WHEREAS S. 1959 (Collins, R-Maine), the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007” was introduced into the Senate on August 2, 2007, calling for (1) a short-term National Commission on the Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism, and for other purposes, and (2) a long-term university-based Center of Excellence for the Study of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in the United States, and

WHEREAS a companion bill with the same name and provisions, HR 1955 (Harman, D-CA), passed the US House on Oct 23, 2007 by a 404 to 6 margin, under a suspension of the rules to shorten debate for bills that have wide support, and

WHEREAS these bills’ definition of "homegrown terrorism" as “the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives”

and its definition of "ideologically based violence" as "the use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual to promote the group or individual’s political, religious, or social beliefs,”

would allow participants in strikes, demonstrations, boycotts, and civil disobedience to be charged with homegrown terrorism, along with those who planned, promoted, and worked on such events, and

WHEREAS the bills’ definition of  "violent radicalization" as “adopting or promoting an extremist belief system,”

and the Center’s mandate of "... better understand the origins, dynamics, and social and psychological aspects of violent radicalization”

and the Commission's power to "... hold hearings and sit and act at such times and places, take such testimony, receive such evidence, and administer such oaths as the Commission considers advisable to carry out its duties."

moves toward defining thought itself as legally subject to federal investigation and potentially punishable as violent, and

WHEREAS the Commission’s mandate of making recommendations on the feasibility of a Homeland Security grant program for “preventing, disrupting, and mitigating effects of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence,”

and the Center’s mandate to “assist homeland security officials of Federal, State, local, and tribal governments through training, education, and research in preventing violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism in the United States” 

directs government agencies to infiltrate and disrupt social justice advocacy organizations, in effect recreating the FBI’s COINTELPRO programs with new legal justification as well as  academic power and prestige, and

WHEREAS the Center’s power to infiltrate suspected organizations would allow the government to compile lists of homegrown terrorism suspects that could be kept secret and used years later, such as the 1950 FBI plan to suspend habeas corpus and indefinitely detain 12,000 radicals from a list the FBI had been compiling since 1948  with the Attorney General’s permission., and

WHEREAS government infiltration, spying, interference, and disruption of social justice movements have a long history, with 1880s local police using Pinkerton agents as labor spies, the 1920s Palmer raids and deportation of Syndicalists, the 1950s McCarthy period, and more recently the Black Panthers , anti-Vietnam War efforts, the civil rights movement,  Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the American Indian Movement, and Puerto Rican independence groups, and

WHEREAS government attempts to intimidate workers by declaring their strikes to be forceful coercion against national security occurred as recently as the Oakland dockworker’s strike for health benefits in 2002, and

WHEREAS formation of the Commission and the university-based Center as a Homeland Security operation with strong legal expertise, and the bills' mandate to make Homeland Security and the Constitution compatible runs the risk of bending the Constitution to meet the needs of Homeland Security rather than the other way around, and

WHEREAS several national organizations have expressed concern about H.R. 1955/S. 1959, including the National Lawyers Guild, the Society of American Law Teachers, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, and

WHEREAS these laws are being deceptively packaged as progressive in both the House and Senate, with references to respecting the Constitution and civil liberties, not targeting particular races or ethnicities, and referring  to dangers of white supremacists, while at the same time conflating anti-globalization and environmental activists with jihadists, and by these means have gained support of liberal legislators like Sheila Jackson Lee, Barbara Lee, Jerry McNerney, and many others,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT

_________________ declares itself opposed to the "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act(s) of 2007"

and resolves to notify its affiliated organizations of the dangers of these Acts and urge their opposition,

and resolves to publicize our opposition to S. 1959 to our Senators, where the bill is in its early stages of approval.

Background on S. 1959 and HR 1955

S. 1959 is presently in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which includes no California Senators, but does include Barack Obama, who first indicated support to some constituents but now is undecided.

California Representatives who supported HR 1955 included Matsui (D-5), Miller (D-7), Lee (D-9),  Tauscher (D-10), McNerney (D-11), Lantos (D-12), Stark (D-13), Lofgren (co-sponsor, D-16), Waxman (D-30), and Waters (D-35). Woolsey (D-6) did not vote.

The bills define "violent radicalization" as “the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious, or social change.” (See bill)

The bills define "homegrown terrorism" as “the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.” (See bill)

The bills define "ideologically based violence" as "the use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual to promote the group or individual’s political, religious, or social beliefs.” (See bill)

The Bills call for a National Commission that would (1) examine and report on facts and causes of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence in the United States; (2) survey methodologies implemented by foreign nations to prevent such radicalization and terrorism; and (3) build upon, bring together, and avoid unnecessary duplication of related work done by other (government) entities toward such goal.  (See bill)

Commission members would be chosen for expertise in behavioral science, constitutional law, corrections, counterterrorism, cultural anthropology, education, information technology, intelligence, juvenile justice, local law enforcement, organized crime, Islam and other world religions, sociology, or terrorism. (See bill)

Within 18 months the Commission would submit a final report with its findings and suggested legislation for immediate and long-term countermeasures for violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically-based violence, plus other measures to be taken to prevent their spread. (See bill)

The bills detail the Commission’s tasks more fully, including a six-month interim reports with recommendations on the feasibility of a grant program established and administered by the (Homeland Security) Secretary for the purpose of preventing, disrupting, and mitigating the effects of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism, and ideologically based violence; (See bill)

The Bills also call for a university-based Center of Excellence for the Study of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in the United States, that would  assist federal, state, local, and tribal government homeland security officials in preventing violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism in the United States.  (See bill)

The bills specify that the Center would: (1) conduct research on the motivational factors that lead to violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism; (2)  use theories, methods and data from the social and behavioral sciences to better understand the origins, dynamics, and social and psychological aspects of violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism; and (3) contribute to the establishment of training, written materials, information, analytical assistance, and professional resources to aid in combating violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism. (See bill)

FBI documents declassified Dec. 21, 2007 revealed a 1950 FBI plan to suspend habeas corpus and indefinitely detain 12,000 radicals from a list the FBI had been compiling since 1948  with the Attorney General’s permission.

Government repression of social justice movements is being revived, as can be seen in the trial of the San Francisco Eight, former Black Panthers being prosecuted on the basis of 30-year old confessions tortured out of them by the New Orleans police.

A main proponent of this bill, and the companion House bill HR 1955, is the government-affiliated think-tank RAND Corporation, long associated with Rep. Harmon, and whose counter terrorism expert, Brian Michael Jenkins, testified in favor of HR 1955.  He has written “In their international campaign, the jihadists will seek common grounds with leftist, anti-American, and anti-globalization forces, who will in turn see, in radical Islam, comrades against a mutual foe.”  Rand’s 2005 report “Trends in Terrorism” also targets activists in anti-globalization, environmental, and animal-rights groups.