Healthcare Choices
The American healthcare system is at a critical junction, we all know it is broken and in desperate need of some form of revision. The numbers of uninsured is at record numbers, the numbers of underinsured are growing and the costs for healthcare are skyrocketing. All of the principal stakeholders are under enormous pressure to solve the healthcare problem. Healthcare outcomes in the U.S. are in most categories below average and costs per individual are the highest in the industrial world.
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MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE MEMBERS
OF LONGMONT AREA DEMOCRATS
HELD JULY 2, 2008
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MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE MEMBERS
OF LONGMONT AREA DEMOCRATS
HELD JUNE 4, 2008
A Regular Meeting of the Members of Longmont Area Democrats was held June 4, 2008 at the Longmont Public Works Center 375 Airport Road, Longmont, Colorado 80503, commencing at approximately 7:08 p.m.
A Regular Meeting of the Members of Longmont Area Democrats was held June 4, 2008 at the Longmont Public Works Center 375 Airport Road, Longmont, Colorado 80503, commencing at approximately 7:08 p.m. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by President Marilyn Hughes who presided. Board Secretary Jack Wolfe, acted as Secretary of the meeting.
Thirty-one members and guests were present.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
President Hughes announced the following:
- LAD will man a voter registration table at the Longmont Farmers market on Saturday mornings and we need volunteers to man the table
- July LAD meeting will be the annual picnic.
STATE LEGISLATIVE WRAP-UP
State Senator Brandon Shaffer and State Representative Paul Weisman reported on the results of the recently concluded Colorado legislative session. They talked about the need to keep a Democratic Party majority in 2009, some of the achievements of the 2008 legislature and some of the challenges for future legislatures.
During the discussion, State Representative Jack Pommer joined the meeting, and all three answered questions from the audience. It was noted that with mail votes allowed, it was expected that 40% of the vote would be in by October 10th!
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be the Summer Picni on July 4th at Bob Roy’s house.
ADJOURN
There being no further business to come before the meeting, it was adjourned at approximately 8:50 p.m, and private discussions continued after the meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Jack P. Wolfe
Posted by Secretary as General at 2:02 PM UTC
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MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE MEMBERS
OF LONGMONT AREA DEMOCRATS
HELD MAY 7, 2008
A Regular Meeting of the Members of Longmont Area Democrats was held March 5, 2008 at the Longmont Public Works Center 375 Airport Road, Longmont, Colorado 80503, commencing at approximately 7:03 p.m.
A Regular Meeting of the Members of Longmont Area Democrats was held March 5, 2008 at the Longmont Public Works Center 375 Airport Road, Longmont, Colorado 80503, commencing at approximately 7:03 p.m. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by President Marilyn Hughes who presided. Board Secretary Jack Wolfe, acted as Secretary of the meeting.
Thirty-one members and guests were present.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
President Hughes announced the following:
- Liz Marr is seeking volunteers for open seats on the BoCo Food and Ag. Policy Council;
Call her at 303-774-9200 Ext 102
- LAD will host “Movie Night” at the Library on May 28th from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. We will be showing “Buying the War”; it is free and open to the public
- City of Longmont needs volunteers to serve on commissions and boards, including:
Downtown Development, Environmental Affairs and Museum Advisory
- Brandon Shaffer needs campaign volunteers: contact Dan Gould
- LAD will man a voter registration table at the Longmont Free University during ArtWalk
On May16th
- June 4
th LAD meeting will be the State Legislative Wrap-Up
- July LAD meeting will be the annual picnic.
CAMPAIGN DONATIONS
President Hughes reported that the Small Donor Committee had approximately $654 in funds, and that the Board was recommending that it all be divided and given out now to Longmont’s Democratic state Senator and Representative candidates. It was suggested that some money be saved for possible contributions to county commissioner candidates, but it was the consensus of the membership present that the Board’s recommendation be accepted.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMS AT CITY OF LONGMONT
Bob Norris introduced panel members Charles Kamenides, City Public Works Operations Manager and Ron Shaw, City Liaison to the Environmental Affairs Board, and noted that City Council Member Brian Hansen was detained at another meeting but would be joining the panel later.
The panel then began to discuss existing City programs and what they hoped to be able to do in the future. They noted that program effectiveness would be evaluated based upon economics, environmental factors and social factors.
