Its like the House of Unamerican activities Commission but with security institutions like Homeland Security, NSA and private armies like Blackwater and Titan able to take extreme actions and not merely destroy reputations or deny employment.

It is only a Senate vote away. http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-1955


Who will be on the "extremist beliefs" list? The usual gang of suspects: Quakers, civil libertarians, 9/11 skeptics, critics of the administration's wars and foreign policies, critics of the administration's use of kidnapping, rendition, torture and violation of the Geneva Conventions, and critics of the administration's spying on Americans. Lets throw vegans in there too. Anyone in the way of a powerful interest group--such as environmentalists opposing politically connected developers--could also a candidate for the list.

Defenders of the law would claim we are only finding out who is against America. I would ask whose America is this law defending.
If the law passes we would have to wait and see who actually makes the list but I bet sure as shootin that the list will be classified.

The "Extremist Beliefs Commission" is the mechanism for identifying Americans who pose "a threat to domestic security" and a threat of "homegrown terrorism" that "cannot be easily prevented through traditional federal intelligence or law enforcement efforts."

This bill is a boon for nasty people. That SOB who stole your girlfriend, that hussy who stole your boyfriend, the gun owner next door--just report them to Homeland Security as holders of extreme beliefs. Homeland Security needs suspects, so they are not going to check. Under the new regime, accusation is evidence. Moreover, "our" elected representatives will never admit that they voted for a bill and created an "Extremist Belief Commission" for which there is neither need nor constitutional basis.

That boss who harasses you for coming late to work--he's a good candidate to be reported; so is that minority employee that you can't fire for any normal reason. So is the husband of that good-looking woman you have been unable to seduce. Every kind of quarrel and jealousy can now be settled with a phone call to Homeland Security.

Soon Halliburton will be building more detention centers.

Americans are so far removed from the roots of their liberty that they just don't get it. Most Americans don't know what habeas corpus is or why it is important to them. But they know what they want, and Jane Harman has given them a new way to settle scores and to advance their own interests.

Is it too extreme to belive that Halliburton will build the detention facilities?

Why is the FBI not suited for this purpose?

Maybe this is not as tyrantical as sounds but anytime the govement is going around taking names and making special lists of new potenntial criminals, I see a danger.