Breaking: Text of H.R. 3076- September 11 Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001

Thomas ^ | 10/16/2001 | Ron Paul

[Demidog]

September 11 Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001 (Introduced in the House) HR 3076 IH

107th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 3076

To authorize the President of the United States to issue letters of marque and reprisal with respect to certain acts of air piracy upon the United States on September 11, 2001, and other similar acts of war planned for the future.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

October 10, 2001

Mr. PAUL introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

A BILL

To authorize the President of the United States to issue letters of marque and reprisal with respect to certain acts of air piracy upon the United States on September 11, 2001, and other similar acts of war planned for the future.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `September 11 Marque and Reprisal Act of 2001'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds the following:

(1) That the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 upon the United States were acts of air piracy contrary to the law of nations.

(2) That the terrorist attacks were acts of war perpetrated by enemy belligerents to destroy the sovereign independence of the United States of America contrary to the law of nations.

(3) That the perpetrators of the terrorist attacks were actively aided and abetted by a conspiracy involving one Osama bin Laden and others known and unknown, either knowingly and actively affiliated with a terrorist organization known as al Qaeda or knowingly and actively conspiring with Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, both of whom are dedicated to the destruction of the United States of America as a sovereign and independent nation.

(4) That the al Qaeda conspiracy is a continuing one among Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, and others known and unknown with plans to commit additional acts of air piracy and other similar acts of war upon the United States of America and her people.

(5) That the act of war committed on September 11, 2001, by the al Qaeda conspirators, and the other acts of war planned by the al Qaeda conspirators, are contrary to the law of nations.

(6) That under Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution, Congress has the power to grant letters of marque and reprisal to punish, deter, and prevent the piratical aggressions and depredations and other acts of war of the al Qaeda conspirators.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY OF PRESIDENT.

(a) The President of the United States is authorized and requested to commission, under officially issued letters of marque and reprisal, so many of privately armed and equipped persons and entities as, in his judgment, the service may require, with suitable instructions to the leaders thereof, to employ all means reasonably necessary to seize outside the geographic boundaries of the United States and its territories the person and property of Osama bin Laden, of any al Qaeda co-conspirator, and of any conspirator with Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda who are responsible for the air piratical aggressions and depredations perpetrated upon the United States of America on September 11, 2001, and for any planned future air piratical aggressions and depredations or other acts of war upon the United States of America and her people.

(b) The President of the United States is authorized to place a money bounty, drawn in his discretion from the $40,000,000,000 appropriated on September 14, 2001, in the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recovery from and Response to Terrorists Attacks on the United States or from private sources, for the capture, alive or dead, of Osama bin Laden or any other al Qaeda conspirator responsible for the act of air piracy upon the United States on September 11, 2001, under the authority of any letter of marque or reprisal issued under this Act.

(c) No letter of marque and reprisal shall be issued by the President without requiring the posting of a security bond in such amount as the President shall determine is sufficient to ensure that the letter be executed according to the terms and conditions thereof.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

=] I hope that is the reason anyway. Good night and God bless America! God bless Ron Paul, too. He's a patriot through and through.

[KingKongCobra]

How many more would die daily if the mility did not exist? Would private security forces be better? Not!

[JAWs]

Avast ye scurvy terrorists!

BTW, didn't the Hauge convention ban privateering?

[MadameAxe]

I did, but missed the second link. Reviewing it, I still don't see the part that supports your claim that it outlaws letters of marque and reprisal. Privateers are not "militia" nor are they "volunteer corps". They are on their own.

[FreeReign]

I don't know if he does or not. The question is do the people support the bill? And will he see it as a tool he can use to help himself look good in the end? My guess is that both answers will be affirmative after enough debate and activism on the issue.

You think a commander in chief should use focus groups and polling info to micromanage a war effort -- I don't. You -- and Paul -- think that the legislative body should micro manage a war effort for the commander in chief -- I don't.

I don't see any clear reason to support this resolution. Thus if the commander in chief does not support it, then I don't.

[FreeReign]

So then Carbon, just because something is controlled by the gov't, that makes it bad.

Besides take our money, and create more laws and restrictions on our liberties, what does the Federal gov't do more efficiantly than the private sector?

The Federal gov't more efficiently creates, maintains, executes and enforces our constitution. The private sector -- without government -- is anarchy.

[Dog Gone]

You can't have it both ways. Either they are on their own, or they have government authority to act.

If they are on their own, then there's no need for Marque and Reprisal.

[MadameAxe]

It's the difference between hiring an employee and contracting for a service. The contractor does not become the government's employee.

BTW, no one I know of is suggesting that this bill be a replacement for military action but rather a complementary measure (although I haven't had time to completely review this thread). I don't know why some of you are having such a problem with it.

And now, I must away for the evening. Regards.

[Freebird Forever]

but I'm talking about this giving us the ability to hire local talent to plug the gaps in our own operations.

Exactly.

Just the thought of the US being able to send some "Indian Cobras" down the "rat tunnels" could persuade the Pakis to see things more along our lines.

[DuncanWaring]

The law that says you can't smoke marijuana.

This law is unconstitutional. Where in the Constitution is the Federal Govt. given power to regulate the smoking of marijuana or anything else?

A constitutional amendment (the Eighteenth, you may recall) was required to give the feds the power to regulate possession/consumption of alcohol. Why should other "consumables" be different?

[Old Student]

these are the same type of letters as were issued to the privateers that defended our coast until the nascent U.S. Navy came online. They authorize the bearer to attack enemy-flagged vessels wherever they may be found.

I wonder if I could get one? I don't have a lot of money to post as bond, but I have my life, liberty, and sacred honor...

WRM, MSgt, USAF (Ret.) Old Student

[Demidog]

Anyone who is a target is fair game everywhere. Thus the answer is yes, you could target Bin Laden's associates here. It is less likely that you would get there before law enforcement but you might.

The thing is, you could keep any assets that you obtained in the process subject to a court approval. It's a lucrative business. How about hackers going after bin Laden's bank accounts? Think that might put a damper on his terrorist acts? I do.

Letters were "shall issue" documents but were dependent on a bond being presented. This generally kept the privateers honest. If you targetted the wrong person, the government more than likely could get sued. So your bond would cover the cost of that litigation and any damages.

[Demidog]

Lots of BAD ideas are permissible, too.

It's called freedom. If you don't like it, there are other countries that will be more than happy to oblige you in whatever self-flaggelating fantasy you happen to entertain.

[rainingred]

Any law that is Constitutional is not stupid? I don't think so. There are plenty of stupid Constitutional laws.

A lot of things are Constitutional and still stupid.

Name One?

Thanks Demidog, that was exactly my reply. Sorry I had to desert you, but kids and homework got in the way. It appears you don't need my help anyway.

[moonhawk]

"Nothing in the Constitution prohibits standing armies."

(section 8)"The Congress shall have power......To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two years;..."