The “war on terror” is a status quo fraud perpetuated by the oligarch-controlled mainstream media and authoritarian members of Congress as a way to systematically strip the American public of its freedom and civil rights in the name of fighting an outside enemy. This tried and true tactic has been used by statists throughout history, and history is indeed repeating itself here in the “land of the free.”
Of course, I’ve spent innumerable hours writing on this topic for many years, even before I started this website. Here are a few recent examples:
The “War on Terror” Turns Inward – DHS Report Warns of Right Wing Terror Threat
More “War on Terror” Abuses – Spying Powers Are Used for Terrorism Only 0.5% of the Time
How the Department of Homeland Security Monitored and Tracked Peaceful “Black Lives Matter” Protests
Moving along, today’s story is so incredible it’s almost hard to believe. It appears our so-called “representatives” recently took fifteen minutes to pass a bill that allows the Secretary of State to revoke Americans’ passports with no due process. Did you know about this? Well neither did I, and what’s worse, these members of Congress are so cowardly they passed the bill with a voice vote to avoid going on record. Talk about anti-American.
First, from Reason:
On Tuesday, without much notice, and after a whopping 15-minute debate, the U.S. House of Representatives passed via voice vote the Foreign Terrorist Organization Passport Revocation Act of 2015. Its intent: “To authorize the revocation or denial of passports and passport cards to individuals affiliated with foreign terrorist organizations, and for other purposes.” Some of the bill’s sparse details:
The Secretary of State may refuse to issue a passport [or revoke a previously issued one] to any individual whom the Secretary has determined has aided, assisted, abetted, or otherwise helped an organization the Secretary has designated as a foreign terrorist organization
How does today’s John Kerry or tomorrow’s John Bolton make such a determination? The bill doesn’t say.
Don’t we have laws, courts and due process in this country? Guess not.
It was also covered by Police State USA:
A bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives would allow the government to restrict Americans’ travel through the revocation of passports based upon mere suspicions of unscrupulous activity. This bill represents another dangerous step forward in the war on terror and the disintegration of American due process.
H.R. 237, the “FTO (Foreign Terrorist Organization) Passport Revocation Act of 2015,” will allow the U.S. Secretary of State the unchecked authority to prohibit individuals from traveling internationally. According to the bill, the Secretary may unilaterally revoke (or refuse to issue) a passport from “any individual whom the Secretary has determined has aided, assisted, abetted, or otherwise helped an organization the Secretary has designated as a foreign terrorist organization pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189).”
The bill did not bother to define what the terms “aided, assisted, abetted, or otherwise helped” actually mean, in legal terms. The power has been left open-ended so that it can mean whatever the secretary wants it to mean. Needless to say, a bill like this would be easily abused.
The travel restriction requires no presumption of innocence for the targeted individual; no explanation; no public presentation of evidence; no opportunity for a defense; no checks and balances on the power. The bill does not outline any appeals process for the targeted individual. The only stipulation is that the Secretary of State must issue a report to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs — “classified or unclassified.” The bill does not state that either committee can reverse the secretary’s decisions.
What’s really disturbing though, is that as I was researching this bill, I came across the fact that Congress is also sneaking in a provision to the highway-bill that would allow the IRS to revoke Americans’ passports if they owe the agency $50,000. Here’s some excellent coverage on the matter from the Ron Paul Institute:
Just the other day we wrote about a US House “suspension” bill that would give the Secretary of State the authority to cancel your passport if he decided that you had “aided” an organization that he rules is terrorist. There is no definition of what “aided” means, no chance to dispute the Secretary’s decision, no trial or presentation of evidence, and in fact any evidence the government has can be classified as secret so that you may not see it. In effect the Secretary of State can unilaterally consign you to internal exile and there is nothing you can do about it.
Because Members of the US House were too cowardly to go on record voting for such an anti-American piece of legislation, the bill passed by a voice vote.
Today the US Senate plans to one-up its counterparts on the lowlier side of Capitol Hill. Buried inside the US highways funding bill is a provision to revoke or deny issuance of a US passport to anyone who has a large outstanding tax debt to the US Internal Revenue Service. According to a Senate Finance Committee summary (PDF) acquired today, the measure provides for:
Revocation or denial of passport in case of certain unpaid taxes. This provision would authorize the Federal government to deny the application for a passport when an individual has more than $50,000 (indexed for inflation) of unpaid federal taxes which the IRS is collecting through enforcement action. It would also permit the Federal government to revoke a passport for such individuals. Before revocation, however, the Federal government would be allowed to limit a previously issued passport only for return travel to the United States or to issue a limited passport that only permits return travel to the United States. The provision would be effective on January 1, 2016, and is estimated to raise $0.398 billion over 10 years.As can be seen from the summary, this measure threatening to imprison Americans within (or outside) US borders is simply viewed as a means by which to raise revenue. The hoped-for increase in revenue coming from this threat is considered an “offset” to the money being spent on the highway bill — in other words the threat to imprison US citizens within their own country or freeze them out is considered appropriate incentive to force them to pay what the government claims it is owed.
Unconvinced that the US government would do such a thing? Check the bill coming to the Senate Floor. Section 52102 of the Highway Funding bill, to be taken up by the Senate today, states:
If the Secretary receives certification by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue that any individual has a seriously delinquent tax debt in an amount in excess of $50,000, the Secretary shall transmit such certification to the Secretary of State for action with respect to denial, revocation, or limitation of a passport pursuant to section 52102(d) of the Transportation Funding Act of 2015.
The use of citizenship rights as a weapon against Americans is becoming increasingly common as Washington is ever more desperate for control of its passport holders.
