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Ear to the Ground

SCOTUS Upholds Anti-Terror Law

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Posted on Jun 21, 2010
supreme court
Flickr / dbking

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court once again voted in favor of a federal law that prohibits any kind of material aid to terrorist organizations outside the country—including humanitarian help and support for more peaceable solutions.  —KA

AP via Google News:

The court ruled 6-3 Monday that the government may prohibit all forms of aid to designated terrorist groups, even if the support consists of training and advice about entirely peaceful and legal activities.

Material support intended even for benign purposes can help a terrorist group in other ways, Chief Justice John Roberts said in his majority opinion.

“Such support frees up other resources within the organization that may be put to violent ends,” Roberts said.

Justice Stephen Breyer took the unusual step of reading his dissent aloud in the courtroom. Breyer said he rejects the majority’s conclusion “that the Constitution permits the government to prosecute the plaintiffs criminally” for providing instruction and advice about the terror groups’ lawful political objectives. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor joined the dissent.

The law allows medicine and religious materials to go to groups on the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations.

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By Inherit The Wind, June 23, 2010 at 3:01 am Link to this comment

Yup.  There’s no difference between Carter, Clinton, Obama vs Reagan, Bush, Bush. 

Notice that the 3 Justices who dissented were appointed by Clinton and Obama, and the 6 who went for this travesty were all Republican appointees.

This is the most important cutting edge difference between the parties.  Policies and politics can change, but the Supreme Court appointments far out-live their Presidents.

Stevens, Scalia and Kennedy were all appointed by Presidents who are now long dead.  While Stevens is leaving Scalia and Kennedy continue Reagan’s work of undermining every progressive change in America since the Crash of 1929.  Bush I and II continued that legacy with appointments of Thomas, Alito and Roberts (Souter was, for Bush I, an unpleasant surprise—but he’s off the Court now).

Yeah.  “Not a dime’s worth of difference”

Every Tuesday the Court is in session proves that to be a lie.

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rico, suave's avatar

By rico, suave, June 21, 2010 at 6:05 pm Link to this comment

“...prohibits any kind of material aid to terrorist organizations outside the country—including humanitarian help and support for more peaceable solutions.”

Now there’s a perfect definition of “oxymoron”. Why in the FUCK!, would a terrorist organization be interested in humanitarian help, and peaceable solutions????

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By opit, June 21, 2010 at 4:49 pm Link to this comment

It’s called intimidation. It means that the ability of the state to imprison indefinitely without grounds or discrimination or other excuse is now established as defense for a ‘war’ that never was. Nor is there exemption for nationality or geographic location. The British were told as much right in their Commons years ago.

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By felicity, June 21, 2010 at 10:41 am Link to this comment

When we thought that the infamous HUAC had met its timely death never to rear its odious head again, we were wrong - it’s unprincipled and undemocratic dealings have been reincarnated by SCOTUS. Now, instead of a Communist lurking under every ‘mattress’ there’s a terrorist lurking under every ‘mattress.’  Wonder how many lives will be ruined this time.

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Peetawonkus's avatar

By Peetawonkus, June 21, 2010 at 9:22 am Link to this comment

By this definition, Britain long ago could have bombed the US since the largest source of I.R.A. funding came from America. This Supreme Court would have ruled against the Founding Fathers under this reasoning. Our current Supreme Court is like that of the 1850s—fanatically ideological and in the service of all the wrong ideas.

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By James Harbour, June 21, 2010 at 8:53 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

What does this mean?  Are they going to lay out specifically what we are no longer allowed to say?  Like is saying that Torture is Illegal now providing material support to terrorism?  This makes no sense - can we arrest college professors who have foreigners in their classes?  SUPREME COURT IS TREADING ON THIN ICE AND PLAYING GAMES WITH FREE SPEECH IN SUPPORT OF AN EXTREMELY VAGUE LAW!

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