Brian Hansen then joined the meeting and reported briefly on the RTD FasTracks meeting that he just left. Discussion followed.
Charles Kamedines talked about code changes in various municipalities along the front range and how they compare to Longmont code changes. He stated that Longmont compares very well, and that it is working closely with Bounder County on environmental and conservation issues.
The panel discussed existing City programs:
1. Compact flourescent light bulb program
2. Energy Audit Program
3. Green Points Program
4. Energy Star Program
5. LED lighting
The panel then discussed possible future programs:
1. LED street lighting
2. More use of renewable energy sources; (all panel members agreed that maximum development of wind power by PRPA would be beneficial.)
3. Shifting energy use to off-peak times
4. Adding bike routes and use of non-carbon energy sources
5. Urban tree program
Mr. Kamenides then discussed current and future programs of the Public Works Department:
1. Recycle Center open 24/7
2. Curb-side tree limb pickup
3. Attempting to compost lawn grass and other waste products
4. CHARM Center
5. Trade or re-use of items that could harm the environment if discarded
6. City is looking at a Triple-Bin refuse/compost system
7. City is looking at larger bins that would offer more recycle items
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be at the Public Works Center on June 4th, when Longmont’s State Senator and Representatives will present a state legislative wrap-up report.
ADJOURN
There being no further business to come before the meeting, it was adjourned at approximately 8:45 p.m, and private discussions continued after the meeting.
Respectfully submitted,
Jack P. Wolfe
Posted by Secretary as General at 1:36 PM UTC
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MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE MEMBERS
OF LONGMONT AREA DEMOCRATS
HELD APRIL 3, 2008
A Regular Meeting of the Members of Longmont Area Democrats was held March 5, 2008
at the Longmont Public Works Center 375 Airport Road, Longmont, Colorado 80503, commencing
at approximately 7:03 p.m.
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by President Marilyn Hughes who presided. Board Secretary
Jack Wolfe, acted as Secretary of the meeting.
Forty-six members and guests were present.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
President Hughes announced the following:
- upcoming Betsey Markey fundraiser
- City of Longmont needs to YOU to serve on boards and commissions; please volunteer
- Contact Dan Gould to volunteer on Brandon Shaffer’s campaign
- May 7 LAD meeting will be on environmental issues th
- June 4 LAD meeting will be the State Legislative Wrap-Up th
- July LAD meeting will be the annual picnic.
LANCE MELTING and JAMIE LATHROP
Vice President Bob Roy asked those in attendance to observe a few moments of silence and
prayer for Lance Melting, who was killed, and his wife Jamie Lathrop, who was seriously injured,
in the recent I-70 accident on Vail Pass. They were delegates at the County Convention and
Assembly, and Lance leaves 4 children.
CITY OF LONGMONT PRESENTATION
President Hughes introduced Longmont Mayor Roger Lange and Mayor Pro-tem Karen
Benker who discussed the following items from the recent City Council Retreat that are part of the
2008 Workplan for City Council.
- Environment
- recycling
- conservation of water and energy
- renewable energy
- Environmental Conference to be held in 3 or 4 Quarter to garner citizen input rd th
Longmont Area Democrats
Member Meeting Minutes,
April 2, 2008
2
- Communications
- how to better reach out to residents
- Eastern Border
- need for IGA with communities to the east
- how far east should Longmont extend
- should we have a green-belt buffer to the east and/or around Union Reservoir
- Economic Development
- RTD Fastracks – one track to Boulder or two – two tracks are critical
- Flour Mill Transit Station and potential surrounding development
- Main Street
- Twin Peaks Mall
Mayor Lange and Ms. Benker responded to questions after each segment and at the end.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be at the Public Works Center on May 7 , and will focus on th
environmental issues at the City and County level.
ADJOURN
There being no further business to come before the meeting, it was adjourned at approximately
8:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jack P. Wolfe
Posted by Secretary as General at 4:39 PM UTC
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Bill Signing with Gov. Ritter.
Wednesday March 26th Governor Ritter signed HB08-1160, which will expand homegrown energy opportunities for agricultural producers and rural communities statewide.
Sponsored by Senator Brandon Shaffer (Longmont), Senator Jim Isgar (D-Hesperus) and Representative Judy Solano (D-Brighton), the bill promotes energy independence for agricultural producers and rural communities statewide by allowing the extra energy they generate to be credited back to the consumer. Gov. Ritter signed the bill in Boulder County at the Szabo farm near Longmont.
