Am I a terrorist?
It appears that language in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2011 (NDAA) lays the legal groundwork for indefinite detention of U.S. citizens without trial. I refer to Subtitle D of the act that contains several provisions on indefinite detention of terrorism suspects. Section 1021 defines who can be detained by the military.
The definition of 'covered persons' under the provision includes those that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including anyone who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces.'
Now, in FY12 I know the congressional intent was to round up the 9/11 bad guys. As a DoD employee running a program that had Kristen Gilibrand’’s attention, I read that year’s NDAA pretty closely and this escaped my attention. Surely the US would never apply the provisions to one of our own unless they were a bad guy.
Fast forward a decade and DHS now has a whole new definition for what constitutes terrorists - people who, under this act, commit a belligerent act or support s hostilities in aid of such enemy forces. According to DHS in its latest bulletin, “the convergence of violent extremist ideologies, false or misleading narratives, and conspiracy theories have and will continue to contribute to a heightened threat of violence in the United States.” After all, “COVID-19 mitigation measures—particularly COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates—have been used by domestic violent extremists to justify violence.”
I have read and shared lots of “conspiracy theories” and “misinformation” over the past couple of years and have contributed to keep investigative journalists afloat. I tried sending a donation through GoFundMe to support the Canadian truckers who had the balls and brains to do something constructive to stop the bleeding, only to have GFM know better how my money should be spent. I doubled down on a donation through GiveSendGo, only to have Canada’s baby dictator confiscate it under the guise of it funding terrorism.
Am I a terrorist? If I wasn’t on a watch list before I suspect I am now. It is likely I will be doxxed for my donation to keep a trucker fed and warm as he stands up to tyranny on the behalf of us all. I am not violent and do not promote or support violence, but I have been known to be belligerent. We Americans smugly assume our constitution will protect us from unlawful search and seizure without due process. Can we still be so sure? If this administration through DHS has redefined what it means to be a terrorist what, having the FY12 NDAA enacted, is to prevent my detention?
2/16/21