Indeed, Congress does seem rather obsessed in creating various loopholes by which the government can snatch American citizens’ passports and restrict travel without due process. It makes you wonder if Ron Paul was right in 2011 when he stated: “Border Fence Will Be Used To ‘Keep Us In'”
In Liberty,
Michael Krieger
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Another day, another incredible outrage. There is NO hope, NO salvation within the System. The System must die before there will be a possibility–just that, a possibility–of establishing a just form of self-governance.
As a lifelong voter, I’ve had to to come to terms with the reality that none of what we see accelerating each day would be possible if voting, representation of citizens and civic integrity remained with the System. It does not; voting is a sham and theatrics to convince the rubes we still count, somehow.
The System must die so that we, and those who come after us, may live.
I am with you Friend. I see the problem is that there are too many Americans who has never been exposed to the core concepts of any Participatory Democracy which must begin with and be nourished by constant Vigilance and Participation! Disengagement, non-thinkingness, inability to watch and learn from a greater source of information than their hand-held screen, is causing an irreversible death spiral. Those whose collective memory includes basic Civics Education and Practice, are dying off much faster than the critical mass of Americans who will be left with saving our Republic. The only difference between this Call to Preserve & Protect and that of 1776, is that we are in the run-up to the ascension of the most dangerous person on the Planet. Hillary has the potential and is visibly headed toward total destruction, and it is the very sustainability of the Human Race which is at stake. America must save itself in order to save the world, and so far, I do not see that we have sufficient leadership to accomplish this job.
No hope because the people REFUSE to get involved or care about their own country, freedom and rights. After the horrendously corrupt 2008 TRIllION $ bankster bailout donated by Congress to financial syndicate thieves? ONLY 6 WEEKS later, the vote came up, and 95% of those who OPENLY voted this swindling outrage- were revoted into office by the so-called angry, opposing public. No wonder the arrogant fraudsters have little but contempt for the idiot public. WE, the people are a big part of the problem.
NO MORE DENIAL, NO MORE EXCUSES.
Lighten up, Mike. They’re just keeping us safe.
“Those who would give up Liberty for a modicum of Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” ~ Benjamin Franklin
Enough said, Warren.
And now, there is just one party left and we won’t be attending – too toxic for a “free” people.
mike you are forgetting there will a false flag even bigger than 9/11 again within our lifetime. by 2030 a major event will be staged on u.s. soil killing at least a few thousand people and taking over the airwaves in almost the precise same fashion as 9/11. it could possibly be even a fair amount larger.
the problem is not how to bomb the rest of the world. the problem is how to control the u.s. population.
unlimited free shit lies and distractions only works for so long until the only option for controlling everyone is FEAR.
98% of all people are either sheep or pigs or cowards. and of that 98%, 99..5% of that 98% belong to the peasantry and blue/white collar workers.
2% of the top has the means to actually do anything and of that 2% most are also sheep cowards and pigs.
of that 2% 99.5% of that 2% are not in the oligarchy class. so even their abilty to fight the major decision makers on any one of a number of points is limited.
“Before revocation, however, the Federal government would be allowed to limit a previously issued passport only for return travel to the United States or to issue a limited passport that only permits return travel to the United States.”
Trust me, if I was treated like this i would not be “returning” anyway. The
thousands of folks busy renouncing their citizenship are just seeing
the writing on the wall. The FIRST task an american wage slave has
when he/she gets over that boarder is simple…RENOUNCE YOUR
CITIZENSHIP….its worthless anyway….
Fascism has now progressed to far for remedial action. The US is officially a police state and the Bill of Rights is not worth the paper it’s written on. Sorry folks but you had your democracy and you wasted it. Now you won’t have it anymore!
Actually, Archie, the US was founded as a Constitutional Republic, not a Democracy. The true description of democracy is Mob Rule, wherein the majority rule over the minority, and the minority is denied its rights. Any nation that had been a democracy in the past wound up as a dictatorship. A democracy always eventually devolves into a dictatorship, as the US is doing today. It’s fast devolving into a Marxist Bolshevik dictatorship; and. if Hillary Clinton succeeds Barack Obama as POTUS, that devolution into a Marxist Bolshevik police state will be complete.
100 Points for the most accurate description of where we are now. This is why we constantly here politicians referring to a Democracy..they know the truth and are attempting to subliminally educate the serfs as to the trickery and treason that has been instigated against the people…or else they know they would be decorating light posts if the people ever woke up from their Earthly possession induced coma….
We need 4 years of no president, VP, sec. of treasury, defense, atty general etc… 4 years to knock back outrageous legislation such as this. 4 years no congress, no house, no senate… Let the free market economy decide..
Who doth The Dark House represent, that be the question, and as always, therein ‘lies the answer’.
You don’t need a “passport” just cross the Mexican border anytime you want….
Unfortunately all too many applicants have mistakenly completed and submitted the DS-11 (Passport Application) as a US citizen, which is a Federal Employee and 14th Amendment citizen. If the applicant applied with a SSN# they will be deemed a taxpayer and US citizen/subject. For a complete understanding of the matter see INA 1952 section 101 and 8 USC 1101(a)(21). For detailed information on correcting the errors see http://www.sedm.org on citizenship and status. If you fail to correct your status, they will treat you as a taxpayer and revoke the PP.
This is an actual “arrest”, it is a jailing, a confinement without due process.
It is arbitrary and unconstitutional. Merely passing such a piece of excrement “chills” all of our natural rights and i think any of us now has “standing” to sue on this issue.. So that is what a whole lot of us should now do. Let’s get the Supremes to say whether we still have a constitution or not–a right to NOT be confined, without due process of law in this god-forsaken country.
2LT Dennis Morrisseau USArmy [armor – Vietnam era] ANTI-WAR retired.
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