Posted by content as Events, General at 9:58 AM UTC
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MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE MEMBERS
OF LONGMONT AREA DEMOCRATS
HELD MARCH 5, 2008
A Regular Meeting of the Members of Longmont Area Democrats was held March 5, 2008 at the Longmont Public Works Center 375 Airport Road, Longmont, Colorado 80503, commencing at approximately 7:03 p.m.
A Regular Meeting of the Members of Longmont Area Democrats was held March 5, 2008 at the Longmont Public Works Center 375 Airport Road, Longmont, Colorado 80503, commencing at approximately 7:03 p.m. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by President Marilyn Hughes who presided. Board Secretary Jack Wolfe, acted as Secretary of the meeting.
Seventeen members and guests were present.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
President Hughes announced the following upcoming meetings:
- Sen. Shafer Town Hall Meeting in Lafayette
- Coloradoans Against Resource Destruction (in-situ leaching uranium mining)
- Clean Energy Action, with member, Ivan Meek, speaking
- Joan Fitzgerald Fundraiser
Bob Norris reported that Community Food Share needed volunteers to act as greeters for their upcoming food drive – March 12-25.
Dale Lanin asked for support for Sen. Dorgan’s resolution in Congress to reverse the FCC decision allowing consolidation of the media. More info can be found at www.stopbigmedia.com.
ELECTION PROCESS
President Hughes introduced Boulder County Clerk and Recorder, Hillary Hall, who spoke on various issues in the election process. The County is expecting a large turnout in November, election judges are needed, and you can sign up on-line. The Clerk’s office also is encouraging voting by mail to minimize the load on election day. You can sign up once to vote by mail every year until you move or tell them otherwise.
Hillary then reported on the recertification process for voting machines and ballot counting machines that the Colorado Secretary of State’s Office was going through, the reasons why, and some of the problems that had been encountered. She noted that the legislature also was working on a plan for all paper ballots; this will not have a negative impact on Boulder County, but some other counties have a real problem with this.
Finally, Hillary reviewed the voting process used at the election.
BUSINESS MEETING
President Hughes called the attention of those present to the list of resolutions that were being recommended to the members by the Board of Directors. These, together with those previously adopted will become in essence the platform of the Association, setting out the core beliefs. She noted that since there was no quorum present, there could be no vote tonight. Following discussion, it was the consensus of those present that the resolutions be place on the LAD website and that they be included in the notice of the May, 2008 meeting, at which time they will be voted upon if there is a quorum present.
President Hughes asked for volunteers to assist the Board with publicity.
The next meeting will be April 2nd, when the Longmont Mayor and Mayor-Pro-Tem will give an overview of the recent Council Retreat and speak on where they see the City going.
ADJOURN
There being no further business to come before the meeting, it was adjourned at approximately 8:12 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Jack P. Wolfe
Posted by Secretary as General at 2:36 PM UTC
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As amended 2-5-08 BY-LAWS
LONGMONT AREA DEMOCRATS
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11-6-07 Draft BY-LAWS
LONGMONT AREA DEMOCRATS
ARTICLE 1.0
PURPOSE AND FORMATION
Longmont Area Democrats (hereinafter the “Corporation”), a nonprofit corporation formed
under the laws of the State of Colorado, is organized as an inclusive grassroots organization promoting
active participation in Democratic politics. Longmont Area Democrats supports local Democratic
candidates and initiatives while furthering goals stated by official county, state and national
Democratic Party organizations.
ARTICLE 2.0
MEMBERS
2.1 Qualifications: Membership is open to any person over the age of eighteen (18) years
who is a citizen of the United States and who is interested in furthering the purposes stated in Article
1.0 and who pays the annual dues as established from time to time by the Board of Directors.
2.2 List of Members: The Board of Directors shall maintain a list of current members of
the Corporation, and shall bring the list to all meetings of members.
2.3 Dues: Annual dues shall be as determined each year by the Board of Directors prior to
the first regular meeting of members for the year. Dues shall be for the period from January 1 through
December 31.When paying dues, each member shall indicate whether it is acceptable to the member
for the Corporation to transfer any pro-rata portion of its dues that are in excess of the Corporation’s
expenses at the end of a calendar year to the Small Donor Committee, Longmont Democratic Activists
for Political Change, established by the Corporation pursuant to Title XVIII of the Colorado
Constitution.
