Americans from violence from within our borders.

If you live in the U.S., it is urgent that you call your senators right now and voice your strong opposition against this extremely dangerous law.

Here are the phone numbers for the U.S. Senate switchboard:

1-877-851-6437
1-800-833-6354
1-888-355-3588
1-866-220-0044
1-866-808-0065
1-877-762-8762
1-866-340-9281
1-800-862-5530

How to do this:

1) Make sure you know the names of your Senators.
2) Call the U.S. Senate switchboard using one of the numbers above or their direct office lines at home and in Washington.
3) Ask to speak to the offices of your Senators.
4) Tell them you are strongly opposed to S. 1959, the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act
5) Ask for their fax number.
6) Follow up your phone call with a written, signed letter that you fax to your Senators.