Obama “Undecided” on S. 1959

[tekisui]

Senator Barack Obama is “undecided” on the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act (S. 1959), according to a statement released from his Washington, D.C. office.

“Senator Obama has not taken a position on S. 1959. Should the bill be considered by the Homeland Security Committee, he will carefully evaluate it, as he does with all pieces of legislation,” an Obama spokesperson wrote to The Indypendent in a Dec. 13 email.

Obama’s office wanted to clarify his position on this bill after my previous Dec. 10 blog update reported that some constituents receiving email responses from Obama felt that his letter indicated support for the bill. Several people have posted Obama’s email letter on blogs, often adding in their own personal reaction.

link: http://www.indypendent.org/2007/12/14/obama-undecided-on-s-1959/

This is a golden opprotunity for Obama to stand up and show leadership. C'mon Obama, kill this bill.

[readmoreoften]

1. WHAT???? HOW CAN YOU BE UNDECIDED ON THIS??? Fucking politician.

Fuck Obama. And fuck Hillary too, because she'll probably vote for this as well. The Triangulator and The Undecider. Doesn't Obama have an opinion on anything?

[comradebillyboy]

13. why don't you actually wait for Hillary to vote

or take a position before you condemn her for something she hasn't done?

[K Gardner]

2. I'd like to hear if the rest of them are undecided on Homegrown Terror..

This is why all this focus on who did what decades ago drives me insane. Kucinich is the only one who has spoken out against it? Well, not surprised, I guess.

[zanne]

19. I have the homegrown militias in mind.

True, we don't hear about them much anymore, but there are more of them now than there were before. How do we know that they're not "the enemy from inside"? How do you think they'll react when either a white woman or a black man is elected? Real change is often bloody.

[Benhurst]

3. How do the rest of our candidates stand on this?

I couldn't be more opposed.

[tekisui]

5. They should all be strongly against it.

I believe Kucinich is the only one who has come out clearly against it. He voted against it in the House.

Obama get the chance on this one, since it is in his sub-committee. He gets the say on whether is will see the light of day.

If Hillary were smart, she'd come out stong against it, ans force Obama to step-up or look bad.

If Obama were smart he'd kill it now.

[gateley]

4. What is it the proponents of this bill are saying they hope to achieve by its passage?

[tekisui]

6. Funneling a bunch of money to study centers.

And learning to recognize how someone becomes radicalized. It's not necessary or practical, yet it only had a handful vote against it in the House, less than 10, IIRC.

[gateley]

8. I think only SIX voted against it -- I just don't get it. And this "reasoning"

behind it is just dumb.

Thanks for the explanation. :hi:

[hedgehog]

7. That reply sounds like a canned comment from the office.

I don't know if this is an obscure bill or an important one. It's entirely possible that Obama hasn't reviewed it with his staff yet.

[ccpup]

9. Obama not taking a position?

well, knock me down with a feather. The King of Voting Present in the Illinois Legislature being Undecided? Who woulda thunk it? :shrug:

Great political courage you got there, Obama.

[progressivebydesign]

10. I just don't like they way he works..

does he think that if he skips votes and doesn't take p ositions that it'll keep him from being critized? Instead.. he attacks those that took a stand. He is so far down on my list of candidates right now.

[Clintonista2]

11. He's licked his finger and he's waiting for a windy day

He needs to see which way the wind is blowing

[Bitwit1234]

12. Gee will that be vote number 141 he skips

this is a very very decisive person isn't he. He can't make up his mind on 140 bills this year..he skipped them. And I haven't heard one damn word from any of the so called debate moderators about it....but they sure as hell sock it to Hillary. ARE THEY AFRAID TO ASK OBAMA ANY REAL QUESTIONS other than what he was going to wear for Halloween.

[comradebillyboy]

14. Tweety has decided that

Obama should be the nominee and he has a free pass on everything, while Hillary catches hell for every thing. After Ken Starr got done I didn't think there was anything left to try to smear Hillary with.

DU is more and more like free republic. Totally loony.

[Sultana]

16. Your candidate will probably vote for it

seeing how she is leans Repub-lite.

[Sultana]

15. Hopefully, Obama takes a stand a/g this bill nt

[autorank]

17. Well, sorry to say, he is completely wrong., I'm not being critical of him. This is a huge

lapse. Let's hope it's poor staff work or simple misunderstandings.

Here's the rap and constructive suggestions.

The bill creates a standard that associates people with "violent radicalization" whose statements on the internet are so strong that they "facilitate" violent radicalization. I hope he doesn't know what he's talking about because he'll change his mind in that case. If he truly favors it, he'll suck on Constitutional rights.

The first bill is a definitions and study bill. When that's over, they'll come back and start making crimes of this, including "facilitation." The hearings were very brief, the witnesses limited and largely incoherent, and CYA Harman kept hurrying things along because they had to go vote. Nice, Congress is assured that their votes are counted.

In any event, if you like Obama, get to him and tell him to pull back and think about it.

btw, DU and other forums like it would be screwed. The liability of having a group of strong willed, intense posters would probably too great. Also, the minute Congress can shut down their constituents, they will. This bill and HR 1955, the House version that already passed are, I suspect, really about Congress not having to answer for it's nonsense. They've received millions of angry emails concerning their vasrious derelictions. They just don't want to hear it anymore.

[KoKo]

18. Good Point, Autorank...Shut down the Netroots...because thy don't want to hear us anymore.

NO more angry e-mails and diatribes and "Action Alerts." They've been signaling their displeasure with us since they won in 06...but the ghost of what could have happened if Lieberman had been tossed out is haunting them. Don't want anymore angry activists out their challenging them in their elections. Challenging them as they help Bush shred our Constitution.

Thanks for pointing that out...that's what's wrong with this Bill which will probably be passed in some secretive way.

[tekisui]

20. It'll probably be passed right out in the open.

[autorank]

22. Glad you concur.

I am always suspicious about 100% agreement by these characters. But then the obvious point arose -
we re a nuissance to them, in the way, pointing out their obvious failings. Rather than use that as
terrific, free consultation, they move to shut it off. Their time is just about up. When the full
story of the polar cap melting down every summer gets out and just some of the implications, there
will be some real anger. That's an easy one to understand. MSM is doing a terrific job of covering
that up but the rest of the world knows.

So, ya know...what they want is ...


Image

[KoKo]

24. ...

[immoderate]

21. Seems like it sets up a HUAC type group.

It doesn't criminalize anything, but sets up a way of branding and labeling people so they can be harassed and black listed. The government need not do anything. The sheeple will do it for them.

That is not to say that they won't follow up with something truly oppressive.

--IMM

[autorank]

23. That is in place now, good one!

The House and Senate versions of this bill define 'violent radicalization' and implicate anyone with passionate views.

It you write a passionately worded indictment of the administration, accuse them of negligence, etc.,

and someone sees that, someone you don't know, and acts violently,

then you can be implicated for that person's actions because you inflamed them.

The bill is now just a definition of terms the terms, a structure for study, and then legislation.

But YOU ARE SO RIGHT, they can do a HUAC now that the definition of violent radicalization in place.

[boston bean]

25. par for the course, licking his finger and holding it up to see which way the wind blows.

he has no conviction, only political maneuvering.

[KoKo]

26. which way "wind blows" kind of applies to many of our Candidates Running...doesn't it...

sadly....:-(