"Thoughtcrime does not entail death: thoughtcrime is death." --Winston Smith from George Orwell�s 1984

If you needed more evidence that most of our �esteemed� members of Congress are members of a criminal class of ruling elites, who regard the likes of us in the poor and working classes with the disdain most people reserve for cockroaches, look no further than H.R. 1955.

Ninety-three percent of the filth �representing� us in the House voted in favor of the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 1955). Once this vile piece of legislation sails through the Senate and the sociopath on Pennsylvania Ave. gleefully slaps his endorsement on it, the mechanisms will be in place for our lords and masters to initiate programs that will make COINTELPRO and the murder of Fred Hampton look like child�s play.

According to our �betters� amongst the US plutocracy, we can�t afford the �luxury� of dissent. We are waging war on terrorism, a threat to the continued existence of the American Way of Life, which we know to be non-negotiable. Besides, dissidents simply present an obstacle to the wholesale terrorism we are inflicting on entire nations so that we can bring them �freedom and democracy.� As Bill O�Reilly suggested on Faux News this week, the only �sane thing� to do is to support the troops. And war protestors need to be arrested. So whether we are committing heinous war crimes or not, ignore your conscience, root for the home team, thank a vet and shut the fuck up!

Under the soon-to-be law Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007, state and local police will join forces with the FBI, DHS, ICE, and like fascist entities to eradicate ideologies, plans, Internet �terrorist-related propaganda,� and any other �noxious weeds� which might spring forth to �threaten� the �aesthetics� of the immaculate grounds of our glorious corporatocracy, amply fertilized by the corpses of the millions of victims of our imperial and neoliberal conquests.

Within the Orwellian construct of H.R. 1955, I have not decided whether I am a violent radical or a homegrown terrorist. Perhaps the powers that be will deem that I am both. Were I neither, that would mean that I had sold my soul and taken the last refuge of a scoundrel. What a nightmare that would be!

Yes, America, I am a thought criminal. Consider my confession:

1. While I have deep reservations about the death penalty for a number of reasons, I will gladly suspend those misgivings once the gradually intensifying social unrest reaches critical mass. Little would please me more than to see the likes of Bush, Cheney, Condi, O�Reilly, Perle, Clarence Thomas, Bolton, Negroponte and a host of others who have committed and enabled some of the most grievous crimes in history dangling lifelessly from the end of a rope.
   
   
2. I view Zionism as a mental disease. The criminal apparatuses which pass themselves off as governmental structures in DC and Jerusalem do need to be �wiped off the map.� A majority of the constituencies in both the US and Israel view their governments with disgust and contempt. Both ruling bodies are infected with supporters of the Zionist plague and frequently implement policies which serve to inflict abject misery on millions of human beings.
   
   
3. While I am not a direct participant, I wish the Animal Liberation Front great success in their endeavors. Under our depraved system of capitalism, the property ALF destroys and the profits they stymie are sacred. Yet the billions of sentient beings they champion are mere objects which we can wantonly subject to maiming, torture and death.
   
   
4. I loath the Holocaust industry. Zionists have hijacked and exploited a horrific tragedy, cynically employed it to enact their own ethnic cleansing against the Palestinians, and used it as a justification for the continued existence of the monstrous state of Israel. While it is profoundly tragic that the Nazis tortured and murdered so many Jews, there were also significant numbers of Romas, homosexuals, and socialists who suffered similar fates. Besides, there have been many genocides throughout human history, including the one we have been inflicting upon Iraqis through the Gulf War, Clinton�s heinous economic sanctions, and the present illegal occupation.
   
   
5. I long for the collapse of the American Empire. While we can�t predict what will arise to fill the ensuing vacuum, at least it will present an opportunity for us to create a more humane and just sociopolitical order.
   
   
6. I believe the world would be a much better place if Wall Street and Madison Avenue ceased to exist. The greed, narcissism, and exploitation spewing forth from the entities and industries they represent are toxins to the human soul.
   
   
7. I admire and support demonized people and entities such as Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, and Hamas as true champions of victimized people. Our ruling class portrays them as �threats� and �terrorists� because they have the cojones to stand up to the biggest, meanest, and most powerful bullies in history. Are they perfect? No. Are they admirable? Definitely.
   
   
8. I despise the American flag. Since 9/11, it�s nearly ubiquitous presence has helped foster a cancerous form of patriotism and nativism. The �Stars and Stripes� has become a symbol of imperialism, oppression, and state terrorism. And yes, I have burned an American flag.
   
   
9. I consider capitalism to be an abomination and a crime against humanity, the rest of the sentient beings on the planet, and the Earth. I am aggressively pursuing its demise through my intellectual efforts, including writing, educating, motivating, and publishing on my brainchild, Thomas Paine�s Corner.
   
   
10. I have known, befriended, and helped so-called �illegal� immigrants, and will continue to do so. People flooding the United States from Mexico are doing so because of the abject poverty caused by our neoliberal economic terrorism, NAFTA, and our support of their right-wing oligarchs who joyfully implement the Washington Consensus, a recipe for misery for the poor and working class amongst their people. �Illegal immigration� is a forced migration caused by the ever-growing hubris and avarice of our moneyed elite.

Much to the chagrin of those of you who remain enslaved by the intellectual chains of your indoctrination or who are dedicated reactionaries, I have as much right to remain in the United States as you do. And I�m not going anywhere voluntarily. So save your emails offering me passage on a slow boat to Russia. One thing we can probably agree upon though is the sanctity of the Second Amendment. My .38 caliber and 12 gauge are ready, just in case I need to exercise my right to defend family, hearth and home.

Meanwhile, let�s see if a thought criminal like me, who has committed no felonies, has no history of violence, and has formulated no plans to foment violence or engage in violent acts becomes a target of the Bush Regime�s Orwellian apparatus once they have read my confession.