Recently RI Governor Don Carcieri proposed a "homeland security law" bill, called "An Act Relating To Homeland Security". This bill, if passed, would create new felony charges, require annual safety audits of every public school, and close some public records.
But what really sets this bill apart is it wants to resurrect some WW1 era laws that make it illegal to: "speak, utter, or print" statements in support of anarchy; speak in favor of overthrowing the government; or to display "any flag or emblem other then the flag of the United States" as symbolic of, or preferable to, the United States government.
The ACLU calls it an "extraordinarily dangerous bill". No shit! Some people have been criticizing that if this bill is passed it will set the sate back 200 years. Under this bill, anything you'd write or say in favor of anarchy could land you to up to ten years in prison. If this law were passed, displaying a flag other then the American flag could result to up to ten years in prison.
The funniest thing about all this is, in terms of terrorist targets, Rhode Island is probably one of the states with the least to worry about. I doubt a bill like this could get passed... I can't believe my parents (both democrats) voted for this guy. They said they didn't think he'd try a stunt like this. Personally I think if people were smart they'd laugh him out of office with a proposal of this sorts. |
