
Must Read: Congress Is Trying to Use the Spending Bill to Criminalize Boycotts of Israel and Other Countries
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Congress Is Trying to Use the Spending Bill to Criminalize Boycotts of Israel and Other Countries
ACLU
December 10, 2018, 6:15 PM
Congress is trying to sneak an unconstitutional ban on political expression into the spending bill in order to avoid public scrutiny.
According to recent reports, congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle are planning to sneak a bill criminalizing politically motivated boycotts of Israel into the end-of-the-year omnibus spending bill.
The bill’s original sponsor, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), is pushing Democratic leadership to include this bill, which has not moved forward thus far primarily because it violates the First Amendment. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) are reportedly leaning toward slipping the text into the spending bill, which needs to pass for the government to stay open.
The ACLU has long opposed the Israel Anti-Boycott Act through its multiple iterations because the bill would make it a crime to participate in political boycotts protected by the First Amendment. Now, the bill’s sponsors are attempting to avoid public scrutiny by including the bill’s unconstitutional criminal penalties in must-pass legislation scheduled for a vote just days before Congress’ holiday recess — likely because it will be harder to pass in the new Congress. …..Continue reading.
Political Playtime: This article shows us just how both the Democrats and Republicans care about the first amendment, especially when it comes to Israel, a foreign power with huge civil rights issues. They are, in essence, trying to unconstitutionally silence Americans to defend a foreign power. Shame. Maybe, just maybe, if the people of the United States truly believed in the Constitution, members of congress who enact plainly unconstitutional laws, especially one meant to defend a foreign power, should be tried for Treason.
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