Interesting. Whistle blowers are summarily dispatched by the Won? Makes perfect sense to me.
Former Agent: New Bill Effectively Outlaws Protests Anywhere Secret Service Deems Off Limits
Could protestors unknowingly run afoul of the Feds and face prison for exercising their First Amendment rights?
Yes, according to some analysts, and all that‘s needed is President Obama’s signature for a new law to give the Secret Service powers more befitting the Praetorian Guard
Even former 15-year Secret Service veteran Dan Bongino has raised alarms, as he told the Blaze that House Resolution 347 creates an America in which ”you could accidentally be in a cordoned off secret service controlled area and find yourself in jail.”
-SNIP-
Here are the facts: the House of Representatives passed a bill called the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act this past week. Ostensibly, the bill expands federal law protections for the areas near the president, vice president, and those under the protection of the Secret Service. For example, jumping over the fence at the White House and running across the lawn would be elevated to a federal crime once the bill is signed into law.
But there’s more. Here is a section from the H.R 347:
“Whoever knowingly, and with intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions, engages in disorderly or disruptive conduct in, or within such proximity to, any restricted building or grounds when, or so that, such conduct, in fact, impedes or disrupts the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions…”
By failing to include the term “willfully,” the statute apparently changes the definition of Section 1752 of title 18, United States Code in such a way that one only has to be in a restricted area — with or without prior knowledge of that fact — to violate the law. This is arguably a change required in the mens rea (state of mind) necessary to commit the crime covered in the new statute.
So if you plan to protest at the next Obama, Romney or Santorum speech, you could unwittingly violate the statute and be thrown in jail for standing in a place the Secret Service deems specially protected.
Thus Reason.com has written that “a more truthful moniker for HR 347 would be the ”First Amendment Rights Eradication Act.” While that description goes a bit far, Congressman Amash, one of the three lone votes against the bill, also wrote the following on his Facebook page:
“Current law makes it illegal to enter or remain in an area where certain government officials (more particularly, those with Secret Service protection) will be visiting temporarily if and only if the person knows it’s illegal to enter the restricted area but does so anyway. The bill expands current law to make it a crime to enter or remain in an area where an official is visiting even if the person does not know it‘s illegal to be in that area and has no reason to suspect it’s illegal. (It expands the law by changing “willfully and knowingly” to just “knowingly” with respect to the mental state required to be charged with a crime.)”
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