Lieberman Bill Would Strip Citizenship From Terrorist Suspects

AP/Scott Applewhite

American citizens could be innocent until proven suspicious and stripped of their rights under the proposed Terrorist Expatriation Act [pdf], which would amend a 1940s law aimed at traitors who helped the Nazis or Japanese. The bill, introduced by Senator Joe Lieberman yesterday, would authorize the State Department to revoke the citizenship of any U.S. national suspected of providing "material support or resources to a Foreign Terrorist Organization or who engages in or supports hostilities against the United States or its allies." No trial would be necessary, just a signature from the Secretary of State.

During a press conference yesterday, Lieberman said the arrest of failed Times Square car bomber Faisal Shahzad shows you can't let certain criminal suspects have due process. "Our enemies today are even more willing than the Nazis or fascists were to kill innocent civilian Americans here in our homeland," Lieberman told reporters. Wow, we were skeptical until he reminded us about the Nazis—we'll give up any Constitutional rights if Joe will just save us from the Enemy of the Month! But not everyone's convinced. John Bellinger, a legal adviser to the Secretary of State during the Bush administration, tells Huffington Post:

[Lieberman's bill] sounds like a draconian solution. I assume the Senate has thought through the constitutional issues but I would want to see what the standards are for stripping someone of their citizenship and what opportunities they would have for notice and to challenge the decision... It certainly seems like a far-reaching step.

Joe Lieberman: making the Bush administration seem enlightened. And he's not alone; Lieberman was joined yesterday by Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., and Reps. Jason Altmire, D-Penn., and Charlie Dent, R-Penn. They say the bill is intended to block Americans who are suspected of receiving terror training abroad from returning home. We bolded the word "suspected" there because without a trial, there is no established guilt—it's how our already imperfect justice system works. The Terrorist Expatriation Act would enable the government to skip that whole annoying civilian trial part and just cut straight to Guantanamo. Columnist Ann Woolner writes:

With the arrest of a Pakistani-born naturalized American charged with trying to car bomb Times Square, citizenship seems suddenly like one of those bizarre legal technicalities that stand in the way of justice and national security. It isn’t, and it doesn’t.
Yes, agents read Faisal Shahzad the same Miranda warnings, and the law gives him the same due process rights that the Constitution grants the rest of us, including who knows how many law-abiding citizens he was apparently trying to kill. So what?

The law already allows cops to delay the Miranda warning under exigent circumstances, such as the possibility that another bomb is about to detonate. Until they were satisfied there was no assault in the works, agents questioned Shahzad without reminding him he didn’t have to talk. That is also what they did with the Christmas Day underwear bomber, arrested at the Detroit airport.

To give you an even clearer picture of how far back in time Lieberman wants to take us, look no further than House Republican Minority Leader John Boehner. Yes, that John Boehner. He told reporters yesterday, "If they’re a U.S. citizen, until they’re convicted of some crime, I don’t know how you would attempt to take their citizenship away."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on May 7, 2010 12:57 PM

Comments [rss]

Norco Addiction

Over the past year, I've admired the way Bill has managed to stay positive but also ... If you'd like to join the event, click here to sign up for the FB community. ...... for yet another false flag event like 9/11 designed to strip citizen rights. ... the McCain and Lieberman sponsored Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, ...

Legal cocaine

SARAH Palin is embroiled in a drug scandal! The former politician is furious over charges she snorted cocaine in an Alaskan bar, and that she covered-up a.

Ed

I thought the federal do not fly list would keep terrorists out of the country, so if Lieberman puts this new law into effect than we don’t need the do not fly list any more, right Joe?

If it smells like shat, guess what it is?

I say pound sand, our government has too much power as it is, since 911 its been nothing but a ploy to destroy the USA by the people sworn to protect it.

MrEthiopian

dadoc

1) Whoever bags any suspected terrorist better damned well Mirandize them, whatever you think. You don't, the Appelates or the Supremes could toss your case.

2) Lieberman has nothing to do with Connecticut, or the US for that matter. He represents a Foreign Power.

RylandQ

The proposed Lieberman citizenship bill is under attack, even though it hasn’t even been announced to legislation in congress yet. The Miranda Rights debate came up as soon as the "Times Square Bomber" was read his rights, on whether a person linked to a terrorist group should have the exact same privileges as everybody else. Lieberman's Citizenship Bill would make anybody who's associated with a terrorist group get stripped of their citizenship, thereby not allowing the exact same rights, for instance due process. You will find numerous issues any person can see about this bill, but until the bill is presented, who knows what will alter.

yytttt

Can't he do something useful like die or something?

Mordicai

Joe Lieberman is terrorizing me. J'accuse! If this was a game of Clue I'd be going through the weapons..."I presume...It was Lieberman...with the...candlestick? Who killed the Constitution."

Note to The Honorable Sirs Lieberman & McCain et al: being compared to McCarthy isn't a GOOD thing.

