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Do we need additional domestic terrorism laws?

SJurgenson

SJurgenson

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
1,239
One of the things Capitol insurrection has brought to the forefront is the term 'domestic terrorism'. I think most of us can agree the Capitol insurrection was a case of domestic terrorism, at least in the colloquial sense.

Would you be surprised to know that under US federal law, there is no single Domestic Terrorism statute? There are vastly different tools available to law enforcement if the terrorism is foreign, versus if it is domestic. For years, there has been a call for additional legislation to make it easier to investigate and prosecute domestic terrorism.

Here's an episode of the excellent FBI Retired Case File Review podcast, where the host interviews retired special agent Tim O'Connor who talks about domestic terrorism cases, and he makes a convincing argument that our lack of cohesive domestic terrorism statutes is a problem: Episode 213: Tom O'Connor – Domestic Terrorism, Racially Motivated and Antigovernment Extremists

I think that, if nothing else, we need to have tools to make it easier to investigate and stop domestic terrorism before it happens.
 
Stoof

Stoof

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,763
No, we need better enforcement and non-racist enforcers to use the current laws.
 
Valiant

Valiant

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,310
I don't think we need to expand what we do with foreign terrorists into domestic terrorists its not a road we should go down.

With that said domestic terrorists and their groups should be more focused on and that's always dependent on what various agency heads and the President wants to do to get these people.
 
Dyle

Dyle

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
29,906
We should focus on actually enforcing what we have first rather than giving corrupt law enforcement agencies more power to be used against innocent people.
 
sphagnum

sphagnum

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
16,058
I think it's highly likely that such legislation would be used by the government to crush leftist movements, whether revolutionary or not. I'd rather find ways to attack the root causes of the problems, or at least target them specifically toward white supremacists, than give the US government a chance for a new set of powers that could be abused.
 

John Doe

Avenger
Jan 24, 2018
3,443
I've got a problem with terrorism laws to begin with, so no.

They were only ever passed to give America an excuse to invade and kill black and brown people.

Every single act of terrorism is already accounted for just fine under current laws. Although I speak subject to correction.
 

Deleted member 46493

User requested account closure
Banned
Aug 7, 2018
5,231
Patriot Act and NSA give more than enough power for the state to track us.

What else do you need? Really, what other powers will you give to the government? The people were able to get into the building not because we lack laws, but because of negligence and ineptitude.
 

noquarter

Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,480
Agree with the posts already here.

I really think if it was easier for laq enforcement, they would have used that to try to prevent or slow down BLM not events like 6 Jan.
 
Goldenroad

Goldenroad

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Nov 2, 2017
9,475
Maybe, but more importantly, and firstly, you need laws against white nationalism and hate speech. Once those laws are in place, then maybe you can start implementing further counter-terrorism laws that won't disproportionately target POC.
 
Chikor

Chikor

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
14,239
Absolutely not.
We don't need the anti-terrorism laws we have on our book and it would be great if we overturn them all.

We have plenty of laws to go after those people, and in any case, those fuckers got into congress because the cops let them, not because the American criminal system is to lenient.

I generally think that "terrorist" is not a terribly useful term, and the way it is used in American discourse and American laws is downright harmful.

I hope we learned some lessons from the mistakes we made in the hysteria after 9/11.
 
Jeremy

Jeremy

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,639
I think an executive order from Biden might be better than a law here.

Declare specific white supremacist orgs domestic terrorists and instruct law enforcement /justice to prioritize them and to treat them as the serious threats that they are in the courts.
 
captmcblack

captmcblack

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,060
sphagnum said:
I think it's highly likely that such legislation would be used by the government to crush leftist movements, whether revolutionary or not. I'd rather find ways to attack the root causes of the problems, or at least target them specifically toward white supremacists, than give the US government a chance for a new set of powers that could be abused.
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This right here.

Just target the supremacist groups, and go from there.
 
iksenpets

iksenpets

Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,484
Dallas, TX
Murder and assault and breaking and entering and sedition and conspiracy are already laws on the books. You just need to enforce them equally, instead of inflating the brown people threat and ignoring the white people one. We don't need security theater, we just need to quickly arrest the people who do this and act quickly against anyone plotting something similar with the existing laws. The FBI has more than enough tools to track and monitor these people.
 
Kay

Kay

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
2,077
This is a political problem not a legal problem. Americans don't have enough political freedom left for new domestic security laws to be brought in.
 
Chikor

Chikor

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
14,239
Jeremy said:
I think an executive order from Biden might be better than a law here.

Declare specific white supremacist orgs domestic terrorists and instruct law enforcement /justice to prioritize them and to treat them as the serious threats that they are in the courts.
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Our current anti-terrorism laws allows the president to do that, we don't need any special executive action. There is no oversight on that either, the president can declare whoever they want a terror group.
That's how Trump designated Antifa a terrorist organization.

But I don't think we need to use any of those really really bad laws, normal criminal courts are more than adequate to deal with this shit.
 
TarpitCarnivore

TarpitCarnivore

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,209
There is in no way ADDITIONAL reach and funding would not disproportionately impact Black and Brown people.

There's plenty there for them to do what they need to do, they just chose not to. Consider the sheer volume of arrests going on since this happened and that should tell you there's enough already.
 
0h-so-Cold

0h-so-Cold

Alt Account
Banned
Dec 2, 2020
803
Don Fluffles said:
We need laws against fascism first.
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This post. Right here.

sphagnum said:
I think it's highly likely that such legislation would be used by the government to crush leftist movements, whether revolutionary or not. I'd rather find ways to attack the root causes of the problems, or at least target them specifically toward white supremacists, than give the US government a chance for a new set of powers that could be abused.
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And this one.

White supremacy groups should have been weeded out and convicted. Starting with the KKK.
 
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