ARTICLE 3.0
MEETINGS OF MEMBERS
3.1 Annual Business Meeting: An annual business meeting of the members shall be held
in December of each year at a time and place to be determined by the Board of Directors. The purpose
of this meeting shall be to elect officers, to review the Bylaws, to receive reports and approve the
actions of the Officers since the previous annual meeting and to conduct such other business as may
properly come before the meeting.
3.2 Regular Meetings: Regular meetings of the members shall be held at least eight times,
no more often than once each month during the months of January through November of each year,
at a time and place to be determined by the Board of Directors. In addition, special meetings of the
members may be called by the President or a majority of the Board of Directors.
3.3 Notice of Member Meetings: Notice of all member meetings shall be given at least
seven days in advance of the meeting. The Notice shall include the time, place, purpose and agenda
for the meeting. Notice shall be given by announcement at the next previous regular or annual meeting
2
of the members and by posting on the homepage of the Corporation’s website and by e-mail to
members.
3.4. Quorum: At any meeting of the members, 25 percent of the members who have paid
dues for the current year shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of business. For the Annual
Business Meeting, any member who is absent from the meeting but votes by e-mail received by the
Corporation’s Officers will be counted toward the quorum.
3.5 Voting: All voting shall be by voice vote or a show of hands unless a secret ballot is
requested, in which case secret ballots shall be used. Proxy voting is not permitted; provided that in
the case of the Annual Business Meeting, members who are not present at the meeting may vote on
any matter included in the notice of the meeting, other than on public statements or issues, by e-mail
directed to the Officers. Unless otherwise stated in these Bylaws, if a quorum is present when a vote
is taken, the affirmative vote of a majority of the members present is the act of the membership.
3.6 Public Statements: The Corporation may make a public statement on an issue when
the matter is approved both by a two-thirds vote of the entire Board of Directors and by a majority vote
of the members present when a quorum is present at a meeting of members.
ARTICLE 4.0
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
4.1 General: Management of the business, property and affairs of the Corporation shall be
controlled by the Board of Directors. In addition to powers granted by the Articles of Incorporation
and these By-Laws, the Board of Directors shall exercise all such powers and perform all such lawful
duties as are not prohibited by statute or by the Articles of Incorporation or these By-Laws, so long
as such exercise does not jeopardize the Fund’s tax-exempt status.
4.2 Number: The affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by a Board of not less than
six directors, consisting of the Officers and At-Large Directors elected by the members.
4.3 Enumeration of Officers: The officers of the Corporation shall be a President, a Vice-
President, a Secretary and a Treasurer, who shall at all times be Members of the Board of Directors.
4.4 Nominations. Not less than twenty (20) days prior to the annual business meeting of
the members, the Nominating Committee shall nominate at least one candidate for each officer and
At-Large Director position and three members to serve on the nominating committed for the coming
year. Nominations may also be made from the floor at the meeting.
4.5 Eligibility: Any member who is willing to actively participate in the management and
affairs of the Corporation shall be eligible to be elected an Officer or At-Large Director.
4.6 Election: The Officers and At-Large Directors shall be elected by a majority vote of
the members present at the annual business meeting of members.
3
4.7 Term of Office: Directors shall serve until the next annual business meeting of the
members.
4.8 Resignation or Removal. Any Officer or At-Large Director may resign at any time by
tendering a written resignation to the Board of Directors. Such resignation shall take effect at the time
specified therein, and unless otherwise specified, the acceptance of such resignation shall not be
necessary to make it effective. Directors who miss three consecutive regular meetings of the Board
of Directors in any calendar year may be removed by a vote of 2/3 of the entire Board of Directors at
a regular meeting of the Board for which written notice of the pending vote has been given in
accordance with these Bylaws, unless meetings were missed for extenuating circumstances.
4.9 Vacancies: Vacancies on the Board of Directors shall be filled by appointment by the
remaining members of the Board of Directors. Any director so appointed shall serve until the next
annual business meeting of the members.
4.10 Compensation. No Director shall receive compensation for any service he may render
to the Corporation. However, any Director may be reimbursed, in accordance with previously adopted
Board policy, for his actual expenses incurred in the performance of his duties.
