*They should dissolve Congress. Only 3 votes against--all Republicans,
one being Ron Paul. How embarrassing.
Natalia
The Criminalization of Protest: Say Goodbye To Free Speech in America*
March 9, 2012
by Devon DB
A new bill, HR 347, the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds
Improvement Act of 2011, also known as the "Trespassing Bill," is soon
to be signed into law by President Obama. This bill effectively
criminalizes protest and will hurt protest groups and movements such as
Occupy quite hard.
The bill
<http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr347ih/pdf/BILLS-112hr347ih.pdf>as
states that anyone who knowingly "enters or remains in any restricted
building or grounds without lawful authority to do so" with the "intent
to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of Government business or
official functions, engages in disorderly or disruptive conduct in or
[in] proximity to, any restricted building or grounds" or*"impedes or
disrupts the orderly conduct of Government business or official
functions" will be punished with a fine or "or imprisonment for not more
than 10 years, or both." (emphasis added)*
There are already many problems with the bill as it does not attempt to
define what "imped[ing] or disrupt[ing] the orderly conduct of
government business or official functions" is, nor does it specify what
"government business" is or what an "official function" is. This
vagueness will allow for the US government to effectively stifle protest
and free speech, thus criminalizing such actions like the upcoming
Occupy Chicago anti-NATO/G-8 protests
<http://www.suntimes.com/business/11087067-420/protesters-declare-victory-but-say-our-protests-will-go-forward.html>.
In addition to this, such a law will make it impossible for Americans to
exercise their First Amendment rights when "government business" is
being attended to or "official functions" are occurring.
Unsurprisingly, only three people voted against the measure
<http://open.salon.com/blog/watchingfrogsboil/2012/03/01/outlawing_occupy_hr_347_makes_free_speech_a_felony>:
Paul Broun (R-GA-10), Justin Amash (R-MI-3) and Ron Paul (R-TX-14). This
law would allow federal law enforcement "to bring these charges against
Americans engaged in political protests anywhere in the country, and
violators will face criminal penalties that include imprisonment for up
to 10 years." HR 347 will is ripe for abuse, as the NYPD has, as of
recent
<http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110928/12470016125/does-nypd-really-think-that-shooting-photosvideos-protests-is-disorderly-conduct.shtml>,
assumed the notion that taking photos and videotaping is a form of
disorderly conduct.
The fact that only three people in the House, all Republicans oppose the
bill and absolutely no Democrats
<http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/mar2012/prot-m03.shtml>(see the
voting list here
<http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2011-149>), only shows
just how both parties are just two sides of the same coin.
This law comes at the heels of the US government having debated over
whether or not to indefinitely detain US citizens
<http://nationalsecuritylawbrief.com/2012/01/14/americans-detained-the-congressional-debate-on-whether-to-prohibit-the-indefinite-military-detention-of-u-s-citizens/>and
Attorney General Eric Holder- the Obama administration's version of John
Yoo, arguing that the President can assassinate US citizens
<http://www.salon.com/2012/03/06/attorney_general_holder_defends_execution_without_charges/singleton/>*/without
providing any evidence whatsoever to anyone/.*
Free speech may very well soon be nothing but a distant relic of the past.
/*Devon DB *is a 20 year old writer and researcher. He is currently
majoring in political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University./
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=29673
<http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=29673>
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