Buffer zones do not apply to any specific religious group and they’re not a curtailment of any civil liberty (they’re actually designed to protect frredom of access to medical care by preventing people from blocking entrances or impeding patients. I wouldn’t even necessarily agree that they can’t get 'near" the clinics. The zones are different from state to state ranging from as little as 8 feet up 15 or 25 feet. I would still call that “near.” And they’re not directed at a religion. They apply to anyone who isn’t authorized to enter the clinic. You don’t even have to be pro-life.
PeTA is not a religion and is not a terrorist group. They also aren’t impeding anyone’s right to get medical care.
What’s so special about religion that it should get a free pass? I saw a documentary on some guy who infiltrated some US Militia movement, of the kind that the Oklahoma bomber also was a member of at some time. And another undercover cop who went into the East German Neo-Nazi movement. Infiltrating and surveying Islamists Mosques & “charity” organizations is of the same type as these. Necessary police work.
Question one, include the “all” Question two and four do not. This I interpret as meaning that they in question two and four meant “some”. [Some] mosques should be closely monitored and surveilled by U.S. law enforcement agencies.
Well of course they should. Those that has a history of preaching violence and from which terrorists has emerged.
[Some] muslim civic and volunteer organizations should be infiltrated by undercover law enforcement agents to keep watch on their activities and fundraising..
Well of course they should. Those organizations that are under suspicion of funneling money to Hamas and the like.
They most certainly are a terrorist group, if you classify people who both financially support and provide instructions to those who commit illegal acts of violence “terrorists.”
Try and catch the Penn & Teller “Bullshit” episode on them sometime…
Like Jose Padilla? Not involved in 9/11 but a member of Al’queda.
Like that American boy whose name I also can’t remember? Damn, someone must know who I’m talking about. Skinny white kid, Al’queda member.
I’m uncomfortable stopping every person with brown skin before they go onto a plane, even though it seems that frequently the terrorists who attack American interests tend to fall into this category. Call it knee-jerk liberalism. But some very publicized terrorists were not Middle-Eastern at all; unusual, yes, but true.
Say, for example, i don’t believe that snatching random citizens off the street and imprisoning them is a curtailment of their civil rights. And then i say that i’m in favor of snatching random citizens off the street and imprisoning them.
Ergo, i’m not saying that i support a curtailment of people’s civil rights.
Not really…the 1st Amendment has an implicit understanding that it refers only to religious activities that do not otherwise break any laws that aren’t specifically targeted toward religion. You can’t perform human sacrifice because there are laws against murder. You can’t eat peyote (although that’s perennially contested) nor smoke ganja, mon, because the drug laws are already in place for a purpose other than interfering with those religious activities. I would think that conspiring to commit murder would fall under that umbrella. I’m pretty sure that if the Mafia were using church basements as headquarters, the government could do their thing despite the venue.
The best I can reply with is that churches are permited to encourage and provide alcohol to minors.
It must be more than implicit understanding however. There must be some case law somewhere to establish a precedent to get control for the obviously unspecified limitation .
Execpt that I don’t think there was any evidence that John Walker Lind was a member of Al’queda. The Tailiban, yes. But that’s not the same thing. (Which I guess brings up back to the question of wether being in a group that supports terrorism is equatable to being a terrorist. And I would say it depend. Lind was a lowly foot soilder. I doubt he knew much if anything about the Tailban’s terroist ties.)
That said though, I agree with your point. One of the problems I have with racial profiling is I think it could help terrorist. I mean, if you know in advance what they’re looking for it gives you an immediate advantage. If we’re putting all our resources towards checking out Middle Easterners or Muslims, all they have to do is find members who are or can pass for, European and Christian. John Walker Lind wasn’t a terrorist but I bet someone like him could be.
I’m not often surprised anymore, but you surprised me. In the world I see, you did a foolish thing. One nut plus one grudge equals one hassle of your life. Even worse if said nut has political power.
PETA has given money to both the ELF and the ALF, both of which have a record of arson and other acts of property destruction to further their goals. Additionally, the ALF has made threats against individuals. In addition to providing financial support to terrorist organiztion, PETA also has a history of funding the legal defense of those who use violence to further PETA’s goals, such as Roger Coronado, who blew up a research lab.
You wanna talk about cheapening the word “terrorism”? Hera ya go.