4.11 Duties of Officers: The duties of the officers are as follows:
(a) President – The President shall preside at all meetings of the
members and of the Board of Directors; shall see that resolutions of the
members or the Board are carried out in a timely fashion; shall serve as
the official spokesperson for the Corporation; and shall sign all written
instruments of the Corporation, except as otherwise set forth in these
Bylaws or as determined by Resolution of the Board.
(b) Vice-President – The Vice-President shall act in the place and stead
of the President in the event of his absence, inability or refusal to act;
shall maintain a list of all dues paying members, including their
addresses and their indication of intent concerning transfer of funds to
the small donor committee established by the Corporation; and shall
exercise and discharge such other duties as may be required of him by
the Board.
(c) Secretary – The Secretary shall see that notice is given of all
meetings of members or the Board of Directors; shall record the votes
and keep the minutes of all meetings and proceedings of the Board and
of any business performed at a meeting of members, including an
annual index of all actions taken by the members or the directors; shall
maintain the archives of the Corporation, and shall turn over the
archives to the incoming Secretary; and shall exercise and discharge
such other duties as may be required of him by the Board.
4
(d) Treasurer – The Treasurer shall receive and deposit in appropriate
bank accounts all monies of the Corporation and disburse such funds
as directed by resolution of the Board of Directors; shall keep proper
books of account; shall prepare and file any necessary tax returns of the
Corporation and the regular reports required by the Coloado Secretary
of State for small donor committees; shall prepare a proposed annual
budget as needed, and a statement of income and expenditures to be
presented to the Board of Directors at its last meeting of each calendar
year, and deliver a copy to each of the Directors;; and shall exercise
and discharge such other duties as may be required of him by the
Board. Expenditures up to $100 may be paid directly by the Treasurer
without a separate resolution of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE 5.0
MEETINGS OF DIRECTORS
5.1 Regular Meetings: A regular meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held between
each regular or annual business meeting of members, upon not less than five (5) days notice, at a
place, and at such date and hour as may be determined from time to time by the Board of Directors.
5.2 Special Meetings: Special meetings of the Board of Directors shall be held, upon not less
than twenty-four (24) hours notice, when called by the President of the Board, or by any two Directors,
at such time and place as may be specified in the notice.
5.3 Notice: Written notice delivered personally or by e-mail to each Director by the
Secretary of the Board. A written agenda will be presented at the time notice is given. Any Director
may waive, in writing, any notice of meetings required to be given by these By-Laws.
5.4 Quorum: A majority of the number of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the
transaction of business. Except as specified in these By-Laws, every act or decision done or made by
a majority of the Directors present at a duly held meeting at which a quorum is present shall be
regarded as the act of the Board.
5.5 Voting: All voting shall be by voice vote or a show of hands unless a secret ballot is
requested, in which case secret ballots shall be used. Proxy voting is not permitted. Unless otherwise
stated in these Bylaws, if a quorum is present when a vote is taken, the affirmative vote of a majority
of the directors present is the act of the Board of Directors.
5.6 Public Statements: The Corporation may make a public statement on an issue when
the matter is approved both by a two-thirds vote of the entire Board of Directors and by a majority vote
of the members present when a quorum is present at a meeting of members.
5.7 Action Taken Without a Meeting: The Directors shall have the right to take any action
in the absence of a meeting which they could take at a meeting by obtaining the written or e-mail
5
approval of all the Directors. Any action so approved shall have the same effect as though taken at
a meeting of the Directors.
ARTICLE 6.0
COMMITTEES
6.1 Standing Committees. The following standing committees are established by these
Bylaws:
a.) Nominating Committee: which shall nominate candidates for any position open for
election at the annual meeting of members, and which shall offer candidates to the
Board of Directors for any vacancy that occurs between annual meetings.
b.) Outreach Committee: which shall seek to increase the number and diversity of
membership in the Corporation.
6.2 Advisory Committees. The President, or the Board of Directors by resolution, may
create or dissolve any number of additional committees to assist the Board in effectively managing
the affairs or carrying out the work of the Corporation. The purpose and authority of each committee
shall be set out by the President or in the Board resolution at the time of establishment of the
committee.
