Thursday
May062010
Lieberman Aims To Strip American-Born Terrorists Of Their Citizenship
Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 1:08PM
Just days after a Pakistani-American named Faisal Shazhad was arrested for allegedly attempting to detonate a car bomb in New York’s Times Square, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) unveiled legislation aimed at preventing future American-born terrorists from traveling out of the country with the intent to return and wage attacks on U.S. soil.
The Terrorist Expatriation Act would update an existing federal law that strips U.S. citizens of their citizenship if they voluntarily perform one of several acts “with the intention of relinquishing United States nationality.” If adopted, the new law would authorize the State Department to “revoke the citizenship of a U.S. national who provides material support or resources to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, as designated by the Secretary of State, or who engages in or supports hostilities against the United States or its allies,” according to a summary of the bill released by Lieberman’s office.
“This proposal updates the existing law to include American citizens who are found to have joined and worked with a foreign terrorist organization whose aim is to attack and kill Americans,” said Lieberman to reporters. “Those who join such groups join our enemy and should be deprived of rights and privileges of U.S. citizenship and the ability to use their American passports as tools of terror.”
According to reports, Shazhad, who moved to the U.S. when he was 18 and became a citizen last year, has confessed to traveling to Pakistan for a period of several months last year, during which time he attending a terrorist training camp affiliated with the Taliban. He then used his passport to return to the U.S., and shortly thereafter purchased a vehicle along with a series of bomb-making materials, presumably with the intent of blowing up the vehicle. The SUV he purchased was found late Saturday night, rigged with explosives in the middle of Times Square. Shazhad nearly escaped, but was captured Monday night after he had boarded a plane that was 30 minutes from taking off to Dubai.
Though Lieberman said he was prompted to move on the bill by Shazhad's failed attack as well as the failed airline attack on Christmas Day, in which a Nigerian man aboard a flight headed for Detroit attempted to detonate an explosive he had hidden in his pants during the plane's descent, the Senator said the new law would not apply to terror suspects like Shazhad because he was captured on U.S. soil.
The Terrorist Expatriation Act would update an existing federal law that strips U.S. citizens of their citizenship if they voluntarily perform one of several acts “with the intention of relinquishing United States nationality.” If adopted, the new law would authorize the State Department to “revoke the citizenship of a U.S. national who provides material support or resources to a Foreign Terrorist Organization, as designated by the Secretary of State, or who engages in or supports hostilities against the United States or its allies,” according to a summary of the bill released by Lieberman’s office.
“This proposal updates the existing law to include American citizens who are found to have joined and worked with a foreign terrorist organization whose aim is to attack and kill Americans,” said Lieberman to reporters. “Those who join such groups join our enemy and should be deprived of rights and privileges of U.S. citizenship and the ability to use their American passports as tools of terror.”
According to reports, Shazhad, who moved to the U.S. when he was 18 and became a citizen last year, has confessed to traveling to Pakistan for a period of several months last year, during which time he attending a terrorist training camp affiliated with the Taliban. He then used his passport to return to the U.S., and shortly thereafter purchased a vehicle along with a series of bomb-making materials, presumably with the intent of blowing up the vehicle. The SUV he purchased was found late Saturday night, rigged with explosives in the middle of Times Square. Shazhad nearly escaped, but was captured Monday night after he had boarded a plane that was 30 minutes from taking off to Dubai.
Though Lieberman said he was prompted to move on the bill by Shazhad's failed attack as well as the failed airline attack on Christmas Day, in which a Nigerian man aboard a flight headed for Detroit attempted to detonate an explosive he had hidden in his pants during the plane's descent, the Senator said the new law would not apply to terror suspects like Shazhad because he was captured on U.S. soil.
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Who is Behind Sen. Joe Lieberman’s Proposed Fascist Legislation?
Sen. Joe Lieberman has already endorsed McCain’s March 4th bill S.3081 that would strip Americans of Habeas corpus: Under the McCain bill, U.S. Government would need only designate an American Citizen was an “Unprivileged Enemy Belligerent” suspected of; having engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners; or purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States or U.S. civilians to cause their indefinite detention in military custody, without right to an attorney or trial.
Joe Lieberman’s proposed bill would make it easy to strip Americans of their Citizenship and hold them as “Unprivileged Enemy Belligerents” as U.S. Government would only have to show a U.S. Citizen or group had slight-interaction with a foreign group that touched a terrorist organization, for example Irish Americans living on the east coast of the United States contacting their alleged IRA relatives in Northern Ireland. Since many political groups intersect, even unknowingly with alleged terrorists, Lieberman’s bill would make it possible for a U.S. Government administration to do large sweeps of U.S. Citizens denying Americans Habeas corpus, to try them in military tribunals. One might want to ask who put Lieberman up to introducing this fascist bill that favors Israel. It should be noted Joe Lieberman’s June 4th endorsement of McCain’s bill S.3081, The “Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010” strips Americans of Habeas corpus; there appears to be a pattern here between McCain and Lieberman legislation. McCain’s bill S.3081 would eliminate several Constitutional protections allowing Government to arbitrarily pick up Americans on mere suspicion—with no probable cause. Your political opinions and statements made against U.S. Government could be used by Authorities to deem you a “hostile” “Enemy Belligerent” to cause your arrest and indefinite detention. S.3081 is so broadly written innocent anti-war protesters and Tea Party Groups might be arrested and detained just for attending demonstrations; Government could charge that attending demonstrations "materially supported hostilities."
McCain’s legislation S.3081 could like Lieberman’s proposed bill be used by a corrupt U.S. government administration to crush anyone that dared question government. Under McCain’s S.3081, an “individual” need only be Suspected by Government of “suspicious activity” or “supporting hostilities” to be dragged off and held indefinitely in Military Custody. Government would have the power to detain and interrogate any individual including Americans without probable cause. Government need only allege an individual kept in detention, is an Unprivileged Enemy Belligerent suspected of; having engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners; or has purposefully and materially supported hostilities against the United States; its coalition partners; or against U.S. civilians. How could one prove to Government they did not purposely do something? “Materially Supporting Hostilities” against the United States could include any person or group that spoke out or demonstrated disapproval against an agency of U.S. Government. It is foreseeable many Americans might go underground to Resist Government Tyranny. Definition for Unprivileged Enemy Belligerent: (Anyone Subject to a Military Commission)
At least under the Patriot Act, law enforcement generally needed probable cause to detain a person indefinitely. Passage of S.3081 will permit government to use “mere suspicion” to curtail an individual’s Constitutional Protections against unlawful arrest, detention and interrogation without benefit of legal counsel and trial. According to S.3081 Government is not required to provide detained individuals U.S. Miranda Warnings or even an attorney. It is problematic under McCain’s S.3081 that detained individuals in the U.S. not involved in terrorism or hostile activities, not given Miranda Warnings or allowed legal counsel will be prosecuted for ordinary crimes because of their alleged admissions while in military custody.
S.3081 if passed will frighten Americans from speaking out. S.3081 is so broadly written, it appears any “individual” who writes on the Internet or verbally express an opinion against or an entity of U.S. Government or its coalition partners might be detained on the basis he or she is an “unprivileged enemy belligerent”, “supporting hostilities against U.S. Government.” The “supporting hostilities” provisions in S.3081 are so broad Government could use “suspicion” to detain U.S. corporate executives on the premise their corporations “supported hostilities” by providing goods or services to a nation engaged in hostilities against the United States.
(Make Your Own Determination If The Analysis Herein Is Correct) See McCain’s 12-page Senate bill S.3081 at:
assets.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/politics/ARM10090.pdf