Don't call your Oregonian senator, he's on vice mail (sic)

I usually enjoy The Inq's rants about the ridiculous, especially when it comes to some of the more amusing (frightening?) legal and moral zealotry found here in the States. However, if the estimable Mr. Rupp would have taken the time to actually READ the Oregon Bill, he would realize that it doesn't even suggest any connection between "Unlawful Labelling" of anything and terrorism beyond the fact that, along with "cheating", is that commission of any of these crimes falls under the rule at Section 1(11)(b), chapter 666, Oregon Loaws 2001. The first part of this bill relates to defining terrorism as a crime, the second relates to new provisions for cooperation with Federal investigations, and the third is the aforementioned list (which, if you're interested and don't want to bother with a quick bit of web research, relates to criminal forfeiture of property).

Two things really get my hackles up here. The first is the sudden burst of rage I got when I saw the headline (because I tend to trust The Inq implicitly) because I wouldn't put that crap past some of the idiots that pass for legislators these days, but also that Mr. Rupp simply gave the once-over to the definition spelled out for terrorism in the Bill. The first thing that really sucks about this is Section 1(1): "A person commits the crime of terrorism if the person knowingly plans, participates in or carries out any act that is intended, by at least ONE OF ITS PARTICIPANTS..." (My growing emphasis and outrage). Think about that for a second. Senator Minnis needs something, but I can't think of the words to describe it, but I think something like a full frontal lobotomy by way of the rectum comes to mind. Then there's the judicial genious Minnis has attempted to recover from Jr. High School where you got detention if only one kid saw you do it, but it's in school suspension if two of the snivelling brats said you did it.

So, I have to say, it is a bill that should be brought to the attention of the good citizens of Oregon to call their Senators, but lets send them there for the right reasons. Unless Mr. Rupp was really using the Inq as his own terrorist vehicle and trying to turn faithful readers from Oregon into his unwitting accomplices by corralling them to "disrupt the governmental institutions of the State of Oregon" by convincing them to harrass their Senators for no valid reason (seeing as they don't have to know the intent behind their actions, or that there was one so devious) ... In which case, Mr. Rupp, it's only a Bill, not a law, and would have jumped the proverbial gun.

Bill Hoffman
Email supplied, as usual

I would recommend proofreading the bill summary a bit more next time before you post something like this. All the bill does is "create the crime of terrorism," and nothing more. The reason that those other crimes are listed, is because the summary lists what Chapter 666 Sect. 19 would read if this bill is passed(see item 132 on that list). The rest of the crimes on that list are still criminal/punishable by whatever law defines them.

Ryan Smith, email in there...

I downloaded the PDF version of the bill, read it, and was both amused and aghast.

Amused, because it is precisely the act we have sought to help make things immeasurably worse and thus bring on the destruction of America the Damned.

Aghast because of the boldness of the suspension of the Constitution in Oregon.

Every person in Oregon involved in crafting this bill or in supporting it should be killed by freedom fighters.

The USA is a fascist nation. F*** it dead.

Tim May
Email address supplied

Now might be the time to move out of Oregon!

Jim (TheDS)
Supplied

I suppose neither Mr. Rupp nor the Inquirer could be bothered to read the bill or the section of Oregon law referenced by it. Or perhaps reading a legislative summary was just too complicated or time-intensive for their busy schedules, and they decided to skip that formality in their quest to distribute their quota of truth to the public.

The provisions in Section 3 of the bill, currently in Section 19, Ch. 666 of Oregon Laws, are not related to the first part of the bill which seems to define terrorism.

Freedom's untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things. They're also free to live their lives and do wonderful things.

Rumsfeld, 2003-04-11
Supplied