6.3 Membership on Committees. Each committee shall consist of at least two members,
who shall be members of the Corporation. The Committee members shall be appointed by the
President from volunteers from the membership, except for the Nominating Committee, which shall
be elected by the membership at the annual business meeting of members. The President shall serve
as an ex-officio member of each committee.
6.4 Committee Chairpersons. The President shall appoint a chairperson for each committee
from its members who shall call and chair meetings of the committee and who shall serve as a member
of the Board of Directors of the Corporation. The Board of Directors may remove the chairperson of
any committee if it determines that the chairperson is not fulfilling the obligations of chair.
ARTICLE 7.0
AMENDMENTS
These Bylaws may be amended at the annual business meeting of members, if a quorum is
present by a majority of those members present
ARTICLE 8.0
FISCAL YEAR
The fiscal year of the Corporation shall begin on the first day of January and end on the thirtyfirst
day of December of every year, unless changed by the Board of Directors.
6
ARTICLE 10.0
MEETING PROCEDURE
At all meetings of the Board of Directors, meeting procedure, except as provided by law, the
Articles of Incorporation or the provisions of these By-Laws, shall be governed in accordance with
the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
ARTICLE 11.0
INTERPRETATION
Wherever used herein, the singular shall include the plural, the plural the singular, and the use
of any gender term (masculine, feminine or neuter) shall include the other terms, as the context may
require. The underlined section and subsection headings are for convenience and are not part of the
substance of these Bylaws.
I HEREBY CERTIFY that these Bylaws were adopted by a two-thirds vote of the members
present and voting at the annual business meeting of the Corporation’s members on the day of
December, 2007.
Secretary
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From: “rmpjc”
Date: October 25, 2007 2:07:29 PM MDT
To: “BORDC Board of Directors Mailing List”
Subject: ***House Passes Thought Crime Prevention Bill
http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=4682
House Passes Thought Crime Prevention Bill
10-25-2007
Lee Rogers
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed HR 1955 titled the
Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of
2007. This bill is one of the most blatant attacks against the
Constitution yet and actually defines thought crimes as homegrown
terrorism. If passed into law, it will also establish a commission
and a Center of Excellence to study and defeat so called thought
criminals. Unlike previous anti-terror legislation, this bill
specifically targets the civilian population of the United States and
uses vague language to define homegrown terrorism. Amazingly, 404 of
our elected representatives from both the Democrat and Republican
parties voted in favor of this bill. There is little doubt that this
bill is specifically targeting the growing patriot community that is
demanding the restoration of the Constitution.
First let’s take a look at the definitions of violent radicalization
and homegrown terrorism as defined in Section 899A of the bill.
The definition of violent radicalization uses vague language to
define this term of promoting any belief system that the government
considers to be an extremist agenda. Since the bill doesn’t
specifically define what an extremist belief system is, it is
entirely up to the interpretation of the government. Considering how
much the government has done to destroy the Constitution they could
even define Ron Paul supporters as promoting an extremist belief
system. Literally, the government according to this definition can
define whatever they want as an extremist belief system. Essentially
they have defined violent radicalization as thought crime. The
definition as defined in the bill is shown below.
`(2) VIOLENT RADICALIZATION- The term `violent radicalization’ means
the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for
the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance
political, religious, or social change.
The definition of homegrown terrorism uses equally vague language to
further define thought crime. The bill includes the planned use of
force or violence as homegrown terrorism which could be interpreted
as thinking about using force or violence. Not only that but the
definition is so vaguely defined, that petty crimes could even fall
into the category of homegrown terrorism. The definition as defined
in the bill is shown below.
`(3) HOMEGROWN TERRORISM- The term `homegrown terrorism’ means the
use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group
or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within
the United States or any possession of the United States to
intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian
population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in
furtherance of political or social objectives.
Section 899B of the bill goes over the findings of Congress as it
pertains to homegrown terrorism. Particularly alarming is that the
bill mentions the Internet as a main source for terrorist propaganda.
The bill even mentions streams in obvious reference to many of the
patriot and pro-constitution Internet radio networks that have been
formed. It also mentions that homegrown terrorists span all ages and
races indicating that the Congress is stating that everyone is a
potential terrorist. Even worse is that Congress states in their
findings that they should look at draconian police states like
Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom as models to defeat
homegrown terrorists. Literally, these findings of Congress fall
right in line with the growing patriot community.
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