Top Tier Politicians Commit Open Felonies Involving Terrorist Groups

You may not know this, but if you are in contact with certain democratically elected political parties in Gaza or Lebanon and you work on strategies of achieving their ends, such as recommending non-violent resistance, this can be considered material support for a terrorist group and is in fact a felony. I bet you can guess which kinds of people have been prosecuted under the statute that makes this behavior a crime. Pretty much all Muslims.

But the tables have turned a bit. It sounds like top tier politicians have acted as paid spokesmen for a group designated as a terrorist organization by the US State Department. This includes Ed Rendell, Howard Dean, Rudy Guiliani, and others. Glenn Greenwald has the details. The very same people that advocated these statutes now decry them when people notice that this crime applies to these powerful people.

I think I'll write to my Congressman and Senators about this. Here's what I'll say:

Senator/Congressman

In June 2010 the Supreme Court ruled in Holder vs Humanitarian Law that speech coordinated with and on behalf of a group designated by the US State Department as a terrorist organization was punishable as a felony. This could include discussions of non-violent strategies for achieving their ends. This is a heinous ruling. It's a repudiation of what I think is best about America: the protection the law affords us with regards to our expression.

Major political figures such as Howard Dean, Rudy Guiliani, and Ed Rendell appear to have violated this law by providing support for the MEK, an Iranian group designated by the US State Department as a terrorist organization. The details are here:

http://www.salon.com/2012/03/12/washingtons_high_powered_terrorist_supporters/singleton/

Currently only relatively powerless people (Muslims) have been prosecuted under this law. For our nation's laws to be applied only to the weak and powerless is a great injustice. Laws must be applied to all equally, weak and strong. I am writing to express my wish that you would apply pressure on the relevant authorities so that they will investigate these powerful individuals to determine if they are guilty of crimes. I don't want anyone to be prosecuted under this statute. But applying the statute to the weak only ensures that this heinous law will remain. If we apply it to the strong we'll finally hear objections voiced, and then it may change.

In addition to freedom of speech the other feature of the US legal system that used to make America stand out is equality under the law. That is being undermined today. The law is a respecter of persons. The powerful seem able to flout the law, while the weak suffer often without mercy. We need liberty and justice for ALL to return America to greatness.