From the Plum Line:
By now you've heard that Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) is proposing a new law that could potentially strip Americans of their citizenship if they're involved with foreign terrorist organizations.Constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley writes of Lieberman's bill:
Two things you should know about this: First, it isn't just some paranoid liberal nightmare. It's actually moving forward. Lieberman is going to hold a presser tomorrow to introduce the bill, I'm told, along with Rep. Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania. [emphasis added.]
The law reportedly would allow the State Department to treat citizenship like an administrative matter — deciding whether you have associated with terrorist organizations. Agency procedures are widely condemned for their lack of due process protections and the heavy deference given to agency decision-making. We have seen abuses of this system in the designation of organizations under a similar process.And:
While the burden would be on the State Department and you would have access to court review, the agency process could make it difficult to contest such findings — particularly with the use of secret evidence (and barring the use of evidence by the defendant on national security grounds).That's what Jason Altmire's reportedly has signed onto.
Stripping citizens of their citizenship could also create stateless persons — a problem in international law. Moreover, this process could occur at the same time that a person is fighting criminal charges — adding to the practical and financial burden.
Yay.
6 comments:
Would this bill be directed toward naturalized citizens only (remember the oath that they take, or at the very least used to take way back in the 1910s/20s), or would it make no distinction between naturalized and natural-born? If it's just pertaining to naturalized citizens, then I have less of a problem with it. Such a bill may even pass. A bill that makes no distinction, on the other hand, will never pass.
Yeah, this is a great idea...naturalized, natural-born...whatever...you let them start taking away citizenship and in time it won't matter.
WTF is wrong w/ this country?
I tend to be more on the moderate side. For Altmire's first several years in office, I found very little I could disagree with, felt he did a lot for his constituents and I was proud to have him as my Congressman.
What happened to that Jason Altmire, and how do we get him back?
The list keeps growing. Why take a hard-line stance up front on immigration reform when the issue doesn't affect us, and all he does is piss off more Democrats? You could probably count the number of illegals in his district on one hand.
This latest bill with Senator Lieberman is even more bizarre.
What really scares me is how much a Palin administration (That was pretty scary to type. :-) could abuse such a law. Maybe they could make the Democratic Party a terrorist organization and strip us of our citizenship.
Yes, that is pretty extreme. You could also piss off some tea partiers by telling them that the Obama administration could make them a terrorist organization as well.
@Mike..
Your're worried about what a Palin administration would do? I firmly believe you, and ALL of us, should be more worried about the current administration and what Obama would do.
Let's see.. Obama has taken over 2 auto companies (ignoring all bankruptcy laws and creditors' rights, especially those of bondholders in the Chrysler takeover), 16th of the US economy (health care), and the student loan industry. And, they're now wanting to strangle/takeover more of the financial services sector. And, they're not done (in their mind).
That's some nice spin, Con Mountaineer.
The auto bailout was initiated by your boy, George W. And it's hardly a takeover of the auto industry. But I suppose you would have preferred to see 3-4 million more people lose their jobs had we let them collapse.
Second, HCR is not a takeover of the health care industry. As far as I can tell, private insurance, hospitals, and doctors will continue to exist. Why you can't understand how having so millions of people uninsured effects health care costs is beyond me.
Third, how dare the Federal Government take over the Federal student loan program!!! Gasp! Private student loans haven't gone away, they're just not going to pay $50 bil a year to banks to finance them. It's called saving money.
Finally, as far as stronger regulation of the financial services sector goes, I think you'll find your on the wrong side of the issue so far as most Americans are concerned. Again, why you think Wall Street should be allowed to run roughshod over the American people is beyond me.
I think that I've run out of outrage against Mr. Altmire. Or at least my opinion of him can't get any lower. This just such stupid pandering to the frightened, not only that it wouldn't last five minutes in court so it's pointless pandering too.
Is it that important to stay in office that you'd be willing to throw away any claim to dignity? I'm sure that he doesn't believe in nonsense like this, how sad is it that he's willing to say anything to get re-elected?
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