Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007

Floor Speech

VIOLENT RADICALIZATION AND HOMEGROWN TERRORISM PREVENTION ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - October 23, 2007)

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1955) to prevent homegrown terrorism, and for other purposes, as amended.

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1955, the Violent Radicalization of Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007.

In May, six men were arrested for allegedly plotting to attack Fort Dix. Three of those men were United States citizens; the other three had been in the United States since they were small children. Then, again, in June, another four men were charged with plotting to attack JFK Airport by blowing up jet fuel tanks. The alleged mastermind of this plot was a United States citizen.

Today, one of the most frequently visited English language Web sites that preaches hate, violence and radicalized views of Islam is operated by a 21-year-old U.S. citizen from the comfort of his parents' home in North Carolina. Some may say these incidents are isolated cases, but I believe that they are indicative of a growing trend of homegrown terrorism in this country.

Homegrown terrorists no longer need to travel to Afghanistan or Pakistan to get support and training. They can simply go on the Internet to find violent propaganda and others who share their violent ideology. H.R. 1955 provides us with a strategy for how to address this very challenging Homeland Security issue. I commend Chairwoman Harman for authoring this important legislation and for championing this case.

The centerpiece of this bill is the creation of a national commission. It is a step in the right direction. National commissions have a long and successful history in this country. The Gilmore Commission, of which our chairwoman was a member, which functioned from 1993 to 1998, made 164 recommendations regarding the domestic response to terrorism. Of those 164 recommendations, all have been adopted in whole or in part by the Congress and the Federal Government.

Another commission, the National Commission on Terrorism, which operated in the early 1990s, was on the cutting edge of the terrorism debate. That commission provided the Nation with the blueprint of how to address the threat of terrorism long before the September 11 attacks.

The more recent 9/11 Commission set the tenor of our administrative and legislative response to the September 11 attack. That commission's recommendations were the bedrock of legislation I offered that was enacted into law this summer.

The commission established in H.R. 1955 will help build on the work of past commissions and help our Nation come up with strategies for new threats. The bill also requires our government to reach out to other nations that have experienced home grown terrorism. Learning from other nations about what works and what doesn't will better position us to prevent the spread of violent ideology in our country.

The bill also creates a center of excellence to conduct research that is desperately needed in determining the root cause of violent radicalization.

At the same time, H.R. 1955 also protects simple rights and liberties of U.S. citizens. The bill is mindful of Americans' right to free speech, freedom of association and freedom to worship. H.R. 1955 makes certain that individuals exercising these rights within lawful parameters are not singled out.

I urge my colleagues to support this important Homeland Security bill and ask them to vote in favor of passage of this important legislation.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, in closing, I urge my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 1955. This vital legislation will put our Nation on the path to addressing an emerging threat, homegrown terrorism.

There is general agreement that the threat of foreign-based terrorist groups is real. We, as a Nation, have dedicated a great deal of resources to global counterterrorism. However, in some corners, there has been a kind of mindset about homeland security that believes we will be safe if we get the terrorists there before they get us here. It's the kind of mindset that ignores the fact that there are some would-be terrorists who are born here, raised and educated here, and only have lived here in the United States. For those of us who love this Nation, it is not the kind of thing that we want to acknowledge, but we must. Enactment of H.R. 1955 will put us on a course to understanding homegrown terrorism and coming up with strategies to reduce this major threat to the homeland.

Madam Speaker, I, also would like to pay tribute to the chairwoman of the committee for ushering this passage, as well as the ranking member of the committee. But I would also like to acknowledge that Ranking Member King, who had an unfortunate death in his family, is not here. He has been a source of support for this legislation and has helped get us to this point, and I would like to acknowledge that for the record.

Madam Speaker, I urge passage of this legislation.

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