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IPFS News Link • Criminal Justice System

Goodbye, First Amendment: ‘Trespass Bill’ will make protest illegal

• RT
 

Just when you thought the government couldn’t ruin the First Amendment any further: The House of Representatives approved a bill on Monday that outlaws protests in instances where some government officials are nearby, whether or not you even know it.

The US House of Representatives voted 388-to-3 in favor of H.R. 347 late Monday, a bill which is being dubbed the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011. In the bill, Congress officially makes it illegal to trespass on the grounds of the White House, which, on the surface, seems not just harmless and necessary, but somewhat shocking that such a rule isn’t already on the books. The wording in the bill, however, extends to allow the government to go after much more than tourists that transverse the wrought iron White House fence.

Under the act, the government is also given the power to bring charges against Americans engaged in political protest anywhere in the country.

3 Comments in Response to

Comment by James17
Entered on:

"Under the act, the government is also given the power to bring charges against Americans engaged in political protest anywhere in the country." - I am engaged in political protest everyday on my PC. My roommate makes sure there are no black helicopters flying over the house before she comes home from work.

Comment by Rod Souza
Entered on:

Government? You might look the word up.

Comment by PureTrust
Entered on:

If the bill or act is unconstitutional, it will probably be judged so in court cases following the bill's usage as law by law enforcement. The problem is this. Before the judgement is made that repeals the bill, there will have been any number of common folk who have been harmed by law enforcement's quasi-illegal enforcement of the bill as law.

A second and worse thing will be, that even though the bill is adjudicated as unconstitutional in some future time, those serving prison terms because of it will not be released without a whole lot of legal "fighting." And those who have been murdered by law enforcement... well, you see what I mean.



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