BDS=(Boycott.Divest.Sanction)

this is more information about how far the government can go in claiming someone is aiding terrorist groups. In this case someone dissemanating news.

http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/%5Cnews.aspx?id=17324

I love this quote from someone from the ironically name Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. I swear you can't make this sh*t up...

"Facilitating speech that advocates violence is not always protected by the First Amendment, said Andy McCarthy, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

"You can't help (a terrorist group's) ostensibly legitimate activities without making them more efficient in their brutality," McCarthy said. "The way to reform these groups is to ... choke them until they cease to exist."

it goes on to say

McCarthy's foundation is involved in the Coalition Against Terrorist Media and gave the government information connected to Iqbal's case.

You have to wonder where do you think the money comes from to fund all these think tanks and PACs with the funny names? Who would fund a group that would go after a guy who was selling Lebanese tv to Americans?

ANGRYGOD11

Lieberman is terrorizing naturalized American citizens, who only number in the tens of millions. Protesters in Arizona should visit Connecticut next.

After all, what is terrorism but a tacit based on fear?

darkdrseuss

So I'm confused. Those guys they caught in michigan, the ones that planned to kill a cop, then blow everyone up at his funeral, they will retain their citizenship, get lawyers, and have rights cause they are white? What about those morons in the bronx who were going to blow up a synagouge, what are you going to do, ship them to africa cause they're black? Or does this law only apply to those with asian backgrounds?

ANGRYGOD11

Lieberman has a very sharp legal mind and panders to idiots by proposing crap he knows will never be enacted. He's not the only one, but I'm surprised Connecticut keeps re-electing him.

Several years ago he proposed FCC regulate content on cable citing the violence he didn't like on shows like The Sopranos. Nothing happened, but that's his style.

Thespis

Mike Godwin was a very astute man, and I think we owe him a debt of gratitude for getting rid of the reflexive tendency to equate everything to "the Nazis."

But at the same time...stripping someone of citizenship just because we "suspect" them of terrorism? Creating an "enemy" that is so evil and sub-human that they do not even deserve constitutional rights? Abandoning "innocent until proven guilty" in favor of instant loss of citizenship and deportation to a military base...the same thing Stalin did to political "criminals?"

With respect to Mr. Godwin, that's some Nazi-ass shit this dude is proposing.

(Well, except for the Gulag part...there's it's some Stalin-ass shit. But either way.)

schadenfreudian mensch

Be careful Herr Liberman what you wish for. It seems you've forgotten a certain European nation stripping all of it's Jewish people their citizenship and declaring all of them enemy of the state from der vaterland.

famdoc

Nice job, Joe. That bill will definitely deter terrorism.

I can see it now: a naturalized citizen, trained in terror tactics in Pakistan slips into her vest of plastic explosives, prepared to die for her cause and taking the rest of Madison Square Garden with her, notices the headline in gothamist: terror suspects face being stripped of citizenship. Aw, shit, she says. I wasted all that training. I quit. Nice job, Joe. What kind of wine are you drinking on Shabbos?

pd2009

Yes, because the terrorists value their citizenship sooo much, they'll think twice....that'll stop them!

BDS=(Boycott.Divest.Sanction)

haha. this reminds me of that George Carlin quote

"The owners of this country know the truth: It's called the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it."

haha

look at the groups the state department considers a terrorist orginzations. Hizbollah for one. Never attacked america, elected party in Lebanon, calls for peace with America, yet they are on the list.

remember that story a few years back. a guy was selling tv that had a lebanese station on it.

he was convicted for 6 years for aiding a terrorist group.

http://www.debatebothsides.com/showthread.php?77575-New-York-man-receives-6-year-%93terror%94-sentence-for-Hezbollah-TV-broadcasts

thats bad enough, but he'd be deported too if this law was in effect. funny.

I Wonder what else would pass for aiding terrorism. We've already shown that selling tv channels counts as aiding terrorism.

I wonder would verbally supporting them do it? would writing on a blog that you think Hizbollah is rightously defending themselves agaisnt someone INVADING their country, you know freedom to have a political opinion, would that make you a supporter of terrorism?

Imagine that. Taking Actions to support a group that is not even fighting AMERICA could make you a supporter of terrorism in the letter of the law. Could make you lose your citizenship. Imagine that?

Who's interest do you think that serves? How does this help the American people?

Adrian

there is a rumor lieberman will do some kosher cocain 3 years from now. he should check himself into one of our lovely correctional facilities right now.

for him there should be an exception:

he can provide proof that he will not do so in the future.

good luck with that :)

kchu

Not to defend this extremist proposal, but if you read the link it does allow for rounds of appeals, including the in federal court system. It wouldn't be a stroke of a pen and a (immediate) push out the door.

unretrofiedforu

NO, just increased costs. No biggie, right? As long as the funds aren't used for things like healthcare and shit.

hotstepper

what a bunch of pandering butt monkeys.

can we find some representatives that understand the basic rule of law in this country? perhaps ones that are familiar with the constitution and bill of rights?