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How Lieberman's Proposal Would Work Proves How Pointless It Is

Greg Sargent:

Lieberman's office has clarified to me how the law would work: It would empower the State Department to conclude -- on its own -- that Americans are conspiring with terror groups and should be stripped of their citizenship.

Lieberman's law would amend an earlier statute that details other things that can cost you citizenship [. . .] In those cases the State Department decides whether your disloyalty merits loss of citizen status. Lieberman's law would add involvement with a foreign terror organization -- as opposed to a foreign state -- to this list.

Why is this pointless? Because unless Lieberman is planning on repealing the part of the law that provides due process prior to revocation of citizenship, then all Lieberman has done is create a new federal proceeding where suspected terrorists can "propagandize." As noted earlier, the only way for Lieberman to get terror trials out of federal courts is to repeal federal law criminalizing terrorism. Will Lieberman propose that?

Speaking for me only

< Wednesday Morning Open Thread | Want To Make Miranda Irrelevant? Repeal Federal Laws Criminalizing Terrorism >
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  • Display: Sort:
    Dammit, Whiny Joe, I'm going to go there ... (5.00 / 1) (#2)
    by Ellie on Wed May 05, 2010 at 01:03:50 PM EST
    the State Department decides whether your disloyalty merits loss of citizen status

    Depending on whether disloyalty is an offense in and of itself, would this also apply to elected pols who are dual citizens of the US and Israel, and who put the interests of Israel above domestic ones?

    If an American president can (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by KeysDan on Wed May 05, 2010 at 03:48:01 PM EST
    officially order the assassination of a US citizen (e.g., Anwar al-Awlaki, a US born muslin cleric supposedly hiding in Yemen), is Lieberman just being "soft on terrorism" with his proposed law to permit the Sec of State to determine if loss of citizenship is warranted?  ;}--sort of.

    Joe Lieberman is a terrorist (5.00 / 1) (#10)
    by Edger on Wed May 05, 2010 at 03:54:17 PM EST
    I wonder if he thinks he should be treated better than the people whose citizenship he wants to strip?

    How about a war crimes trial, with full constitutional defendant rights for him and his cohorts?

    The Devil is in the Details (none / 0) (#1)
    by Repack Rider on Wed May 05, 2010 at 12:54:56 PM EST
    Since Holy Joe is due on a Sunday show soon in order to meet the Sunday Stupidity quota, hopefully someone will ask (I AM hopey) him to elaborate a little on how he envisions the process unfolding, from accusation to torture and finally confession and incarceration.

    That should be entertaining, and provide quote material for years.  Why does Joe hate everything America once stood for?

    Let me guess... (none / 0) (#3)
    by kdog on Wed May 05, 2010 at 01:33:35 PM EST
    NORML will find itself a terror group.  Not that much of a stretch, haven't we been told buying a dub is basically the same as buying a kebob for Osama?

    With protest on the brain with AZ and all, how about a mass revocation of citizenship to show Joe how we feel?  Even if it is just symbolic...a million cats on the streets of DC burning SS cards would be pretty f*ckin' cool.

    Wouldn't you need to burn U.S. passport (none / 0) (#4)
    by oculus on Wed May 05, 2010 at 02:51:48 PM EST
    or green card to make the point?

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    Oops. Green card is not citizenship (none / 0) (#5)
    by oculus on Wed May 05, 2010 at 02:52:25 PM EST
    doc.

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    Works for me... (none / 0) (#7)
    by kdog on Wed May 05, 2010 at 03:30:12 PM EST
    you pick the piece of paper, I'll bring the light.

    The SS card just aggravates me more than the others..."not to be used for identification purposes" my arse.  Somebody forgot to tell the tellers at Belmont Park...they will hold your money hostage till you produce it.

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    They don't accept bets from undocumented (none / 0) (#11)
    by oculus on Wed May 05, 2010 at 04:02:21 PM EST
    immigrants?

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    They'll accept a bet... (none / 0) (#12)
    by kdog on Wed May 05, 2010 at 05:09:15 PM EST
    from a unicorn...they just won't pay out on 600-1 or better without that SS card...it's outrageous.

    Luckily for paperless gamblers there is always a track bum with papers who will cash your SS required winners, for a small fee of course.

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    Would Americans and American groups (none / 0) (#6)
    by DFLer on Wed May 05, 2010 at 03:23:52 PM EST
    associated with the IRA be stripped?

    Forget the IRA... (none / 0) (#8)
    by kdog on Wed May 05, 2010 at 03:31:21 PM EST
    how 'bout the CIA?  That's a terror org if I ever saw one.

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    If so (none / 0) (#13)
    by Socraticsilence on Wed May 05, 2010 at 07:50:31 PM EST
    Peter King better get his affairs in order and look for a new job because I'm pretty sure citizenship is a rquirement for serving the legislature.

    Parent