nycflasher
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NARCOTERRORISM: FUTURE CRIME DEFINED
Does packing a bowl make you a terrorist? If Bush gets his way, drug users will find themselves targets in the War on Terror.
Story by Ashley Kennedy
George W. Bush wants the power to slap a "narcoterrorist" label on approximately 90 million American citizens, strip them of their citizenship and then deport them to parts unknown. He hasnt admitted this in any press releases, but actions speak louder than words. Since 9/11, Bush has pushed for a variety of anti-terror measures, which, if passed and used in tandem, could give the executive branch the authority to do exactly that. Bit by bit, the hammers already coming down.
The Beltway was peppered with suspicion-filled twitters of discontented alarm last summer when a pair of legislative drafts dubbed "Patriot II" and "The Victory Act" were leaked to reporters. Patriot II was designed to expand the unprecedented surveillance powers temporarily given to government on the heels of 9/11 under the original Patriot Act. In addition to trashing the Fourth Amendment further, it sought to give Attorney General John Ashcroft the ability to strip Americans of their citizenship if they provide material support to terrorists. The desire for this can almost be justified when one focuses on images of airplanes crashing into buildings full of innocent people. Any American who would finance something like that doesnt want or deserve his citizenship anyway, right? But what happens when the definition of terrorism changes? Who gets deported then?
The Victory Act may hold some clues. It sought to make a federal offense out of something the Merriam-Webster dictionary has yet to define"narcoterrorism." If someone deals or possesses drugs that somehow profit a terrorist organization, they could be sentenced to 20 years to life under the Victory Acts verbiage. Furthermore, the prosecution doesnt have to prove that the defendant knew the dope came from terrorists, which is unsettling because most people dont know exactly where their stash originated. Word to the wise: Finish off that Afghan hash soon.
"I think that the Victory Act was a trial balloon [i.e., a way to test congressional and public sentiment]," explains Tracy Schmaler, press spokeswoman for Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). "It was sort of an interesting example to watch. A lot of the provisions in the Victory Act ended up in other bills." With the ACLU ready to scream bloody murder if either bill moved toward law, Victory and Patriot II had become too controversial. So controversial, in fact, that Victorys author, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), doesnt really want to admit that he wrote it.
"Weve not introduced legislation on narcoterrorism," Hatchs spokeswoman, Margarita Tapia, snapped when questioned about the Victory Act. "Were interested in limiting financial options for terrorists, and weve examined some legislative options in that regard, but Im not going to comment on some draft that may or may not be out there." Who knows? Perhaps a tweaked-out 14-year-old legislative-policy wonk from Podunk, Oklahoma, actually sat around writing the thing in the wee hours of some cold, insipid night just to watch liberals scream and gnash their teeth. Maybe it was an evil plot hatched to make Hatch look as if he were plotting evil. But probably not. Its pretty clear that the Victory Act toed the party line.
source-High fucking Times
Does packing a bowl make you a terrorist? If Bush gets his way, drug users will find themselves targets in the War on Terror.
Story by Ashley Kennedy
George W. Bush wants the power to slap a "narcoterrorist" label on approximately 90 million American citizens, strip them of their citizenship and then deport them to parts unknown. He hasnt admitted this in any press releases, but actions speak louder than words. Since 9/11, Bush has pushed for a variety of anti-terror measures, which, if passed and used in tandem, could give the executive branch the authority to do exactly that. Bit by bit, the hammers already coming down.
The Beltway was peppered with suspicion-filled twitters of discontented alarm last summer when a pair of legislative drafts dubbed "Patriot II" and "The Victory Act" were leaked to reporters. Patriot II was designed to expand the unprecedented surveillance powers temporarily given to government on the heels of 9/11 under the original Patriot Act. In addition to trashing the Fourth Amendment further, it sought to give Attorney General John Ashcroft the ability to strip Americans of their citizenship if they provide material support to terrorists. The desire for this can almost be justified when one focuses on images of airplanes crashing into buildings full of innocent people. Any American who would finance something like that doesnt want or deserve his citizenship anyway, right? But what happens when the definition of terrorism changes? Who gets deported then?
The Victory Act may hold some clues. It sought to make a federal offense out of something the Merriam-Webster dictionary has yet to define"narcoterrorism." If someone deals or possesses drugs that somehow profit a terrorist organization, they could be sentenced to 20 years to life under the Victory Acts verbiage. Furthermore, the prosecution doesnt have to prove that the defendant knew the dope came from terrorists, which is unsettling because most people dont know exactly where their stash originated. Word to the wise: Finish off that Afghan hash soon.
"I think that the Victory Act was a trial balloon [i.e., a way to test congressional and public sentiment]," explains Tracy Schmaler, press spokeswoman for Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). "It was sort of an interesting example to watch. A lot of the provisions in the Victory Act ended up in other bills." With the ACLU ready to scream bloody murder if either bill moved toward law, Victory and Patriot II had become too controversial. So controversial, in fact, that Victorys author, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), doesnt really want to admit that he wrote it.
"Weve not introduced legislation on narcoterrorism," Hatchs spokeswoman, Margarita Tapia, snapped when questioned about the Victory Act. "Were interested in limiting financial options for terrorists, and weve examined some legislative options in that regard, but Im not going to comment on some draft that may or may not be out there." Who knows? Perhaps a tweaked-out 14-year-old legislative-policy wonk from Podunk, Oklahoma, actually sat around writing the thing in the wee hours of some cold, insipid night just to watch liberals scream and gnash their teeth. Maybe it was an evil plot hatched to make Hatch look as if he were plotting evil. But probably not. Its pretty clear that the Victory Act toed the party line.
source-High fucking Times
