Posted on 10/16/2001 5:25:12 PM PDT by 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.
I don't think so and I'll tell you why. Under the provisions of this act, captured "belligerants" will be tried in military courts. A solution I whole-heartedly approve of as I don't believe the American public should be saddled with the indignity of providing public trials to these monsters and the danger of giving them a forum.
Probably because our U.S. Constitution/Bill of Rights is the Supreme law of the land. That means nothing can be deleted from it...though amendments can be added if they are in harmony with the whole document and no conflict is found.
Congress can pass no laws, even laws Congress wants to pass which are based on treaties and the enforcements thereof which are not in pursuance to the Constitution. (Article VI, para 2.)
Article I, Section 8 declares that Congress has the power to grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, [but it has no power to nullify that power, either by legislation, treaty, or amendment]. IMO. Looks to me like this article is still operational.
NYC has lots of different people, but there you can at least go a little ways and be able to hide out as part of the general population. I doubt Tehran has an Americatown or any place easy so easy to hide in.
Just the acknowledgement that I'm not alone is a load off.
These guys had the problem of getting whole ships back to the claims court, dividing up the crew and dealing with prisoners. In one case, they gave a captured ship to their prisoners and sent them off. You could do that today if you decided that someone was worth giving captured goods away to, and I don't think the claims court would have a problem with it. On land, I suppose the best way would be to raid supply depots and distribute what food you don't need to the people living there, if you could do it without compromising yourselves.District and Port of Bristol, October 13th, 1812
I, Oliver Wilson, commander of the brig Yankee, do solemnly swear that the foregoing is a true journal of the late course of said brig and that all the material occurrences on the course are therein faithfully recorded.
So help me God.
Oliver WilsonSworn to before
Charles Collins
Most of the people applauding on this thread are the same ones who go apoplectic over the "extra-constituionality" of the terrorism bill, so using their lame hysterics, what would stop another corrupt, Clinton-like administration from turning these Pirate Busters on American gun-owners or bong users or cyber-kiddie porn fans? What stops them from seizing your stuff when their sojourn in the dust & flea capital of the world ends? Courtesy of gun-grabbing President, John Edwards.
If it's all the same to Mr. Paul, I prefer the knowledge that the 10th Mountain Division is paying a silent visit to the Talibaniacs. But I guess a bunch of free-lance, glory boys stumbling around millions of acres of Afghan rock piles and mine fields could serve as pretty cool decoys, so...bring 'em on! It would be fun to see who signed up.
If it's in the Constitution, why do we need this bill? Isn't it redundant? And weren't the Contras some of our Marque and Reprisal Guys?
You never know. Those "glory boys" could be greedy bearded members of the Taliban who want out. Me thinks the lady doth protest too much.
And the time frame for action is what? When, exactly, will these buckling swashers be ready to kick some goat-roping butt?
PS: Your misuse of Shakespeare is embarrassing.
Same reason they needed a bill back in 1780. Hope that helps.
Really? Which ones? And you are aware that the actions of private individuals are in a wholly different category than the government employee are you not?
She's right. She's no Lady. Perhaps "Something's rotten in Denmark" would have been more appropriate.
...whoever has them [ Marque and Reprisal] will have the nightmare of infiltrating countries where the people look different and speak different languages.
Americans come in all shapes and sizes and many speak different languages. This is one nightmare I think some enterprising Americans could wake up from.
BTW It's nice to see so many Constitution lovers on FR today.
How's this:
PROSPERO Dost thou think so, spirit?
ARIEL Mine would, sir, were I human.
PROSPERO And mine shall.
Hast thou, which art but air, a touch, a feeling
Of their afflictions, and shall not myself,
One of their kind, that relish all as sharply,
Passion as they, be kindlier moved than thou art?
Though with their high wrongs I am struck to the quick,
Yet with my nobler reason 'gaitist my fury
Do I take part: the rarer action is
In virtue than in vengeance: they being penitent,
The sole drift of my purpose doth extend
Not a frown further. Go release them, Ariel:
My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore,
And they shall be themselves.
ARIEL I'll fetch them, sir.
Re: the Contra's? Interesting question, but one that I wouldn't attempt to figure out.
Something tells me snail mail would be less welcome and a heck of a lot slower these days.
You were saying something about seizures. Isn't that one of the things that scares all the loonies?
Can't this be turned on the gun-owners? Cigarette smokers? Can't president John Edwards use free-lancers to kick your ass, take your guns, house, marital aids and throw you in jail? Weren't the Contras Marque & Reprisal Guys?
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